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"Odd Numbers" / "How the Wind Lies"
Two authors, two stories, one chapbook: "Odd Numbers" by Richard Chizmar, and "How the Wind Lies" by Brian James Freeman. This 40-page chapbook is printed in three colors, in a numbered edition of 150 copies, signed by both authors. Each chap is packaged in its own unique printed envelope.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
20 people want to read
About the author
Richard Chizmar
252 books3,440 followersRichard Chizmar is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author.
He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the bestselling novella, Gwendy’s Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award.
Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.
Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of the acclaimed Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.
His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a chilling novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, Billy Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.
Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.
He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the bestselling novella, Gwendy’s Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award.
Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.
Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of the acclaimed Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.
His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a chilling novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, Billy Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.
Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 28, 2016
What we have here are two mediocre stories from a couple of pretty good authors.
With "Odd Numbers" Richard Chizmar gives us a story concerning a man obsessed with numbers, he counts each step he takes, he counts the minutes it takes to get from place to place, he literally counts everything. Unfortunately he only likes odd numbers. For example when the distance from his back door to the Oak tree in his back yard changes from twenty three steps to twenty two steps, he is sure that the tree is advancing on his house. He also believes that when his beloved odd numbers all turn up even it will spell out his doom.
In "How the Wind Lies" Brian James Freeman relays a story of an early pioneer attempting to escape the evils of Salem Massachusetts that has followed him to the open buffalo filled planes.
As he watches those around him die, he decides that action must be taken.
The really cool thing about this chapbook is that it is represented is in a "flip-book" design, like those old ACE Double paperbacks, read one story to the middle of the chapbook, then flip it over, and read the other story, also to the middle.
The chapbook is beautifully designed by Keith Minnion, and he does a superb job as always, and this production is worth the price alone. The book arrives in an creative envelope, as do all of the books I have seen.
This is copy 53 of 150 copies numbered and signed by Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman.
With "Odd Numbers" Richard Chizmar gives us a story concerning a man obsessed with numbers, he counts each step he takes, he counts the minutes it takes to get from place to place, he literally counts everything. Unfortunately he only likes odd numbers. For example when the distance from his back door to the Oak tree in his back yard changes from twenty three steps to twenty two steps, he is sure that the tree is advancing on his house. He also believes that when his beloved odd numbers all turn up even it will spell out his doom.
In "How the Wind Lies" Brian James Freeman relays a story of an early pioneer attempting to escape the evils of Salem Massachusetts that has followed him to the open buffalo filled planes.
As he watches those around him die, he decides that action must be taken.
The really cool thing about this chapbook is that it is represented is in a "flip-book" design, like those old ACE Double paperbacks, read one story to the middle of the chapbook, then flip it over, and read the other story, also to the middle.
The chapbook is beautifully designed by Keith Minnion, and he does a superb job as always, and this production is worth the price alone. The book arrives in an creative envelope, as do all of the books I have seen.
This is copy 53 of 150 copies numbered and signed by Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman.
April 14, 2016
If you've actually read any of my reviews, you've probably seen the names Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman show up more than once.
Richard is the founder of one of the best independent publishing companies I've had the pleasure to deal with, and Brian is the managing editor. However, they are both phenomenal authors in the own right.
The minute I saw Richard post about this limited edition chapbook (which surprisingly is published by White Noise Press - another awesome independent publisher), I knew I had to order it.
So, on with my review.
First, I have to comment on the edition. Since this is a chapbook, it's obviously paperback. But unlike any paperback you have seen. The first thing you notice is the custom designed envelope that encases the book. Once you remove the book, the second thing you notice is how it was printed - one story right side up, then you have to flip the book around to have the other story right side up. A very novel idea (pun intended). The cover is made from a thicker stock than usual, with illustrations by Keith Minnion. The endpaper is a nice light velum with a beautiful leaf design. And in the center - again flipped from each other - is the signature page for both authors. A lot of work went into what might at first seem like a simple 40 page chapbook.
Then you start reading.
Odd Numbers - I jokingly told Richard I didn't think I could give his story an honest and unbiased review. I'll tell you why shortly. The story is an odd tale (again, pun intended) about a man named Mason who is obsessed with numbers - and not just numbers in general, but they have to be odd numbers. He believes that even numbers are harbingers of bad things. His favorite, most sacred number is 33. His most hated, evil number is 24; with February 24th being the most evil day in the year. Here is why I said what I did about the review - of all 365 days Richard could have picked, my birthday is the one he finds most evil! I mean, how can I even think to like a story in which my day is evil. But, like it I did (as with all of Richard's work). Back to the story. Mason is clinically obsessive-compulsive. He counts everything, making sure it ends on an odd number - how many steps he takes between stops, how many times he brushes his teeth, etc. He knows this, but seems to be fine with it. Until the compulsion gets the best of him and things start to even out (again with the puns). Is it in his head or real? Read the story and decide.
How the Wind Lies - Many times a short story comes along that you really can't tell much about without giving away much of the story. Brian's tale is one of them. William Carver took his family, along with 10 other families, across the country to escape a terror ravishing their community in Salem. Bodies would fall, drained of all blood - even in the daylight. The 11 families fled, hoping to escape. But did they? How far would a man go to protect his family, and what are the effects on a person's psyche doing so.
Both Richard and Brian took twenty pages, and created beautifully deep stories. While it was a quick read, both stories had me thinking about what I just read - which in my eyes is what makes a good tale.
Unfortunately, this chapbook was a limited run of 150 (I managed to score #21) so you might have a hard time getting one. Head over to http://www.whitenoisepress.com/shelf and see if there are anymore available. It's worth the price of admission.
Richard is the founder of one of the best independent publishing companies I've had the pleasure to deal with, and Brian is the managing editor. However, they are both phenomenal authors in the own right.
The minute I saw Richard post about this limited edition chapbook (which surprisingly is published by White Noise Press - another awesome independent publisher), I knew I had to order it.
So, on with my review.
First, I have to comment on the edition. Since this is a chapbook, it's obviously paperback. But unlike any paperback you have seen. The first thing you notice is the custom designed envelope that encases the book. Once you remove the book, the second thing you notice is how it was printed - one story right side up, then you have to flip the book around to have the other story right side up. A very novel idea (pun intended). The cover is made from a thicker stock than usual, with illustrations by Keith Minnion. The endpaper is a nice light velum with a beautiful leaf design. And in the center - again flipped from each other - is the signature page for both authors. A lot of work went into what might at first seem like a simple 40 page chapbook.
Then you start reading.
Odd Numbers - I jokingly told Richard I didn't think I could give his story an honest and unbiased review. I'll tell you why shortly. The story is an odd tale (again, pun intended) about a man named Mason who is obsessed with numbers - and not just numbers in general, but they have to be odd numbers. He believes that even numbers are harbingers of bad things. His favorite, most sacred number is 33. His most hated, evil number is 24; with February 24th being the most evil day in the year. Here is why I said what I did about the review - of all 365 days Richard could have picked, my birthday is the one he finds most evil! I mean, how can I even think to like a story in which my day is evil. But, like it I did (as with all of Richard's work). Back to the story. Mason is clinically obsessive-compulsive. He counts everything, making sure it ends on an odd number - how many steps he takes between stops, how many times he brushes his teeth, etc. He knows this, but seems to be fine with it. Until the compulsion gets the best of him and things start to even out (again with the puns). Is it in his head or real? Read the story and decide.
How the Wind Lies - Many times a short story comes along that you really can't tell much about without giving away much of the story. Brian's tale is one of them. William Carver took his family, along with 10 other families, across the country to escape a terror ravishing their community in Salem. Bodies would fall, drained of all blood - even in the daylight. The 11 families fled, hoping to escape. But did they? How far would a man go to protect his family, and what are the effects on a person's psyche doing so.
Both Richard and Brian took twenty pages, and created beautifully deep stories. While it was a quick read, both stories had me thinking about what I just read - which in my eyes is what makes a good tale.
Unfortunately, this chapbook was a limited run of 150 (I managed to score #21) so you might have a hard time getting one. Head over to http://www.whitenoisepress.com/shelf and see if there are anymore available. It's worth the price of admission.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews