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A review by lauriereadslohf
The Dark: New Ghost Stories by
4.0
Though there are a few small duds, the majority of the stories here were genuinely creepy.
Jeffrey Ford's "The Trentino Kid" starts things off on a slightly creepy note. It's about a guy who has frittered his youth away in what he thought was an easier route. He's regretting the choices he's made when he comes across a ghost that will force his hand in a new direction. This is a story that will resonate with anyone who wishes they had taken a different path years earlier. I know it certainly struck a nerve with me!
Tanith Lee's "The Ghost In The Clock" is atmospheric as is her usual style and features a tale of a clock with a horrific past, a ghost and a good dose of madness. Descriptive writing and a creeping sense of unease make this one a chill inducing read.
"The Thing About the Night" just wasn't my taste. Too scientific, me thinks. I skimmed, things went way over my head and then it was done.
"The Silence of the Falling Stars is about a park ranger whom I didn't care for at all. I can't pinpoint where it went wrong. I just found it dull and slow going.
Gahan Wilson's "The Dead Ghost" was a short and to the point recounting of an injured man's encounter with an overweight, naked ghost. I enjoyed this one, maybe because it was a nice breather after the previous two stories which I thought were both tedious and overly long.
Oates "Subway" This is a haunting but somewhat familiar story of tragedy and a woman's never-ending search for love.
The Seven Sisters is a story about seven formerly grand homes now falling to ruin. This one didn't resonate with me in any way and I can't really remember much else about it.
Doctor Hood was more accessible than the previous story. It's about a woman returning to her childhood home because she's worried about her increasingly distant father. It's about loss, letting go and features a good dose of ghost-busting. I enjoyed the originality of the end of this one.
An Amicable Divorce is a story rooted in tragedy and is deeply emotional. It's about a man still deeply in love with his ex-wife. Sadly, she isn't at all in a good place to return his love but calls him often and begs for help with a creature that is inhabiting their home late at night. This one gets under your skin and lives up to the promises made by the editor and, despite its gloominess, was probably my favorite of the bunch.
Feeling Remains This is about a young boy whose feminist mom is completely disinterested in him. After forcing him to care for an aging neighbor who then dies, he's haunted by the old lady's treasured book of photo's. This story about the neglect of the child and the over-the-top selfishness of the mother annoyed the heck out of me.
The Gallow's Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb was a "past coming back to haunt you" type of ghost story that was very enjoyable. The idea of the Gallow's Necklace was so utterly chilling it won't be something easily forgotten.
Brownie, and Me Charles Grant has always been a difficult read for me. His quiet style of horror didn't work for me when I was younger and more into the likes of Clive Barker and Poppy Z. Brite but this story, about a group of elderly friends who are all experiencing strange haunting phenomena is disquieting in a way that kept me turning the pages. Or, maybe I'm finally old enough to appreciate him ;) I'll have to track down his other work.
Velocity Unlike Grant, I adored Kathe Koja's earlier work (Cipher and Skin especially) even though her style is somewhat of an acquired taste. I worked my through her books of body modification and love affairs gone sour and always looked forward to more. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with her work and no longer have patience for the fractured writing style when I try to go back and re-read them. This story wasn't nearly as difficult as her longer novels but it didn't move me and isn't one I'll remember come tomorrow.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard is a novella length tale of a former criminal finding love. Or so he thinks. I loved the revenge theme of this one and how it all tied together so nasty-like at the end.
The Hortlak by by Kelly Link is the kind of weirdly quirky short story that I really enjoy. It's sort of a David Lynch-like version of "clerks". The world has been turned upside down, zombie's wander through convenience stores, a strange clerk revels in bizarre pajamas, and a woman gives homeless dogs one last glimpse of fun and freedom. It's all very strange and doesn't always come together in a cohesive way but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Dancing Men by Glenn Hirshberg's is a coming of age/innocence lost type of story where one young boy has to face his grandfather's horrific memories of the Holocast. This one is a gut-wrencher because the horror here isn't of the invented variety.
Jeffrey Ford's "The Trentino Kid" starts things off on a slightly creepy note. It's about a guy who has frittered his youth away in what he thought was an easier route. He's regretting the choices he's made when he comes across a ghost that will force his hand in a new direction. This is a story that will resonate with anyone who wishes they had taken a different path years earlier. I know it certainly struck a nerve with me!
Tanith Lee's "The Ghost In The Clock" is atmospheric as is her usual style and features a tale of a clock with a horrific past, a ghost and a good dose of madness. Descriptive writing and a creeping sense of unease make this one a chill inducing read.
"The Thing About the Night" just wasn't my taste. Too scientific, me thinks. I skimmed, things went way over my head and then it was done.
"The Silence of the Falling Stars is about a park ranger whom I didn't care for at all. I can't pinpoint where it went wrong. I just found it dull and slow going.
Gahan Wilson's "The Dead Ghost" was a short and to the point recounting of an injured man's encounter with an overweight, naked ghost. I enjoyed this one, maybe because it was a nice breather after the previous two stories which I thought were both tedious and overly long.
Oates "Subway" This is a haunting but somewhat familiar story of tragedy and a woman's never-ending search for love.
The Seven Sisters is a story about seven formerly grand homes now falling to ruin. This one didn't resonate with me in any way and I can't really remember much else about it.
Doctor Hood was more accessible than the previous story. It's about a woman returning to her childhood home because she's worried about her increasingly distant father. It's about loss, letting go and features a good dose of ghost-busting. I enjoyed the originality of the end of this one.
An Amicable Divorce is a story rooted in tragedy and is deeply emotional. It's about a man still deeply in love with his ex-wife. Sadly, she isn't at all in a good place to return his love but calls him often and begs for help with a creature that is inhabiting their home late at night. This one gets under your skin and lives up to the promises made by the editor and, despite its gloominess, was probably my favorite of the bunch.
Feeling Remains This is about a young boy whose feminist mom is completely disinterested in him. After forcing him to care for an aging neighbor who then dies, he's haunted by the old lady's treasured book of photo's. This story about the neglect of the child and the over-the-top selfishness of the mother annoyed the heck out of me.
The Gallow's Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb was a "past coming back to haunt you" type of ghost story that was very enjoyable. The idea of the Gallow's Necklace was so utterly chilling it won't be something easily forgotten.
Brownie, and Me Charles Grant has always been a difficult read for me. His quiet style of horror didn't work for me when I was younger and more into the likes of Clive Barker and Poppy Z. Brite but this story, about a group of elderly friends who are all experiencing strange haunting phenomena is disquieting in a way that kept me turning the pages. Or, maybe I'm finally old enough to appreciate him ;) I'll have to track down his other work.
Velocity Unlike Grant, I adored Kathe Koja's earlier work (Cipher and Skin especially) even though her style is somewhat of an acquired taste. I worked my through her books of body modification and love affairs gone sour and always looked forward to more. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with her work and no longer have patience for the fractured writing style when I try to go back and re-read them. This story wasn't nearly as difficult as her longer novels but it didn't move me and isn't one I'll remember come tomorrow.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard is a novella length tale of a former criminal finding love. Or so he thinks. I loved the revenge theme of this one and how it all tied together so nasty-like at the end.
The Hortlak by by Kelly Link is the kind of weirdly quirky short story that I really enjoy. It's sort of a David Lynch-like version of "clerks". The world has been turned upside down, zombie's wander through convenience stores, a strange clerk revels in bizarre pajamas, and a woman gives homeless dogs one last glimpse of fun and freedom. It's all very strange and doesn't always come together in a cohesive way but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Dancing Men by Glenn Hirshberg's is a coming of age/innocence lost type of story where one young boy has to face his grandfather's horrific memories of the Holocast. This one is a gut-wrencher because the horror here isn't of the invented variety.