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aksel_dadswell's review
5.0
My first purchase from the wonderful Dim Shores (I have Scott Nicolay's "After" waiting for me with its incredibly creepy cover) with skin-crawling cover art by Aeron Alfrey (who is also responsible for those beautiful, weird, almost crusty covers for Subterranean Press's three Thomas Ligotti Collections).
Anyway, what a great story! This is the first of Bartlett's works I've read and I definitely want to read more after this. Rangel's atmosphere is palpable from the outset - he evokes the smokey autumnal season with the easy rhythm of his prose. His style is simple but packs a punch, and he's as deft at creating tangible characters as he is at scaring the shit out of the reader. And all this with only a few brushstrokes. He never shoves anything in the reader's face, always holding back the bigger picture. What's hinted at is what's most terrifying. The scenes in the diner and the public toilet are fleeting but incredibly effective, and the climax is just awesome. A wonderful, macabre journey and a magnificent piece of writing.
Anyway, what a great story! This is the first of Bartlett's works I've read and I definitely want to read more after this. Rangel's atmosphere is palpable from the outset - he evokes the smokey autumnal season with the easy rhythm of his prose. His style is simple but packs a punch, and he's as deft at creating tangible characters as he is at scaring the shit out of the reader. And all this with only a few brushstrokes. He never shoves anything in the reader's face, always holding back the bigger picture. What's hinted at is what's most terrifying. The scenes in the diner and the public toilet are fleeting but incredibly effective, and the climax is just awesome. A wonderful, macabre journey and a magnificent piece of writing.
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