It's easy to forget how much I enjoy the general setting and court politics formula in the extended Dune universe. It's an old favorite and I'm gratefIt's easy to forget how much I enjoy the general setting and court politics formula in the extended Dune universe. It's an old favorite and I'm grateful that they have kept churning out material for me to occasionally dip into and remind myself of how much I love these characters and the dynamics that exist there.
This particular one is made up of 3 novella sized shorts that focus on different characters and times. Two are old well known characters within from the first book getting little filler segments to build their lore a bit more. The last is a court politics wheels within wheels style story that lands somewhere after the butlerian jihad.
Nothing huge or ground shaking here. But if you love Dune it's enjoyable....more
Short stories based on nightmares coupled with some very sketch-like illustrations to help set the tone make this one a fun little adventure. Fun if yShort stories based on nightmares coupled with some very sketch-like illustrations to help set the tone make this one a fun little adventure. Fun if you like demons, monsters, murderous cults, and lots of dismemberment. Overall, it's very dark and full of detailed physical violence and harm.
The quality never dips to below midling and the bulk of the 11 stories within, all roll forward with a system of drop you into a scenario and it runs to a sudden and often violent conclusion. The punchy sharp endings really give this that sort of horrifying tales to tell just before turning in on a camping trip feeling. And some of the stories are absolutely gut-wrenching.
None of the stories are too long and some of them are quite quick. Felt like a good measure of pacing to pick it up and read one in a few moments while taking a break from life, then set it down and go about my business.
Overall a good time if you like extremely dark and twisted material. Some are pretty forgettable, but there are some moments bound to stick with you for a while....more
An anthology collection of short stories set within the World of Darkness centered around Hunter: The Reckoning source material.
The stories within areAn anthology collection of short stories set within the World of Darkness centered around Hunter: The Reckoning source material.
The stories within are scattered within a range from mediocre to quite engaging. Heavy abundance of them lean into Vampire related material as the bulk of Hunter related story telling seems to.
There are a couple stories that stand out with much stronger language and violence than others.
Overall it's a nice little toe-dipper into the set piece and can help to give some immersion and atmospheric basis for players of the game.
Probably fine to read this without knowing anything about any of the universe it's based in but some knowledge of Vampire: The Masquerade would certainly help....more
An interesting spread of fantasy tales that range in quality from middling to good. A few intriguing gems sparkle among the rest.
Oddly enough the bookAn interesting spread of fantasy tales that range in quality from middling to good. A few intriguing gems sparkle among the rest.
Oddly enough the book's tales are supposed to be themed around the concept of swords but many of them have not much focus on swords. There might be a person with a sword in it or some other such tangential association.
The latter half of the book is compiled of much longer stories that are sometimes 40+ pages each. Some of them with chapters of their own.
The cover touts the inclusion of some George R. R. Martin material and saves that story for last. Though it's more of a 45 page history chronicle with no point of view focus. It's entirely exposition narration of history and really a quite dull inclusion to the other stories in the book....more
It's a good spread of stories. Predominantly focused on ghostly encounters. Would say the selection doesn't range too deeply into anything particularlyIt's a good spread of stories. Predominantly focused on ghostly encounters. Would say the selection doesn't range too deeply into anything particularly dark, violent, or scary. If that's what you are after you won't find much of it here.
There are even a good number that are particularly humorous in nature. If you are looking for a long series of interesting quick short stories focused on ghosts and spooky stuff, this works quite nicely. ...more
Twelve short stories collected as terrifying tales, but much of the set leans into disturbing. Horror stories often miss the mark on actually giving aTwelve short stories collected as terrifying tales, but much of the set leans into disturbing. Horror stories often miss the mark on actually giving a reader that unsettling creepy sensation. A couple pages turned only just rarely has one abuzz with that heightened sense of danger that might make you hesitant to walk into a dark room or overly sensitive to sounds in a normally quiet place.
None of these tales will do that for you. They might leave you grossed out or uncomfortable. A few of them will leave you looking a bit askance at your fellow humans perhaps. There are more stories that seat themselves in the killers perspective than you might expect. The best of which is The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, which is almost worth the fairly low price of the book, if you happen to be one of those unread heathens who has never experience Poe before.
Unfortunately, for this book, Poe's works are collected in abundance elsewhere and it feels a bit of a cheat to stick one of his most powerful bits of work into this collection. Stephen King's contribution is not among his best, and while there are some interesting stories to experience, there are many better collections floating around.
Worth the cost and/or a read if you absolutely love assorted short stories of random middling quality....more
Quite an eclectic blend of short stories that ranges from demons and ghosts to eerie and weird. The wide variety of authors keeps the pieces from everQuite an eclectic blend of short stories that ranges from demons and ghosts to eerie and weird. The wide variety of authors keeps the pieces from ever landing too closely to anything alike and this causes each entry to feel entirely different than the previous. A great showcase of literary voices.
The horror moniker lacks a bit of potency by the end of the book. While each of the stories focuses on something that fits the horror category technically, there isn't a heavy load of horrifying in the book. There are a few stories that land firmly in gruesome and/or violent. But those are the outliers in a book that is much more oriented around strange and unsettling. With that said the book has enough sex and violence throughout that it should be considered mature.
As far as pacing goes, the stories are often intermittently short and concise, followed by a lengthy slog, followed by another short and quick bit. This presents a bit of a push and pull of momentum where a reader can rapidly consume a story, even if it isn't great or mind-blowing and then slam right into a 60 page slow cooker that takes a while to get to anything particularly interesting.
Fairly tame over all. A small bit of incredibly gross or gruesome. Good overall spread of talent, but nothing truly horrifying or particularly unnerving....more
Ghostmaker is comprised of a mixed bag of short stories that endeavor to build further character to the Ghosts. If I'm not mistaken most of the storieGhostmaker is comprised of a mixed bag of short stories that endeavor to build further character to the Ghosts. If I'm not mistaken most of the stories were published in a magazine individually and then collected to form this book. For those that found the previous book engrossing and entertaining, you may struggle more here. Where the first book had an overarching direction that pulled the smaller plots together towards one ending, there is much less of that here.
A few of the stories are set as prequel material that take place before the first book and the story within, while some others take place somewhat after. These stories are a bit of a hodgepodge of character driven explorations and so they have different settings and purposes, feeling a bit like an anthology of dedicated stories to individuals among the higher ranking Ghosts.
Some of the stories aren't nearly as engaging or developed enough to feel like they are worth the time involved in them while others are pretty solid. Over all the book sort of meanders through the cast and doesn't feel like it has much direction up until the last story that works to cap the book on a send off that feels like way too little way too late.
Best taken as what it is. A collection of stories of varying delivery quality. Ok but nothing to marvel over....more
A wide spread of talents from the 1940s up to the 1990s, each with a little preamble speaking on the author's clout and body of work. Some of these arA wide spread of talents from the 1940s up to the 1990s, each with a little preamble speaking on the author's clout and body of work. Some of these are quite well known writers while many are fairly obscure by today's standards. Their length ranges from a handful of pages to 40 or 50 page novellettes.
The sheer variety, alone, is enough to elevate this collection above many others of its kind. Some are quite silly, others lean into the more horrific. There are some with quite mature and even sexual focal points while others are quite suitable for younger readers. With this variance some stories will be real page burners while others may fail to captivate some readers. This is what short stories are all about. Exploration of many different ideas in small quick episodes.
This is a book of plenty of that exploration into a large body of fantasy writers of the 1900s and it feels quite adequate in that regard....more
A collection of shorts stories that have varying degrees of focus on gargoyles.
Some are directly focused on gargoyles and others are a bit of a stretcA collection of shorts stories that have varying degrees of focus on gargoyles.
Some are directly focused on gargoyles and others are a bit of a stretch to feel that they have anything at all to do with them apart from the word being used somewhere within their pages.
A nice range from whimsical and silly to demented and horrifying. Unfortunately also quite the range in skill of storytelling and writing. One is nearly incomprehensible in its attempt at being obscure.
A few are rather boring and others are quite riveting.
Overall, patience is likely required to get through the entire set. Is best taken intermittently over time....more
I am Legend portrays a post-apocalyptic world in which vampirism has consumed humanity. One man survives and he spends his days trying to determine thI am Legend portrays a post-apocalyptic world in which vampirism has consumed humanity. One man survives and he spends his days trying to determine the cause and perhaps find a cure. The piece excels in the way that the protagonist struggles with despair, solitude, and gradually widening cracks in his own sanity. Matheson is exceptional at finding those true emotions that people all feel on occasion and portraying them in words with such acuteness that a reader recognizes the feelings in their own experiences.
The remaining pieces that follow are a medley of mini dark tales which range from voodoo to zombies and give the reader a buffet of delightfully crisp short stories. While some of these are so short and simple, they never really come off as entirely forgettable as they have a fun style to their delivery.
A book of 8 short stories with a wide range of settings and themes. This book truly blends the realms of science fiction and fantasy together within tA book of 8 short stories with a wide range of settings and themes. This book truly blends the realms of science fiction and fantasy together within the scope of its contents.
One of the stories is an out-take from the Illearth War, a book written by Donaldson previously. For this excerpt alone the book has value to anyone who has read and enjoyed the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever. However, many of the other stories within are at the very least enticing and interesting to read.
Some of the stories have some considerable length to them and therefore have a surprising amount of development held within....more
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