MADreads

Dear Mr. Joe Hill, please write more

December 15th, 2007 Molly - Central

I will make the proclamation:  2007 is the year of Joe Hill.  This guy can write!

First up was Heart-Shaped Box, reviewed earlier by Sarah on MADreads.  Now we have 20th Century Ghosts, a collection of short stories previously released in Great Britain but only recently available in the states.  The original collection was a limited edition of short stories and won several awards, including the British Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Collection.  Which may lead you to believe that these are fantasy or horror stories.  They are not necessarily so.

Some of the stories contain fantastical elements.  Some are scary.  Some are bizarre in an X-Files or Twilight Zone way.  All are beautiful and painful to an extent.  Many of the stories feature ghosts, death and connections to the afterlife.  Many of the “ghosts” are the difficult issues that are a part of life in this era, things that may or not be explained with an easy answer:  sensory overload, euthanasia, child abduction, isolation, greed and corruption.

Best New Horror, which may be the scariest story in the collection, is more psychological horror than blood and gore, and leaves the reader hopeful rather than terrorized.  Better than Home is a father/son story with a son who may be autistic.  Pop Art depicts a friendship between a troubled delinquent and the inflatable boy who requires rescuing during recess.  One story takes place during the depression when riding the rails was the norm and stopping at a stranger’s home might result in an unlikely source of goodwill and friendship.   Another features a small-town movie theatre haunted by a beautiful girl.

And for dessert, there is a hidden story in the collection.  That is an unexpected and welcome gift.  You won’t find Scheherazade’s Typewriter listed in the table of contents, but you won’t want to miss this gentle ghost story, either.  You won’t want to miss any of these stories.  This guy can really write.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction, Recreational Fiction, Short Stories