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motherhorror's review
5.0
Kudos to Patrick Beltran and D. Alexander Ward for bringing together seven talented authors to blend their wildly different voices for this anthology.
"I've nurtured every sensation man has been inspired to have. I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him—in spite of all his imperfections, I'm a fan of man! I'm a humanist. Maybe the last humanist." Milton/Satan/Al Pachino in The Devil's Advocate
After hearing from some important people in the horror industry, I decided to read this anthology straight through and in order. I have been known to skip around and read the stories I *want to* first but I have it on good authority now that the editors are the people behind the curtain that work magic behind the scenes and they might be ordering the stories for optimum reader enjoyment.
That was certainly the case with THE SEVEN DEADLIEST.
There is an introduction by Mercedes Yardley that I very much enjoyed.
Then the sin, Avarice as told by John C. Foster in the story, GILDA.
Avarice is better known as greed. This tale is about a "Chowder Society" of sorts. It's made up of wealthy, retired women who have done it all and still live to tell about it. They gather together for whiskey and dishing up seedy stories from their past. We, the reader, get to watch as the society take in a new member. The young woman is eager to please even despite her reservations about the direction in which things are headed.
I loved the narration in this story...
"It's about time we had new blood."
I could vividly see the scene with these old spinsters sitting around smoking and drinking and plotting. Foster does an amazing job setting the stage with opulent details.
This story is followed by the sin, Anger as told by Bracken MacLeod. I have no problem disclosing that this was my favorite in the anthology. I've grown quite comfortable with Bracken's unique storytelling voice over the last couple of years and settling into one of his stories is like a warm coffee mug and a cozy sweater-his words just feel like "home". In this story, A SHORT MADNESS, Bracken explores anger through his protagonist, Father David Price. Father Price is an empath, he feels people's struggles in his own soul very profoundly which he then carries around with him like weights. We get to watch as David enters the confessional booth and hears a confession that would likely be the catalyst or the turning point for this man's whole life--what he does with it was so emotionally stirring, the story lingered long after I finished. One of my new favorite short stories of all time.
CAP DIAMENT by Kasey Lansdale is her take on the sin of Pride/Vanity. This is the story where I first began to notice that even though each author was assigned one, deadly sin, I began to see the other sins play a role in each story as well. Almost as if one sin is never the primary vehicle or driving force at work-often times one leads to another. Kasey's narrative flows fluidly and effortlessly and she spins dark, seafaring folklore. This story touches on so many classic themes: generational sin, vengeance, lust, pride, vanity and succubi (is that the plural form of succubus? ha!). Really great story by Kasey. I can't wait to read more from her.
Brian Kirk had the sin Jealousy as told through his story CHISEL AND STONE. While I enjoy Brain's "voice" and I think he's an exceptional, gifted storyteller, I really had a difficult time making connections with this story. I didn't understand how a woman that married into a seemingly loveless relationship could foster this love of money but also this extreme burden to be generous, simultaneously. Her motivations seemed in direct contradiction to one another. The protagonists' extreme choice to open her home to a Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was confusing. Especially the extent she was willing to go for this stranger. I just didn't believe it and I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to be able to engage, emotionally, with the story.
CLEVENGERS OF THE CARRION SEA by Rena Mason was also a hard sell for me. This was the exploration of the sin Sloth. I'm grateful for the author's notes at the end with the in-depth explanation of what transpired in the story and how the author dispensed the sin of Slothfulness throughout, because I really missed it.
I was fully captivated by the first paragraph but then the story became confusing and slightly muddled for me. While I was very much impressed with Rena's beautiful prose, I felt like I was struggling with too many barriers and obstacles that stood in the way of my reading enjoyment. I'm sure the problem is with me and I perhaps gathered some unrealistic expectations early on in the story that prevented me from just getting swept away in it.
Lust was the next sin represented in the story, RING OF FIRE by Richard Thomas. I very much enjoyed how the author chose to unpack this story's secrets slowly and methodically. It was fun for the reader to guess at what was going on and to have some theories as to who the protagonist was in the context of the world at large as well as his object of lust, Rebecca. I admit, my theory was correct. I loved the ending/epilogue of this one--great dystopian/sci-fi story that reminded me of a Black Mirror episode.
Lastly and saving my other favorite for last, the sin of Gluttony as told by John F. D. Taff in the story, ALL YOU CARE TO EAT. This story was AMAZING. I loved it. I loved it enough to eat it, Dr. Alatryx. John has this remarkable way of presenting the strange and unusual and in a way that feels so casual and normal that you almost miss what you're reading at first blush. You're just reading along enjoying every word when suddenly you're like, wait--what did that say??
WHAT IS HAPPENING?? I love that!!
This story could easily be a Black Mirror tale or a graphic novel--it's just so incredibly visual and disturbingly delicious.
The perfect way to end this anthology.
"I've nurtured every sensation man has been inspired to have. I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him—in spite of all his imperfections, I'm a fan of man! I'm a humanist. Maybe the last humanist." Milton/Satan/Al Pachino in The Devil's Advocate
After hearing from some important people in the horror industry, I decided to read this anthology straight through and in order. I have been known to skip around and read the stories I *want to* first but I have it on good authority now that the editors are the people behind the curtain that work magic behind the scenes and they might be ordering the stories for optimum reader enjoyment.
That was certainly the case with THE SEVEN DEADLIEST.
There is an introduction by Mercedes Yardley that I very much enjoyed.
Then the sin, Avarice as told by John C. Foster in the story, GILDA.
Avarice is better known as greed. This tale is about a "Chowder Society" of sorts. It's made up of wealthy, retired women who have done it all and still live to tell about it. They gather together for whiskey and dishing up seedy stories from their past. We, the reader, get to watch as the society take in a new member. The young woman is eager to please even despite her reservations about the direction in which things are headed.
I loved the narration in this story...
"It's about time we had new blood."
I could vividly see the scene with these old spinsters sitting around smoking and drinking and plotting. Foster does an amazing job setting the stage with opulent details.
This story is followed by the sin, Anger as told by Bracken MacLeod. I have no problem disclosing that this was my favorite in the anthology. I've grown quite comfortable with Bracken's unique storytelling voice over the last couple of years and settling into one of his stories is like a warm coffee mug and a cozy sweater-his words just feel like "home". In this story, A SHORT MADNESS, Bracken explores anger through his protagonist, Father David Price. Father Price is an empath, he feels people's struggles in his own soul very profoundly which he then carries around with him like weights. We get to watch as David enters the confessional booth and hears a confession that would likely be the catalyst or the turning point for this man's whole life--what he does with it was so emotionally stirring, the story lingered long after I finished. One of my new favorite short stories of all time.
CAP DIAMENT by Kasey Lansdale is her take on the sin of Pride/Vanity. This is the story where I first began to notice that even though each author was assigned one, deadly sin, I began to see the other sins play a role in each story as well. Almost as if one sin is never the primary vehicle or driving force at work-often times one leads to another. Kasey's narrative flows fluidly and effortlessly and she spins dark, seafaring folklore. This story touches on so many classic themes: generational sin, vengeance, lust, pride, vanity and succubi (is that the plural form of succubus? ha!). Really great story by Kasey. I can't wait to read more from her.
Brian Kirk had the sin Jealousy as told through his story CHISEL AND STONE. While I enjoy Brain's "voice" and I think he's an exceptional, gifted storyteller, I really had a difficult time making connections with this story. I didn't understand how a woman that married into a seemingly loveless relationship could foster this love of money but also this extreme burden to be generous, simultaneously. Her motivations seemed in direct contradiction to one another. The protagonists' extreme choice to open her home to a Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was confusing. Especially the extent she was willing to go for this stranger. I just didn't believe it and I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to be able to engage, emotionally, with the story.
CLEVENGERS OF THE CARRION SEA by Rena Mason was also a hard sell for me. This was the exploration of the sin Sloth. I'm grateful for the author's notes at the end with the in-depth explanation of what transpired in the story and how the author dispensed the sin of Slothfulness throughout, because I really missed it.
I was fully captivated by the first paragraph but then the story became confusing and slightly muddled for me. While I was very much impressed with Rena's beautiful prose, I felt like I was struggling with too many barriers and obstacles that stood in the way of my reading enjoyment. I'm sure the problem is with me and I perhaps gathered some unrealistic expectations early on in the story that prevented me from just getting swept away in it.
Lust was the next sin represented in the story, RING OF FIRE by Richard Thomas. I very much enjoyed how the author chose to unpack this story's secrets slowly and methodically. It was fun for the reader to guess at what was going on and to have some theories as to who the protagonist was in the context of the world at large as well as his object of lust, Rebecca. I admit, my theory was correct. I loved the ending/epilogue of this one--great dystopian/sci-fi story that reminded me of a Black Mirror episode.
Lastly and saving my other favorite for last, the sin of Gluttony as told by John F. D. Taff in the story, ALL YOU CARE TO EAT. This story was AMAZING. I loved it. I loved it enough to eat it, Dr. Alatryx. John has this remarkable way of presenting the strange and unusual and in a way that feels so casual and normal that you almost miss what you're reading at first blush. You're just reading along enjoying every word when suddenly you're like, wait--what did that say??
WHAT IS HAPPENING?? I love that!!
This story could easily be a Black Mirror tale or a graphic novel--it's just so incredibly visual and disturbingly delicious.
The perfect way to end this anthology.
tracyreads's review
4.0
The Seven Deadliest is an anthology of 7 powerhouse authors, each tasked with spinning a tale about the sin they have been "assigned". I have always been drawn to literature that encompasses the seven sins. I've read Dante and others, hell, I even studied it in undergrad. When it comes to film and book adaptations beyond the classics, I am picky. Yes, I loved Seven. Unashamedly. But there have been few others that really focused on ALL of the sins. This anthology does that and I truly enjoyed my time with this book. As always, I have favorites. They are as follows (in the order they appear in the book):
AVARICE: "Gilda" by John C Foster. This is a well-crafted story within a story and I appreciated Foster's interpretation of the sin of greed. I love these ladies and their sisterhood, however twisted it may be. Story time has been re-invented.
ANGER: "A Short Madness" by Bracken MacLeod. After reading STRANDED last winter and now this tale, I'm going to go ahead and call myself a fan of his writing. Wow. This story fully encompasses rage from a source I didn't expect and it worked perfectly. The prose is tight and the words punch through at all the right moments. Impeccable timing and a hell of an ending.
SLOTH: "Clevengers of the Carrion Sea" by Rena Mason. This one is WEIRD and I'm still not quite sure I understood exactly what was happening, but I am fine with that. A bit of cosmic horror, dual worlds, and a twisty plot kept me engaged. I still am not too sure how exactly this fits with "sloth", but I dug the story.
LUST: "Ring of Fire" by Richard Thomas. This is another one that kept me guessing, and like Mason's I think I might have missed some bits; however, like MacLeod's tale for "anger", this story nails "lust" and looks for alternative, future solutions for what I think is the most dangerous of the seven sins.
GLUTTONY: "All You Care to Eat" by John F.D. Taff. Well. Bizarre and just damn weird, Taff's story is a great last story for this anthology. A bit surreal and plenty of WTF moments, I loved trying to figure out what would happen next and being completely wrong.
Overall, this was a fun read. I think it will appeal to a variety of horror and spec fic fans simply because each one brings something different to the table. Now I'm off to read the other reviews of this book - I can't wait to see which ones other readers have selected as favorites.
AVARICE: "Gilda" by John C Foster. This is a well-crafted story within a story and I appreciated Foster's interpretation of the sin of greed. I love these ladies and their sisterhood, however twisted it may be. Story time has been re-invented.
ANGER: "A Short Madness" by Bracken MacLeod. After reading STRANDED last winter and now this tale, I'm going to go ahead and call myself a fan of his writing. Wow. This story fully encompasses rage from a source I didn't expect and it worked perfectly. The prose is tight and the words punch through at all the right moments. Impeccable timing and a hell of an ending.
SLOTH: "Clevengers of the Carrion Sea" by Rena Mason. This one is WEIRD and I'm still not quite sure I understood exactly what was happening, but I am fine with that. A bit of cosmic horror, dual worlds, and a twisty plot kept me engaged. I still am not too sure how exactly this fits with "sloth", but I dug the story.
LUST: "Ring of Fire" by Richard Thomas. This is another one that kept me guessing, and like Mason's I think I might have missed some bits; however, like MacLeod's tale for "anger", this story nails "lust" and looks for alternative, future solutions for what I think is the most dangerous of the seven sins.
GLUTTONY: "All You Care to Eat" by John F.D. Taff. Well. Bizarre and just damn weird, Taff's story is a great last story for this anthology. A bit surreal and plenty of WTF moments, I loved trying to figure out what would happen next and being completely wrong.
Overall, this was a fun read. I think it will appeal to a variety of horror and spec fic fans simply because each one brings something different to the table. Now I'm off to read the other reviews of this book - I can't wait to see which ones other readers have selected as favorites.
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