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A review by richardleis
Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 3 by Marlaina Cockroft, Liam Hogan, Nicole Givens Kurtz, C. Patrick Neagle, Pedro Íñiguez, Jennifer Nestojko, Gordon Linzner, Thea Brune, Marta Palandri, Tim Jeffreys, Rachel A. Brune, James Edward O'Brien, Chrissie Rohrman, Jay Caselberg, Rebecca B. Weiss, David J. Thirteen, Bethany Browning, Randee Dawn, Miriam H. Harrison, Rachel Unger, Richard Leis, Jude Reid
5.0
One of my short stories is included in the third and final volume of Stories We Tell After Midnight from Crone Girls Press and editor Rachel A. Brune, but I'll review the book based on the other stories.
I enjoy anthologies for their variety, and in this anthology, every story worked for me. Whether a story led me were I expected it would or it turned in an unexpected direction, I was struck by all the writers’ storytelling confidence and care with craft. I want to highlight just of a few of my favorites below, but know that every story is a winner, in my opinion.
“Red in Stile and Rail” by Rachel Unger launches the book in a terrific, terrifying way that left me suspicious of all doors and entryways.
“Clearing The Field” by Marlaina Cockcroft brought me to tears. It’s a beautiful story about a baseball player standing up for herself and her community when horror steps onto the field. I also appreciate and feel especially emotional about the excellent reversal of tired trope where adults don’t believe children.
“The Ballad of the Blue Sidewinder” by David J. Thirteen mixes genres in a way that smashes through genre conventions and boundaries to simply tell a great story. The clever worldbuilding is careful, confident, and captivating.
“Terror Bird” by Marta Palandri is another favorite. I hoped it would go where I thought it was going, and sure enough, after the doors shut, it went there… and beyond. Terrific and terrifying flash fiction.
I wrote a story about dysfunctional family for the anthology, but two other stories about bad parents really raised the bar with atmosphere and horror. The ballad of “Tam Lin” hauntingly echoes in the cold and bleak background of “Briar and Hemlock” by Jude Reid. The story builds its tension and atmosphere carefully, confidently, excruciatingly until its shattering ending. “Dirty Penny” by Bethany Browning does the same in a similarly cold and bleak setting, but the inevitable keeps getting delayed in excruciating, tense, masterful fashion, leading to another shattering ending & haunting echoes.
Editor Rachel A. Brune’s organization of flash fiction, short stories, and a novella in Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 3 led me on a twisted rollercoaster ride through the contemporary horror landscape. In some stories, matter of fact and wry tones contrasted with horrific content in exciting ways, while other stories built their tension through lyrical and atmospheric language. Sometimes the horror hit fast & furious, sometimes tension grew slowly to shattering ends, and always the horror (and occasional hope) lingered long after I finished a story.
I enjoy anthologies for their variety, and in this anthology, every story worked for me. Whether a story led me were I expected it would or it turned in an unexpected direction, I was struck by all the writers’ storytelling confidence and care with craft. I want to highlight just of a few of my favorites below, but know that every story is a winner, in my opinion.
“Red in Stile and Rail” by Rachel Unger launches the book in a terrific, terrifying way that left me suspicious of all doors and entryways.
“Clearing The Field” by Marlaina Cockcroft brought me to tears. It’s a beautiful story about a baseball player standing up for herself and her community when horror steps onto the field. I also appreciate and feel especially emotional about the excellent reversal of tired trope where adults don’t believe children.
“The Ballad of the Blue Sidewinder” by David J. Thirteen mixes genres in a way that smashes through genre conventions and boundaries to simply tell a great story. The clever worldbuilding is careful, confident, and captivating.
“Terror Bird” by Marta Palandri is another favorite. I hoped it would go where I thought it was going, and sure enough, after the doors shut, it went there… and beyond. Terrific and terrifying flash fiction.
I wrote a story about dysfunctional family for the anthology, but two other stories about bad parents really raised the bar with atmosphere and horror. The ballad of “Tam Lin” hauntingly echoes in the cold and bleak background of “Briar and Hemlock” by Jude Reid. The story builds its tension and atmosphere carefully, confidently, excruciatingly until its shattering ending. “Dirty Penny” by Bethany Browning does the same in a similarly cold and bleak setting, but the inevitable keeps getting delayed in excruciating, tense, masterful fashion, leading to another shattering ending & haunting echoes.
Editor Rachel A. Brune’s organization of flash fiction, short stories, and a novella in Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 3 led me on a twisted rollercoaster ride through the contemporary horror landscape. In some stories, matter of fact and wry tones contrasted with horrific content in exciting ways, while other stories built their tension through lyrical and atmospheric language. Sometimes the horror hit fast & furious, sometimes tension grew slowly to shattering ends, and always the horror (and occasional hope) lingered long after I finished a story.