Black Static Issue 40

by Andy Cox (Editor), Stephen Volk (Contributor), Lynda E. Rucker (Contributor)

Issue 40 of TTA Press' horror anthology magazine.

Genres: Short Stories

96 pages, Magazine

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Des Lewis]

World of Trevor by Stephen Hargadon
“I bought the Beatles compilation for three quid, just to get rid of him.”
Just occasionally, you read a story and you suddenly say ‘yes’ quietly, later you say YES a little louder, but, at the end, you utter a big loud YES… Not that it’s a world classic of literature (although I could argue a case for that) but it simply arrays before you a way of life that you recognise, may even have once shared, and the whole thing rolls along – real-to-real by cassette spool to cassette spool – but sounding at first like the perfectly graphically equalised CD, all of this depicting, in various ways, the ‘normals’ and, by contrast, those ‘drinkers’ in named pub crawls with regular drinking mates or often drinking alone, the specialist art of beer talk, and the odd character you sometimes meet who talks to himself, except here – resonating with the role-to-role switches of the previous stories – there is much more to the imaginary friend with whom this character crosses verbal swords in each pub setting. Perfect, as I say. No giveaway spoilers here. The whole thing is a brilliant life spoiler…or even life healer.

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.