Mr. Wilde’s Second Chance by Joanna Russ
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/21/2005 An
interesting concept and I admire the skill it took to deliver it in a few short
pages. What would I do if I had an
afterlife to re-write my life?
Pictures by Irving Werner
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/15/2005 One of the most amazing short stories
I’ve ever read. Truly
simple and perfect, and essentially sad. Actually, maybe it wasn’t sad, maybe it was
hopeful. Maybe meeting the unknown woman
too soon was Arthur getting ahead of himself.
Remember Me by Joan Vander Putten
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/14/2005 I
like the pacing, writing, and characters of this story, and overall it really
spoke to me (perhaps a little too much, I hate it when I relate to a horror
story!). The idea of the main
character’s fear of being forgotten, the fact that Nick was the middle child of
a family of 11, was a nice touch that really needs to be expressed more. Lady Jane was delightful, and the
relationship of the two characters was very unsettling. I was more surprised by the ending then
horrified, so I was a little disappointed.
Sometimes stories get too mystical for their own good.
The Empty Zoo by Edward D. Hoch
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/14/2005 This
story had a good basis on childhood fear, and nice imagery (what with abandoned
zoos and all being a personal favorite of mine), but had a relatively weak
ending. Interesting,
but not that strong all around.
The Throwing Suit by Darrell
Schweitzer and Jason Van Hollander
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/13/2005 I
suitably creepy story about an artist and the unusual job he is offered
painting a house that the owner believes is haunted. Interestingly, the story is more a tale about
artistic madness then haunted houses, and the suspense built up when the
artists slips on the forbidden suit is very well managed.
An Illusion in Red and White by Stephen Crane
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/13/2005 A
great piece of short fiction, and a definite read for
any aspiring lawyer. It tells the story
of a murder from several different angles, and makes you question what’s really
going on.
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/13/2005 A classic French tale about a borrowed jewel, vanity, and the
twists of fate. An ending that will grab
you so long as it hasn’t already been spoiled. One of the original contes cruelles (cruel stories)
that people love so much.
The Necklace: A Sequel by Jack Moffitt
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/13/2005 A
screen writer from the middle of the 20th century who gained some
notoriety for writing the “endings” of some classic literary works. Here, he tackles Guy de Maupassant’s
famous “Necklace” and does an
excellent job continuing the tale. For
an American writer, Moffitt does a great job capturing the feel of the
inspirational piece. You can tell that
Moffitt was also going off a different translation then the one given in the
previous article, because of minor language differences. On its own right, this story is very
suspenseful and has a wonderfully twisted ending all to itself.
I
like the idea behind Moffitt’s plan, finishing off classic works by giving them
alternative endings or second parts that were never actually intended. It’s an interesting use of the medium. I would say, however, that this is of course
just one of the very many possible
results of the original story. Perhaps
it would be interesting to hear a few other possible scenarios from other
writers out there.
Apparently,
Moffitt also wrote an ending to Stockton’s “The
Lady or the Tiger”, a personal favorite of mine. I would like to dig up a copy. Also, according to legend, he solved
Cleveland Moffett’s “The Mysterious Card”
but no record of that exists.
Midnight by Jack Snow
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/13/2005 This
story sang out to every part of me that always wanted to see the demon
worshiping Satanists get exactly what they were secretly asking for. Suitably steady with its slow description of
torture and pain, the story unwinds with some great deal of agony to its
protagonist. With the horrors of the
world today, there seem to be many in need of some time in the Midnight.
Ms. Lipshutz and
the Goblin by Marvin
Kaye
Masterpieces
of Terror and the Unknown edited by Marvin Kaye
8/13/2005 This
is a hilarious tale, well written and interestingly dialogued. It’s about an employee of the city’s
Unemployment Bureau who meets the Goblin of her dreams. Unfortunately, he’s been out of work
lately. Can love endure, or will she
need to rush out and catch her bus?
This
story needs to be turned into a short
film.
The Wedding Present by Neil Gaiman
The
Mammoth Book of Best New Horror vol. 10 edited by Stephen Jones
8/13/2005 Gaiman’s first
idea for this story was to use it as a wedding present, but resisted because he
thought no one would want it. I bet
those people are fuming now, since it’s a great tale. I’m glad he decided to do it, if only to do
it for himself – advice we can all take to heart. Poor Kevin.
A Victorian Ghost Story by Kim Newman
The
Mammoth Book of Best New Horror vol. 10 edited by Stephen Jones
8/13/2005 The writing is excellently formed in a
faux-Victorian style. You really want to
see this period come alive in the typical characters in their men’s club. My opinion of what the story means: I love
this story as a metaphor for how the well-to-do deal with the destitute,
reacting to them as if they were monsters from another world.
Objects of Desire in the Mirror Are Closer
Than They Appear by Harlan
Ellison
The
Mammoth Book of Best New Horror vol. 10 edited by Stephen Jones
8/13/2005 Oh Harlan, why do you vex me so? Why do you write such nonsense that’s so damn
attractive I can’t bear to be really upset at you, despite the fact that I
should? Apparently he wrote this story
in a bookstore window while onlookers looked on – perhaps that explains the
rapid and unexpected mood shift in the last few paragraphs. Yes, paragraphs. In a short story. Total switcharoo. Damn you Ellison for your compelling
characters and situations and not giving me any resolution my head can
accept. Damn you and keep’ em coming.
after
the quake by Haruki Murakami
on
loan from the Sarita Perrot collection
7/2005 This is a
collection of short stories by Murakami that all revolve around the deadly
earthquake that struck Kobe,
Japan in 1995.
These stories are not related in any plot sense, but have similar themes
throughout. I think most of the stories
involve people falling asleep.
UFO in Kushiro --
This story is about a man
on a journey to deliver a package and find himself. The buildup here was more interesting then
the delivery, and I wish more had become of the
package.
Landscape with Flatiron -- This story is about a bunch of bonfire
enthusiasts who think about the nature of creativity and peace. Very nice.
All God’s Children -- A benign cult raised him as the son of god,
but he’s really not that religious. I
like this story because of the subtle play of characters and their motivations.
Thailand --
A professional woman goes
on vacation and learns to relax and let go of that black seed in her heart.
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo --
My personal favorite in the
series, this story is about a normal and unspectacular man with nothing to
lose, and the Frog avatar that enlists his help to destroy the evil Worm that
threatens another quake. I love the
imagery of this desperate man trying to cope with his value as a hero. The end of this story, complete with its
rotting insect “dream” sequence, is one of the best I’ve read in a long time.
Honey Pie -- Another favorite, this story is about an
unconventional couple that resulted from old college friends that have come to
realize that love is a many facetted thing.
Part of me really feels for the main character, a writer of short
stories that always seems and inch or a mile away from the one he loves.
Re-Reads
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The
Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams
4/23/2005 With the premiere of the motion picture
on the way, I picked up another collector’s edition of my favorite “trilogy”,
the Hitchhiker’s Guide. Reading this, a little every night before I
bed, helps keep me sane and happy, and does wonders towards fighting aware the
nightly nightmares. Even hearing the
strums of the BBC’s opening music puts me in a good mood. This book has once again come in a time of my
life where I really needed it, just like all those years ago when I first
encountered it (Was it middle school? Earlier? Or was it my
freshman year of high school?). I’ll
have to remember to make this a regular thing.
