LED BY BEASTS by Clark Roberts is an assortment of horrifying bits and pieces, many featuring children as the terrifying force behind the beasts:
THE BOY: great intro to the collection, followed by some thoughts on Stephen King
VENGEFUL FANGS: a son avenges his father
BUFFOONVILLE: a woman discovers a twisted secret about her husband
THE WITCH'S MUSHROOM: brothers craving the same thing, followed by some Bentley Little chit-chat
CARNY BOB: marital issues are made worse by dragging up the past
CRAFTMANSHIP FOR FOOD: one of the weirdest stories I've ever read
COSTUMES: this is one of the best stories I've ever read, followed by a confession about Peter Straub
A LIFETIME OF DEVILISH HAUNTS: a deep story, with a bittersweet ending
THE CHOSEN DEATHS OF THE FACELESS: somewhat confusing, and quite sad
SOMETIMES: very sick and twisted, followed by a few memories of Clive Barker
A REUNION ON ZONBI PRAYA: ocean creature wrecks a marriage
THE PATH TO LUST: like being sober at a party where everyone is wasted
LILITH: karma, followed by an experience with Laird Barron
THE DEVIL'S FINGERS: mourning and murder
THE VDOVA GODDESS: a devil and a goddess
THE WHOLE WORLD IN THEIR HANDS: this one would make a frightening movie
EPILOGUE: the boy who grew up with stories
All of the stories are intriguing, some are terrifying, some are heart-breaking...my favorite is COSTUMES. Roberts has definitely leveled up with his storytelling.
As always,
AstraDaemon
AstraDaemon
He has an intense vocabulary without sounding smarmy. I read his "An Incident at Salem Middle School" earlier this year and was curious about his other works as well.
ReplyDeleteKensai Ed, thank you very much for the kind words; they are much appreciated. "An Incident at Salem Middle School" is an interesting one for me. I've had a lot of people comment how much they enjoyed the structure and others let me know they would've like a more traditional approach with that story. Either way, I am thankful for the honest feedback from readers. It can only help me improve in the future.
DeletePart of what attracts me as a reader is when authors go out of their way to entice and flip the script. I am not asking for poetic edda or dynamic pentameter, but something to break the mold is always appreciated. Mind you I am someone who will espouse my love for Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves" for its ability to split narratives on a razor thin line but also in how crazy the book is laid out and how it flows despite that chaos.
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