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A review by smalefowles
Hauntings by
4.0
Overall, a very good collection. There weren't any stories that I really disliked, just a few that didn't hit hard, or seemed a little dumb. The overall writing quality is pretty high. This collection clearly tends toward the atmospheric and eerie rather than guts'n'gore (though there is some here!!), and also lots of British stories and lots of stories with children.
Here's an exhaustive list that I can mine next October.
“Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie” by Pat Cadigan (3/5)
- started out with a v good evocation of a child's interpersonal fears, but the ending was dumb.
“Hunger: A Confession” by Dale Bailey (3.5/5)
- ooh, this one is nasty.
“Cargo” by E. Michael Lewis (3.5/5)
- some awful details about Jonestown, a real horror story.
“Delta Sly Honey” by Lucius Shepard (3/5)
- set during Vietnam, which was unique, but the rest of it wasn't.
“Nothing Will Hurt You” by David Morrell (2/5)
- dumb dumb dumb. Dad hunts down his daughter's killer and it's dumb.
“The Ammonite Violin (Murder Ballad No. 4) by Caitlin R. Kiernan (4.5/5)
- i love you the most, CRK. this isn't even your best, but it's still beautiful.
“Haunted” by Joyce Carol Oates (3.5/5)
- literary and a little haunting.
“The Have-Nots” by Elizabeth Hand (3/5)
- I guess I appreciate the novelty of the format, but the story is silly.
“Closing Time” by Neil Gaiman (3.5/5)
- this one is creepy, but it plays around with narration in a way that doesn't resolve well, and it must be deliberate, but i wish it were a little more coherent.
“Anna” by F. Paul Wilson (2/5)
- meh. killer furniture is a little too goofy.
“Mr. Fiddlehead” by Jonathan Carroll (2/5)
- eh. also a little too goofy. every story in here is well-written, but some of the premises are weak.
“The Fooly” by Terry Dowling (3/5)
- just okay.
“The Toll” by Paul Walther (4/5)
- lifeguard and shapes in the water. creepy.
“The Pennine Tower Restaurant” by Simon Kurt Unsworth (5/5)
- reminiscent of the best of SCP in its coupling of a dry style with really terrifying stuff.
“Distress Call” by Connie Willis (3/5)
- enjoyed the disjointed structure, even if it was a little predictable, but a central part of the plot was just too unbelievable.
“The Horn” by Stephen Gallagher (3.5/5)
- really exceptional descriptions of freezing in a snow storm.
“Everybody Goes” by Michael Marshall Smith (3/5)
- a short one, but fun.
“Transfigured Night” by Richard Bowes (4/5)
- black magic is dark dark dark. [couldn't fall asleep after this one!!]
“Hula Ville” by James P. Blaylock (3/5)
- aw, this one was sort of cute. desert sideshow item.
“The Bedroom Light” by Jeffrey Ford (3.5/5)
- a couple discuss living in the worst apartment building.
"Spectral Evidence" by Gemma Files (4/5)
- photos taken by psychics and notes on the photos. clever format.
"Two Houses" by Kelly Link (5/5)
- probably my favorite story in the collection. unique and atmospheric and just the right amount of ambiguous. why can't i write like link?
"Where Angels Come In" by Adam L.G. Nevill (4.5/5)
- there's a spooky house on a hill; children *and* pets are disappearing. v creepy + a little nasty.
“Hunger: An Introduction” by by Peter Straub (4.5/5)
- i love an unreliable narrator, and the slow build here is amazing and ultimately charming.
Here's an exhaustive list that I can mine next October.
“Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie” by Pat Cadigan (3/5)
- started out with a v good evocation of a child's interpersonal fears, but the ending was dumb.
“Hunger: A Confession” by Dale Bailey (3.5/5)
- ooh, this one is nasty.
“Cargo” by E. Michael Lewis (3.5/5)
- some awful details about Jonestown, a real horror story.
“Delta Sly Honey” by Lucius Shepard (3/5)
- set during Vietnam, which was unique, but the rest of it wasn't.
“Nothing Will Hurt You” by David Morrell (2/5)
- dumb dumb dumb. Dad hunts down his daughter's killer and it's dumb.
“The Ammonite Violin (Murder Ballad No. 4) by Caitlin R. Kiernan (4.5/5)
- i love you the most, CRK. this isn't even your best, but it's still beautiful.
“Haunted” by Joyce Carol Oates (3.5/5)
- literary and a little haunting.
“The Have-Nots” by Elizabeth Hand (3/5)
- I guess I appreciate the novelty of the format, but the story is silly.
“Closing Time” by Neil Gaiman (3.5/5)
- this one is creepy, but it plays around with narration in a way that doesn't resolve well, and it must be deliberate, but i wish it were a little more coherent.
“Anna” by F. Paul Wilson (2/5)
- meh. killer furniture is a little too goofy.
“Mr. Fiddlehead” by Jonathan Carroll (2/5)
- eh. also a little too goofy. every story in here is well-written, but some of the premises are weak.
“The Fooly” by Terry Dowling (3/5)
- just okay.
“The Toll” by Paul Walther (4/5)
- lifeguard and shapes in the water. creepy.
“The Pennine Tower Restaurant” by Simon Kurt Unsworth (5/5)
- reminiscent of the best of SCP in its coupling of a dry style with really terrifying stuff.
“Distress Call” by Connie Willis (3/5)
- enjoyed the disjointed structure, even if it was a little predictable, but a central part of the plot was just too unbelievable.
“The Horn” by Stephen Gallagher (3.5/5)
- really exceptional descriptions of freezing in a snow storm.
“Everybody Goes” by Michael Marshall Smith (3/5)
- a short one, but fun.
“Transfigured Night” by Richard Bowes (4/5)
- black magic is dark dark dark. [couldn't fall asleep after this one!!]
“Hula Ville” by James P. Blaylock (3/5)
- aw, this one was sort of cute. desert sideshow item.
“The Bedroom Light” by Jeffrey Ford (3.5/5)
- a couple discuss living in the worst apartment building.
"Spectral Evidence" by Gemma Files (4/5)
- photos taken by psychics and notes on the photos. clever format.
"Two Houses" by Kelly Link (5/5)
- probably my favorite story in the collection. unique and atmospheric and just the right amount of ambiguous. why can't i write like link?
"Where Angels Come In" by Adam L.G. Nevill (4.5/5)
- there's a spooky house on a hill; children *and* pets are disappearing. v creepy + a little nasty.
“Hunger: An Introduction” by by Peter Straub (4.5/5)
- i love an unreliable narrator, and the slow build here is amazing and ultimately charming.