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Figures of Fear
Are you brave enough to discover what figures of fear haunt the imagination of the “master of modern horror”
From the beginning of history, men and women have been haunted by figures of fear – and now, in his latest short story collection, award-winning horror writer Graham Masterton reveals the figures that haunt his own imagination and keep him awake at night.
FIGURES OF FEAR presents eleven stories, introducing eleven new evils, guaranteed to unsettle and disturb.
Meet the little girl whose mother is keeping something important from her, with fearful results . . . Tremble at the artist who can see the future and prevent it, at a price . . . Beware of the dark, and the evil that lurks within it . . . Tremble, and hide, at the sound of the jingle-bells . . .
Do figures of fear really bring bad luck? Or are they nothing more than stories? Only you can figure out how fearful you are . . .
From the beginning of history, men and women have been haunted by figures of fear – and now, in his latest short story collection, award-winning horror writer Graham Masterton reveals the figures that haunt his own imagination and keep him awake at night.
FIGURES OF FEAR presents eleven stories, introducing eleven new evils, guaranteed to unsettle and disturb.
Meet the little girl whose mother is keeping something important from her, with fearful results . . . Tremble at the artist who can see the future and prevent it, at a price . . . Beware of the dark, and the evil that lurks within it . . . Tremble, and hide, at the sound of the jingle-bells . . .
Do figures of fear really bring bad luck? Or are they nothing more than stories? Only you can figure out how fearful you are . . .
199 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2015
56 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Graham Masterton
422 books1,965 followersGraham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 15, 2016
First horror read of the year, had to be a good one. And...he still got it. After all these years and several of the Fear anthologies, Masterton once again demonstrates why he's one of my all time favorite genre authors. There's even a Wendigo story among these creepy, unsettling tales of things that go BOO in the night. Masterton tends to rely on backstories (and oh how I love him for it), characters and imagination over gore and guts, although there are plenty of scenes here not for the squeamish. Very quick read, just over two hours and really a lot of fun. Recommended.
April 3, 2016
By reading the prologue I can tell this book is very personal. The author has put fears which had been with him for years on paper. There are some pretty intriguing and exciting ideas here.
Here's how I felt about each story:
Ex-Voto
It started well but then the middle and ending seemed rushed. Shame, it had potential to be truly horrifying. It needed to be developed a lot more to have an impact, I felt there was no progression.
What the Dark Does
This was interesting. It preys on childhood fears of the dark, making them real, and was pretty scary. A couple of things didn't make much sense to me.
Saint Brónach’s Shrift
Not really scary but disorientating. The end made me wrinkle my nose.
The Battered Wife
Well, we all know bad things happen to domestic violence victims. This story approaches a new take on it, creating a whole new consequence to a woman not getting away from her abusing husband. Again, not a scary story per se and it felt rushed as well. There was no transition in at least one important scene towards the end.
The Night Hider
This story had a great buildup, and the premise was very interesting. Using CS Lewis' wardrobe was brilliant. But I found the ending utterly disappointing.
Underbed
This one started really slow for me. At some point I was like 'yes ok, very imaginative, but let's go back to the story now'. It took me a while to realize that that was the story, and then I finally started getting into it, about the same time it started to get interesting (after all the squeezing through rocks). It was scary and thought provoking and had some really interesting concepts, like a Word of Ideas. The notion of the darkest fears chasing you anywhere you go for the rest of your life is pretty terrifying.
Night of the Wendigo
Meh, it was ok. Some scary bits. At this point I am resigning myself to average stories.
Spirits of the Age
Very sad. Puts a whole new perspective on death and how when someone is gone, they should stay gone.
Witch-Compass
What would you do to wash your worries away? And what might you become?
Interesting story, well thought out but, again, some plot issues.
Resonant Evil
This one was very intriguing. The first half was especially good. I'd still like to have known and I am left again lacking full closure. But it's the story, out of the whole bunch, which felt the most complete to me.
Beholder
This one was utterly gross. Interesting, but gross.
Conclusion:
This collection plays with people's fears. Dark themes like incest, domestic abuse, what a person can do when most vulnerable, their moral choices and the price of their wishes, things that can happen in the dark, etc. The stories are not all scary but definitely disturbing. As I mentioned before, the ideas/concepts are intriguing and exciting. However, in order for me to fully enjoy a story, horror or otherwise, things need to make sense. It's something which is not easy to achieve, particularly in short stories. But some things were missing in these short stories that were easily achieved, in the sense that they would not require many words to make it happen, just some investment in better execution. At times, I felt the author took the easy way out of a situation and that was enough to disengage me.
The stories were interesting, but not mind-blowing and that, along with those little things gnawing in the back of my mind, caused the 3 star review. There were also a few misspellings and typos and several hyphenized words for no apparent reason.
I wish I could share the enthusiasm written in other reviews. But to me it was only ok. Maybe if I had read them at night I would have been more scared.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Here's how I felt about each story:
Ex-Voto
It started well but then the middle and ending seemed rushed. Shame, it had potential to be truly horrifying. It needed to be developed a lot more to have an impact, I felt there was no progression.
What the Dark Does
This was interesting. It preys on childhood fears of the dark, making them real, and was pretty scary. A couple of things didn't make much sense to me.
Saint Brónach’s Shrift
Not really scary but disorientating. The end made me wrinkle my nose.
The Battered Wife
Well, we all know bad things happen to domestic violence victims. This story approaches a new take on it, creating a whole new consequence to a woman not getting away from her abusing husband. Again, not a scary story per se and it felt rushed as well. There was no transition in at least one important scene towards the end.
The Night Hider
This story had a great buildup, and the premise was very interesting. Using CS Lewis' wardrobe was brilliant. But I found the ending utterly disappointing.
Underbed
This one started really slow for me. At some point I was like 'yes ok, very imaginative, but let's go back to the story now'. It took me a while to realize that that was the story, and then I finally started getting into it, about the same time it started to get interesting (after all the squeezing through rocks). It was scary and thought provoking and had some really interesting concepts, like a Word of Ideas. The notion of the darkest fears chasing you anywhere you go for the rest of your life is pretty terrifying.
Night of the Wendigo
Meh, it was ok. Some scary bits. At this point I am resigning myself to average stories.
Spirits of the Age
Very sad. Puts a whole new perspective on death and how when someone is gone, they should stay gone.
Witch-Compass
What would you do to wash your worries away? And what might you become?
Interesting story, well thought out but, again, some plot issues.
Resonant Evil
This one was very intriguing. The first half was especially good. I'd still like to have known and I am left again lacking full closure. But it's the story, out of the whole bunch, which felt the most complete to me.
Beholder
This one was utterly gross. Interesting, but gross.
Conclusion:
This collection plays with people's fears. Dark themes like incest, domestic abuse, what a person can do when most vulnerable, their moral choices and the price of their wishes, things that can happen in the dark, etc. The stories are not all scary but definitely disturbing. As I mentioned before, the ideas/concepts are intriguing and exciting. However, in order for me to fully enjoy a story, horror or otherwise, things need to make sense. It's something which is not easy to achieve, particularly in short stories. But some things were missing in these short stories that were easily achieved, in the sense that they would not require many words to make it happen, just some investment in better execution. At times, I felt the author took the easy way out of a situation and that was enough to disengage me.
The stories were interesting, but not mind-blowing and that, along with those little things gnawing in the back of my mind, caused the 3 star review. There were also a few misspellings and typos and several hyphenized words for no apparent reason.
I wish I could share the enthusiasm written in other reviews. But to me it was only ok. Maybe if I had read them at night I would have been more scared.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
December 6, 2020
Another solid collection of short fiction by Masterton. This one actually varied a bit from some of his usual themes, including some tales of a more fantastical nature, one of which read to me more like a Neil Gaiman story. Until the end. Which read more like a Clive Barker one. However, it stood out as one of the better ones, along with The Wendigo and his take on the Monkey's Paw.
November 24, 2019
Graham Masterton delivers a handful of spooky horror and ghost stories in this collection. There is a metaphysical aspect to these tales, most successfully achieved in Saint Brónach's Shrift, Underbed, Witch-Compass, and my favourite, Resonant Evil. Unfortunately, for those of you who are bothered by such details, there was an unusually high number of typos in the edition I read and inconsistency in the use of British and Americanisms.
October 28, 2014
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK in the dark
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you are home alone
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you scare easily
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if it's storming
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK before you go to bed
on a scare factor of 1-5 Figures of Fear is an 8!!!!
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you are home alone
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you scare easily
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if it's storming
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK before you go to bed
on a scare factor of 1-5 Figures of Fear is an 8!!!!
December 4, 2019
4 от 5, една много добра оценка!
Реалното ревю на линка:
https://citadelata.com/figures-of-fear/
Реалното ревю на линка:
https://citadelata.com/figures-of-fear/
October 14, 2014
Dude... This is a damn good collection of short stories. There are some that I liked more than others, but all of them were fascinating and had great story lines. Sticky Man was creepy as hell, the one with Vincent Crayling had my skin crawling...
Ex-Voto: Could've done without this one. Short, doesn't really add too much to the anthology, although it's not my least favorite at all.
What the Darkness Does: thoroughly creepy! The sticky man doll was very unnerving while I was reading, and I used to get scared when I was little. I absolutely believed that shadows got darker in the corners, and that suddenly my clothes were inhabited. So this struck home real hard.
Saint Bronach's Shrift: A clever one, though not frightening. It's mainly just a man creating an alternate reality. 'Course, the incest is gross enough...
The Battered Wife is okay, wasn't particularly scary. And I don't like that a woman who's abused is the cause of another's death.
The Night Hider was good, nothing too crazy as far as creeping me out with the writing. It was a clever idea though, especially the way that C.S. Lewis' history was integrated into it. And a man burnt to a crisp coming to threaten me at night would've been enough to make me burn a wardrobe.
Underbed was so clever! I loved it, by far one of my favorites. The imagination needed for it is definitely one of the best, and I would absolutely read it if this was stretched out to be a full length novel. A boy having imagination enough to actually go into another world was amazing to me. Digging at the end of the bed never seemed so enticing before.
Night of the Wendigo: One of the ones I wasn't as fond of, simply because the Wendigo isn't that exciting to me. The guy who summoned the Wendigo should have gotten his own comeuppance.
Spirits of the Age was probably one of my least favorite, because it didn't have a creepy factor. It was a fun read, no doubt about that though. More of a social one, simply because we now have a couple with two different ages--one in their 70s forever, one in their 40s forever...
Witch-Compass: Paul was a total asshole, and deserved to lose his arm and much more. The guy murdered one person, and raped another. This was the story that ignited strong emotions in me simply because he was an utterly repulsive person. I wish he had gotten a lot more than he got.
Resonant Evil was creepy and dark... a man living in a fantasy world, shadows of what he used to have... Seriously though, one of the best ones. A guy's family dies. He learns to twist his own senses so that he believes--through sight and smell and touch, etc.--that his family is still alive. And lives with these ghosts in his imagination. But the shadows he sees while still perfecting it are insanely creepy! I actually had to turn on the light while reading this one, I got so nervous. The shadows in the corner of his vision were bad enough with the lights off, didn't need to add to it!
Beholder was totally twisted, and I loved it. A disfigured girl believes that if she eats other people's eyes, she'll get her beauty back. And since mommy is the only one that's seen her all these years....
Yup, I'm sure you can guess what happens next. This is an awesome collection, and I think some of my horror-inclined friends would like this one...
Ex-Voto: Could've done without this one. Short, doesn't really add too much to the anthology, although it's not my least favorite at all.
What the Darkness Does: thoroughly creepy! The sticky man doll was very unnerving while I was reading, and I used to get scared when I was little. I absolutely believed that shadows got darker in the corners, and that suddenly my clothes were inhabited. So this struck home real hard.
Saint Bronach's Shrift: A clever one, though not frightening. It's mainly just a man creating an alternate reality. 'Course, the incest is gross enough...
The Battered Wife is okay, wasn't particularly scary. And I don't like that a woman who's abused is the cause of another's death.
The Night Hider was good, nothing too crazy as far as creeping me out with the writing. It was a clever idea though, especially the way that C.S. Lewis' history was integrated into it. And a man burnt to a crisp coming to threaten me at night would've been enough to make me burn a wardrobe.
Underbed was so clever! I loved it, by far one of my favorites. The imagination needed for it is definitely one of the best, and I would absolutely read it if this was stretched out to be a full length novel. A boy having imagination enough to actually go into another world was amazing to me. Digging at the end of the bed never seemed so enticing before.
Night of the Wendigo: One of the ones I wasn't as fond of, simply because the Wendigo isn't that exciting to me. The guy who summoned the Wendigo should have gotten his own comeuppance.
Spirits of the Age was probably one of my least favorite, because it didn't have a creepy factor. It was a fun read, no doubt about that though. More of a social one, simply because we now have a couple with two different ages--one in their 70s forever, one in their 40s forever...
Witch-Compass: Paul was a total asshole, and deserved to lose his arm and much more. The guy murdered one person, and raped another. This was the story that ignited strong emotions in me simply because he was an utterly repulsive person. I wish he had gotten a lot more than he got.
Resonant Evil was creepy and dark... a man living in a fantasy world, shadows of what he used to have... Seriously though, one of the best ones. A guy's family dies. He learns to twist his own senses so that he believes--through sight and smell and touch, etc.--that his family is still alive. And lives with these ghosts in his imagination. But the shadows he sees while still perfecting it are insanely creepy! I actually had to turn on the light while reading this one, I got so nervous. The shadows in the corner of his vision were bad enough with the lights off, didn't need to add to it!
Beholder was totally twisted, and I loved it. A disfigured girl believes that if she eats other people's eyes, she'll get her beauty back. And since mommy is the only one that's seen her all these years....
Yup, I'm sure you can guess what happens next. This is an awesome collection, and I think some of my horror-inclined friends would like this one...
January 13, 2015
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is published by Severn House.
Even though he has been around for ages this is the first thing I have read by Graham Masterton. I need to rectify that. This is a collection of short stories of varying styles and degrees of horror. I’ve noticed over this past while that the thing to do when reviewing collections is to provide a breakdown of each story that is included. I did start to do that with this one but after getting half of it typed up I felt like I was giving too much away about each story so decided to go this route instead.
This is a collection of 11 stories that are sure to haunt you for many different reasons. The ideas and imagination that has gone into each story is so wonderful I was left thinking simply Wow. From a tourist buying a gift that came with a message he should not have ignored to the old Wendigo making an appearance and seeking blood as it normally does. From a man wrought with guilt trying to right a wrong from his past with disastrous results to the demon hiding in the wardrobe that only comes out at night.
My personal favourites in this collection are Underbed – this was just superbly written. When you were a kid did you ever hide under the covers at night and pretend you were in another world? If you went a bit further you entered Underbed. If you were really brave you went as far as Under-Underbed. A really creepy tale about a young boys night time adventures. Resonant Evil – a story about a neuroscientist Martin moving, with his pregnant wife, into the house that once belonged to an infamous neuroscientist Vincent Graylings. Martin finds all of his research locked in a cupboard and starts to mimic the work. He soon finds out why Mr Graylings was widely ignored by his peers. Beholder – young Fiona has never been let out of her house, being told by her mother she was too beautiful to be seen by anyone else. When Fiona sees herself she is horrified and decides to find out if beauty is really in the eye of the beholder as her mother tells her. Quite literally.
I generally read collections a couple of stories at a time between full novels. I couldn’t do that with Figures of Fear purely because I could not put it down. Graham Masterton’s writing is so so easy to follow. His words just sit perfectly on the page. Every story makes sense. Every story is believable. Every story is creepy. There is a certain amount of gore in here but not over the top. The horror is a mixture of supernatural and psychological and physical. At times you get all three and you are left to question your own sanity as well as the main characters in the stories.
I found it a relatively quick read. The stories are the right length if you just want to pick something up and kill a half hour but you still get all of the atmosphere and all of the creeps squeezed into that short read with fantastic effect.
One of my favourite collections of the year.
5 stars.
Even though he has been around for ages this is the first thing I have read by Graham Masterton. I need to rectify that. This is a collection of short stories of varying styles and degrees of horror. I’ve noticed over this past while that the thing to do when reviewing collections is to provide a breakdown of each story that is included. I did start to do that with this one but after getting half of it typed up I felt like I was giving too much away about each story so decided to go this route instead.
This is a collection of 11 stories that are sure to haunt you for many different reasons. The ideas and imagination that has gone into each story is so wonderful I was left thinking simply Wow. From a tourist buying a gift that came with a message he should not have ignored to the old Wendigo making an appearance and seeking blood as it normally does. From a man wrought with guilt trying to right a wrong from his past with disastrous results to the demon hiding in the wardrobe that only comes out at night.
My personal favourites in this collection are Underbed – this was just superbly written. When you were a kid did you ever hide under the covers at night and pretend you were in another world? If you went a bit further you entered Underbed. If you were really brave you went as far as Under-Underbed. A really creepy tale about a young boys night time adventures. Resonant Evil – a story about a neuroscientist Martin moving, with his pregnant wife, into the house that once belonged to an infamous neuroscientist Vincent Graylings. Martin finds all of his research locked in a cupboard and starts to mimic the work. He soon finds out why Mr Graylings was widely ignored by his peers. Beholder – young Fiona has never been let out of her house, being told by her mother she was too beautiful to be seen by anyone else. When Fiona sees herself she is horrified and decides to find out if beauty is really in the eye of the beholder as her mother tells her. Quite literally.
I generally read collections a couple of stories at a time between full novels. I couldn’t do that with Figures of Fear purely because I could not put it down. Graham Masterton’s writing is so so easy to follow. His words just sit perfectly on the page. Every story makes sense. Every story is believable. Every story is creepy. There is a certain amount of gore in here but not over the top. The horror is a mixture of supernatural and psychological and physical. At times you get all three and you are left to question your own sanity as well as the main characters in the stories.
I found it a relatively quick read. The stories are the right length if you just want to pick something up and kill a half hour but you still get all of the atmosphere and all of the creeps squeezed into that short read with fantastic effect.
One of my favourite collections of the year.
5 stars.
December 23, 2014
I have read several of Graham Masterton's novels, but this is the first time I have encountered his short stories. Overall, Figures of Fear is a strong collection, but it is very uneven. The strongest are "Night of the Wendigo," "Witch-Compass," "Resonant Evil," and "Beholder"; together, these four stories address all of the main varieties of "horror," including supernatural threat, science gone terribly wrong, and the evils that human beings can visit on themselves and others. That "Night of the Wendigo" is so good deserves special mention because an author's note at the end explains that it was the result of a contest in which Masterton wrote the beginning, a reader supplied the middle, and Masterton then furnished the ending; despite being written by two authors, the tone is consistent throughout, and Masterton must be complimented for his ability to take someone else's idea and run with it.
What prevented Figures of Fear from receiving 5 stars were the sub-average offerings: "The Battered Wife," which is a strange mash-up of ghost story and abused wife tale, and "Underbed," which tries to do too much with the trope of children who find their way into an alternate world, with predictably horrifying results. By the time Masterton sent his protagonist into the fourth world, he had lost my interest completely.
I would not choose Figures of Fear to introduce a new reader to Masterton's work, but for those who are familiar with him, Figures of Fear is an entertaining addition to his oeuvre.
I received a free copy of Figures of Fear through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What prevented Figures of Fear from receiving 5 stars were the sub-average offerings: "The Battered Wife," which is a strange mash-up of ghost story and abused wife tale, and "Underbed," which tries to do too much with the trope of children who find their way into an alternate world, with predictably horrifying results. By the time Masterton sent his protagonist into the fourth world, he had lost my interest completely.
I would not choose Figures of Fear to introduce a new reader to Masterton's work, but for those who are familiar with him, Figures of Fear is an entertaining addition to his oeuvre.
I received a free copy of Figures of Fear through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 25, 2016
I'm not usually a fan of short story collections, but this book was fantastic.
Each story was creepy in a different way.
I found the last story, "Beholder", the most disturbing. One of the most disturbing things that I have ever read and I know this story in particular will continue to freak me out for a long time to come!
Each story was creepy in a different way.
I found the last story, "Beholder", the most disturbing. One of the most disturbing things that I have ever read and I know this story in particular will continue to freak me out for a long time to come!
September 3, 2022
Having completed my literary journey through this stunning collection, my only question is how the hell have I not read more Graham Masterton before? Figures of Fear is an anthology of 11 tales that, for me, had the same impact as Stephen King's Night Shift or Clive Barker's first Books of Blood. It's a short story collection that opened my eyes to a new must-read author, leaving me giddy with anticipation for more, more, more!
Ex-Voto kicks things off with an interesting, classic sort of horror story about strange lands, misunderstood artifacts, the power of prophecy, and the perils of ignoring it. Nice twist at the end.
What the Dark Does is a fantastic story, full of atmosphere and chills, that really gets at our primal fear of the dark . . . and of what the dark disguises. Trust me, you'll never look at that shadowy bathrobe hanging behind the bedroom door quite the same way ever again.
Saint Brónach’s Shrift is an interesting story about guilt, choices, and the consequences they have. Definitely a sad ending to this one, almost a cruel sort of twist that really hit me hard and made me pause to think the whole thing through.
The Battered Wife is the one story in the collection I didn't care for. I felt the end was cruel, and seemed to blame the wife for her abuse, but since it came from the Shadows and Light anthology, which was published to benefit the Women's Aid charity in the UK, I'll give it the benefit if the doubt and assume I missed something. Regardless, it's another on the theme of choices and consequences.
The Night Hider is the first of two back-to-back portal stories, this one about a haunted wardrobe that is revealed to be the very same wardrobe that haunted C.S. Lewis and inspired his classic children's epic. I'll be honest, I loathed Lewis' saga for the saturation of Christian allegory, and thought the ending was the cruelest, most pandering thing I'd ever read as a young man, but Masterton manages to provide both a summary and a justification for what Narnia represents . . . and then goes all dark on us with the ending. Fantastic stuff.
Underbed is, by far, my favorite story in the collection, partially because I see so much of my childhood self in it, and partly because I loved the ending. Martin is an imaginative young boy who likes to slip under the covers and imagine he's an astronaut or an explorer, working the darkness and the claustrophobia into his fantasies. One night, he goes a little too far, and crawls out of his fantasy into a real adventure that takes him even deeper underbed, into the land of fear and darkness. The ending is quite sad, an all too plausible tragedy . . . with one last scene to follow that grabs hold of the dagger in your heart and twists it with devilish glee.
Night of the Wendigo got off to a slow start for me, and doesn't approach the power or the stylistic majesty of some of the other stories here, but was still a solid 'classic' story of monsters in the night. A lot of atmosphere to this one, with some quick scenes of brutality that are extraordinary in their impact.
Spirits of the Age was a rather surprising tale, part traditional ghost story, and part historical exploration. It all begins with the ghost of Queen Victoria wandering the darkened halls of Osborne House, spotted out of the corner of the eye or at a distance. When Michael finally manages to confront the regal old woman, and we find out precisely why she's returned . . . well, it's a mystical bit of historical reinvention that's handled very, very well.
Witch-Compass is probably my second-favorite of the collection, a story that's gleeful in its darkness and playful in its malicious evil. At its heart are familiar themes of being careful what you wish for, and of wishes having a price, but Masterton goes completely over the top and takes Paul completely over the edge with a tale that will leave you feeling guilty about every chuckle.
Resonant Evil is a bit of a weird story, relying so heavily as it does upon the study of synaesthesia, but it slowly builds to a climax that's both creepy and clever. You're not quite sure whether it's a ghost story or a tale of madness, until the final reveal, when an already dark tale gets darker still.
Beholder is the saddest of the lot, a story that's very much about theme of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. When Fiona accidentally catches a glimpse of her distorted reflection, she's initially horrified, but decides that too many beholders must have looked upon her and stolen away her beauty, leaving it trapped inside their eyes. If you think you can imagine the lengths to which she'll go to get her beauty back . . . well, you're halfway there.
There are several common themes in Figures of Fear, primarily those of portals, hidden worlds, the consuming power of fire, and the consequences of our choices. Don't go looking for happy endings or big moral lessons, though, because these are dark tales, with dark conclusions, and even darker twists to follow. A perfect collection for fans and newcomers alike. Just astounding.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Ex-Voto kicks things off with an interesting, classic sort of horror story about strange lands, misunderstood artifacts, the power of prophecy, and the perils of ignoring it. Nice twist at the end.
What the Dark Does is a fantastic story, full of atmosphere and chills, that really gets at our primal fear of the dark . . . and of what the dark disguises. Trust me, you'll never look at that shadowy bathrobe hanging behind the bedroom door quite the same way ever again.
Saint Brónach’s Shrift is an interesting story about guilt, choices, and the consequences they have. Definitely a sad ending to this one, almost a cruel sort of twist that really hit me hard and made me pause to think the whole thing through.
The Battered Wife is the one story in the collection I didn't care for. I felt the end was cruel, and seemed to blame the wife for her abuse, but since it came from the Shadows and Light anthology, which was published to benefit the Women's Aid charity in the UK, I'll give it the benefit if the doubt and assume I missed something. Regardless, it's another on the theme of choices and consequences.
The Night Hider is the first of two back-to-back portal stories, this one about a haunted wardrobe that is revealed to be the very same wardrobe that haunted C.S. Lewis and inspired his classic children's epic. I'll be honest, I loathed Lewis' saga for the saturation of Christian allegory, and thought the ending was the cruelest, most pandering thing I'd ever read as a young man, but Masterton manages to provide both a summary and a justification for what Narnia represents . . . and then goes all dark on us with the ending. Fantastic stuff.
Underbed is, by far, my favorite story in the collection, partially because I see so much of my childhood self in it, and partly because I loved the ending. Martin is an imaginative young boy who likes to slip under the covers and imagine he's an astronaut or an explorer, working the darkness and the claustrophobia into his fantasies. One night, he goes a little too far, and crawls out of his fantasy into a real adventure that takes him even deeper underbed, into the land of fear and darkness. The ending is quite sad, an all too plausible tragedy . . . with one last scene to follow that grabs hold of the dagger in your heart and twists it with devilish glee.
Night of the Wendigo got off to a slow start for me, and doesn't approach the power or the stylistic majesty of some of the other stories here, but was still a solid 'classic' story of monsters in the night. A lot of atmosphere to this one, with some quick scenes of brutality that are extraordinary in their impact.
Spirits of the Age was a rather surprising tale, part traditional ghost story, and part historical exploration. It all begins with the ghost of Queen Victoria wandering the darkened halls of Osborne House, spotted out of the corner of the eye or at a distance. When Michael finally manages to confront the regal old woman, and we find out precisely why she's returned . . . well, it's a mystical bit of historical reinvention that's handled very, very well.
Witch-Compass is probably my second-favorite of the collection, a story that's gleeful in its darkness and playful in its malicious evil. At its heart are familiar themes of being careful what you wish for, and of wishes having a price, but Masterton goes completely over the top and takes Paul completely over the edge with a tale that will leave you feeling guilty about every chuckle.
Resonant Evil is a bit of a weird story, relying so heavily as it does upon the study of synaesthesia, but it slowly builds to a climax that's both creepy and clever. You're not quite sure whether it's a ghost story or a tale of madness, until the final reveal, when an already dark tale gets darker still.
Beholder is the saddest of the lot, a story that's very much about theme of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. When Fiona accidentally catches a glimpse of her distorted reflection, she's initially horrified, but decides that too many beholders must have looked upon her and stolen away her beauty, leaving it trapped inside their eyes. If you think you can imagine the lengths to which she'll go to get her beauty back . . . well, you're halfway there.
There are several common themes in Figures of Fear, primarily those of portals, hidden worlds, the consuming power of fire, and the consequences of our choices. Don't go looking for happy endings or big moral lessons, though, because these are dark tales, with dark conclusions, and even darker twists to follow. A perfect collection for fans and newcomers alike. Just astounding.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
September 3, 2016
Figures of Fear contains eleven short horror stories, varying in length from a few pages to a decent chapter length. Some stuck with me, others didn't have the same effect. It was quite a good book to read, and I found some of the chapters more disturbing than scary.
Ex-Voto:
A business man abroad looking a suitable gift for his colleagues is led by a tour guide to a mysterious old woman who offers him an Ex-Voto, a painting she has done as a thank you to the saint that saved his life. Confused as to why he should be thanking a saint for something that hasn't happened to him, Henry is told that sometimes the old woman can predict events before they happen. Repulsed by the grotesque nature of the image presented to him, Henry leaves without another word, to find that perhaps he shouldn't have been so dismissive of forces he does not believe in.
What The Dark Does:
Perhaps not one to read if you favour hanging items of clothing on the backs of doors and furniture, but if you decide to brave the sinister thoughts the dark conjures, discover how they too haunt David. The dressing gown on his bedroom door seemed innocent enough in the day, but as soon as the night fell it seemed to become a malicious being. Perhaps David had an over-reactive imagination, but, years later, as an orphaned adult, he learns that perhaps not everything is as innocent as it seems. Should David fear the creatures within the dark, or the dark itself?
Saint Brónach's Shrift:
Plagued by a nightmare that replays each and every night, Michael is exhausted. Even turning to a priest cannot relieve him of the guilt he feels internally. Desperate to change what happened as a child, he drinks a jar of powder, called Saint Brónach's Shrift, and everything changes. But was he happier before or afterwards? Did he really change fate for the better?
The Battered Wife:
Lily is unhappy, her husband cruel and her children the only reason she stays. Her friends tell her to leave, contradicting the advice an old lady keeps appearing to give her. Ignoring the warning she was told, Lily leaves when she was instructed not to. Although she had finally come to her senses, although if she had found them a long time ago, would it have saved a life?
The Night Hider:
I think that if I heard jingle bells in the middle of the night I would be torn between excited and scared. For Dawn, confusion soon turns to fear as her wardrobe is home to a horror she wishes she'd never encountered. Convinced she's going mad, her friend manages to persuade her otherwise, and together they track down the origins of the wardrobe. The discovery that the author of the book, 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe', once owned the item reveals a disturbing secret about the inspiration for the magical world of Narnia. Stories must come from somewhere but they're not always as innocent as perceived.
Underbed:
As a child, did you ever play under the covers at night? Perhaps you were an jungle explorer, or an astronaut, or mountaineer? If you did, did you ever find Underbed? Martin discovered the world, and sets off to find the missing daughter of a couple. Martin learns that she has travelled to Under-Underbed, where the darkest things live. What lurks in the darkness? All Martin knows is that the foul creatures that haunt our dreams don't always stay there.
Night Of The Wendigo:
Bill's brother is found dead and no one can find his killer. All Bill knows is that Jack was obsessed with nature, and was very involved with preserving a rare set of trees. A man who works in forestry tells Bill about the Wendigo, a spirit that lives in the ancient trees. To kill the creature seems to be the only way to protect his family, but when it comes down to the deed, who is truly on Bill's side?
Spirits Of The Age:
The year 2000, and Michael comes across a person he never though he'd meet. Under the impression that he would be alive again, a woman who lost her husband over 40 years before she herself died comes back to the place where she believed they would be reunited again. Although not particularly scary, this story does leave you feeling a little bit despondent at the end.
Witch-Compass:
For three years Paul lived in Gabon, Africa, the owner of his own company and extremely wealthy. When his business goes under, he is forced to return home, and doesn't have the courage to tell his parents why. Unable to pay off a debt he owes, he finds that the compass he brought before he left Gabon is moving. When he follows the direction it points in, Paul is forced to make a choice between moral and money. He can get anything he wants, yet he has to abandon his decency if he wants it. The prices he must pay for his desires far outweigh the fourteen francs he originally paid for it.
Resonant Evil:
Martin, his wife and their soon-to-be-born child all move into an old house, and Martin discovers a collection of notebooks and vinyl records containing experiments in Synaesthesia. Soon, Martin becomes fascinated, and spends his evenings delving deeper into the work of the mysterious scientist, Vincent Grayling. He finds out how Grayling managed to stimulate the senses, but Martin doesn't know the toll it will have on his family.
Beholder:
Personally, I found this the most disturbing story out of all eleven. Have you ever heard the story of Rapunzel, and how the prince who came to rescue her went blind? Fiona believes that Rapunzel was too beautiful for him to see, and he went blind as a result.
6 years old, and Fiona has never been out of her house. She has never seen her face, and her mother, the only person she has ever come into contact with, tells her that she is too beautiful for anyone to see. Fiona lives with the knowledge that if he ever meets anyone, they will become jealous by her beauty and try to hurt her. Not once has Fiona questioned this, until she sees her reflection in a mirror. Shocked at her ugliness, Fiona thinks that the reason her mother keeps her away from other humans is because they steal her beauty with their eyes. She has been taught that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but does that mean that her beauty is held in the eye of anyone who has seen her? Could that come in the form a snail, or a cat, or even her mother? Or perhaps, Fiona herself?
This is a very good book, although some of the stories could be a bit more haunting. They are very well written and vary outside of the traditional horror story.
Ex-Voto:
A business man abroad looking a suitable gift for his colleagues is led by a tour guide to a mysterious old woman who offers him an Ex-Voto, a painting she has done as a thank you to the saint that saved his life. Confused as to why he should be thanking a saint for something that hasn't happened to him, Henry is told that sometimes the old woman can predict events before they happen. Repulsed by the grotesque nature of the image presented to him, Henry leaves without another word, to find that perhaps he shouldn't have been so dismissive of forces he does not believe in.
What The Dark Does:
Perhaps not one to read if you favour hanging items of clothing on the backs of doors and furniture, but if you decide to brave the sinister thoughts the dark conjures, discover how they too haunt David. The dressing gown on his bedroom door seemed innocent enough in the day, but as soon as the night fell it seemed to become a malicious being. Perhaps David had an over-reactive imagination, but, years later, as an orphaned adult, he learns that perhaps not everything is as innocent as it seems. Should David fear the creatures within the dark, or the dark itself?
Saint Brónach's Shrift:
Plagued by a nightmare that replays each and every night, Michael is exhausted. Even turning to a priest cannot relieve him of the guilt he feels internally. Desperate to change what happened as a child, he drinks a jar of powder, called Saint Brónach's Shrift, and everything changes. But was he happier before or afterwards? Did he really change fate for the better?
The Battered Wife:
Lily is unhappy, her husband cruel and her children the only reason she stays. Her friends tell her to leave, contradicting the advice an old lady keeps appearing to give her. Ignoring the warning she was told, Lily leaves when she was instructed not to. Although she had finally come to her senses, although if she had found them a long time ago, would it have saved a life?
The Night Hider:
I think that if I heard jingle bells in the middle of the night I would be torn between excited and scared. For Dawn, confusion soon turns to fear as her wardrobe is home to a horror she wishes she'd never encountered. Convinced she's going mad, her friend manages to persuade her otherwise, and together they track down the origins of the wardrobe. The discovery that the author of the book, 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe', once owned the item reveals a disturbing secret about the inspiration for the magical world of Narnia. Stories must come from somewhere but they're not always as innocent as perceived.
Underbed:
As a child, did you ever play under the covers at night? Perhaps you were an jungle explorer, or an astronaut, or mountaineer? If you did, did you ever find Underbed? Martin discovered the world, and sets off to find the missing daughter of a couple. Martin learns that she has travelled to Under-Underbed, where the darkest things live. What lurks in the darkness? All Martin knows is that the foul creatures that haunt our dreams don't always stay there.
Night Of The Wendigo:
Bill's brother is found dead and no one can find his killer. All Bill knows is that Jack was obsessed with nature, and was very involved with preserving a rare set of trees. A man who works in forestry tells Bill about the Wendigo, a spirit that lives in the ancient trees. To kill the creature seems to be the only way to protect his family, but when it comes down to the deed, who is truly on Bill's side?
Spirits Of The Age:
The year 2000, and Michael comes across a person he never though he'd meet. Under the impression that he would be alive again, a woman who lost her husband over 40 years before she herself died comes back to the place where she believed they would be reunited again. Although not particularly scary, this story does leave you feeling a little bit despondent at the end.
Witch-Compass:
For three years Paul lived in Gabon, Africa, the owner of his own company and extremely wealthy. When his business goes under, he is forced to return home, and doesn't have the courage to tell his parents why. Unable to pay off a debt he owes, he finds that the compass he brought before he left Gabon is moving. When he follows the direction it points in, Paul is forced to make a choice between moral and money. He can get anything he wants, yet he has to abandon his decency if he wants it. The prices he must pay for his desires far outweigh the fourteen francs he originally paid for it.
Resonant Evil:
Martin, his wife and their soon-to-be-born child all move into an old house, and Martin discovers a collection of notebooks and vinyl records containing experiments in Synaesthesia. Soon, Martin becomes fascinated, and spends his evenings delving deeper into the work of the mysterious scientist, Vincent Grayling. He finds out how Grayling managed to stimulate the senses, but Martin doesn't know the toll it will have on his family.
Beholder:
Personally, I found this the most disturbing story out of all eleven. Have you ever heard the story of Rapunzel, and how the prince who came to rescue her went blind? Fiona believes that Rapunzel was too beautiful for him to see, and he went blind as a result.
6 years old, and Fiona has never been out of her house. She has never seen her face, and her mother, the only person she has ever come into contact with, tells her that she is too beautiful for anyone to see. Fiona lives with the knowledge that if he ever meets anyone, they will become jealous by her beauty and try to hurt her. Not once has Fiona questioned this, until she sees her reflection in a mirror. Shocked at her ugliness, Fiona thinks that the reason her mother keeps her away from other humans is because they steal her beauty with their eyes. She has been taught that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but does that mean that her beauty is held in the eye of anyone who has seen her? Could that come in the form a snail, or a cat, or even her mother? Or perhaps, Fiona herself?
This is a very good book, although some of the stories could be a bit more haunting. They are very well written and vary outside of the traditional horror story.
February 19, 2018
DNF. I made it to page 66 then gave up. I read the first five stories, but decided not to spend any more time on this particular collection. Out of the five short stories I did read, I think I enjoyed Saint Bronach’s Shrift the most. The writing was fairly decent, more so than in the others.... and one specific passage I liked ...
...“It’s the pain that can follow you everywhere, no matter how many glasses of whiskey you drink, no matter how many Sominex tablets you swallow. It comes after you through the fog of your exhaustion like the crocodile coming after Captain Hook and it’s ticking is the ticking of your bedside clock.”
The desperation in this passage is quite poignant, and I really can appreciate what Masterton is trying to get across here. Just wish I could say the same for the rest of what I read.
The concept of story number five, The Night Hider, was a really cool twist on C. S. Lewis’s Lion, Witch, Wardrobe Chronicles ... but ... I just couldn’t get into it. It felt to me like a glossed over version of something that could of been a really cool story.
... and that’s it, did not finish the rest of the book.
...“It’s the pain that can follow you everywhere, no matter how many glasses of whiskey you drink, no matter how many Sominex tablets you swallow. It comes after you through the fog of your exhaustion like the crocodile coming after Captain Hook and it’s ticking is the ticking of your bedside clock.”
The desperation in this passage is quite poignant, and I really can appreciate what Masterton is trying to get across here. Just wish I could say the same for the rest of what I read.
The concept of story number five, The Night Hider, was a really cool twist on C. S. Lewis’s Lion, Witch, Wardrobe Chronicles ... but ... I just couldn’t get into it. It felt to me like a glossed over version of something that could of been a really cool story.
... and that’s it, did not finish the rest of the book.
April 26, 2021
TL;DR: Too many ghost stories. I like horror as a genre and I do admire Masterton's style, but I'm just unable to enjoy a story if I find its key premise fundamentally... silly. So for me this is mostly silly collection. Don't get me wrong, there are still some great bits here - innocently gruesome "Beholder"; "Underbed", a dark ode to kids' imagination; poetic and nostalgic tale of "Saint Brónach's shrift"; interesting moral dilemma presented in "Witch-compass". But still, the rest is more spooky than scary, even when it's filled with blood and carnage. Ghost in a wardrobe, ghost in the vinyl records, ghost of a queen meeting a ghost of a king... Overall grade: boo minus.
February 9, 2018
This is the usual anthology that I am looking for. Creepy and mind-blowing. All the stories in this book are awesome. Some stories are weird and some made me say "Where the hell did the author get these ideas?" And that is when I knew that I'll love the book. I'm glad that I read it!
November 6, 2020
A man falls victim to a horrible curse. A kid is haunted by a towel in the dark. A killer springs out of C.S. Lewis's wardrobe. Then... The Wendigo!
Some good fun. The Wendigo is certainly a highlight, a short novella with a dramatic conclusion. Mostly longer stories.
Some good fun. The Wendigo is certainly a highlight, a short novella with a dramatic conclusion. Mostly longer stories.
March 23, 2022
Great short horror stories which has gave me quite a few nightmares! Im not a massive horror story fan but wanted to read something outside my norm. I didnt expect it to affect me so much but I did really enjoy all the stories.
January 15, 2017
I generally don't read short stories & this collection reminded why i dont. disappointing collection of stories
October 26, 2017
Wonderful collection of deliciously creepy stories! If you like Twilight Zone you will like this book.
September 11, 2019
My favorite: What the Dark Does
October 15, 2015
After hearing such good things about the author Graham Masterton, I thought I would finally check out something he wrote.
This anthology is composed of 11 short stories. Like most anthologies, I liked some stories more than others. However, each story brought a unique aspect to the idea of what frightens us. What we fear.
I think my favorite story was Witch-Compass. It brought the fear of "Be careful of what you wish for" to a new level for me. I think this short story could be a great idea to elaborate on in a full length story.
The story Beholder was probably the grossest in the book. Although it was gross, it did come across as sad. Almost sorrowful.
My least favorite story in the book would be The Battered Wife. I didn't care for that story. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, I did enjoy the selected short stories in this book. I look forward to reading a full length book by this author in the future.
This anthology is composed of 11 short stories. Like most anthologies, I liked some stories more than others. However, each story brought a unique aspect to the idea of what frightens us. What we fear.
I think my favorite story was Witch-Compass. It brought the fear of "Be careful of what you wish for" to a new level for me. I think this short story could be a great idea to elaborate on in a full length story.
The story Beholder was probably the grossest in the book. Although it was gross, it did come across as sad. Almost sorrowful.
My least favorite story in the book would be The Battered Wife. I didn't care for that story. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, I did enjoy the selected short stories in this book. I look forward to reading a full length book by this author in the future.
May 11, 2015
Wow! Only Masterton could get me to be afraid of a pile of clothes! Yes, you heard me! A pile of clothes. This is one of the BEST short story collections for horror that I have read. Just about every story in there is totally compelling and totally horrifying.
This is not for the faint of heart and I am warning you, if you are an animal lover, you might skip the last story!
And just one small nitpicky thing. Mr. Masterton....tortoiseshell cats are just about exclusively female.
This is not for the faint of heart and I am warning you, if you are an animal lover, you might skip the last story!
And just one small nitpicky thing. Mr. Masterton....tortoiseshell cats are just about exclusively female.
August 20, 2016
A shocking, cold and dreary read, filled with suspenseful attributes while it continuously evolves into darker and more heart racing tales. Tales of deceit, of ultimate betrayals, of the darkest corners of horror, this author will take you through loop after loop, introducing you to a new genre of horror all together.
October 13, 2022
Four excellent stories/novellas which, when I read them I marked as having enjoyed very much. By the time I came to write the review the specifics have long left me, which is why I am giving this three stars instead of the four it probably deserves. If I get around to reading it again I will revise this review.
Currently reading
May 23, 2024"The Battered Wife" - Stephen is physically abusing his wife Lily when a strange woman wearing a grey raincoat shows up and warns her not to take the children away that night. Stephen arrives and begins beating Lily so she disregards the warning and drives off with the children but ends up driving over the strange woman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2014
A strong horror anthology
For a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/figure... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
For a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/figure... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
May 20, 2015
Nope. Should have just called it "Random Short Stories"
December 17, 2016
An incredibly creepy collection of stories! The last definitely made a lasting impression.
January 13, 2017
What a great collection of short stories, a must for any horror fan =)
April 17, 2017
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
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