Scan barcode
A review by art_cart_ron
Fearful Symmetries: An Anthology of Horror by
3.0
"A Wish From a Bone" by Gemma Files
4 stars for a story that didn't do a lot of original things, but did what it did with good visuals and language. It's a little bit Lora Croft meets Hellraiser… which isn't easy to dismiss as a bad idea. Well done.
"The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud
4 stars for some good imagery, but I don't know how many John Constantine, Titus Crow, Sandman Slim characters the world has room for. The likable occult anti-hero who stumbles into world-threatening trouble a few times a week is less fresh than it was. Hellboy seemed to have signaled that the age to parody the form had arrived… but no - on it goes. Hey, if the stories are good - I'll give them some time, but I'm eager to see what follows this increasingly loaded cliche. I get it - we all liked this stuff when we were young, and now the geeks are ascendent.
"The Witch Moth" by Bruce McAllister
2.5 stars - there's some "who's who, and what's reality" play going on, but not enough time, space, or interest for me to put in the effort to track it cleanly. The opening pages seemed like they were written by a different writer - one with less skill with words (maybe this was to represent the protagonist's younger age?), and some elements were asides more interesting than the main story - but it all get's pretty brown and mushy rather than resolved and satisfying. Meh.
"Kaiju" by Gary McMahon
2 stars - Pretty weak, although it did something enjoyable by saying the protagonist couldn't remember why they'd liked giant monster stories when they were young, after being faced with the reality of one in their adulthood. That sentiment sunk in, rather than feeling like cheesy sentiment. There's a Twilight Zone twist tossed in for 3 paragraphs that feels half-baked and uninteresting.
"In the year of omens: only annoying 1 star
The four darks: occult gumshoe. The pretentiousness of this one is off the chart, and not in a good way. My trust in the Shirley Jackson award, and the taste of Ellen Datlow, is low right now. To the point of considering bailing on the anthology." 2 stars
The Spindly Man - 5 stars, now that's what I'm talking about. Reread this story immediately. So many good elements. Would make a killer one act play or low budget film.
Mount Chary Galore - 5 stars - comes across like it was written for a "re-envisioned fairy tales" anthology. In a very good way. Really well written.
The Window - 3 stars, not a bad effort, contemporary Lovecraftian
Ballad of an Echo Whisperer - 2 stars
Suffer Little Children - 3 stars
Power - 3 stars
Bridge of Sighs - 3 stars
The Worms Crawl In - 2 stars
The Attic - 2 stars
Wendigo Nights - 3 stars
Episode Three: On the Greeat Plains, In the Snow - 2 stars - urgh, please only include supernatural detectives if the story is half decent. 1 star if not for the T Rex.
Catching Flies - 2 stars - plots are useful in stories
Shay Corsham Worsted - 4 stars - a sci fi story tucked in at the end. Pretty strong finish. Well written - good idea. Very Warren Ellis/comic bookish
54.5 divided by 20 = 2.7 Stars overall
As anthologies go, I can't say whether or not this is typical, but it falls short of 3 stars.
Save yourself some time with this one - just read A Wish From A Bone, Atlas of Hell, The Spindly Man, Mount Chary Galore, and Shay Corsham Worsted.
Especially The Spindly Man, and Mount Chary Galore
Many of the other offerings were ponderously poor choices, and I would definitely hesitate to read another Datlow anthology. Maybe it's because I bought the book for horror - and the premise isn't *quite* horror. Maybe one of her "Year's Best Horror" anthologies would suit me better.
For now, I'll be reading more from Stephen Graham Jones, and Jeffrey Ford thanks to this book - so it's a net gain.
4 stars for a story that didn't do a lot of original things, but did what it did with good visuals and language. It's a little bit Lora Croft meets Hellraiser… which isn't easy to dismiss as a bad idea. Well done.
"The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud
4 stars for some good imagery, but I don't know how many John Constantine, Titus Crow, Sandman Slim characters the world has room for. The likable occult anti-hero who stumbles into world-threatening trouble a few times a week is less fresh than it was. Hellboy seemed to have signaled that the age to parody the form had arrived… but no - on it goes. Hey, if the stories are good - I'll give them some time, but I'm eager to see what follows this increasingly loaded cliche. I get it - we all liked this stuff when we were young, and now the geeks are ascendent.
"The Witch Moth" by Bruce McAllister
2.5 stars - there's some "who's who, and what's reality" play going on, but not enough time, space, or interest for me to put in the effort to track it cleanly. The opening pages seemed like they were written by a different writer - one with less skill with words (maybe this was to represent the protagonist's younger age?), and some elements were asides more interesting than the main story - but it all get's pretty brown and mushy rather than resolved and satisfying. Meh.
"Kaiju" by Gary McMahon
2 stars - Pretty weak, although it did something enjoyable by saying the protagonist couldn't remember why they'd liked giant monster stories when they were young, after being faced with the reality of one in their adulthood. That sentiment sunk in, rather than feeling like cheesy sentiment. There's a Twilight Zone twist tossed in for 3 paragraphs that feels half-baked and uninteresting.
"In the year of omens: only annoying 1 star
The four darks: occult gumshoe. The pretentiousness of this one is off the chart, and not in a good way. My trust in the Shirley Jackson award, and the taste of Ellen Datlow, is low right now. To the point of considering bailing on the anthology." 2 stars
The Spindly Man - 5 stars, now that's what I'm talking about. Reread this story immediately. So many good elements. Would make a killer one act play or low budget film.
Mount Chary Galore - 5 stars - comes across like it was written for a "re-envisioned fairy tales" anthology. In a very good way. Really well written.
The Window - 3 stars, not a bad effort, contemporary Lovecraftian
Ballad of an Echo Whisperer - 2 stars
Suffer Little Children - 3 stars
Power - 3 stars
Bridge of Sighs - 3 stars
The Worms Crawl In - 2 stars
The Attic - 2 stars
Wendigo Nights - 3 stars
Episode Three: On the Greeat Plains, In the Snow - 2 stars - urgh, please only include supernatural detectives if the story is half decent. 1 star if not for the T Rex.
Catching Flies - 2 stars - plots are useful in stories
Shay Corsham Worsted - 4 stars - a sci fi story tucked in at the end. Pretty strong finish. Well written - good idea. Very Warren Ellis/comic bookish
54.5 divided by 20 = 2.7 Stars overall
As anthologies go, I can't say whether or not this is typical, but it falls short of 3 stars.
Save yourself some time with this one - just read A Wish From A Bone, Atlas of Hell, The Spindly Man, Mount Chary Galore, and Shay Corsham Worsted.
Especially The Spindly Man, and Mount Chary Galore
Many of the other offerings were ponderously poor choices, and I would definitely hesitate to read another Datlow anthology. Maybe it's because I bought the book for horror - and the premise isn't *quite* horror. Maybe one of her "Year's Best Horror" anthologies would suit me better.
For now, I'll be reading more from Stephen Graham Jones, and Jeffrey Ford thanks to this book - so it's a net gain.