Fear of Gravity

by Brian Keene

Brian Keene, best-selling author of THE RISING, CITY OF THE DEAD, and TERMINAL, unleashes his most powerful short story collection yet. Something bad is about to happen... An ancient evil awakes in the bloody sands of Iraq. A young woman struggles with loss in the aftermath of September 11th. For contestants on a new reality show, the only way off the island is death. After a chic new play, it's time to unmask. And all across the world, it's starting to rain. In life, there are no happy endings...and no matter how high you fly, there's always gravity.

Genres: Horror, Collections, Short Stories

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories that were written between 2002 – 2004.

This is copy 311 of 400 signed and numbered hardcover copies printed. Signed by Brian Keene.

[Eric Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many of Brian Keene's boks and he never disappoints, it is a short story collection all of which are interesting and immersive, in my opinion Brian Keene is the most underrated name in Horror!!!

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great short stories from his early works with included some parts of stories from Earthworm God, Dark Hallow, and Castaway. I also liked the Iraqi War story. Bravo Mr. Keene!

[Jonathan Echevarria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear of Gravity collects the best of Brian Keene's early work. Some notable examples include the early prototypes of Earthworm Gods and Castaways, as well a prequel to Dark Hollow. What I loved the most about this book was the inclusion of Purple Reign which also appeared in Dueling Minds. Purple Reign centers around a young 14 year old boy who struggles to help his single mother and sister survive a supernatural disaster. A blue air balloon crashed over his town spilling a purple mist that quickly transformed to rain and showered the entire surrounding area. Anyone who is touched by this substance is turned into a vicious killer, the only way to survive infection is to stay indoors and remain hidden. The set up may sound similar to The Mist, but it quickly becomes it's own identity when we learn about the 14 year old protagonist.



The boy in the story is struggling with the horrible legacy his father left behind as a abusive husband. We learn through well placed dialogue that he doesn't want to become like his dad, despite having to resort to violence to protect his mother. Anyone who was raised by a single parent might be able to relate, especially if the other missing parent left on violent or bad terms. I feel like Brian Keene really nailed down what is like to feel this way, especially since I have felt this way during my own personal experiences. While we are responsible for our own actions, I strongly believe the legacy our parents live help mold who the child becomes as a adult. The interactions between the mother, sister, and brother serves as the real meat of the story. Everything else in the apocalyptic setting (while good) serves as window dressing.



Purple Reign is definitely one of my favorite stories from the master of horror Brian Keene. While some of the events reminded me of Blood Crazy, I never once thought that was a bad thing. Overall I thought it was unique and heart felt enough to warrant five out of five stars. The ending was ultimately chilling and it gave me a lot to think about long after I put the book down. I hope one day he returns to the book and gives us a in depth tour of this apocalyptic scenario. Both Purple Reign and Fear of Gravity were great reads and I highly recommend any of the stories in this book to any of his fans.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rock solid collection of stories by Keene that is the basis for many of his past and future books. Castaways is now a full length novel, Red Wood is part of The Dark Hollow/Ghost Walk series, The Garden Where My Rain Grows is a sequel to Earthworm Gods, and Marriage Causes Cancer in Rats feels exactly like Terminal, which was written at the same time. These stories in themselves are entertaining because of the links they contain to other Keene works. But obviously there is some strong writing in here that makes this a very good collection.

Dust sticks out as it's a take on 9/11 and it is very spooky and heartfelt, and it felt like a very realistic situation. Red Wood was a fun idea that felt like an 80's slasher movie. The Garden Where My Rain Grows was classic The Rising and Earthworm gods feel, with comical moments, and action in a horrific backdrop: the rain soaked Earthworm Gods setting, with a nod to Lovecraft. Purple Reign was also cool with a little post-apocalyptic feel of a purple gas let out by terrorists with disastrous results. And Castaways was a fun horrific Survivor television show take-off where the island they picked wasn't the safest island in the ocean. There are a lot of meaty stories in here that are very entertaining, and with very little fluff. This was easy to read and enjoyable.

[VanHalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories from Brian Keene including the beginning seeds for Castaways and half of The Conqueror Worms.

As little nuggets for fans of Keene's other works, there is the pre-stories for both The Rising and Dark Hollow/Ghost Walk.

All good, but the hands down winner is the short story 'The King', in: Yellow. A tight little tail that modernizes the classic.

Brian has mentioned that he will be looking to have this book republished in the near future. When it happens, don't miss out.

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a fan of the Keene universe, with the Demonolateria, a pantheon of apocalypse-inducing beings, evil wooded areas and all, Fear of Gravity gives readers tastes of doom and provides me with a fix until his next full-length novel (and other things on the way) is (are) released.

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the first anthos i ever sat down and read cover to cover.

[Mike Wilshin]

Just scored a copy of this for under five bucks!