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the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
5.0
The Lament of the Silver Badger is a collection of horror short stories by Oli Jacobs. Once again, the author has knocked it out of the mother-fucking park! I’ve read more than a few short story collections of late and can hand on heart say that this is the best one I’ve read to date. Let me just clarify my feelings and thoughts during my read of this awesome collection.
WHAT THE HELL?
WHAT DID I JUST READ?
IT’S COMING, ITS TOTALLY COMING
NO WAY…
THAT CAN’T BE THE END!!
THIS IS AWESOME
These were my thoughts while reading Oli Jacob’s highly imaginative short story collection. You know you’ve found a good one when you find any excuse to forget everything that you need to be doing and just continue reading until the power on your kindle is depleted. All rational thoughts went out the window…I was engrossed.
The first story contained within The Lament of the Silver Badger is a gut punch. Lovecraftian in nature but written so much better and succinctly. A hideous disease is plaguing the inhabitants of Tummon Wood aka Tumorville. When first arriving, it might seem like a lovely and pleasant place to live or holiday, with its rolling hills and stunning vistas but look deeper and its as toxic as its nickname. More and more residents are becoming sick with a hideous disease. Giant boils and pustules grew upon the skin, both painful and hideous. The victims will eventually succumb to their injuries but just what does an autopsy reveal?
Another favourite is Fort Hamilton, an extremely unnerving psychological horror. Don’t think that this takes away from the story. Oli Jacobs always has the end game in sight and the descriptions he has in mind are complex and disturbing. My brain was itching for the answers and try as I might none were forthcoming. It was clever and compelling, and I couldn’t help but see parallels with the TV show Black Mirror. It’s a story that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about and will more than likely stay with me for a long time.
Although the book excels with the insane ability to showcase the highs and lows of humanity the final story, To Be Observed, is a masterpiece in both psychological horror and the supernatural. There is multiple layers added and the reader will have fun peeling them back to discover the darkest depths of the human condition. Jacobs uses all his skills to create a richer more immersive experience for his readers.
The Lament of the Silver Badger is delicious agony of watching well crafted characters succumb to flaws and evil in front of your very eyes. Not only is Jacobs a terrific storyteller but he has the gift surprising you time and time again.
WHAT THE HELL?
WHAT DID I JUST READ?
IT’S COMING, ITS TOTALLY COMING
NO WAY…
THAT CAN’T BE THE END!!
THIS IS AWESOME
These were my thoughts while reading Oli Jacob’s highly imaginative short story collection. You know you’ve found a good one when you find any excuse to forget everything that you need to be doing and just continue reading until the power on your kindle is depleted. All rational thoughts went out the window…I was engrossed.
The first story contained within The Lament of the Silver Badger is a gut punch. Lovecraftian in nature but written so much better and succinctly. A hideous disease is plaguing the inhabitants of Tummon Wood aka Tumorville. When first arriving, it might seem like a lovely and pleasant place to live or holiday, with its rolling hills and stunning vistas but look deeper and its as toxic as its nickname. More and more residents are becoming sick with a hideous disease. Giant boils and pustules grew upon the skin, both painful and hideous. The victims will eventually succumb to their injuries but just what does an autopsy reveal?
Another favourite is Fort Hamilton, an extremely unnerving psychological horror. Don’t think that this takes away from the story. Oli Jacobs always has the end game in sight and the descriptions he has in mind are complex and disturbing. My brain was itching for the answers and try as I might none were forthcoming. It was clever and compelling, and I couldn’t help but see parallels with the TV show Black Mirror. It’s a story that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about and will more than likely stay with me for a long time.
Although the book excels with the insane ability to showcase the highs and lows of humanity the final story, To Be Observed, is a masterpiece in both psychological horror and the supernatural. There is multiple layers added and the reader will have fun peeling them back to discover the darkest depths of the human condition. Jacobs uses all his skills to create a richer more immersive experience for his readers.
The Lament of the Silver Badger is delicious agony of watching well crafted characters succumb to flaws and evil in front of your very eyes. Not only is Jacobs a terrific storyteller but he has the gift surprising you time and time again.
stephbookshine's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a free copy of this book. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
The Lament of the Silver Badger is a collection of short stories in the horror genre. That said, the horror genre incorporates a surprisingly large amount of scope, and Oli Jacobs explores pretty much every style here, so there is bound to be something you like. (The only thing missing was gory/slasher style horror, and I personally did not feel that to be a negative!)
Starting with an old-fashioned Lovecraftian/X-Files vibe, you pass through modern techno-horror, Ancient Mariner style ghost stories, and urban ghost stories. The voice, content and tone of each story is different enough that you could imagine they were written by different authors.
My personal favourites were the more psychological, such as ‘Fort Hamilton’ and the modern take on an old favourite ‘Do You Know What Fear Is?’. ‘Fort Hamilton’ in particular stands out as I found my brain dwelling on the details; puzzling and repuzzling over it. It functions as a Escher Cube or Penrose Steps for the mind instead of the eyes – memorably unsettling.
I also wanted to make special mention of ‘The Tar’ as this stands out from the other stories, as a tale more of hope than horror. As an analogy for mental, physical and/or emotional malaise it resonates strongly, and could easily have led to a bleak conclusion, but surprisingly the author chose to twist this narrative in an unexpected direction that was a refreshing palate cleanser in the midst of the dark feast.
I do think that the collection would have benefitted from an additional round of editing/proofreading as, particularly in the initial story, I noted a few errors that threw me out of the flow of writing, which is a shame in such imagination-rich stories. I did note that the writing became tighter and the style more fluent after the first tale however.
Overall this is a clever and creative collection of horror shorts that I can recommend to fans of the paranormal and psychological.
“My main concern is the Fort itself.”
“The Fort has been well-protected, sir. We have had no…”
“You tell me that, but I beg to differ.”
“Err…sir?”
“You see, Galloway, on this document I have here in regards to Fort Hamilton, it tells me that you – Corporal James Galloway – are in charge of 5 men.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which would make the inhabitants of Fort Hamilton number 6, am I correct?”
“Well, yes, sir.”
“Then why, Corporal Galloway, do I count 7?”
– Oli Jacobs, ‘Fort Hamilton’ in The Lament of the Silver Badger
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/the-lament-of-the-silver-badger-filmic-cuts-vol-6-oli-jacobs/
The Lament of the Silver Badger is a collection of short stories in the horror genre. That said, the horror genre incorporates a surprisingly large amount of scope, and Oli Jacobs explores pretty much every style here, so there is bound to be something you like. (The only thing missing was gory/slasher style horror, and I personally did not feel that to be a negative!)
Starting with an old-fashioned Lovecraftian/X-Files vibe, you pass through modern techno-horror, Ancient Mariner style ghost stories, and urban ghost stories. The voice, content and tone of each story is different enough that you could imagine they were written by different authors.
My personal favourites were the more psychological, such as ‘Fort Hamilton’ and the modern take on an old favourite ‘Do You Know What Fear Is?’. ‘Fort Hamilton’ in particular stands out as I found my brain dwelling on the details; puzzling and repuzzling over it. It functions as a Escher Cube or Penrose Steps for the mind instead of the eyes – memorably unsettling.
I also wanted to make special mention of ‘The Tar’ as this stands out from the other stories, as a tale more of hope than horror. As an analogy for mental, physical and/or emotional malaise it resonates strongly, and could easily have led to a bleak conclusion, but surprisingly the author chose to twist this narrative in an unexpected direction that was a refreshing palate cleanser in the midst of the dark feast.
I do think that the collection would have benefitted from an additional round of editing/proofreading as, particularly in the initial story, I noted a few errors that threw me out of the flow of writing, which is a shame in such imagination-rich stories. I did note that the writing became tighter and the style more fluent after the first tale however.
Overall this is a clever and creative collection of horror shorts that I can recommend to fans of the paranormal and psychological.
“My main concern is the Fort itself.”
“The Fort has been well-protected, sir. We have had no…”
“You tell me that, but I beg to differ.”
“Err…sir?”
“You see, Galloway, on this document I have here in regards to Fort Hamilton, it tells me that you – Corporal James Galloway – are in charge of 5 men.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which would make the inhabitants of Fort Hamilton number 6, am I correct?”
“Well, yes, sir.”
“Then why, Corporal Galloway, do I count 7?”
– Oli Jacobs, ‘Fort Hamilton’ in The Lament of the Silver Badger
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/the-lament-of-the-silver-badger-filmic-cuts-vol-6-oli-jacobs/
stephbookshine's review
4.0
*I received a free copy of this book. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
The Lament of the Silver Badger is a collection of short stories in the horror genre. That said, the horror genre incorporates a surprisingly large amount of scope, and Oli Jacobs explores pretty much every style here, so there is bound to be something you like. (The only thing missing was gory/slasher style horror, and I personally did not feel that to be a negative!)
Starting with an old-fashioned Lovecraftian/X-Files vibe, you pass through modern techno-horror, Ancient Mariner style ghost stories, and urban ghost stories. The voice, content and tone of each story is different enough that you could imagine they were written by different authors.
My personal favourites were the more psychological, such as ‘Fort Hamilton’ and the modern take on an old favourite ‘Do You Know What Fear Is?’. ‘Fort Hamilton’ in particular stands out as I found my brain dwelling on the details; puzzling and repuzzling over it. It functions as a Escher Cube or Penrose Steps for the mind instead of the eyes – memorably unsettling.
I also wanted to make special mention of ‘The Tar’ as this stands out from the other stories, as a tale more of hope than horror. As an analogy for mental, physical and/or emotional malaise it resonates strongly, and could easily have led to a bleak conclusion, but surprisingly the author chose to twist this narrative in an unexpected direction that was a refreshing palate cleanser in the midst of the dark feast.
I do think that the collection would have benefitted from an additional round of editing/proofreading as, particularly in the initial story, I noted a few errors that threw me out of the flow of writing, which is a shame in such imagination-rich stories. I did note that the writing became tighter and the style more fluent after the first tale however.
Overall this is a clever and creative collection of horror shorts that I can recommend to fans of the paranormal and psychological.
“My main concern is the Fort itself.”
“The Fort has been well-protected, sir. We have had no…”
“You tell me that, but I beg to differ.”
“Err…sir?”
“You see, Galloway, on this document I have here in regards to Fort Hamilton, it tells me that you – Corporal James Galloway – are in charge of 5 men.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which would make the inhabitants of Fort Hamilton number 6, am I correct?”
“Well, yes, sir.”
“Then why, Corporal Galloway, do I count 7?”
– Oli Jacobs, ‘Fort Hamilton’ in The Lament of the Silver Badger
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/the-lament-of-the-silver-badger-filmic-cuts-vol-6-oli-jacobs/
The Lament of the Silver Badger is a collection of short stories in the horror genre. That said, the horror genre incorporates a surprisingly large amount of scope, and Oli Jacobs explores pretty much every style here, so there is bound to be something you like. (The only thing missing was gory/slasher style horror, and I personally did not feel that to be a negative!)
Starting with an old-fashioned Lovecraftian/X-Files vibe, you pass through modern techno-horror, Ancient Mariner style ghost stories, and urban ghost stories. The voice, content and tone of each story is different enough that you could imagine they were written by different authors.
My personal favourites were the more psychological, such as ‘Fort Hamilton’ and the modern take on an old favourite ‘Do You Know What Fear Is?’. ‘Fort Hamilton’ in particular stands out as I found my brain dwelling on the details; puzzling and repuzzling over it. It functions as a Escher Cube or Penrose Steps for the mind instead of the eyes – memorably unsettling.
I also wanted to make special mention of ‘The Tar’ as this stands out from the other stories, as a tale more of hope than horror. As an analogy for mental, physical and/or emotional malaise it resonates strongly, and could easily have led to a bleak conclusion, but surprisingly the author chose to twist this narrative in an unexpected direction that was a refreshing palate cleanser in the midst of the dark feast.
I do think that the collection would have benefitted from an additional round of editing/proofreading as, particularly in the initial story, I noted a few errors that threw me out of the flow of writing, which is a shame in such imagination-rich stories. I did note that the writing became tighter and the style more fluent after the first tale however.
Overall this is a clever and creative collection of horror shorts that I can recommend to fans of the paranormal and psychological.
“My main concern is the Fort itself.”
“The Fort has been well-protected, sir. We have had no…”
“You tell me that, but I beg to differ.”
“Err…sir?”
“You see, Galloway, on this document I have here in regards to Fort Hamilton, it tells me that you – Corporal James Galloway – are in charge of 5 men.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which would make the inhabitants of Fort Hamilton number 6, am I correct?”
“Well, yes, sir.”
“Then why, Corporal Galloway, do I count 7?”
– Oli Jacobs, ‘Fort Hamilton’ in The Lament of the Silver Badger
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/the-lament-of-the-silver-badger-filmic-cuts-vol-6-oli-jacobs/
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