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mialeyden's review against another edition
4.0
I read one of the author's short stories in another anthology (Howls From Hell) and loved it, so I decided to seek more of her work and I loved this book as well. The woman knows how to write a short story.
My favourite of this anthology were "The Space Between," "Gemini Syndrome" and "That which the Ocean Gives and Takes Away."
My favourite of this anthology were "The Space Between," "Gemini Syndrome" and "That which the Ocean Gives and Takes Away."
bookbrian111's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
demanley's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Solid little collection of short horror/sci-fantasy stories.
calebstephensauthor's review
5.0
Having discovered P.L. McMillan's work during my time as the Assistant Editor for Hinnom Magazine, I was quite intrigued to hear she was putting out her own collection, including a story Hinnom published - "The Space Between" - which left me disoriented in the best way possible upon reading. Needless to say, I got my fingers on this anthology as fast as I could. I was not disappointed.
The entire collection is fantastic, steeped in heavy doses of cosmic and sci-fi horror. That alone would be enough to win me over, but McMillan's unique plots and fresh twists provided the cherry on top. It's great, you can't tell where any of the stories will wind up. All you can do is buckle in and enjoy the ride. And enjoy it I did. Very much.
That said, my top three favorites (without giving spoilers) were:
That Which The Ocean Gives and Takes Away - A bittersweet tale full of melancholy and a fascinating encounter with a largely misunderstood creature.
Buzzkill - The absolute bizarre nature of this one, coupled with the themes of love and loss in a strange new world, left me shaken and wanting more. This story was like a high-quality shot of 100% bourbon: a welcome punch to the face.
Planet of the Hungry - A post-apocalyptic journey across a scorched landscape with an other-worldly visitor and a deformed donkey. Oh, and nanotech. What more can you ask for?
One should also take note of the art included before every story, illustrated by none other than McMillan herself. The drawings are stunning and provide additional texture. Loved them.
In summary, you can tell this collection was crafted with a lot of love. Pick up a copy for yourself and dive in! You won't regret it.
The entire collection is fantastic, steeped in heavy doses of cosmic and sci-fi horror. That alone would be enough to win me over, but McMillan's unique plots and fresh twists provided the cherry on top. It's great, you can't tell where any of the stories will wind up. All you can do is buckle in and enjoy the ride. And enjoy it I did. Very much.
That said, my top three favorites (without giving spoilers) were:
That Which The Ocean Gives and Takes Away - A bittersweet tale full of melancholy and a fascinating encounter with a largely misunderstood creature.
Buzzkill - The absolute bizarre nature of this one, coupled with the themes of love and loss in a strange new world, left me shaken and wanting more. This story was like a high-quality shot of 100% bourbon: a welcome punch to the face.
Planet of the Hungry - A post-apocalyptic journey across a scorched landscape with an other-worldly visitor and a deformed donkey. Oh, and nanotech. What more can you ask for?
One should also take note of the art included before every story, illustrated by none other than McMillan herself. The drawings are stunning and provide additional texture. Loved them.
In summary, you can tell this collection was crafted with a lot of love. Pick up a copy for yourself and dive in! You won't regret it.
bernt's review
4.0
Was underwhelmed with the first few stories but it picked up with the last handful. Some personal favorites were The Hungry World, Polychromatic Screams, and The Drought of Burham.
fatfatrat's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
cloudjp's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
johnyjoe's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
spooky_librarian's review
5.0
A strange apocalypse brought on by honey bees, the rapid spread of a cosmic cult, strange rashes as deadly as they are infectious. If you perked up at the mention of any of those things, that is just a small taste of what’s waiting for you inside P.L. McMillan’s sci-fi/cosmic horror short story collection WHAT REMAINS WHEN THE STARS BURN OUT.
I first fell in love with McMillan’s storytelling when I was introduced to her writing in HOWL Society’s horror anthology HOWLS FROM HELL. The way she builds worlds, develops characters, and harnesses reader interest in just a few pages of each short story are many reasons why I’ve become a fan of hers. You can bet I was over the moon when given this ARC by the author and, without even blinking, dove in eagerly.
Not only was I not disappointed, but by the first story's end--Sanatize, a very disturbing and somewhat triggering tale of infection that will leave you wanting to obsessively wash your hands-- I was equally horrified and enamored. In fact, I thought I could narrow down my favorites in this collection, but I ended up loving every single story! Each one is compelling and disturbing and filled to the brim with all the things I personally love about both sci-fi and cosmic horror!
Should you get your hands on this collection, prepare for worlds to fall and monsters to rise, for dangerous unknowns and the loss of time, space, and sanity, for grotesqueries that will make you squeamish. Prepare for a fantastic 257 pages of horror and wonder.
(Special thank you to P.L. McMillan and Salt Heart Press for this stellar review copy!)
I first fell in love with McMillan’s storytelling when I was introduced to her writing in HOWL Society’s horror anthology HOWLS FROM HELL. The way she builds worlds, develops characters, and harnesses reader interest in just a few pages of each short story are many reasons why I’ve become a fan of hers. You can bet I was over the moon when given this ARC by the author and, without even blinking, dove in eagerly.
Not only was I not disappointed, but by the first story's end--Sanatize, a very disturbing and somewhat triggering tale of infection that will leave you wanting to obsessively wash your hands-- I was equally horrified and enamored. In fact, I thought I could narrow down my favorites in this collection, but I ended up loving every single story! Each one is compelling and disturbing and filled to the brim with all the things I personally love about both sci-fi and cosmic horror!
Should you get your hands on this collection, prepare for worlds to fall and monsters to rise, for dangerous unknowns and the loss of time, space, and sanity, for grotesqueries that will make you squeamish. Prepare for a fantastic 257 pages of horror and wonder.
(Special thank you to P.L. McMillan and Salt Heart Press for this stellar review copy!)