Evil Jester Digest Volume One

by Peter Giglio (Editor), Rick Hautala, David Dunwoody

10 Stunning Stories from the Masters and Rising Stars of Horror Fiction. GPS by Rick Hautala DUST DEVIL by Gary Brandner SHARPE IS EXTRAORDINARY by David Dunwoody THE GIRL WHO DROWNED by Tracy L. Carbone DUST AT THE CENTER OF ALL THINGS by John F.D. Taff LOOK BEHIND YOU by Eric Shapiro LONE WOLF by Gregory L. Norris WIDDERSHINS by Hollie Snider A GENTLEMAN'S FOLLY by Phil Hickes And the novelette THE END OF AUTUMN by Aric Sundquist. Edited by Peter Giglio

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Fantasy

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2012

About the author

An active member of the Horror Writers Association and the International Thriller Writers, Peter Giglio is the author of five novels, four novellas, and his short fiction can be found in several books, including two comprehensive genre anthologies edited by New York Times Bestselling author John Skipp. With co-writer Scott Bradley, Peter is actively shopping a feature-length screen adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale's "The Night They Missed the Horror Show," and Sunfall Manor, one of Giglio's novellas, is currently under option with a screenwriting team based in Los Angeles. Giglio lives on the Georgia coast with his fiancé and frequent collaborator, Shannon Michaels, and he always has time for readers at www.petergiglio.com.

Reviews

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and literate “Note to the Editor” opens the gates to the ten stories contained in this first episode of “Evil Jester Digest.” I very much enjoyed this foreword, but Editor Peter Giglio is accurate when he suggests that readers-mostly-do buy anthologies for the authors and stories. Let me be one of the first to tell you; this is one exceptional selection. Tracy L. Carbone; David Dunwoody; Hollie Snider; Gary Brandner; Rick Hautala; Eric Shapiro; Gregory L. Norris; Phil Hickes; John F. D. Taff; and Aric Sundquist, are the stunners contributing to the excellence of this volume.

From the very first story by Tracy L. Carbone (by page two I thought I’d been kicked in the chest, and literally jumped backwards in shock and surprise, and I’m pretty sure my hair stood to attention the entire duration of the story) right through to the tenth story, Aric Sundquist’s novella, this is extraordinary writing. I don’t want to spoil the extreme pleasure for future readers-but I will say, if you enjoy horror in the slightest, if you have a skewed bone in your body, if you like your terror to creep up on you and scream “Boo” in your ear, if you want horror to sink into your bones and never leave your consciousness-you MUST acquire Evil Jester Digest Volume One. Volume One readily earned its place on my Keeper-Must Reread shelf-and I know it will do so for readers everywhere.

[Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start this review by saying that it may not be entirely fair. I started reading this while a bunch of other stuff was going on, so it took me a long while to get through this book, which may have taken away some of my overall satisfaction.

I seem to be on a short story kick lately. After reading Attic Toys , Christmas on Crack , and Eyeballs Growing All Over Me , I've tackled Evil Jester Digest Volume One, edited by Peter Giglio. This book is a collection of mostly short horror stories, with a fantasy novelette mixed in at the end and marked “Best in Volume.” Most of these stories are quite good, but the mix of stories is much more eclectic than I'm used to. While books like Eyeballs Growing All Over Me is a collection written by one author, giving it a fairly consistent style, and Attic Toys and Christmas on Crack followed a theme, these stories have little to connect each other and have drastically different styles and themes.

Here, you have stories about a demonically possessed girl, a biblical Cain in the modern world, Lovecraftian horrors rising on the “Mayan Doomsday,” and a possessed GPS, among others. Most of the stories in this collection are of the horror variety, but there is one story that stands out in particular, both in style and tone, not to mention length. There are some stories that, while they're not bad, are very predictable and didn't quite work for me. For example, “The Girl Who Drowned” and “Dust at the Center of All Things” left me feeling a little cold. They were too obvious, which took away some of the horror element. “Lone Wolf” was a little better, but while it's mostly a zombie story, the surprise doesn't come from the horror at all, and makes it a better story.

At the end of this collection is the aforementioned novelette rather than a short story. “The End of Autumn” by Aric Sundquist (who also wrote “The White Knight,” one of the better stories in Attic Toys) is actually a very charming little fairy tale, following children as they attempt to stop the Timekeeper from reversing death and disrupting the natural order. There are strong shades of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to this story, and I dare anyone who has read that book to not draw the same parallel. This is not a bad thing, but it is something that immediately comes to mind. But, as I mentioned, the story is really rather touching. At the same time, it not only stands out from this volume because of its length, but also the tone and theme. Drastically different. As in “I'm not sure it really belongs in this volume” different. I would go so far as saying that I could see this expanded and published as a standalone novella.

Evil Jester Digest Volume One is a decent collection, and everyone should read “The End of Autumn.” I'm going to be watching Aric Sundquist's career closely. He is definitely an author to keep your eye on, and has the definite standout story in this collection. But the collection as a whole is not without its issues. The quality, while good, is also a little too varied and unpredictable, detracting slightly from the overall quality of the volume.

Evil Jester Digest Volume One earns three and a half grains of hourglass sand out of five. However, since we can't give half scores here, I feel comfortable giving it a four out of five.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this anthology, only two stories that I did not connect with and several gems. Of course, that is just me, tastes will differ, my experience may not be typical, all the usual disclaimers apply. Anyway, here goes:

GPS by Rick Hautala--great story by a master. Life-time Bram Stoker winner does not disappoint. 5 stars.
DUST DEVIL by Gary Brandner--well written story by a seasoned veteran. Slightly predictable but still well done. 4 stars.
SHARPE IS EXTRAORDINARY by David Dunwoody--I thought that this one was clever but a bit forced. Guaranteed to rile up anyone who is easily offended by blasphemy---although I personally found the book of Job to be much more disturbing and that IS in the Bible. 4 stars.
THE GIRL WHO DROWNED by Tracy L. Carbone---first story in the collection and it really starts things going with a bang. Very creepy and original. Absolutely fantastic story. 5 stars.
DUST AT THE CENTER OF ALL THINGS by John F.D. Taff---sad, deep, and very moving as well as disturbing. The closing scenes are burned in my brain. Great story. 5 stars.
LOOK BEHIND YOU by Eric Shapiro---delightfully creepy ambiguous tale that leaves us the connect the dots. It is probably different for each reader---after all, don't we all get the devil that we deserve?
LONE WOLF by Gregory L. Norris---didn't like this one. It was like a Harlequin Romance in Zombietown. Odd. 3 stars and I am being nice.
WIDDERSHINS by Hollie Snider--this one was a dud for me also. I think that there is a good idea in there and this might appeal to the Lovecraft faithful. 3 stars.
A GENTLEMAN'S FOLLY by Phil Hickes---nice Gothic story that reminded me a bit of M.R.James. I am a big fan of stories like this. Gave this collection a nice diversity. 5 stars.
And the novelette THE END OF SUMMER by Aric Sundquist--this one is sort of a YA fantasy/fairy tale rather than horror and not really to my taste but that is just me since it is well written and would probably appeal to those who like stories like this. 3 stars.

Average it out and I will call it 4 stars. I will buy the second in the series also and have hopes that it will be as good as this fine collection.

[Eric Guignard · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEWED: Evil Jester Digest. Volume One
EDITED BY: Peter Giglio
PUBLISHED: March, 2012

Great freshman effort from Evil Jester Press, an up-and-coming new publisher that have already proven themselves as a voice for quality horror. The Digest includes ten original fiction tales covering attempts to stop time, G.P.S. units with a conscience, zombies, and the horrors found in ancient jungles. Special accolades to Rick Hautala, Aric Sundquist, Gregory L. Norris, and Hollie Snider for outstanding tales.

Five out of Five stars