Post by Dreadlocksmile on Jul 23, 2009 20:11:45 GMT
Dreadlocksmile review:
First published back in 2001 by Bulldog Books, 'Horror Shorts - 2nd Collection' was the second published collection of horror short stories by the prolific pulp horror author Guy N Smith. This second collection follows on from Smith's earlier publication from 1999 imaginatively titled 'Horror Shorts'. This collection contains twelve shorts spanning an impressive twenty years (from 1977 to 1997).
The collection kicks off with the seven page short entitled 'The Crabs' that originally appeared in the 1992 edition of the quarterly magazine of horror fiction, 'Peeping Tom'. As you can no doubt guess from the title of the short, 'The Crabs' is another small instalment into Smith's popular 'Crabs' series.
Set back on Shell Island on the Welsh Coast, the short tale is a small addition that fits snugly within Smith's 1984 novel 'Crabs' Moon' and was also within the classic crabs novel 'Night of the Crabs'. The story follows a new set of characters that after relaxing on the beach when the gigantic crustaceans emerged from the sea to wreak their bloodthirsty havoc. The group flea into an old wartime warehouse in the hope that the crabs will not be able to squeeze into the fortified construction after them. The storyline starts off with the three individuals Ed Billington, Frank, Marie and her daughter Emma who are all hiding within the dank confines of the concrete warehouse.
Written from the first person perspective of Billington, this snippet of the carnage that the crab army unleashes onto Shell Island delivers an interesting viewpoint from a previously unseen group of characters.
Of course, Smith manages to slip in some lurid thoughts and a smattering of bloodshed before the tale concludes. The storyline is fairly straight forward, predominantly feeding off the success of the previous Crabs novels. However, it still packs a quick punch which is sure to entertain any good fan of this classic pulp horror series.
Next up in the collection is the short entitled 'The Ginger Bear' that was originally published back in 1990 within issue 31 of 'Dark Horizons' magazine. This seven page short deals with the murder of a young student girl named Collette whose corpse is found on top of a druid sacrificial stone with her throat cut open. The prime suspect is the mad local woman Michelle Wildig (known to the local community as 'the Ginger Bear' due to her size and burning red hair). PC George McEwan is sent to investigate the crime, but a dark turn of events awaits him in the circle of ancient stones.
The tale is short and sweet, spending the majority of its time detailing the oddities that surround the character of Wildig. The short has an intriguing air surrounding it, which builds to the surprising twist ending that is in fact somewhat of a let down. It is unclear exactly where Smith was aiming the tale to end, with a suggestive ending that leaves a few too many questions in the air.
Following on is Smith's most recent short to be included in the collection, with his 1997 tale 'The Grim Reaper' which was originally published in the May edition of 'Phantoms' magazine. The short is another instalment into the 'Black Fedora' series featuring the Black Fedora man himself - Sergeant John Mayo of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist force.
This eleven page tale sees Mayo tracking down a terrorist who goes by the name of 'The Grim Reaper'. Mayo's mission (dubbed operation Werewolf) is to hunt down and kill this ruthless killer who he has come to believe is actually the anti-christ.
The tale sets down the elaborate scenario and history for 'The Grim Reaper' setting the scene and the ultimate importance of Mayo's confrontation with this internationally wanted killer. Smith then cleverly plays with the setting and the mythical status awarded to 'The Grim Reaper', drawing the short tale to a quick conclusion with very suggestive questions still hanging over the events.
The ten page short entitled' Vampire Village' is next. This short previously appeared in the 1997 'Sabat' complete collectors edition titled 'Dead Meat', which included the four 'Sabat' novels along with the other 'Sabat' short entitled 'Hellbeat'.
This tale sees Mark Sabat lured into the manmade 'Vampire Village' named Verboten, by the young and beautiful girl Ingrid Bacher, who's brother Gerd Bacher has gone missing after viewing a property in this eerie village.
Typical of Sabat, he cannot resist Ingrid's charm and after spending the night with her, goes to Verboten to investigate the disappearance of Ingrid's brother. However, once Sabat is in the disserted village, he quickly realises that the undead have actually set a diabolical trap for him instead.
This short is actually disappointingly weak in its delivery, with a slow paced plot that meanders along until the obvious 'twist' to the tale is dropped on the reader. The short then quickly wraps itself up in a none to creative way and then simply ends. This short is perhaps the weakest inclusion within the collection and certainly a disappointment for the 'Sabat' series.
'Hollow Eyes' is next in the collection. This short first appeared in Alan Ryan's Halloween inspired collection of short stories entitled 'Halloween Horrors' from 1986.
This disturbing little tale follows Lester Miles, who's daughter, Julie Miles, has gone off with the homeless youth Ronald Hutchinson (known as Hutch) on Halloween night. Lester disapproves of the relationship between the two youths, especially due to the slobbish nature of Hutch. After Lester catches the pair having sex together, Hutch takes Julie off to the Halloween carnival to get away from her father.
Lester has other plans for Hutch, as he goes in search for the grubby youth with his .38 pistol. With so many masked party goers in the park, Lester is overwhelmed by the Halloween mayhem. His sanity is cracking when a whole new horror is revealed.
This is a chilling little tale that keeps an underlying gritty undertone throughout. Bursting with tension, the first person perspective is well delivered, allowing the reader to feel sympathetic with Lester Miles's dilemma whilst still observing his breaking sanity. The conclusion to the short is somewhat predictable, but still delivers a powerful punch to end the tale on. This is one for all those splatterpunk fans. The tale runs for just nine pages.
Following on is Smith's reasonably well known short 'Come On In And Join Us' from 1989. The short was originally published in the May/June of 1989 issue of 'Fear' magazine. The tale was later reprinted in its own chapbook in 2004 by Horror Express in a limited to 100 signed copies release.
This twisted tale follows the fresh faced school graduate - Louis, who gets a job within a local second hand bookshop for the old shopkeeper Mr Klein. There's something that's not quite right about the eerie little shop and its decrepit owner. The only customers it appears to have are dirty derelicts who enter the premises either clutching a large tome or otherwise leaving with it.
One day when Louis is looking after the shop, his curiosity gets the better of him and he breaks in to the shop's cellar that he was warned to keep away from. But the secrets that lie behind that aged old door are so much darker than Louis could ever have dreamed.
'Come On In And Join Us' is another dark and intriguing tale that quickly draws the reader into its peculiar storyline. The conclusion is surprising and imaginative. The characters are rich in their individual characteristics throughout. The short runs for ten pages and is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Next in the collection is Smith's short 'The Executioner' that was taken from Sept 1991 issue of 'Frighteners'. This bizarre seven page short follows the character of Wolskel who is taking revenge on Nazi war criminals who are now living normal lives amongst the British population. Wolskel has been preparing for the execution of the one particular war criminal whose revenge is of a very personal nature for him - Bremmer was the man who had killed his father and had been instrumental in betraying 14,000 Polish servicemen to the Russians and instigating the massacre in Katyn Forest in 1940.
Wolskel's time for revenge is almost upon him when he hears of another assassin who is also after Bremmer's blood. This assassin, known as 'The Hawk', is one of the best. Wolskel brings forward the time of Bremmer's abduction and subsequent execution so as not to lose the chance of his murder to The Hawk. But there are still some surprises in store for Wolskel even at the very last second of Bremmers life...
An imaginatively written tale packed with suspense until the final twist ending. The short keeps an air of mystery about the character of Bremmer from the first meeting. Nothing seems to be as it appears. The tale concludes with a bizarre but intriguing twist of pure black comedy.
Following on with the black comedy theme we have the four page short entitled 'Until Death' that was originally published back in 1977 for the 'Children of the Night' publication. This amusing yet truly surreal tale sees the repeatedly unsuccessful attempts at murdering his wife, by the story's main character. Short and sweet, after a few attempts at taking his wife's life, the tale concludes on a brilliantly bizarre note.
Next is Guy N Smith's take on Lovecraft's 'Shadow Over Innsmouth' short story, with his own short entitled 'Return To Innsmouth' that was first published in 1994 for the 'Shadows Over Innsmouth' compilation.
Written in a very lovecraftian style, his six page tale is a very strange concept for Smith to take on. The short starts out setting down a rather weak reason for the main character to visit Innsmouth. Once there, the tale reads like a condensed version of Lovecraft's original, until the ending abruptly appears and Smith quickly wraps up the short with a very loose and suggestive ending.
The idea of Guy N Smith tackling a Lovecraft story is strange enough, but the outcome is even stranger. The tale reads well, with a very Lovecraft eerie feeling to it, although it does seem far too similar to the original tale. This gives the story a bizarre d j vu feel to it, which doesn't really work in its favour. The ending is far too sudden and rushed to give the tale a satisfying conclusion. Although this is probably seen as one of the most intriguing shorts included in the compilation, it will no doubt be a disappointment to many of the readers.
Super short and beautifully apocalyptic; the next tale in the collection is the three page short entitled 'Ratmania'. In this well written and morbidly atmospheric tale we watch as the last man on earth contemplates his final moments as he finally faces those that have killed off the whole of humanity...the rats!
Next we have the five page short 'The Waiting Game'. This downbeat tale is set around a set of manuscripts and notes that are passed to the principal character of the tale by a Reuben Lycett to have re-written into a publishable format. After looking into the wild and highly imaginative notes, our writer recognises a name within the scrawled text and decides to look up the individual's name within a copy of 'Who's Who'. It soon transpires that the text is actually a true account rather than that of fiction.
The writer takes the text along to Oliver Carson, an editor at a leading newspaper renowned for their scandals. Carson quickly realises what he has in front of him and its potential for sales and begins to hassle our writer for the notes. The requests get more and more demanding until our writer fears for his own life and that of his family. Death will be the only release from the demands for him now...
This strange tale is born from a very bizarre concept that seems to be missing vital links to truly justify the gravity of what is going on. The general principals and ideas are present in the tale, but seem to be lacking the overall thrust behind the true implications held within this mysterious text. The desperation of our writer is only hinted upon in places leaving the whole affair feeling quite surreal. A little further explanation into the power held within these pages and why it is so important that they never get published, would add so much more depth and tension to this idea.
The last tale to be included in the collection is 'Pocklington's Walk' which is based upon Guy's own family legend. Charles Weale (Guy's great-grandfather) moved his family back home to Leicester into a large Georgian house that had a surprisingly low rent. Upon moving to the property, the Weale family and their servants soon start to hear strange banging noises resonating from the cellar, along with other such mysterious behaviour. When Aunt Trudy returns from an evening with friends, to her horror she is confronted by the perpetrator of this mysterious occurrences. The house has a dark and evil secret that cannot be ignored, not even by those who don't believe!
This final short is a creepy tale that slowly builds on the eerie suspense, until the final understanding is made apparent. Because of its personal nature to the author, a certain haunting quality can be seen within the tale. The inclusion of this short at the end forms a nice little way to finish the collection with.
Unfortunately, the Author's Note that follows on from 'Pocklington's Walk' has been accidentally cut short by the publishers, which is a shame.
As a whole, the collection is often unfortunately let down somewhat by the cheapness of the packaging and the serious lack of proof reading that has led to the inclusion of a litany of type-o's throughout. The cover artwork is amateurish to say the least and the binding is literally a couple of staples. However, it's the tales that are contained within the pages that count at the end of the day. A mixture of horror styles and additional instalments into classic Smith series' make this collection a must read for all Guy N Smith fans.
www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3I7ZCAEQJS77O/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm