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Post by allthingshorror on Apr 4, 2009 12:07:11 GMT
Paul MudieCONTENTSSoup - Craig Herbertson Words - Paul Finch A Cry For Help - Joel Lane With Deepest Sympathy - Johnny Mains Many Happy Returns - Carl T. Ford All Hallow's Even - Franklin Marsh Dead Water - David A. Sutton And Still Those Screams Resound...'- Daniel McGachey Love is in the Air - Gary McMahon The Head - Reggie Oliver The Devil Looks After His Own? - Ian C. Strachan Bad Hair Day - Gary Fry Flies - Hazel Quinn Nails - Rog Pile The Lord of the Law - David Conyers15 TALES OF TERROR SELECTED BY CHARLES BLACK
THE GRIM REAPER
'Death towered over the three cowering infants. His hand stayed. The innocence, the tiny stature, the pleading eyes... They started to cry.' - All Hallow' Even
DIRE THREATS
'Pull your trousers down, pull your trousers down or I'll snick your little nipper off with a bloody chopper.' - The Head
THE HORRIFYING
''...he had selected a sharp skewer from the kitchen and driven it through her ear and into her sleeping brain with one blow from a wooden mallet.' - The Devil Looks After His Own?
AND THE GRISLY
'...he stood back and watched as the fire-lit form writhed and gibbered; as slowly but surely, in a welter of blood and hanging tissue, its exposed musculature was shredded from the gleaming bones beneath...' - Words
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Post by allthingshorror on May 9, 2009 21:57:39 GMT
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Post by franklinmarsh on May 11, 2009 7:43:02 GMT
Yay! Congrats to Craig, Johnny and David.
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Post by allthingshorror on May 25, 2009 7:20:44 GMT
www.horrorworld.org review - available in June.The Fourth Black Book Of Horror edited by Charles Black; Mortbury Press, 2009, 228 pages,£ 7.50By now a cult anthology in the world of the UK horror indie press, The Black Book of Horror returns, for the fourth time, to delight and pleasantly scare the genre aficionados with fifteen brand new stories of dark terror. Craig Herberton provides a great, appalling start. A strong gothic tale of power and sadism, his “Soup” describes with graphic evidence the deeds of a corrupted, malicious chef. Although now and then rather implausible, the story manages to keep the reader literally nailed to his chair. In “Words” Paul Finch employs his excellent storytelling ability to develop a bit obscure plot revolving around a widower visiting a forsaken village involved in an antique witch curse. “A Cry For Help” by Joel Lane is a grim nightmare effectively blending urban horrors and private demons, while “Many Happy Returns” by Carl T Ford is a puzzling but extremely dark story of serial murders and long-standing violence conveying a potent sense of horror. “With Deepest Sympathy” by Johnny Mains is a delightful, enjoyable story of revenge where a mischievous old lady discloses the dirty secrets of a small village. Among the cutest contributions I’d like to mention Gary Fray’s “Bad Hair Day”, featuring a snobbish lady receiving an unexpected service by her new hairstylist and Gary McMahon’s “Love is in the Air”, a brief, quite funny piece exploring unpredictable sex oddities. More solid horror is provided by Daniel McGachey in “And Still Those Screams Resound...” ,a beautiful, captivating tale starting out as a traditional ghost story set in a haunted mansion to become a study of human foolishness turning into sheer evil. Reggie Oliver contributes “The Head”, yet another splendid story told in a smooth narrative style, depicting the fatal bond between a smart driver and an old art critic and their unfulfilled deal. My own favorite is David A Sutton’s “Dead Water” in which a bird watching trip ends up in tragedy for two friends vacationing in France. Graced by a very elegant prose the story is even more terrifying because dealing with the natural horrors lurking in the countryside. Thus, most of the stories assembled in the present volume nicely hit the target, establishing once again this anthology series as one of the very best currently around. Mario Guslandi
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Post by Dr Terror on Jun 11, 2009 23:25:12 GMT
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 12, 2009 6:00:59 GMT
Good one
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Post by allthingshorror on Jun 15, 2009 18:46:18 GMT
Another review is up: www.horrornews.net/book_reviews/bookreviews_frameset.htmTHE FOURTH BLACK BOOK OF HORROR Written by Charles Black Published by Mortbury Press Publication Date: 2009 Format: B&W - 232 pages Price: $15.00 “People Who liked horror were fuckwits. He'd lived with horror all his life. Real Horror. Well, tonight he'd spread it around.” -”All Hallow's Even” In the interest of total honesty and with full respect to the fine people at Mortbury Press, I had no interest whatsoever in reading this book when I started in on it. To begin with, I was feeling a tad worn out on anthologies. Normally, I love them, but I've been inundated with them recently and I wasn't allowing myself to take some occasional time out to read something because I wanted too, not because a review copy had been sent to me (note to self- this was a very bad idea and incredibly unfair to the companies who have been kind enough to send me free books. Don't let it happen again.). Further, both the title and cover art are extremely uninspired and uninspiring. They might as well have had a plain black cover with “Generic Horror Anthology” written on it. But I pushed all of that bullshit aside and slowly waded in because they sent me a free copy and, at the least, I owed them an honest and unbiased review. Then I started reading the first story, “Soup”, by Craig Herbertson and it presented further problems for me. I like to say that I am by no stretch of the imagination a racist or nationalist, but this story was coming across as waaay to damn British (hell, I could only find the price listed in pounds). And I don't mean Python at their best or Douglas Adams British, I mean Dickens at his worst British. I am someone who gets off on raw, bare and scraped EMOTION in my stories. I can let a whole mess of technical foul-ups and plot holes the size of the Serengeti slide as long as I am feeling what the author was feeling when they wrote it. Unfortunately, Herbertson opted for a stiff-upper-lip, cold and clinical, detached approach that seemed to put plot before character and that made it incredibly hard to get into. Unfortunately, as I got further along in the anthology, I found that this was by no means and isolated issue. In fact, it was like a plague running through damn near the whole thing. As an example, let me give you a taste of Daniel McGachey's “And Still Those Screams Resound...”: “When the hour came for the apparition to commence, we were already ensconced in that bleak turret cell and, as Shadwell had predicted, the shrieking began on cue. There, again, that unnatural ring of glimmering light. There, again, was that white form that convulsed into being before us. There, again, was the horror in her eyes, when those eyes had finally formed. This time, on Shadwell's urging, I noted the dress.” (from page 127) Certainly not bad writing, but entirely lacking in the heart, soul or humanity that I need for any of the horror to become real for me. That said, there were some shining lights glimmering in the pale emptiness. Specifically, “All Hallow's Even”, by Franklin Marsh, was a marvelously maliciously fun romp with just the right combination of gags and giggles. Also, Greg McMahon set my head to spinning with his surreal and intriguing look at modern love life with “Love is in the Air” and “A Cry for Help” (Joel Lane) makes for a great attack on what is referred to as “the American model” of health care. But Johnny Mains completely kicked myass with “With Deepest Sympathy”. The second you find out what is going on, I guarantee you'll be on the floor. Personally, I have a hard time recommending a book running you roughly $20 that has about 33 pages worth of stories that I actually enjoyed. Of course, if you are someone that enjoys Lovecraft for his writing style, then you will completely disagree with me. Available from Morbury Press
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 16, 2009 16:05:13 GMT
What is 'raw emotion'? Sadly, I can guess. To be compared to Dickens however half heartedly I take as an astounding compliment. I was heartened to see Daniel McGachey's “And Still Those Screams Resound...” put in the same dustbin as mine - because I really like that story. Good to see deserved praise for the rest of youse guys. but a shame that the young American saw fit to put people off.
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Post by mattofthespurs on Jun 16, 2009 18:46:01 GMT
I can only dream of being compared to Dickens.
Anyone can write a review. Not everyone can write a story.
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Post by pulphack on Jun 16, 2009 19:08:50 GMT
good point, though when i was teaching i would also add that anyone can write a story, it just might not be as good as, etc etc.
thing about that review is that it's terribly fair-minded and british in outlining why it's not a good one - which seems to go against all the things he says in it... or is that just me?
furthermore, it's the kind of bad review that would make me buy the book - i was always like that with album reviews: if it was a crap review but i knew what the reviewer liked i would actually figure the record must be good... or is that just me again?
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Post by David A. Riley on Jun 17, 2009 7:20:45 GMT
All I can say is repeat what I wrote on Shocklines yesterday about this review:
"I wonder whether the person who wrote this review has ever even read Dickens. I doubt it. Probably has a restricted knowledge based on a few films.
As I had nothing in this volume of The Black Book of Horror, I can speak fairly impartially when I say that I thought this was an absolutely brilliant anthology, and far, far better than this reviewer makes out."
I thought enough of this book to recommend it for a Horror Writers Association Stoker Award for Best Anthology. Still a long shot, I know, but it would be great to see Charles walk up to collect an award for it at the Stoker Banquet in Brighton next March.
David
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Post by marksamuels on Jun 17, 2009 11:20:40 GMT
That's a really nice thought, David. But I can tell you right now (given how the Stokers work) what will be the winning anthology next year. Tim Lebbon's THE BRITISH INVASION, published by Cemetery Dance. I can see it coming a mile off.
Mark S.
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Post by David A. Riley on Jun 17, 2009 11:34:53 GMT
Not a bad book to be beaten by, though, from what I've heard. In fact, I must get round at some stage to ordering a copy myself - even though there are many ommissions... David PS I know what you mean about the Stokers. In fact, nothing I've recommended has ever even managed to get to the short list. Which might make small comfort for Charles!
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Jun 17, 2009 21:13:44 GMT
I was heartened to see Daniel McGachey's “And Still Those Screams Resound...” put in the same dustbin as mine - because I really like that story. Thanks, Craig. Similarly I thought "Soup" was an excellent story, very elegantly told, the understated telling of the extremely grim events adding to the horror in ways that outpourings of "raw emotion" simply wouldn't. Still, to each their own. And I think I might start using the phrase "entirely lacking in heart, soul and humanity" in my C.V.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 18, 2009 9:20:13 GMT
Thanks. That made me laugh.
As we are in the 'stiff upper lip, waaaaay too English crowd' I was going to privately pm you part of my review of the Black book which has been up on my blog for ages. But I can't seem to work out how to do that so I might as well stick it here just to show that I wasn't being facetious
'I happily concede that McGachey's ‘And Still Those Screams Resound…’ is a scorcher of a story; beautifully conceived and constructed. It's setting, the central concept, the characterisation make it one of those unforgettable classics. '
I suppose you shouldn't let reviewers annoy you. I just dismiss them in my musical life but an anthology is a team effort and I was most annoyed that despite the fact he highly rated the stories by Franklin, Greg, Joel and particular Johnny- all of which I really liked - he still put the boot in at the central point - buying it.
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