Honest Reviews of: The Bad Neighbor; Creature: and Beautiful Broken Things

David Tallerman's The Bad Neighbor is a gritty, paranoia-inducing suspense story that feels like it could explode into a full blown horror novel at any moment. It doesn't, but I still enjoyed it. Tallerman is a British author, but I found none of the quirks or wordiness that marred Ramsey Cambell's  latest offering (see the previous review.) Tallerman created an Everyman--almost sad sack character, if it weren't for his hot temper--character that conveyed the hopelessness of one's living situation when money is tight. (The only part of the story I didn't completely buy was Ollie inheriting a large sum of money and then quickly purchasing a home only to immediately regret the purchase.) From there, the nightmarish neighbor and his friends were all too real, as were Ollie and his pals distancing themselves from one another. Nice climactic ending, some good suspense, and few well-placed red herrings and twists made this an enjoyable read. I give it a B.

Hunter Shea's Creature is a single-setting horror novel that builds the tension but never quite explodes into a big payoff. There are only two main characters, and later two more are added, for a total of four. Reading the book is almost like watching a play unfold. A woman with a debilitating, perhaps fatal, disease hopes for rest and relaxation in a secluded cabin. Strange noises and small dead animals outside increase in frequency. The woman's hubby tries to keep these developments a secret. I felt sympathy for the sick woman and the descriptions of her pain and daily challenges were effective. What is the creature outside? Sasquatch? Wendigo? An amalgamation of nature like in The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon? The truth is, I'm not sure what the creature was/is. The author gives a partial explanation, but I'm not sure I am buying his explanation. I can suspend disbelief, but there's a disconnect between the why and the how surrounding the creature that I couldn't quite get around. I give this one a C.

Beautiful, Broken Things is a short story collection by Rose Blackthorn. Some of the stories are horror, some are dark fantasy, while others fall somewhere in between. I like the variety of settings, some historical, some otherworldly, and some could have been set in the house next door. I also liked the inclusion of several flash fiction pieces interspersed between longer stories. My favorite stories were: Something Savory, in which a teenager is both repulsed by and drawn to the creepy new girl in town; Outside the Gates, a coming of age story/survival tale set in the near future; The Lilac Hedge, in which a girl befriends a mysterious being who manifests inside the hedge; In the Dark, in which a father and daughter move into a remote house only to discover something strange living in the woods close by; and Harvest of Night Seeds, involving a farmer's daughter, a pushy creep of a farm hand, and some very strange plants growing in the farmer's garden. I give this collection an A.