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A review by hooklings
Burn the Plans by Tyler Jones
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Story 1: Corporation - holyyyyyy shit I did not expect that straight out of the gate!
Story 2: Trigger - ok, now I see the SK comparison. A very deliberate voice details a vignette of sorts, where horror unfolds alongside a discovery. A sense of dread permeates from the very first paragraph, even though it’s hard to pin down exactly what causes it. Very clever!
Story 3: The Golden Rule - oh this was good. Told in the broken English of a man who had immigrated across the world, it tells the story of a box that grants a wish in equal terms.
Story 4: The Devil on the Stand - so clever! An odd, slightly unbalanced courtroom sketch artist can’t control the images emerging in her drawings. The ending left me bubbling with questions, but it was still so satisfying.
Story 5: Boo! - this one didn’t land for me. I feel like I missed something? I suspected at a possible interpretation of the ending but I wasn’t convinced.
Story 6: A Sharp Black Line - very SK-like. Atmospheric story about missing kids (this feels familiar).
Story 7: Charwood - I liked this! A girl faces down a menace in the woods with her dog. It has a horror-appropriate happy ending, and it felt like a good midpoint for this collection - a reminder to read them in order!
Story 8: Crate 42 - a Lovecrafty sort of ‘what’s-in-the-box’ tale that didn’t capture me for some reason.
Story 9: How We Learn - oh, I loved this one. Another young protagonist with a strong voice and also without. It feels like a mere glimpse into the life lived by this boy and his sister, part of the journey they’re sharing. He has a power that is revealed only at the end, and it’s intriguing, but enough. This author can handle a short story like the best of them.
Story 10: Warlock - a Faustian bargain story for the ages. I felt the cold air from the beach town it’s set in! Nicely set up so that no matter how you truly to turn your thoughts, it’s bad.
Story 11: Lion’s Den - don’t remember this one at all…probably my failing and not the author’s!
Story 12: Deep Down - excellent. This one takes the trope of a phantom limb and explodes it into something new and gruesome.
Story 13: Red Hands - another with echoes of SK. The figure that haunted the childhood of a group of protagonists has returned (and yet, done in less than 1000 pages?!).
Story 14: White Glove - a Christmas nightmare that ended at the exact right moment.
Final story/novella: Full Fathom Five - the crown jewel of this collection. Utterly brilliant.
Story 2: Trigger - ok, now I see the SK comparison. A very deliberate voice details a vignette of sorts, where horror unfolds alongside a discovery. A sense of dread permeates from the very first paragraph, even though it’s hard to pin down exactly what causes it. Very clever!
Story 3: The Golden Rule - oh this was good. Told in the broken English of a man who had immigrated across the world, it tells the story of a box that grants a wish in equal terms.
Story 4: The Devil on the Stand - so clever! An odd, slightly unbalanced courtroom sketch artist can’t control the images emerging in her drawings. The ending left me bubbling with questions, but it was still so satisfying.
Story 5: Boo! - this one didn’t land for me. I feel like I missed something? I suspected at a possible interpretation of the ending but I wasn’t convinced.
Story 6: A Sharp Black Line - very SK-like. Atmospheric story about missing kids (this feels familiar).
Story 7: Charwood - I liked this! A girl faces down a menace in the woods with her dog. It has a horror-appropriate happy ending, and it felt like a good midpoint for this collection - a reminder to read them in order!
Story 8: Crate 42 - a Lovecrafty sort of ‘what’s-in-the-box’ tale that didn’t capture me for some reason.
Story 9: How We Learn - oh, I loved this one. Another young protagonist with a strong voice and also without. It feels like a mere glimpse into the life lived by this boy and his sister, part of the journey they’re sharing. He has a power that is revealed only at the end, and it’s intriguing, but enough. This author can handle a short story like the best of them.
Story 10: Warlock - a Faustian bargain story for the ages. I felt the cold air from the beach town it’s set in! Nicely set up so that no matter how you truly to turn your thoughts, it’s bad.
Story 11: Lion’s Den - don’t remember this one at all…probably my failing and not the author’s!
Story 12: Deep Down - excellent. This one takes the trope of a phantom limb and explodes it into something new and gruesome.
Story 13: Red Hands - another with echoes of SK. The figure that haunted the childhood of a group of protagonists has returned (and yet, done in less than 1000 pages?!).
Story 14: White Glove - a Christmas nightmare that ended at the exact right moment.
Final story/novella: Full Fathom Five - the crown jewel of this collection. Utterly brilliant.