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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this book so badly. After reading the synopsis and the introduction I thought it would be an absolutely amazing book, but it was simply not for me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style, but I also felt like the stories didn’t really go anywhere or they went to really weird places before being cut short by a blunt ending. Half of these stories made me feel sick to my stomach while I was reading them. So much so that I almost DNFed this book. I won’t rate it any lower than three stars because there is a disclaimer at the beginning about the stories and their varying levels of strange, but I felt like each story could have been executed a little better through character and plot development.
I received a copy of this book through BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book through BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
Words like strange, weird, and twisted get thrown around a lot when searching through the realms of dark fiction. Sometimes they mean the characters are in unusual situations, other times they’re describing the characters themselves, and in rare circumstances they mean the plot and the characters will disturb you to your emotional core. Everyone is a Moon: Strange Stories by Sawney Hatton fell into the latter category for me.
The twelve stories in this collection range from satire to science fiction, from ghost stories to extreme horror, but the commonality throughout was that I finished each tale feeling shaken. I’m not talking about being scared out of my mind, but rather a slow build of unease that gets deep under your skin, which leads you to contemplate things you’d rather leave alone.
Even in the two of the funnier stories, “The Good Touch” and “The Lord Is My Rocket,” there’s underlying, engaging themes. The first deals with a couple of friends, living in a trailer park, and the jealousy one of them feels after the other is visited by an angel and grows a magic healing finger. While there are great moments that made me chuckle, what comes through most is the desperation of the main character trying to maintain the status quo. His lack of faith and insecurity over his friend’s sudden good fortune drives him to act in ways that become his own undoing.
On the flip side, “The Lord Is My Rocket” tells a story through the lens of religious zealotry. Ruth is a caregiver to terminally ill Floyd and believes his salvation lies inside the Monastery of the Celestial Christ. This story made me laugh out loud with information like the “four-cross rating” given to the Monastery by a Christian travel site, claims that Jesus was the first astronaut, and a rock song/laser light production called “Shout and Twist with the Eucharist.” But the deeper we go into the story, learn of how Floyd became Ruth’s charge, and hear an announcement that the end of the world is nigh, the more disturbing the events become. Here, Ruth’s absolute faith leads to her downfall.
“The Beholder” was one of my favourites in the collection, following homeless man Alex. He doesn’t see the world in the same way most of us do, finding beauty in the mundane. As the story began, I thought it was going to simply be a story trying to challenge the readers view on life, but then there’s a turn at the end that was absolutely chilling. I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll simply say that not everything that Alex finds beautiful should be used for inspiration.
But these stories aren’t all just contemplatively disturbing, as author Hatton isn’t afraid to explore graphic violence either. In “FYVP,” Steve, a body modification enthusiast, is on his way to get a Prince Albert piercing. However, the shop owner Mr. Holland has his own twisted ideas for a complete transformation. As a fan of extreme horror, I wished this story had gone on just a bit longer, laying out all the gory details, but the author wisely chose the perfect ending to this tale, allowing the reader to construct brutal images in their imagination.
The last story of the collection, “Suitable for Framing,” evokes a different kind of horror, putting the reader in an uncomfortable position of self-reflection. The unnamed first-person narrator is an acclaimed photographer, with previous collections with titles such as Hit and Run, Stains & Blights, and Screaming Heads, all focused on the ugly side of humanity. In his new series, tentatively called Peep Show, the character’s inspiration is the apartment building across from his own. Unbeknownst to his neighbours, he photographs them in their most vulnerable moments, but his actions after witnessing a brutal crime are shocking. The crux of this tale is the lengths artists will go to in creating new work, and the macabre fascination of art patrons.
Everyone is a Moon: Strange Stories as a title was inspired by Mark Twain’s quote, “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody,” and author Sawney Hatton deftly explores the dark side of humanity throughout the book. And, more than merely presenting twisted stories, he forces the reader to confront and contemplate several taboo subjects, including cannibalism and bestiality – so, reader discretion is highly advised. But for those of you willing to plunge into twisted psyches, this book is a fascinating, entertaining, and thought provoking read.
*A copy of this book was provided by Blackthorn Book Tours*
The twelve stories in this collection range from satire to science fiction, from ghost stories to extreme horror, but the commonality throughout was that I finished each tale feeling shaken. I’m not talking about being scared out of my mind, but rather a slow build of unease that gets deep under your skin, which leads you to contemplate things you’d rather leave alone.
Even in the two of the funnier stories, “The Good Touch” and “The Lord Is My Rocket,” there’s underlying, engaging themes. The first deals with a couple of friends, living in a trailer park, and the jealousy one of them feels after the other is visited by an angel and grows a magic healing finger. While there are great moments that made me chuckle, what comes through most is the desperation of the main character trying to maintain the status quo. His lack of faith and insecurity over his friend’s sudden good fortune drives him to act in ways that become his own undoing.
On the flip side, “The Lord Is My Rocket” tells a story through the lens of religious zealotry. Ruth is a caregiver to terminally ill Floyd and believes his salvation lies inside the Monastery of the Celestial Christ. This story made me laugh out loud with information like the “four-cross rating” given to the Monastery by a Christian travel site, claims that Jesus was the first astronaut, and a rock song/laser light production called “Shout and Twist with the Eucharist.” But the deeper we go into the story, learn of how Floyd became Ruth’s charge, and hear an announcement that the end of the world is nigh, the more disturbing the events become. Here, Ruth’s absolute faith leads to her downfall.
“The Beholder” was one of my favourites in the collection, following homeless man Alex. He doesn’t see the world in the same way most of us do, finding beauty in the mundane. As the story began, I thought it was going to simply be a story trying to challenge the readers view on life, but then there’s a turn at the end that was absolutely chilling. I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll simply say that not everything that Alex finds beautiful should be used for inspiration.
But these stories aren’t all just contemplatively disturbing, as author Hatton isn’t afraid to explore graphic violence either. In “FYVP,” Steve, a body modification enthusiast, is on his way to get a Prince Albert piercing. However, the shop owner Mr. Holland has his own twisted ideas for a complete transformation. As a fan of extreme horror, I wished this story had gone on just a bit longer, laying out all the gory details, but the author wisely chose the perfect ending to this tale, allowing the reader to construct brutal images in their imagination.
The last story of the collection, “Suitable for Framing,” evokes a different kind of horror, putting the reader in an uncomfortable position of self-reflection. The unnamed first-person narrator is an acclaimed photographer, with previous collections with titles such as Hit and Run, Stains & Blights, and Screaming Heads, all focused on the ugly side of humanity. In his new series, tentatively called Peep Show, the character’s inspiration is the apartment building across from his own. Unbeknownst to his neighbours, he photographs them in their most vulnerable moments, but his actions after witnessing a brutal crime are shocking. The crux of this tale is the lengths artists will go to in creating new work, and the macabre fascination of art patrons.
Everyone is a Moon: Strange Stories as a title was inspired by Mark Twain’s quote, “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody,” and author Sawney Hatton deftly explores the dark side of humanity throughout the book. And, more than merely presenting twisted stories, he forces the reader to confront and contemplate several taboo subjects, including cannibalism and bestiality – so, reader discretion is highly advised. But for those of you willing to plunge into twisted psyches, this book is a fascinating, entertaining, and thought provoking read.
*A copy of this book was provided by Blackthorn Book Tours*
I received a complimentary copy of Everyone is a Moon from the author through the BookSirens platform (https://booksirens.com), and am leaving an honest review.
Three distinct things inspired me to read and review Sawney Hatton’s collection of dark fiction short stories in Everyone is a Moon: a) the inspired and striking cover artwork design by Fredrick Richard [1]; b) the author’s unusual name. Sawney — sometimes Sandie/y, or Sanders, or Sannock — was an English nickname (now obsolete) for a Scotsman in the 18th century, portrayed as a common figure of fun in English cartoons of the age. It might fascinate you to know that the word ‘Sawney’ survives in the current Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD), validating the word in Scrabble tournament play, and defining it to mean ‘a foolish person’ [2] (not something one could accuse Sawney Hatton of being!); c) the title of the book itself, which intrigued me.
As I was new to Hatton’s work, I found myself, of course, in the dark (pun intended) concerning what I would encounter when I downloaded Everyone is a Moon from BookSirens. First, what of the book’s title? As Hatton himself states, “This collection of what I consider to be my best dark fiction short stories represents a twenty-five-year span of my writing career (…) It is obvious I am drawn to the darker sides of the human psyche. But I’m also intrigued by those who harbor secrets or suffer delusions, the faces they present to others often masking their perverse thoughts, feelings, or compulsions. Hence the title of this collection (…) derived from Mark Twain’s maxim found in Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar (1897): ‘Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.’ ” [3]
The notion that everyone has a dark side — like the moon — reminded me, yet again, of something that Maya Angelou (1928-2014), the African American novelist and poet, said: “Nothing that is human is alien to me.” She was likely quoting Publius Terentius Afer — better known in English as Terence — a Roman African playwright and comic dramatist during the Roman Republic (born c. 195 BC, North Africa). One of Terence’s famous quotes was:
And so, the great duality in human behaviour — and the human psyche — of light and dark; good and evil. Angelou understood that to be human is to be capable of any human thought or act, both noble and ignoble, regardless of how unlikely certain thoughts or actions might be to any of us in our lives. Is it not a given that when the circumstances allow or dictate, we are all capable of any thought or act? For whatever any human has ever thought, believed, and acted upon, so as fellow humans, we are also capable.
For example, would those who boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 — a chartered flight that originated in Montevideo, Uruguay and was bound for Santiago in Chile on October 13, 1972 (yes, a Friday) — have believed that their Fairchild FH-227D would crash in the Andes Mountains in western Argentina, killing three crew members and eight passengers at once, and several more passengers soon after from their injuries and the extreme cold? Would the survivors have believed that they would resort to cannibalism to survive? Of course not. But it happened — they embraced the dark side so they might live. This made reading Everyone is a Moon so rewarding — the plausibility of the plots in keeping with people’s prototypical behaviour when they encounter and embrace the dark side of their nature.
What of the stories? As Hatton’s web page announces, Everyone is a Moon comprises “twelve twisted tales featuring a magical finger, a cannibalistic memorial service, an extreme piercing parlor, a space-age monastery, a budding serial killer, and more.”
A word of warning, however. Hatton’s material is by turns many things — fresh and unconventional; at times irreverent; humorous, quirky, and surrealistic; but also nightmarish, dark, and disturbing — blended in such a way that you feel compelled to continue reading, even when doing so feels borderline voyeuristic or otherwise altogether wrong. Hatton’s story The Dark at the Deep End deserves the author’s warning in the front matter of “Some graphic material herein. Reader discretion advised”. He kids you not with the choice of the word “graphic”. This is adult material and will not be to everyone’s taste. That said, I admire Hatton’s honesty, transparency, and brazenness. I would tell you that Hatton’s work reminded me of this or that author — but I could not say who! He appears to occupy a special space of his own.
Last, I loved how Hatton plays, here and there, with the text in his collection — increasing the size significantly (in stages) in part of Cutting Remarks to ‘shout’ from the page, but in another story to reduce the word count to a mere forty-four words spread over ten pages. And why not, indeed? No writer would ever want to be forgotten; once experienced, there is no likelihood that Sawney Hatton ever would be! Recommended reading.
[1] Fredrick Richard (99designs): https://99designs.co.uk/profiles/2280656 (Re-accessed: 24 January).
[2] Source: Thanks to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
[3] The Pudd’nhead Maxims — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar in Following the Equator (1897): https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/wilson/pwequat.html (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
Author's website: https://www.sawneyhatton.com/everyone-is-a-moon-strange-stories/
(Re-edited: 24 January 2022)
Three distinct things inspired me to read and review Sawney Hatton’s collection of dark fiction short stories in Everyone is a Moon: a) the inspired and striking cover artwork design by Fredrick Richard [1]; b) the author’s unusual name. Sawney — sometimes Sandie/y, or Sanders, or Sannock — was an English nickname (now obsolete) for a Scotsman in the 18th century, portrayed as a common figure of fun in English cartoons of the age. It might fascinate you to know that the word ‘Sawney’ survives in the current Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD), validating the word in Scrabble tournament play, and defining it to mean ‘a foolish person’ [2] (not something one could accuse Sawney Hatton of being!); c) the title of the book itself, which intrigued me.
As I was new to Hatton’s work, I found myself, of course, in the dark (pun intended) concerning what I would encounter when I downloaded Everyone is a Moon from BookSirens. First, what of the book’s title? As Hatton himself states, “This collection of what I consider to be my best dark fiction short stories represents a twenty-five-year span of my writing career (…) It is obvious I am drawn to the darker sides of the human psyche. But I’m also intrigued by those who harbor secrets or suffer delusions, the faces they present to others often masking their perverse thoughts, feelings, or compulsions. Hence the title of this collection (…) derived from Mark Twain’s maxim found in Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar (1897): ‘Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.’ ” [3]
The notion that everyone has a dark side — like the moon — reminded me, yet again, of something that Maya Angelou (1928-2014), the African American novelist and poet, said: “Nothing that is human is alien to me.” She was likely quoting Publius Terentius Afer — better known in English as Terence — a Roman African playwright and comic dramatist during the Roman Republic (born c. 195 BC, North Africa). One of Terence’s famous quotes was:
“I am a man. I consider nothing that is human alien to me,” or “Homo sum. Humanum nihil a me alienum puto,” in Latin.
And so, the great duality in human behaviour — and the human psyche — of light and dark; good and evil. Angelou understood that to be human is to be capable of any human thought or act, both noble and ignoble, regardless of how unlikely certain thoughts or actions might be to any of us in our lives. Is it not a given that when the circumstances allow or dictate, we are all capable of any thought or act? For whatever any human has ever thought, believed, and acted upon, so as fellow humans, we are also capable.
For example, would those who boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 — a chartered flight that originated in Montevideo, Uruguay and was bound for Santiago in Chile on October 13, 1972 (yes, a Friday) — have believed that their Fairchild FH-227D would crash in the Andes Mountains in western Argentina, killing three crew members and eight passengers at once, and several more passengers soon after from their injuries and the extreme cold? Would the survivors have believed that they would resort to cannibalism to survive? Of course not. But it happened — they embraced the dark side so they might live. This made reading Everyone is a Moon so rewarding — the plausibility of the plots in keeping with people’s prototypical behaviour when they encounter and embrace the dark side of their nature.
What of the stories? As Hatton’s web page announces, Everyone is a Moon comprises “twelve twisted tales featuring a magical finger, a cannibalistic memorial service, an extreme piercing parlor, a space-age monastery, a budding serial killer, and more.”
A word of warning, however. Hatton’s material is by turns many things — fresh and unconventional; at times irreverent; humorous, quirky, and surrealistic; but also nightmarish, dark, and disturbing — blended in such a way that you feel compelled to continue reading, even when doing so feels borderline voyeuristic or otherwise altogether wrong. Hatton’s story The Dark at the Deep End deserves the author’s warning in the front matter of “Some graphic material herein. Reader discretion advised”. He kids you not with the choice of the word “graphic”. This is adult material and will not be to everyone’s taste. That said, I admire Hatton’s honesty, transparency, and brazenness. I would tell you that Hatton’s work reminded me of this or that author — but I could not say who! He appears to occupy a special space of his own.
Last, I loved how Hatton plays, here and there, with the text in his collection — increasing the size significantly (in stages) in part of Cutting Remarks to ‘shout’ from the page, but in another story to reduce the word count to a mere forty-four words spread over ten pages. And why not, indeed? No writer would ever want to be forgotten; once experienced, there is no likelihood that Sawney Hatton ever would be! Recommended reading.
[1] Fredrick Richard (99designs): https://99designs.co.uk/profiles/2280656 (Re-accessed: 24 January).
[2] Source: Thanks to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
[3] The Pudd’nhead Maxims — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar in Following the Equator (1897): https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/wilson/pwequat.html (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
Author's website: https://www.sawneyhatton.com/everyone-is-a-moon-strange-stories/
(Re-edited: 24 January 2022)
I've really been enjoying collections of short stories and poems as of late, and this latest one is no exception. Sawney Hatton's Everyone Is a Moon: Strange Stories is an excellent collection of weird, creepy, and darkly humorous tales that have a nightmarish quality.
The collection's opener, "The Good Touch", also happens to be one of the best. Between the dialogue written with the colloquial quality of real conversation and the irony that almost drips through the pages, I was reminded of some of my favorite early Stephen King stories.
Another standout was "The Boy Who Cried Alien", an homage of the '50s alien B-movies and definitely does well to evoke the nostalgia of those so-bad-they're-good films.
"The Lord Is My Rocket" and "Pet" were both two very different tales, but definitely make it to round up my third and fourth favorites, respectively. One is a tale about the limits of religious zealotry, and the other...well, it's very hard to to describe "Pet". Let's just say, it's dark, twisted, and not for the faint of heart.
If this is a glimpse into the mind of Hatton, I have to say...I do not envy their nightmares. If you love dark and disturbing stories, or have a dark and disturbed sense of humor, you'll probably love this.
Thank you Sawney Hatton, Dark Park Publishing, and Booksirens for allowing me to access an advance review copy for free. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
The collection's opener, "The Good Touch", also happens to be one of the best. Between the dialogue written with the colloquial quality of real conversation and the irony that almost drips through the pages, I was reminded of some of my favorite early Stephen King stories.
Another standout was "The Boy Who Cried Alien", an homage of the '50s alien B-movies and definitely does well to evoke the nostalgia of those so-bad-they're-good films.
"The Lord Is My Rocket" and "Pet" were both two very different tales, but definitely make it to round up my third and fourth favorites, respectively. One is a tale about the limits of religious zealotry, and the other...well, it's very hard to to describe "Pet". Let's just say, it's dark, twisted, and not for the faint of heart.
If this is a glimpse into the mind of Hatton, I have to say...I do not envy their nightmares. If you love dark and disturbing stories, or have a dark and disturbed sense of humor, you'll probably love this.
Thank you Sawney Hatton, Dark Park Publishing, and Booksirens for allowing me to access an advance review copy for free. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
I read horror for the scares. I'm all about the chills and less about the shock factor or the gore. Not that gore bothers me, it just doesn't terrify me. So with that in mind I took no heed of the "graphic material" warning, and plowed ahead. Not all of the stories were my cup of tea but I did love the first 3. In The Good Touch we meet two friends with very different personalities. One quite selfish and the other his polar opposite. Perhaps that is why their friendship works. But when one comes into possession of a gift from God it sparks a jealousy in the other that is the undoing of both.
Cutting Remarks is the story of a bullied housewife who at last finds happiness in her marriage. It was both humorous and darkly disturbing. The Boy Who Cried Alien was another dark comedy, if only someone had explained about the birds and the bees to this boy it may have avoided such a catastrophe.
When I got to the 4th story Pet I put the book down and almost didn't finish it. I am not a fan of animal cruelty. I don't care how many people may get beheaded or dragged to hell in any book but I need you to leave the animals alone. To me the only saving grace to this story is that no such animal exists on this planet. I don't mean that it was badly written because it wasn't. It's just my own personal limit of what I choose to read. I do not actively seek out animal abuse stories and I guess this is what the graphic content warning was for.
I liked The Mortality Machine, in which a couple who is running out of time together don't really make the most of what they have left. I loved Mr Gregori who is the lonely ghost haunting an apartment, watching people move in and out but never being able to engage with any of them.. until now.
So although every story was not a hit with me, that is the joy of short stories, take what you like and leave the rest. I would recommend this collection to all who have a dark sense of humor and those with a stomach for disturbing subject matter.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
Cutting Remarks is the story of a bullied housewife who at last finds happiness in her marriage. It was both humorous and darkly disturbing. The Boy Who Cried Alien was another dark comedy, if only someone had explained about the birds and the bees to this boy it may have avoided such a catastrophe.
When I got to the 4th story Pet I put the book down and almost didn't finish it. I am not a fan of animal cruelty. I don't care how many people may get beheaded or dragged to hell in any book but I need you to leave the animals alone. To me the only saving grace to this story is that no such animal exists on this planet. I don't mean that it was badly written because it wasn't. It's just my own personal limit of what I choose to read. I do not actively seek out animal abuse stories and I guess this is what the graphic content warning was for.
I liked The Mortality Machine, in which a couple who is running out of time together don't really make the most of what they have left. I loved Mr Gregori who is the lonely ghost haunting an apartment, watching people move in and out but never being able to engage with any of them.. until now.
So although every story was not a hit with me, that is the joy of short stories, take what you like and leave the rest. I would recommend this collection to all who have a dark sense of humor and those with a stomach for disturbing subject matter.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
I would go as far as saying this is even more fucked up than Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I really enjoyed these short stories (except Pet, only because it made me too uncomfortable, really can't stomach *that* topic at all).
Hoping there will be more like this from Hatton.
Hoping there will be more like this from Hatton.
A substantial collection of creepy little stories exploring the dark side of us all, hence the excellent title based off the excellent Mark Twain quote.
While not all of them are great, most of them are good and some a really good. Particularly “Pet,” in which the horror and sense of wrongness just mounts and mounts until it breaks. For the amount of stories, there’s quite a few original themes as well.
“The Good Touch” - 5/5
A man is gifted one of God’s own fingers so that he may heal, but his best friend is a little jealous. A truly original premise to me, with a wonderful main character (the best friend) and ironic ending.
“Cutting Remarks” - 1/5
A woman grows tired of her husband’s behavior. It’s been done before.
“The Boy Who Cried Alien” - 3/5
A boy is convinced he’s stumbled upon an alien invasion in progress. Not the most original, again, but well-done enough to be entertaining.
“Pet” - 5/5
After a breakup, a woman leaves her pet with her ex. See above; one of the highlights of the collection.
“In Memoriam the Ostrich” - 3/5
A man’s final wishes deeply disturb the local pastor. Not the most original, but well-executed.
“The Mortality Machine” - 2\5
A man builds a machine so he and his wife can be together forever. It was almost there, but it just needed some more development. Though it did make me sad.
“The Lord is my Rocket” - 4/5
After her mentally disabled charge is terminally diagnosed, his nurse takes him to a monastery so he can accept Jesus into his heart before he dies. Surprisingly poignant and bittersweet.
“The Beholder” - 2/5
A homeless man discovers something new. A good little vignette, but that’s it.
“Mr. Gregori” - 3/5
The ghost of the previous tenant becomes obsessed with the current one. Interesting, spooky, and quick.
“FYVP” - 3/5
A man in search of a penis piercing gets way more than he wanted. Surprising and a little gross.
“The Dark at the Deep End” - 4/5
A view into the mind of a serial killer reminiscing on his youth. Great senses of character and overall unease.The scene where he thinks about torturing the homeless woman is brutal and unflinching
“Suitable for Framing” - 3/5
A photographer finds new inspiration. Not bad, but suffers directly after “the dark at the deep end”.
3 star average.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
While not all of them are great, most of them are good and some a really good. Particularly “Pet,” in which the horror and sense of wrongness just mounts and mounts until it breaks. For the amount of stories, there’s quite a few original themes as well.
“The Good Touch” - 5/5
A man is gifted one of God’s own fingers so that he may heal, but his best friend is a little jealous. A truly original premise to me, with a wonderful main character (the best friend) and ironic ending.
“Cutting Remarks” - 1/5
A woman grows tired of her husband’s behavior. It’s been done before.
“The Boy Who Cried Alien” - 3/5
A boy is convinced he’s stumbled upon an alien invasion in progress. Not the most original, again, but well-done enough to be entertaining.
“Pet” - 5/5
After a breakup, a woman leaves her pet with her ex. See above; one of the highlights of the collection.
“In Memoriam the Ostrich” - 3/5
A man’s final wishes deeply disturb the local pastor. Not the most original, but well-executed.
“The Mortality Machine” - 2\5
A man builds a machine so he and his wife can be together forever. It was almost there, but it just needed some more development. Though it did make me sad.
“The Lord is my Rocket” - 4/5
After her mentally disabled charge is terminally diagnosed, his nurse takes him to a monastery so he can accept Jesus into his heart before he dies. Surprisingly poignant and bittersweet.
“The Beholder” - 2/5
A homeless man discovers something new. A good little vignette, but that’s it.
“Mr. Gregori” - 3/5
The ghost of the previous tenant becomes obsessed with the current one. Interesting, spooky, and quick.
“FYVP” - 3/5
A man in search of a penis piercing gets way more than he wanted. Surprising and a little gross.
“The Dark at the Deep End” - 4/5
A view into the mind of a serial killer reminiscing on his youth. Great senses of character and overall unease.
“Suitable for Framing” - 3/5
A photographer finds new inspiration. Not bad, but suffers directly after “the dark at the deep end”.
3 star average.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.