Smiling Faces Sometimes

by Gary A. Braunbeck, Keith Minnion (Illustrator)

The story of Alan, a lonely and forsaken man, who has reached the end of his emotional road. Now childless, divorced, and homeless, he seeks sanctuary in his boyhood tree house, where he and his lost friends once held council together. A blood pact of naïve trust and love is the only reminder he has of his vanished childhood – a reminder of all he has lost since adulthood.

Illustrated chapbook with specialty endpapers and slip envelope

22 pages, Chapbook

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Gary A. Braunbeck is a prolific author who writes mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mainstream literature. He is the author of 19 books; his fiction has been translated into Japanese, French, Italian, Russian and German. Nearly 200 of his short stories have appeared in various publications.

His fiction has received several awards, including the Bram Stoker Award in 2003 for "Duty" and in 2005 for "We Now Pause for Station Identification"; his book Destinations Unknown won a Stoker in 2006. His novella "Kiss of the Mudman" received the International Horror Guild Award in 2005."

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary A. Braunbeck has released out into the world a rather grim and down beat story of a man who has come to his ropes end with this chapbook "Smiling Faces Sometimes". This is the sixth chapbook to be released by White Noise Press, for those of you counting, or collecting. And the publication is something to be most proud of.

Housed in it's own illustrated envelope (which also contained a signed letter from Keith Minion) is wonderfully illustrated and produced raising the level of chapbook production.

If you like this story and the depth of feeling Mr. Braunbeck displays you can read many more of Gary's stories in" The Collected Cedar Hill Stories volume 1" and "The Collected Cedar Hill Stories volume 2".

An often overlooked author who deserves more exposure.

This chapbook is numbered 38 of 150 copies printed and is signed by Gary A. Braunbeck andKeith Minnion.

[Benjamin Uminsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really nice short story presented in the unique chapbook format that White Noise Press is known for. The illustrations by Keith Minnion are well done and nicely accent this story.

As to the story... typical Braunbeck melancholy filled with pain and regret. Here we follow a sad downtrodden character (Alan) who had his one fleeting moment of glory as a 10 year old and then found the rest of his 40 years aftewards to be nothing but pain and sadness.

This story takes on a sharper edge towards the end though. Regret turns to bitterness and depression transforms into anger. I like the themes explored in this story... but its is so viscerally depressing... particularly the finality of the character's last act.

[Dark Recesses]

SMILING FACES SOMETIMES
By Gary Braunbeck
Art by Keith Minnion
White Noise Press
Chapbook (paper) $10.00

One of the most dependable writers of deeply moving and emotionally loaded horror fiction is Gary Braunbeck. His newest chapbook release from White Noise Press, SMILING FACES SOMETIMES, holds true to that trusty tradition, as he tells the story of Alan, a lonely and forsaken man, who has reached the end of his emotional road. Now childless, divorced, and homeless, he seeks sanctuary in his boyhood tree house, where he and his lost friends once held council together. A blood pact of naïve trust and love is the only reminder he has of his vanished childhood- a reminder of all he has lost since adulthood. What happens when he begins to tell his personal askew tales aloud to a nearly forgotten jar of their collective, congealed blood is where the magic starts.
Once again, Braunbeck teeters between symbolic and natural fiction, allowing just enough of the supernatural to seep in to create a tale only he could write. And as with most of Braunbeck’s fiction, the true horrors are all too common and all too human.
Keith Minnion’s pristine ink and pencil art is used in its usual sparing, but effective, way to add a little touch of darkness to the already surreal narrative. As editor and publisher, Minnion seems to clarify his vision more and more with each new entry in this beautiful collector’s series of chapbooks.
SMILING FACES SOMETIMES is a wise investment for those who prize first-rate horror fiction and art at a price that won’t break the bank. And with only 150 planned for print, you better hurry before they all disappear like the Cheshire cat’s knowing grin.

--Nickolas Cook

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a chapbook produced by the artist Keith Minnion. So it has some lovely artwork, to go along with the story. The story itself wasn't a great one by Braunbeck, although it was still entertaining. It tells of a broken man who has lost everything, and he goes to an old tree house that was built with his best friends when they were children. Here he looks for help, when he's at the end of his rope, and life. The story held some supernatural aspects that were used to recreate his friends, but other than that it is a story about a broken man, and what he is experiencing. Not a bad read, but Braunbeck has done better. The chapbook with the illustrations by Minnion, though is a beautiful production.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very attractive chapbook of an excellent new story. In it Braunbeck re-visits some of his favorite themes, and his explorations of childhood memory and loss are equal to the best of Dan Simmons or Robert McCammon. It's a very powerful short read.