Twisted Tails III - Pure Fear
is an excellent anthology of 18 stories exploring the concept of fear. (The cover design has nothing to do with the book’s content.) J. Richard Jacobs’ entertaining introductions to each story range from Cryptkeeper-esqe teasers to knowing asides about the story’s author you might hear from a friend. This entire volume is well worth reading. Three standout stories are: “The Ghost of Korrim McKarthy,” by Brandon Berntson, “Divine Messenger,” by K.L. Nappier, and “Post-Apocalypse,” by Ann Dulhanty.
With 18 stories and 12 authors I do not have the space to get in-depth, but I will touch on each story briefly, listing the authors in the order they appeared:
Biff Mitchell’s “School Dayzed” is an accurate capture of a recurrent school anxiety dream that I fully understand – will we ever leave high school behind? His other story, “Arachnotail,” made my skin crawl and, less predictably, gave me the urge to rinse out my mouth with a vivid description of what it’s like to eat a big, fat, hairy spider. It also left me pondering what I would do if I were the one on that ledge. (I’d rather not admit the answer in public.)
Brandon Bertson’s “The Ghost of Korrim McKarthy” was the only story in this anthology that really scared me. I’m still wondering how the little boy got out of the forest and worrying about his tortured adult self. With two young boys of my own, this one really spoke to me.
Both of J. Richard Jacobs’ stories explore the power of fear and the evil that underlies our everyday world. “Beast in the Basement” has a supernatural element that brought to my mind the Summers’ family basement, but unfortunately there was no Buffy to swoop in and save the heroine from her fate. “Handyman” deals with fear and evil in very real, plausible terms. What are we each capable of, when we think our lives are threatened?
“Day of the Dead” by Marilyn Peake has a long setup for an unsettling and confusing ending that plays to stereotypes and Americans’ fear of other cultures. I felt it was the weakest of the stories here.
Kim McDougall’s stories both tell one tale on the surface while leaving other possibilities open. “The Raft” is an interesting story that might be about a vampire, but it might also be about a castaway losing his mind – you decide. In “Lunch Was Not Enough,” a woman obsessed with her own grief is shadowed (pun intended) by a spirit that might be her dead husband, but could be someone – or something – else. This second story in particular has vivid descriptive language that was a pleasure to read.
K.L Nappier’s “Divine Messenger” is an engaging, clever tale that makes good use of its rural depression-era setting. What is a hard-working, young newlywed girl to do when Death himself comes for her husband? I had fun finding out. Her other story in this volume, “Backslide,” is a story of reincarnation backwards through time wherein the main character finds horrors he may or may not deserve (his own misdeeds are only hinted at). I found the ending to this tale abrupt and the character’s “punishment” severe, but perhaps that was the point. Is he atoning for his own crimes, or those of his ancestors?
“Trapped” by Christopher Hoare is a twist on the classic buried alive story starring a cantankerous old man who makes caskets for a living (brought to life by Hoare’s great characterization). This story chillingly portrays a real-world fear that I hope is not the fate waiting for me.
“Alone and Afraid” by A. J. Chaboya is another weak entry among this otherwise great bunch. Chaboya made a daring choice of narrator, but I don’t think it came together as intended at the end. The story explores the difference between the “real world” and a hallucination.
I think it’s safe to say that John Klawitter has Vietnam-related issues. He lets us watch as he works through them in “Three on a Match” and “The Adventures of Jack Cheese.” Both tales have overbearing, long-winded, extremely self-confident narrators and both feature characters who are Vietnam vets, but that is where their similarities end. “Three on a Match” is a good story, but I had a hard time getting past my dislike of the narrator to enjoy it. “The Adventures of Jack Cheese” was more engaging and has stayed with me. I’ll never look at freeway-exit panhandlers the same way again.
The setup for Ann Dulhanty’s “Post-Apocalypse” is classically scary – what if you were one of the last people left on Earth? – but the story itself isn’t frightening. It’s a story that explores the question: “what makes a person ‘useful’?” and portrays a woman coming into her own with a science-fiction twist. After reading this story I said to my husband, “Apparently, once the world ends, men only care about repopulating the planet,” and he said, “Duh!”
“Abandoned” by Geoff Nelder explores the real-world terrors of dangerous heights, Mother Nature out of control, and betrayal by those we trust. As I read this story, I wasn’t sure if the main character was delusional or not until the end.
“A Communication from the Dead” by Ginny Davis is a sweet story whose main character felt very real to me; her worst fear came true and she lived through it. This was the only one that made me cry.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 268 pages
- Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing (April 16, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1554045681
- ISBN-13: 978-1554045686
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Bitten by Books
Jessye and Syrus are vampyres bound together by the “blood claim,” a type of sexual brand that unites them as a ritually bonded pair whether they like it or not. As leaders of separate vampyre groups that have recently joined together to find the evil Lorrie and bring her to justice, both Jessye and Syrus are used to being on top. Their story in Tainted is more about feeling out the balance of power in their new relationship and adjusting to each other in and out of the bedroom than it is about their mission to capture Lorrie.
, the 11th novel of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, we know that Harry Dresden’s long-time nemesis, Morgan, is badly wounded and on the run from the White Council. By the second page, Harry has hidden him and arranged for covert medical care. That’s the kind of guy Harry is: stand-up, principled, compassionate.
Crystal Lane owns the jewelry store at Bride’s Inn. She also cries actual crystal tears for reasons that medical science can’t explain. Anthony Zodan is a famous “mentalist and magician” and a former classmate of Crystal’s who has come to Bride’s Inn to entertain the holiday crowd. Anthony, a.k.a. “the Amazing Zodan,” 
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and reading the series in order.