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A review by slimeandslashers
A Nest of Nightmares by Lisa Tuttle
4.0
I discovered this book from reading Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell, and I'm glad I did because I really had a good time checking out A Nest of Nightmares, which I'd classify as a collection of "old school" horror stories!
It's so refreshing to find a collection which features a believable female main character or protagonist in nearly every story. That comes as no surprise, as I've read that author Lisa Tuttle was a feminist. I'd say the one exception was the story "Community Property" which seemed to be told more from the man's point-of-view, but it was still great. I saw what Tuttle had in store for the ending before I got there, but that did not lessen my enjoyment of that particular story at all.
Overall, I think the horror was written with subtlety and a kind of eerie eloquence. The writing was fantastic, specifically Tuttle's descriptions.
I think the two stories that contained the most "in your face" horror were "Bug House" and "Sun City." "Sun City," in particular, really had some delightfully gross imagery: "The gutted shell of some other human being flapped grotesquely against his own." and "The strange cloak ended in blackened tatters that hung over his hands and feet, and the hood had ragged holes torn for eyes and mouth..."
Some of the other stories were more subdued and touched on common fears and anxieties like the struggles of motherhood, abandonment, issues with self perception and self worth, as well as loss.
I think my favorites were "Treading the Maze" and "The Horse Lord." I also really loved "The Other Mother" where the main character grapples with how to find balance between parenting and her artwork, resulting in chilling and unforeseen consequences.
Strong collection of stories that I would recommend to any horror fan, especially to those who enjoy low-key, creepy horror. It doesn't contain over-the-top gore, if that's what you fancy, but it still shines.
It's so refreshing to find a collection which features a believable female main character or protagonist in nearly every story. That comes as no surprise, as I've read that author Lisa Tuttle was a feminist. I'd say the one exception was the story "Community Property" which seemed to be told more from the man's point-of-view, but it was still great. I saw what Tuttle had in store for the ending before I got there, but that did not lessen my enjoyment of that particular story at all.
Overall, I think the horror was written with subtlety and a kind of eerie eloquence. The writing was fantastic, specifically Tuttle's descriptions.
I think the two stories that contained the most "in your face" horror were "Bug House" and "Sun City." "Sun City," in particular, really had some delightfully gross imagery: "The gutted shell of some other human being flapped grotesquely against his own." and "The strange cloak ended in blackened tatters that hung over his hands and feet, and the hood had ragged holes torn for eyes and mouth..."
Some of the other stories were more subdued and touched on common fears and anxieties like the struggles of motherhood, abandonment, issues with self perception and self worth, as well as loss.
I think my favorites were "Treading the Maze" and "The Horse Lord." I also really loved "The Other Mother" where the main character grapples with how to find balance between parenting and her artwork, resulting in chilling and unforeseen consequences.
Strong collection of stories that I would recommend to any horror fan, especially to those who enjoy low-key, creepy horror. It doesn't contain over-the-top gore, if that's what you fancy, but it still shines.