Published by Deborah on 18 Oct 2005 at 05:14 pm
Embark to Madness: A Review
The greatest thing about anthologies is that you can pass over the stories that don’t grab you for the stories that do. I’ll comment about the ones that grabbed me and kept me reading.
Shades of Shaniko A couple finds themselves in a desolate town, where the only sign of life is in a hotel that transports them into another era. The writing was great, and the story left me wanting more. This one was my favorite.
Bring Crosses A psychic cop and his partner try to track down a vicious serial killer. This story was a twist of flashbacks and alternate endings, which kept me glued. Original.
Extras A story reminiscent of The Twilight Zone. The husband isn’t getting any and decides to go to a message parlor to get some, only he got more than he bargained for. I actually laughed out loud when I read the climax (pun intended). Great story.
Pig’s Teeth This was another serial killer story, narrated by a college professor. The writing was somewhat dry, but I was curious to know why the author chose his title. You’ll find out when you read this gruesome story.
The Breaking Box I pass on stories involving human torture, but ths story has a satisfying ending. Very original.
Clambake This was another story that had a Twilight Zone feel. A man’s mistress goes to great lengths to save his wife, at the advice of a gypsy fortune teller.
Unhealthy I hated every fucking word of this story, especially since I was sitting next to my son as I was reading it. This is a story about a little boy who is being held captive by his drunken, crazed father. The author goes into great detail about the poor kid’s starvation and sexual molestation. The only thing that kept me reading was that I wanted to see him escape. To say this story is “unhealthy” is a gross understatement because the story has a very disturbing ending that will haunt me for a long time.
Overall, I would recommend this book for horror fans.
Lee Pletzers on 18 Oct 2005 at 11:44 pm #
I wasn’t sure if I should have added Unhealthy but like you I couldn’t get it out of me head. The effect it had on me was very raw, pissed me off. It extracted an emotion from me and I think it was the author’s intention. When a story has that much power (and most don’t these days), I had to add it.
Thanks for the review.
Deborah on 19 Oct 2005 at 7:58 am #
Yes, Unhealthy was a powerful story. After I wrote my review, I sat outside and thought about how things would have been for him if the story had ended on a different note.
Alan on 19 Oct 2005 at 2:22 pm #
Was there anything that learnt or realised or concluded from reading ‘Unhealthy’?
Deborah on 19 Oct 2005 at 4:29 pm #
I concluded that the boy will probably die once he finishes eating his dead father. Maybe (and this sounds bad on my part) that was for the best because his dad wrecked him forever. I don’t think, being caged up and tortured since birth, that this kid would ever have a chance at a decent life.
Alan on 19 Oct 2005 at 8:05 pm #
My eyebrows popped up in surprise when I read your last comment… a bit more than I was expecting! I can understand why the book had such an effect
Deborah on 19 Oct 2005 at 8:14 pm #
I can’t remember any story that has had this much of an effect on me.
W. Bill Czolgosz on 20 Oct 2005 at 2:43 pm #
Well, at least you didn’t HATE Dreem Home. That’s what really matters. (Sniffle.)
Deborah on 20 Oct 2005 at 4:06 pm #
Hi, Bill,
It’s very unusual for me to hate a story. The rest were good, though.