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Old Gory: Two Tales of Flag Horror
You see them everywhere you planted in the ground, waving from utility poles, adorning shop windows, affixed to the bumpers of passing cars. American flags. Comforting, inspiring, familiar. Or are they? What if, instead of a beacon of freedom and a banner of democracy, the flag were something sinister, something occult, something redolent of terrors most of us can only guess at? In these two tales of New England folk horror, Orford Parish Books authors Tom Breen and Joseph Pastula explore the hidden terrors lying in the red, white, and blue folds of that most familiar symbol. Combining the blackest version of absurdist humor with a commitment to pulpy thrills, the two authors peel back the genteel veneer of small-town patriotism in this first in a series of "split chapbooks." Once you read it, you'll never look at a flag the same way again.
40 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 15, 2016
Two short stories from the weird world of Orford Parish that are both very strong. There is less overt humor and more creep than the first OP book Orford Parish Murder Houses: A Visitor's Guide and while I really liked the second OP book, 'Little Oren and the Noises: Picture Books for Weird Kids, Vol. 1,' 'Old Gory' has become my favorite OP book so far.
Tom Breen has polished his bizarre little section of New England to a dark shine. Starting with Livejournal posts and then a Facebook page, Breen has been slowly building the history and cast of characters for his sinister town with a consistent voice and tone, and it already feels like a "real" location. While not necessary to reading and enjoying 'Old Gory,' the Facebook page -- Orford Parish Downtown Improvement District -- is well worth investigating.
I first encountered Joseph Pastula in his aforementioned book 'Little Oren and the Noises,' which is like a Little Golden book you might find in a goblin town. A very strange story with full color art by Pastula throughout, the text was fairly brief, and his story in Old Gory is the first longer piece of his writing I've seen. I was pleasantly surprised at how accomplished he is as a writer, and his story "Orison for the Departed" edges out Breen's "Our Heart's Blood Dyed in Every Fold" as my favorite here.
It's hard for someone like myself "from away" to describe Orford Parish. There is a kinship between Orford Parish and the devil-haunted town of Leeds, MA found in many stories by Matthew M. Bartlett (Creeping Waves, Gateways to Abomination). While Orford Parish is not as surreally grotesque as Leeds, it hits a lot of the same notes. If you could blend Welcome to Night Vale, Newhart, and Stephen King's Castle Rock with some rhubarb and acorns, you'd be on the right track.
Breen and Pastula have turned out an odd and darkly comic volume but don't let the Yankee charm lull you. Quaint traditions aren't always so quaint when you know their histories...
Tom Breen has polished his bizarre little section of New England to a dark shine. Starting with Livejournal posts and then a Facebook page, Breen has been slowly building the history and cast of characters for his sinister town with a consistent voice and tone, and it already feels like a "real" location. While not necessary to reading and enjoying 'Old Gory,' the Facebook page -- Orford Parish Downtown Improvement District -- is well worth investigating.
I first encountered Joseph Pastula in his aforementioned book 'Little Oren and the Noises,' which is like a Little Golden book you might find in a goblin town. A very strange story with full color art by Pastula throughout, the text was fairly brief, and his story in Old Gory is the first longer piece of his writing I've seen. I was pleasantly surprised at how accomplished he is as a writer, and his story "Orison for the Departed" edges out Breen's "Our Heart's Blood Dyed in Every Fold" as my favorite here.
It's hard for someone like myself "from away" to describe Orford Parish. There is a kinship between Orford Parish and the devil-haunted town of Leeds, MA found in many stories by Matthew M. Bartlett (Creeping Waves, Gateways to Abomination). While Orford Parish is not as surreally grotesque as Leeds, it hits a lot of the same notes. If you could blend Welcome to Night Vale, Newhart, and Stephen King's Castle Rock with some rhubarb and acorns, you'd be on the right track.
Breen and Pastula have turned out an odd and darkly comic volume but don't let the Yankee charm lull you. Quaint traditions aren't always so quaint when you know their histories...
May 8, 2018
Another excellent Orford Parish chapbook, this volume focusing on weird tales with an American flag theme in them, if you can even picture that. The stories work, and work well, though. The wit, humor, love of historical drama, and imagination on display here is really impressive. Highly recommended for fans of weird fiction and New England ghost stories.
February 20, 2017
(Originally appeared on my w
This is the first in a series of so-called "split chapbooks" which are essentially tiny, themed anthologies with just two or three stories. In keeping with its recurring theme of "doing something really, really strange", Orford Parish Books' first themed chapbook is Old Gory: Two Tales of Flag Horror, which is - you guessed it - Orford Parish horror stories relating to the flag of the United States.
"Hit me like a rock" is phrase I've used in a few other Orford Parish Books reviews, but again, it's the only adequate way to describe my feelings on discovering the theme of this slim volume. Orford Parish Books' previous publications both effectively explored the fringes of weird horror, but I didn't know how one could possibly make the American flag scary. However, I was catching on, and I figured things were going to be interesting (if not anything else). My expectations were, again, exceeded.
Joseph Pastula's cover is quite eye-catching - there are skulls in the white lines, the red is reminiscent of blood, and the stars are all inverted pentagrams. These themes are expanded upon in the erudite faux-introduction "The Flag, and How it Got that Way" by an Orford Parish professor of demonology. This was a welcome surprise. It's a funny little thing, and adds to the delightful oddness of the book.
We kick this book off with Joseph Pastula's story "Orison for the Departed", which is not set inside Orford Parish but just outside of it. Its a sort of ghost story, more or less, about a house covered in flag paraphernalia, and the man who finds out why. For some reason this story reminds me of the Winchester Mystery House, but this is probably just a cosmetic connection. Pastula's prose is slightly more baroque than Breen's, but it suits the story quite well and provides nice contrast to the second offering. His development of atmosphere is quite skillful, and I look forward to seeing more full prose offerings from the author.
The second story is Tom Breen's "Our Heart's Blood Dyed in Every Fold". It follows an Orford Parish "flag club" (as it were) composed of fathers whose children have gone missing, and who blame a group of astral warriors for taking them. Drawing on a curious old witchcraft custom of Europe, the story evokes both laughter at the absurdity of the situation and pity for the poor, deluded (or are they?) men whose children have been taken. Breen cultivates a very strong voice for the narrative, whose sarcastic comments and snarky asides provide most of the humor in the tale.. No-one's laughing at the end, though, in a sad and disturbing conclusion with an ambiguous final line that still has me puzzling.
One would think that Pastula's baroque ghost story would clash with Breen's dark comedy, but they don't. The one actually compliments the other (and vice versa), highlighting the good qualities in the story it sits alongside.
The book ends with an appendix that echoes the introduction and gives a more thorough account of Orford Parish flag history. It's a fascinating bonus, one of the little touches that (like the introduction) really make this book shine.
On the whole, I am thoroughly surprised and impressed by this addition to the Orford Parish Books canon.
This is the first in a series of so-called "split chapbooks" which are essentially tiny, themed anthologies with just two or three stories. In keeping with its recurring theme of "doing something really, really strange", Orford Parish Books' first themed chapbook is Old Gory: Two Tales of Flag Horror, which is - you guessed it - Orford Parish horror stories relating to the flag of the United States.
"Hit me like a rock" is phrase I've used in a few other Orford Parish Books reviews, but again, it's the only adequate way to describe my feelings on discovering the theme of this slim volume. Orford Parish Books' previous publications both effectively explored the fringes of weird horror, but I didn't know how one could possibly make the American flag scary. However, I was catching on, and I figured things were going to be interesting (if not anything else). My expectations were, again, exceeded.
Joseph Pastula's cover is quite eye-catching - there are skulls in the white lines, the red is reminiscent of blood, and the stars are all inverted pentagrams. These themes are expanded upon in the erudite faux-introduction "The Flag, and How it Got that Way" by an Orford Parish professor of demonology. This was a welcome surprise. It's a funny little thing, and adds to the delightful oddness of the book.
We kick this book off with Joseph Pastula's story "Orison for the Departed", which is not set inside Orford Parish but just outside of it. Its a sort of ghost story, more or less, about a house covered in flag paraphernalia, and the man who finds out why. For some reason this story reminds me of the Winchester Mystery House, but this is probably just a cosmetic connection. Pastula's prose is slightly more baroque than Breen's, but it suits the story quite well and provides nice contrast to the second offering. His development of atmosphere is quite skillful, and I look forward to seeing more full prose offerings from the author.
The second story is Tom Breen's "Our Heart's Blood Dyed in Every Fold". It follows an Orford Parish "flag club" (as it were) composed of fathers whose children have gone missing, and who blame a group of astral warriors for taking them. Drawing on a curious old witchcraft custom of Europe, the story evokes both laughter at the absurdity of the situation and pity for the poor, deluded (or are they?) men whose children have been taken. Breen cultivates a very strong voice for the narrative, whose sarcastic comments and snarky asides provide most of the humor in the tale.. No-one's laughing at the end, though, in a sad and disturbing conclusion with an ambiguous final line that still has me puzzling.
One would think that Pastula's baroque ghost story would clash with Breen's dark comedy, but they don't. The one actually compliments the other (and vice versa), highlighting the good qualities in the story it sits alongside.
The book ends with an appendix that echoes the introduction and gives a more thorough account of Orford Parish flag history. It's a fascinating bonus, one of the little touches that (like the introduction) really make this book shine.
On the whole, I am thoroughly surprised and impressed by this addition to the Orford Parish Books canon.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews