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charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
I read these novellas when they were available separately. Now that they are available in this one volume, I thought I would post my reviews from each novella.
Puppet Graveyard :
This novella ROCKED!
I've always had a slight fear of dolls, puppets and the always scary ventriloquist dummies. Ever since I saw the movie Magic as a child these dummies creep me out. This novella featured the creepiest dummy EVER!
The story starts with a young woman named Kitty who is thinking about her sister who disappeared shortly after joining on with a ventriloquism act. Kitty wants to find out what happened because her sister would never just take off like that without at least a phone call. She tracks down the ventriloquist and gets a job where he works so she can be close and keep an eye on them. She begins to notice that the dummy (Piggy)seems almost to have a life of its own. From there on, reality goes off its rails.
I really enjoyed how this author worked in the stories of several different people to give a full view of Piggy's activities over the years. The way it was done was awesome and it helped to build the tension as more and more was discovered about Piggy and his handler's(Ronny)history. I also enjoyed the pacing of the story-I HAD to find out what happened. There are some very graphic, messed up scenes, so this one is not for the faint of heart.
One last word of warning-don't expect to sleep soundly after you're done.
The Underdwelling :
This was an excellent horror novella with Lovecraftian undertones that takes place in a deep, deep mine.
Tim Curran's excellent descriptions add to the creeping unease that slowly builds during the course of this story and doesn't let up.
Here is an example of Mr. Curran's excellent descriptive skills:
[
"Breed could see something...an eldritch and terrible form given body by the swirling dust. He couldn't be sure how much of it he saw and how much he imagined. It was roughly the size of a man. A semi-visible hunched-over thing, a hazy apparition speckled with dust. It was creeping at them on a dozen spindly legs. He saw reaching arms, an elongated head of undulant tendrils like a nest of writhing, loathsome snakes...and a distorted face: something with clustered pods of eyes".
Tim Curran is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. His descriptive skills are unmatched. I'm looking forward to reading more of his backlist and I'm happy that there are a lot of them!
Recommended for horror fans and especially fans of Lovecraft
Fear Me :
Wow. This novella was so good, I don't know where to start.
This scary story takes place in a prison. Something is killing prisoners in their locked cells. How could this be? You will need to read this book to find out.
Extremely creepy and realistic with Lovecraftian overtones-this tale blows away the competition. If you enjoy being scared by a story, looking around or jumping at every small noise while you're reading, and generally being covered with goose bumps, then this story is for you.
Highly recommended, 5*.
Puppet Graveyard :
This novella ROCKED!
I've always had a slight fear of dolls, puppets and the always scary ventriloquist dummies. Ever since I saw the movie Magic as a child these dummies creep me out. This novella featured the creepiest dummy EVER!
The story starts with a young woman named Kitty who is thinking about her sister who disappeared shortly after joining on with a ventriloquism act. Kitty wants to find out what happened because her sister would never just take off like that without at least a phone call. She tracks down the ventriloquist and gets a job where he works so she can be close and keep an eye on them. She begins to notice that the dummy (Piggy)seems almost to have a life of its own. From there on, reality goes off its rails.
I really enjoyed how this author worked in the stories of several different people to give a full view of Piggy's activities over the years. The way it was done was awesome and it helped to build the tension as more and more was discovered about Piggy and his handler's(Ronny)history. I also enjoyed the pacing of the story-I HAD to find out what happened. There are some very graphic, messed up scenes, so this one is not for the faint of heart.
One last word of warning-don't expect to sleep soundly after you're done.
The Underdwelling :
This was an excellent horror novella with Lovecraftian undertones that takes place in a deep, deep mine.
Tim Curran's excellent descriptions add to the creeping unease that slowly builds during the course of this story and doesn't let up.
Here is an example of Mr. Curran's excellent descriptive skills:
"Breed could see something...an eldritch and terrible form given body by the swirling dust. He couldn't be sure how much of it he saw and how much he imagined. It was roughly the size of a man. A semi-visible hunched-over thing, a hazy apparition speckled with dust. It was creeping at them on a dozen spindly legs. He saw reaching arms, an elongated head of undulant tendrils like a nest of writhing, loathsome snakes...and a distorted face: something with clustered pods of eyes".
Tim Curran is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. His descriptive skills are unmatched. I'm looking forward to reading more of his backlist and I'm happy that there are a lot of them!
Recommended for horror fans and especially fans of Lovecraft
Fear Me :
Wow. This novella was so good, I don't know where to start.
This scary story takes place in a prison. Something is killing prisoners in their locked cells. How could this be? You will need to read this book to find out.
Extremely creepy and realistic with Lovecraftian overtones-this tale blows away the competition. If you enjoy being scared by a story, looking around or jumping at every small noise while you're reading, and generally being covered with goose bumps, then this story is for you.
Highly recommended, 5*.
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