linbro
New Face In Hell
Posts: 6
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Post by linbro on Aug 16, 2016 11:34:23 GMT
Finished this tonight, and thought it was an incredibly strong lineup. There were only a couple of stories that didn't really work for me, which is a pretty amazing strike rate. Was really impressed with a few stories by authors that I haven't read before - in particular 'The Mall' and 'The Things That Aren't There'. 'What's Behind You?' was probably my overall favourite, and 'Swan Song' was also excellent. Great stuff, now onto vol. 8. Lincoln. (Btw, this was the first 'Black Book of Horror' that I've read)
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Post by dem bones on Aug 17, 2016 14:50:30 GMT
Finished this tonight, and thought it was an incredibly strong lineup. There were only a couple of stories that didn't really work for me, which is a pretty amazing strike rate. Was really impressed with a few stories by authors that I haven't read before - in particular 'The Mall' and 'The Things That Aren't There'. 'What's Behind You?' was probably my overall favourite, and 'Swan Song' was also excellent. Great stuff, now onto vol. 8. Lincoln. (Btw, this was the first 'Black Book of Horror' that I've read) Thanks for registering, Lincoln, and I hope you enjoy your time with us. Glad your first experience of the Black Books was a positive one!
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Post by fritzmaitland on Oct 20, 2020 20:13:55 GMT
Charles Black (ed.) - Ninth Black Book Of Horror (Mortbury Press, Sept. 2012) Craig Herbertson - The Mall Sam Dawson - Life Expectancy Paul Finch - What's Behind You? Jings! I'm finding anthologies I didn't even know I didn't have! But I got this one somehow. Only meant to read Craig's story, but one thing leads to another... The Mall is an amazing experience. Mr Christmas truly captures the horror and misery and hell of Christmas, shopping, Christmas shopping, other people, malls, and the genuine pleasure of a book shop (as well as small victories like a roll-up, the odd drink, an occasional flutter). Middle-age accidie is wonderfully captured, horror (the expected kind) is masterfully hinted at then it goes jaw-droppingly odd. But somehow satisfying. Less is more with Sam. A quite ordinary seeming story, very well told, with a lovely main character, who is about to have their life changed (?) at the very understated and mysterious ending. Finchy takes his time, with a very gradual slow build. Excellent story-telling character (in a blue velvet smoking jacket no less) regales a Halloween fancy dress dinner party with a supernatural tale of his University days.Another bizarre ending and a very spooky rectory.
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Post by fritzmaitland on Oct 25, 2021 6:56:29 GMT
John Llewellyn Probert - The Anatomy Lesson: A terrified girl in her early twenties is slowly dissected alive before an avid audience of ghoulish bastards. After the performance, the man known to his adoring public as 'The Demonstrator', receives an unwelcome visitor to his dressing room. The gatecrasher, a fellow performer - he's an accomplished stage magician - brings news of Emma, the celebrity sadist's beloved daughter .... Shades of Pan Book of Horror legend 'Nasty' Norman Kauffman (with, perhaps, a dash of Seabury Quinn during a misogynist moment). An unashamedly horrible opener to reassure us that we've come to the right place. Not for softies. October 23rd. Yes, the only way to follow Aleister Crowley is with John Llewellyn Probert. Most doctors play golf on their days off surely, but not JLP's sadistic surgeon, who has a lucrative sideline in live dissections (of nubile young ladies of course), in front of paying audiences who are there for the blood, screams and (ulp!) 'souvenirs'. The dastardly medical malpractitioner is relaxing post-show with a dash of absinthe when he's startled by a caped stage door johnny lurking in his dressing room. Turns out this magician is not a fan, and informs our Demonstrator that his tipple has been tainted, and if he wants an antidote, he'd better listen. Then, faster than you could say 'Ali Bongo' a deck of white backed cards is splayed in a semi-circle before the doc. Picking a 'card', the surgeon realises that it's not so much a playing card as a polaroid photo, and he really doesn't want to turn it over....marvellously ghoulish and ghastly delights from Lord P.
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