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A review by georgesreads
Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors by Todd Keisling
3.0
Ok come on Todd, you’re just showing off now. What this short story collection tells me, is that this man has RANGE. Ugly Little Things is a true assortment of terrors, from creepy dolls to a cultish sorority house to the devil himself.
My personal favourite was the very first story “A man in your garden,” which is the very epitome of simple but effective. Coming in at 8 pages, it’s over in a flash but it blew my mind and opened the collection perfectly. It’s written in second person, which I thought was great as it differs from the rest of the collection AND makes it SO immersive and genuinely scary.
Saving Granny From The Devil was also a highlight for me. This reads as autobiographical and is an excellent commentary on loss and familial relationships.
I relatively enjoyed the VAST majority of short stories (only one kind of missed the mark for me) but the last one I’ll speak about in this review will be the Harbinger. THE ATMOSPHERE. I’ve not read yet Devil’s Creek, but I’ve read reviews, and have surmised that Keisling can do small town horror well, and this demonstrates it further.
All in all, this is a solid short story collection which I demolished by the poolside in a day. Furthermore the illustrations between stories are SO good, and it’s definitely worth investing in a physical copy.
My personal favourite was the very first story “A man in your garden,” which is the very epitome of simple but effective. Coming in at 8 pages, it’s over in a flash but it blew my mind and opened the collection perfectly. It’s written in second person, which I thought was great as it differs from the rest of the collection AND makes it SO immersive and genuinely scary.
Saving Granny From The Devil was also a highlight for me. This reads as autobiographical and is an excellent commentary on loss and familial relationships.
I relatively enjoyed the VAST majority of short stories (only one kind of missed the mark for me) but the last one I’ll speak about in this review will be the Harbinger. THE ATMOSPHERE. I’ve not read yet Devil’s Creek, but I’ve read reviews, and have surmised that Keisling can do small town horror well, and this demonstrates it further.
All in all, this is a solid short story collection which I demolished by the poolside in a day. Furthermore the illustrations between stories are SO good, and it’s definitely worth investing in a physical copy.