Beneath a Pale Sky

by Philip Fracassi

Beneath a Pale Sky collects eight stories of horror, including two original novellettes, that will take you from the high-security ward of a mental hospital to the top of a Ferris Wheel on an ocean pier. These stories will bury you in the rubble of an earthquake, pull back the veil on a soul's journey into the afterlife, and turn a small midwestern town into the secret domain of cross-dimensional gods. Combining old-school horror with the modern weird, Philip Fracassi will take you places you've never been before, and show you sights you won't soon forget.The supernatural intrudes upon a wedding; a pier becomes the site of tragedy; a collapsed building is only the start of the nightmare for those trapped in the ruins; a scientist who makes the discovery of a lifetime, only to find out that what he's unearthed has dire consequences not only for himself, but for all of mankind.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Short Story Collection, Audiobook, Collections

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2021

About the author

PHILIP FRACASSI is the Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award-nominated author of the novels A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, Boys in the Valley, The Third Rule of Time Travel, and The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre. He is also the author of the story collections Behold the Void, Beneath a Pale Sky, and No One is Safe!

His stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Black Static, Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Interzone, and Southwest Review.

Philip lives in Los Angeles and is represented by Copps Literary Services, Circle M + P, and WME. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky, or visit pfracassi.com.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beneath a Pale Sky. Every once in awhile a sky is revealed within these stories. I recall a pale blue at one point. At another, no color mentioned, and then there is black. As are those different colors of a sky, these stories diverse and eclectic. None were alike for me, and I love a collection that displays such a wide range. But range is nothing if a story is not told well, and the best part of each is definitely in the telling. Eight stories in total, varied in length as they are in scope, from about 8 pages to 50. You'd think it'd take more than a few pages to provide a setting and open the reader's eyes to a character's world, but it's not so.

Here's a fun and unusual note to make about this collection: From beginning to end, each story was progressively better, almost anyway. The final two stories were the best for me because they were the most introspective from a character's point of view. Both are full of thoughts on a life (as well as death) – assessing time, regrets, relationships. The general population would categorize this collection within the horror genre, but it's only that in part, and I like it more for that. Some stories here end without and ending, so to speak. Not always my favorite thing, but I realized doing so fits the story before it. Like life, we may know the ending, but what is after.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of short stories by Philip Fracassi!

Thinking about this collection last night, I came to the idea that each short story involved death in some way.
Either through the physical act or emotional one.

I love that this collection plays around with this theme and gives different scenarios or ideas on the horror of dying.

Favorites:

Harvest – 4/4.5 stars
(Great concept and atmosphere.)

The Wheel – 5 stars
(Perfection!)

Soda Jerk – 4 stars
(Great concept and the ending still gives me the creeps.)

ID – 5 stars
(I loved this one! Definitely stays with you and the insanity of it all is perfection.)

Death, My Old Friend – 4 stars
(Not necessarily horror but really loved this one.)

Great but wanted more to the story:

Fragile Dreams – 4 stars
(It would have been a favorite if unanswered questions that I had were addressed.)

Good:
***Comments after the title on why it wasn’t a favorite.***

Symphony – 3 stars
(I didn’t like the ending on this one. It didn’t feel true to the motivations of the characters.)

Ateuchus – 3.5 stars
(I need to take some acid and reread this again. 😂🤣 I loved the concept, but the ending lost me a bit.)

After reading this collection and getting an idea of Fracassi’s writing for multiple types of plots and horror, I’m excited to read more books by him this year!

[La loca de los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Con una prosa envolvente, Fracassi nos conduce por terrenos muy pantanosos.
Su imaginación y forma de relatar son exquisitas. Es ahí donde se nota su experiencia como guionista, pues las escenas que nos describe son muy evocadoras, muy visuales.
Ya nos avisa de ello Antonio Torrubia en el prólogo, y es que Fracassi te agarra y no te suelta hasta que cierras la última página, y ni así. Esas sensaciones seguirán bajo tu piel aún habiéndolo terminado.
Este autor pasa a estar en mi punto de mira y no dejaré pasar cualquier cosa que escriba.

Mis tres relatos favoritos fueron "Campo de cultivo", "La Noria" y "Sueños Inestables."
Por destacar algunos, cosa nada fácil, porque absolutamente todos tienen ese "algo" que te hace seguir pensando en la historia y lo que daría de sí de ser un relato más largo o incluso una novela.
Fracassi tiene esa capacidad de envolverte en sus historias y que sientas la angustia de sus personajes con una facilidad pasmosa, es leer unas líneas y quedar irremediablemente atrapado.

Les comento brevemente los ocho relatos que incluye esta antología, mis impresiones y algunas citas destacables.

🎡 "Campo de cultivo."

"[...] y el suave empuje del alcohol liberó la cuerda que ataba sus recuerdos al viejo muelle de madera de su pasado. Y, así liberados, los recuerdos se desplazaron por el mar del tiempo hasta su presente."

Muchos elementos tienen lugar y se tuercen en este relato.
Nunca una boda había dado tanto de sí.
Un relato estremecedor.

🎡 "La noria."

"Se requiere de tres hombres y un destino aciago para acabar con la vida de Mary."
Tan solo con estas líneas que abren el relato, te puedes hacer una idea del horror que se aproxima.
Recrea muy bien el ambiente y llegas a sentir el vértigo y claustrofobia de los protagonistas.
Muy bueno.

🎡 "El vendedor de helados."

Un pueblo lleno de secretos y un misterioso lago.
Extraño y lleno de incógnitas, pero me ha gustado y dejado con ganas de más.

🎡 "Sinfonía."

En este relato, la protagonista ya no es una niña. Ese duro paso a la adultez se ve enmascarado tras esos sueños que se repiten cada noche y los cuales le ayudan a sobrellevar los abusos que sufre y a no perder la cordura en el intento.
La escritura tan poética y descriptiva de este relato me han impedido disfrutarlo como se merece. 

🎡 "Ateuchus."

El fin de la humanidad tal y como la conocemos se acerca. Lo que no se imaginan es quien lo causará.
Muy bueno.

🎡 "Identidad."

Locura y la búsqueda de la verdadera identidad se dan la mano en esta demencial historia.

🎡 "Sueños inestables."

"El mundo bajo él comenzó a temblar con una violencia frenética, como si estuvieran atrapados dentro de una bola de nieve siendo sofocados por un niño malicioso."

A medida que te adentras en este penúltimo relato el desasosiego se apodera de ti sin que puedas remediarlo.
Absolutamente asfixiante y aterrador.
Una historia difícil de olvidar y cuya ambigüedad te hará dudar de todo hasta el último momento.
De mis favoritos.

🎡 "Muerte, mi viejo amigo."

En el último relato, Fracassi nos deleita con un divertido y emotivo relato sobre el inevitable paso del tiempo y la consiguiente muerte.
Me ha gustado mucho.

Para finalizar, en la presente edición se nos regala un posfacio de la mano de Luis Pérez Ochando, (el mismo que nos deleita con unas preciosas ilustraciones a lo largo de la antología), bastante extenso a la par que minucioso que me ha venido de lujo para aprender más de este autor y su obra, desconocido para mi hasta ahora.

Fracassi ha demostrado con esta potente antología, que no hace honor a su apellido. Perdón por el chiste malo 😆

📖 Próxima lectura:
"La llamada del Kill Club" - Gillian Flynn.

https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... 💜 📚

[Dr. Cat in the Brain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head's up.

Philip Fracassi's short fiction is some of the best I've ever read and I've read a lot.

I'm sick as a dog, so I don't got the energy to write a long critique, but I gotta give credit where it's due.

I picked up Behold the Void on a recommendation, finished it in a single sitting. Immediately ordered this book. Last night I finished Beneath a Pale Sky in 2 hours.

This collection has a ton of impressive works. It goes from a wedding caught in the eye of an emotional (and literal) storm, to the worst (or best) timed marriage proposal in history, alien invaders looking to change us for the better, Lovecraftian Soda served whether you like it or not and the most disturbing unicorn, ever.

Ever.

Jesus. Scrub that unicorn from my fevered, NyQuil drenched brain. God help me. Mamma mia.

Holy crap. What a ride.

Fracassi reminds me of Harlan Ellison. When his stories hit, they hit really hard and they draw blood. Make no mistake, this isn't safe ground. I was pulling away from some of these stories touching my lip and counting stars. As a reader I never felt comfortable. And that's the biggest compliment I can give to a piece of strange or horror fiction. It kept me on my toes. Even when I knew what was going to happen next, Fracassi 's stories had a way of slipping past the defences and nailing me in the chest. You think he's going for a gross out and he'll level you with emotional weight. He'll set you up for powerful or disturbing themes and fantasy and switch to brutal realism. The timing of each story is what worked for me. The rhythm. The way these stories can go from one extreme to another and back again without missing a beat? It's technique and talent and a ton of hard work.

Respect.

And like I said, I've read a lot of horror fiction. I've read the absolute best.

If you can catch me off guard, you can catch anybody.

Deeply impressive talent.

Even if you're not a horror fan give these stories a chance, you will be glad you did. Or you will be upset that you did.

I was a bit of both. But that's what I wanted.

Be careful what you wish for my darlings.

10/10 Perfect score.

- Mr. Cat in the Brain

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like with the previous collection, Behold the Void, Philip Fracassi gives us a curious collection of horror stories that find a great balance between the cerebral and the emotional, where even if you don’t fully grasp the totality of what transpired, the evocative feeling that the stories give you will be wholly satisfying.

The book is a collection that combines some of his latest short stories and novellas, ones that were both published previously and ones that were written for this book. Fracassi is great at detailing horrific but believable disastrous events and taking them to places that hint that they go beyond everyday tragedies and into the realm of the supernatural. This is on full display in many of these stories, such as with the horrifying Ferris Wheel tragedy in “The Wheel,” the deadly tornado in “Harvest,” or the earthquake in my favorite story in the collection: the novella Fragile Dreams (which I read previously as a stand-alone and reviewed it here). Each of these stories take everyday horror and transform them into something much more cosmic and extraordinary.

Along with Fragile Dreams , my other favorite stories are “Death, My Old Friend,” a stunning story that I also read previously and I still think is the best of Fracassi’s shorter tales, and “ID,” a sly, playful, and unreliable look at a friendship born in a mental hospital that will make you question your own sanity.

This author is always consistent with his engaging stories and I’m really looking forward to reading his upcoming debut novel later this year!

Thanks to the publisher for the Advanced Reader’s Copy.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

My god, what a great collection of stories. Not a surprise given that it’s Philip Fracassi. Full review to hopefully come later. I need to do some serious catching up.

[Jessica (Read book. Repeat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid collection of stories. I absolutely loved how every single story was completely different to the next. It explored a lot of different types of horror and a lot of different themes. I can't pick a favourite because they were all unique and solid stories. This was a great way to get a taste for what Fracassi can do and it will not be my last book by him. I'm looking forward to exploring his catalogue of work.

[Marc Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philip Fracassi is an exemplary writer of horror, who is capable of finding the words that when drawn together produce fresh and powerful, thought provoking and inventive scenes that transmit dread and enduring consternation in the reader's mind.

These stories string together beautifully, but the real power in these short stories is in Fracassi's writing. I have read my share of short stories and know that they are not my favourite and would much rather read a novella or novel. I had read 'Altar' and thought it was absolutely amazing. My next reading will definitely be one of his novels.

I definitely recommend this short story collection, especially for fans of this form of literature, and fans of horror.

[Candace Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beneath a Pale Sky is a collection of eight short but dark stories by author Philip Fracassi.  Booklist says, “This is a collection that articulates the dark emotions of the genre itself-unease, anxiety, and dread-as each tale turns on a dime from slightly unsettling to palpably terrifying, often with a single sentence, and the results are breathtaking.”

I happen to agree completely with the quote from Booklist above. This is an incredible collection of stories by a supremely talented author. Starting with the gorgeously designed book cover that alludes perfectly to what you will find within the pages, to the stories themselves that only get better the further you read. Fracassi captures the atmosphere and the emotions of each story with perfectly penned details, beautifully imagery and descriptions so vivid you can almost smell the air.

I must admit that I read this collection twice, having fallen in love with several of the stories. Harvest and The Wheel both spoke to me with their lush descriptions and near perfection of the stories being told.  The Soda Jerk was deeply unsettling, the more I read it, the more it disturbed me, which is exactly what we hope for in our genre. Fracassi has reached perfection in his mastery of the short horror story and each one in this collection delivers.

5 stars from Uncomfortably Dark.

[Joseph (Kevin) Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my introduction to Fracassi. I still have Beyond the Void on my TBR. What I got with BPS was not what I was expecting. In some ways I was disappointed and in other ways I was interested in his style and take on horror. Overall, I think I can say that the writing is done well, some forced metaphors, allusions in the first couple of stories, but after that, solid command of the language. What it left me with was that the stories just didn't hook me. There did not seem to be much "new" in regards to their content (tornado, earthquake, plane crash, alien invasion) except when you get to the ending of each story. As bleak and hopeful as those endings were, I was left just nodding my head and moving on.
My favorite story, which resembles Pan's Labyrinth, was Symphony. A story of a little girl in a horrible living environment who befriends someone that can help her...at a price. I liked the fantasy aspect to this one and it's ambiguity of the "helper's" motives. I also do respect Fracassi for allowing for happy endings.
I have read other reviews that "Behold" is a much stronger book and I look forward to see if that is indeed true.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Mr. Fracassi for the Advanced Reader’s Copy. What a thrill and honor to read this book before you unleash it to the world. Eight short stories to pull the reader in and engage them in a world of love, anger, fear, tension, suspense, shock and horror. I am always looking for a book where I can say “What the F%$K did I just read?” and this one fits perfectly. The language, prose and writing style Mr. Fracassi bestows upon us is second-to-none. Where else do you get magical sentences like these?

“The rain was different than in the dream world. The haunting music was still distinct, but faint, as if pressed against a massive membrane that separated this world from that of dreams. The sound of drops hitting the earth and flora was like the arguments of fairies, soothing with an underlying hostility.” ~ Symphony

“When you’re lonely and socially inept, you don’t choose your friends, you simply glide through life and keep your exterior sticky, hope to hell someone grabs onto you and holds on long enough to eventually discover the real you, the buried you that isn’t so bad, or scary or insane.” ~ ID

Harvest

Childhood friends, Carrie and Eli, create a special bond early in their lives due to traumatic events. As they grew older, the friendship remained but Carrie moved on to a “normal” life while Eli was considered by many to be an outcast. As Carrie’s wedding day arrives, her soon-to-be husband’s jealousy of her childhood love with Eli culminates in a whirlwind of events.

The Wheel

Mary and Rob are a young couple ready to embark on a path that leads to the rest of their lives. Rob just needs to “pop the question”. In an effort to create the perfect proposal, he decides to take things to the next level: he will ask Mary to be his wife on the top of a Ferris Wheel.

Jeremiah Peters is a former carnie who now operates the Santa Monica pier Ferris Wheel. He has a criminal past for sexual harassment. He has tried to escape his past, but the desires of the flesh are often too much.

Frank is a divorced, drunk amateur pilot. One night, in a drunken stupor, he decides to take a quick flight. Alcohol, depression and flight is a recipe for a disaster cocktail.
Will the worlds of Mary, Rob, Jeremiah and Frank collide?

Symphony

Esther is teenager who lost her mom when she was a young child. Her father, coping with the loss, began drinking heavily. His efforts to comfort his daughter during his alcohol filled nights, begin to cross the line. In her room one night, she sees a shadowy figure who she calls Hobbes. He is a creature from another realm. Will he help her and if so, at what cost?

Soda Jerk

Ellie is a 16-year-old who recently moved from Chicago to the small town of Sabbath. The town is nestled beside the beautiful Sabbath Lake. Ellie meets James Honeycutt (Jimmy), who offers to show her around town. She quickly discovers Sabbath is like no other town. Perhaps its something in the water?

Ateuchus

Alfie is a geologist in Utah. His colleague discovered a meteorite unlike any found before. Alfie decides this new discovery is his and takes the meteorite to his home lab for further analysis. Perhaps this will be the break he has been waiting for all his life? A new space rock that may prove life exists elsewhere in the universe.

ID

A thought-provoking narrative about a nameless young man and his struggles with mental health. After a botched suicide attempt, he finds himself in the mental ward of a hospital. Here he develops a friendship with Crystal, another patient. After being released from the hospital, the two continue their friendship. It quickly turns into a bizarre relationship where everyone questions their sanity.

Fragile Dreams

Matthew is fresh out of law school and ready to embark on his future. He just needs to land a job. As he is awaiting an interview, the state of California experiences a powerful earthquake. Thousands of people are trapped or killed, and Matthew is one of them. While he is crushed and unable to move, he experiences numerous flashbacks on his life. He also meets Dee, a paralegal in the law firm who is trapped beside him. Will he make it out alive?

Death, My Old Friend

John is best friends with Death and has been his entire life. Although they are inseparable, Death has taken away the people John loves the most. John eventually meets and marries Sophie, his soulmate and begins to spend less time with Death. Whose time is next?

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beneath A Pale Sky collects eight stories from Philip Fracassi into a 250 page volume. As is the norm with a collection, some of the stories resonated with me, others didn’t. But the one constant lies in Fracassi’s prose, consistently striking in every story. Fracassi crafts an immersive experience on every page. The reader could be an observer in a scene where nothing is happening, but by describing the chill in the air, the sound a crisp leaf makes when it hits the ground, Fracassi draws you onto the page and invests you. Yeah, you never had a choice.
Many of the stories contained are in the novella/novelette length, giving Fracassi the time to craft character and setting, though my favorite is also the shortest, proving this author has the chops at any length, and making me look forward to his first novel later this year.
Beneath A Pale Sky offers an admirable variety, including “The Wheel”, a harrowing, all too-plausible tale that provides the inspiration for the beautiful cover art. “ID” utilizes form to tell a manic story with roots in the psychiatric ward. Fracassi takes us into the head of the main character, and it’s not an enviable position. The final story “Death, My Old Friend” isn’t particularly scary, but reads as equal parts coming-of-age and existential literature. The innate beauty in this story hits all the right emotions, twisting your gut. A deep exhale as you read the last line and sit with the book open on your lap and just ponder. I remember having the same feeling after reading “You Are Released” by Joe Hill a few years ago. I think “Death” might be my favorite short story since then.
You don’t wind up with blurbs from Paul Tremblay and Christopher Golden, as well as an introduction from Josh Malerman without being pretty damn good at what you do. Fracassi is just that and proves it with Beneath A Pale Sky.

[Raechel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the best short story collections I've read in a long time. Every single story surprised and horrified me, none of them are boring.

I was hesitant to read this book because I was guilty of one of the worst Reader Sins: I judged it by the cover, which I thought was boring. The cover certainly suggests a "dreamlike" vibe for these stories, which they have... but it's the kind of dream that disturbs you upon waking. The kind you don't want to linger upon, but can't help to do.

I wasn't even sure what these stories were about, which I think enhances the reading experience. I had no idea where these paths would take me--and I found myself in the midst of madness and demons and ghosts and the devil and alien worlds. It was fantastic.

Harvest - This story is like if Carrie and The Lottery had a baby.
The Wheel - A doomed date. The ending really hit me.
Soda Jerk - Gross and creepy and nostalgic for those old scary story collections I'd read as a kid.
Symphony - I absolutely loved this one and all its occult weirdness.
Ateuchus - Probably the one story that you can kind of guess where it's going, but it takes you farther than you anticipate.
ID - This entire story is unsettling and the ending truly horrified me.
Fragile Dreams - Do you have specific horror scenarios you think you'd go insane if they happened to you? This is one of mine.

If you are a fan of horror stories I HIGHLY recommend you read this collection. I am blown away by Fracassi's ability to write and the themes and scenarios he weaves into his stories. I don't re-read a lot of books but I can honestly see myself going back to these.
Death, My Old Friend - A fitting end.

[Christopher O'Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since falling in love with Fracassi's collection Behold the Void, I had been waiting for his next one. Beneath a Pale Sky lived up to every expectation set up by his debut! He has the uncanny ability to progress the plot beyond what you expect. He leaves you in these situation where you're forced to suffer with these characters, never able to say whether they'll make it out alive until the final sentence.

And the characters, my god. Cosmic Horror, in my experience, tends to leave character work out in favor of atmosphere and lofty prose. Fracassi shirks that and gives you fascinating people who's minds truly experience the indescribable—described in truly horrific ways against all odds.

I truly can't wait for Fracassi's new novel. The longer stories in this collection were my favorites—though "Death, My Best Friend" reduced me to tears despite its short length.

The narration was also excellent! It's great to hear Canadian voices in narration. Acting school did its best to squash the Canadian out of my voice, so I was overjoyed to hear Adriel Brandt embrace his own!

[Román Sanz Mouta · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://dentrodelmonolito.com/2022/05...

De nuevo Fracassi, con otra antología multipremiada, con el recuerdo de su primera colección, esa inmejorable Contemplad el Vacío. Las expectativas son altas, el anhelo por tenerlo en mis manos y adentrarme en los terrores del para mí maestro del horror pesimista y catastrófico, máximas. Porque tiene algo, dentro de la nueva terna de autores y autoras de horror, patrios o ajenos, que lo diferencia; mezcla una contundencia en la construcción de frases, expresiones, escenas, momentos, emociones o miedos, que desmonta la psique y hace que la leamos y releamos y nos relamamos, ya que resulta algo tan novedoso como viejo, mezclando literatura clásica y voces bien conocidas, con la atmósfera actual y los pánicos presentes. Porque además lleva cada cuento, cada trama, a cada personaje, al límite, doliendo, consiguiendo que te afecte, lector, lectora (al tiempo, ya me dirás). Sobrepasando las fronteras de lo correcto, lo posible o lo improbable, fusionando la maldad humana, la esquiva fortuna, lo paranormal o lo cósmico. ¿Que cómo lo hace? Siendo bueno, muy bueno. E inclemente. Con esta premisa me pongo a devorar, a sufrir con sus ocho nuevos cuentos a disposición. Veamos…

Campo de cultivo:
Ha llegado la boda entre Carrie y Parker, una boda con varios invitados tan imprescindibles como indeseados por la parte opuesta. El hermano y los colegas del novio quieren ajustar cuentas con el mejor amigo de la novia, dejar las cosas claras. Un joven que siempre se ha mantenido al lado de Carrie, inseparable, en perfil bajo, en tercer y hasta en cuarto plano, reprimiendo sus emociones, sin reclamar nada para sí. Porque Eli es especial, tiene ciertos dones. Cuando todo confluye en la iglesia, anhelos, rencor, alcohol, y una tormenta descomunal (algo nunca visto, un arrebato climatológico personal contra aquellos que abajo tratan de celebrar), la ceremonia se condena. La inquietud se traslada por medio de tensión creciente, en alerta, porque la conjunción de elementos devendrá en imprevisible y funesta. El autor con su carta de credencial; convertir una ceremonia en el preámbulo del desastre, desastres que combinan la estupidez y maldad humana con la alteridad y cierto componente extraño. La boda supone una nave a la deriva que no sabe que ya ha naufragado, que se mantiene unos segundos más a flote por medio de emociones, emociones que comparte con el lector. Bien.

La noria:
La demoledora frase inicial anticipa lo que sucederá en el cuento: «se requiere de tres hombres y un destino aciago para acabar con la vida de Mary». Cercena la esperanza de un relato en apariencia inocente en el arranque post prefacio. La chica emocionada por esta cita que se prolonga en el calendario, que alimenta la llama. El chico emocionado con esa chica y que quiere proponerle el mayor de los tratos de confianza con la escena perfecta, culminada en lo alto de la noria, ¿qué podría salir mal? A partir de ahí, metidos en la feria, veremos lo que el destino y su voluntad inclemente deciden para ellos, con la ayuda de un piloto borracho, divorciado y descastado que quiere recuperar lo perdido con ayuda de sus alas, y un tercer hombre, operador de noria, capaz de arreglarlo todo menos sus antecedentes y su perversión. Ahora, cambian las tornas, porque, con esta combinación ¿qué puede salir bien? Pues aun a sabiendas, y con un dominio extremo de la arquitectura de la tensión y el drama, siempre se guarda una sorpresa, un giro que nos avalancha. Tantas formas del desastre a elegir y solo una que no adivinamos. Pelos sin parpadear y mirada de punta provoca.

El vendedor de helados:
Una familia se muda a un pequeño pueblo debido a problemas consensuantes con la realidad. Su hija, Ellie, no está de acuerdo, lo pierde todo en el trasvase, un trauma adolescente, el horror definitivo. Jimmy, un joven apuesto, se presenta para agasajar a la familia en su llegada. La madre casi parece ansiosa porque su hija salga, conozca gente, se integre, incluso que pase la noche por ahí. La subasta. Se arrepentirá, lo sabemos. Jimmy le enseña a la joven los lugares predilectos de Sabbath, el peculiar pueblo. Con su lago, un lago poseedor de ruido propio, tiempo propio, color y textura propias, las sombras y el viento lo confirman. También el vertedero es parte de la experiencia, la cuna de tesoros según él, un muchacho de dos caras divergentes. Cuando regresan a la villa y su ocaso, ella ya no puede con su desconfianza… Con este relato hiperbreve cruzamos la frontera de la realidad, de la verdad tras lo planteado como argumento, que devendrá en estremecedor. Texto de atmósfera opresiva, la principal protagonista junto a la amenaza latente, nieblas y ambientes que pueden morderte.

Sinfonía:
¿Son los sueños ángeles y demonios? ¿Son mensajes? ¿Son una llamada, una convocatoria inevitable que olvidas al amanecer? Esther cree recibir esa llamada recurrente, y decide contestarla. Una niña transformándose en mujer que ha perdido a su madre y malvive con un padre enloquecido, quien juega indecorosamente con ella (y duele, mucho). No lo puede soportar Esther, se refugia en los sueños, que la mandan bajo la tormenta a buscar tesoros. Tesoros que pueden cambiar algo, porque sabe que su vida es errónea, incorrecta, y se siente mal, pero no puede compartirlo con nadie (impotencia). Ese algo arriva desde el otro lado, un quimerismo improbable. Esther se aferra a la esperanza, nosotros ya no… Fábula oscura, siniestra, lesiva y realista sobre el abuso y la evasión. Ese mundo de fantasía que pasa al primer plano para preservar nuestra cordura infante. Terrible.

Ateuchus:
Alfie, un ambicioso y joven experto en lo suyo (hay que mantener algún secreto, por mucho que aquí se desgrane, las sorpresas siguen en el fondo…) acude a la llamada de un colega para ver los restos de una roca imposible venida del espacio, de tiempos antediluvianos o incluso más antigua. Su amigo no encuentra la razón ni la composición. Alfie se lleva la piedra a casa, a un laboratorio que es fortaleza blindada que quizá se convierta en su enemiga, porque igual que no deja entra tampoco permite la salida. Allí, mientras examina, estudia y trastea muestras con la mayor rigurosidad y los mejores equipos sustraídos de la universidad, algo surge de ella, esa alteridad que todo lo cambia. El progreso del descubrimiento irá salpimentado por los sueños de fama del investigador, ya colmado de imaginarias loas futuras, sin tener en cuenta el peligro inminente de algo que ni conoce ni sabe cómo pueda comportarse, cosa que tú y yo sí intuimos… ¿Algo alienígena venido allende del tiempo y del cosmos? Obsesión como cumbre, fatalidad mayestática en el horizonte. Huele y sabe a cuento antiguo, a ciencia ficción, a inocencia, a lo sencillo que es soñar y lo duro que resulta el despertar, con visuales y desenlace ominoso.

Identidad:
Un hombre deprimido se abre, nos cuenta directamente su historia, nos menciona, nos refiere, nos demanda; nos necesita. Cómo se intentó suicidar y acabó en el psiquiátrico. Cómo conoció a la peculiar fauna que allí habitaba, en particular a una mujer, Crystal, de la que desea narrarnos su historia. Una fémina cuyo cuerpo no corresponde con la cara o con el carácter, no tiene una parte propia de anatomía en relación con otra, pero sus ojos secuestran la voluntad del narrador en dicho rostro que continúa cambiando, quizá por operaciones estéticas sin freno, quizá por otro motivo más terrible. Por eso lo escuchamos, lo acompañamos, porque conoce algo que necesitamos saber y que anhela contar. Recuerda que, cuando estás solo, cuando el mundo se te cae encima, no escoges a los amigos (no tienes amigos, ya te abandonaron), aceptas lo que venga y te alegra que alguien se pueda interesar por ti, así de insignificante es la condición del ser humano cuando se derrumba la psique. Pues su protagonista te pedirá ayuda para resolver tal enigma, de ella, y de sí mismo. Este texto, quizá el mejor de la colección, nos parece mucho más contemporáneo, casi mudando el estilo como un reptil el autor. Una historia magistral que juega con la mente, con la percepción, con la cercanía para contigo, lector, lectora, con esos problemas tan patentes tras lo sufrido en la pandemia, y ese reflejo que puede llegar a destrozarnos. ¿Quieres escoger entre el pabellón verde y el pabellón azul?

Sueños inestables:
Matthew, junto a su adorable Diane y su buen amigo Kelly. Matthew, quien no sabemos si sufre un trastorno o es algo más complejo. Porque afrontaremos esa duda perenne entre la invisible línea que separa (según los cuerdos, la mayoría) la realidad de la ficción o el onírico. Esa frontera en la que navegamos y a veces naufragamos. Soñar dentro de un sueño dentro de otro sueño, imaginar en el mismo, salir o no salir, tener un mínimo de control con la capacidad de terminarlo y despertar. Preguntas inquietantes para todos aquellos (onironautas) que adoptamos una existencia en parte basada en lo que allí sucede. Paralelismos. Pues no. O sí. Este relato me engañó por completo. La anterior fue mi primera sensación inestable, de mundo que se movía bajo los pies. Y no, un desastre, esperanzas de vida y expectativas de futuro en una pareja que se forma y asienta y quieren ser uno y depender uno del otro en su futuro compartido. Estudios, profesión, hogar, planes anegados ante una hecatombe mayor. Un hombre roto, Matthew, que hace evaluación de sí mismo, de su físico bajo el derrumbe por terremoto, y de su línea vital hasta el momento. Todo lo relacionado con Diane. Agonía, desesperación, impotencia, privación de parte de los sentidos, disociación del tiempo, a eso nos enfrenta aquí Fracassi. Contagiando la fatalidad del protagonista, quien casi no clama por esperanza, que se aferra a cuanto puede en la ominosa oscuridad bajo el peso del mundo. Mi valoración es esquizofrénica, bipolar, he leído varios cuentos en uno, bien diferentes, traspapelados. Lo dejo a tu interpretación…

Muerte, mi viejo amigo:
¿Y si la Muerte, la propia Muerte, fuese un estado físico, una criatura como tú y yo? Con su nombre que ya es estigma, porque la Muerte no elige ni ejecuta, solo hace la transacción de vivos a muertos una vez que el caprichoso destino determina, dejándole a él o a ella la peor parte del trabajo. Esto lo vemos desde su infancia y adolescencia contado por su mejor amigo, el mejor amigo de la Muerte. Sus labores, todo lo que no podía compartir o en lo que no le era permitido participar, el miedo provocado por su mera presencia (poneos en lugar de unes y otres). Cómo se relaciona, qué piensa cuando debate sobre problemas y conceptos mundanos o divinos. Una inquietante disquisición que coge a esa figura totalitaria que es la Muerte y la convierte en alguien vulnerable, que siente, que padece o que disfruta, que tiene mejor amigo (de verdad que un amigo/a es el mayor tesoro). Pero, sobre todo, vulnerable, al resto, a sus futuras víctimas. Tremendo.


Mi aplauso final a Luis Pérez Ochando, que cierra el volumen con una disección que hace del escritor mostrándolo en toda su tenebrosidad, con citas o palabras y sensaciones de la mayoría de sus creaciones, niños y niñas, pesadillas de verbo. Permite entender qué busca y por qué escribe así.

Con Fracassi las horas y las hojas se te hacen cortas, porque quieres correr al desenlace pero a la vez no perderte nada del camino tortuoso, ese que ha prometido del inicio. Acabas por preguntarte, sabiendo que duele, si esa decisión que tomaste, esa cita que mantuviste, aquel lugar visitado… si cualquier instante de tu vida no puede terminar igual de mal, de nefando, rozando la peor de las perversiones en la catástrofe. La respuesta es sí, podría. Por eso nos atenaza, nos engancha, nos lleva de la mano para que contemplemos su verdad, con una construcción de prosa, unas comparaciones, unas metáforas, una arquitectura que mezcla el estilo clásico con otro más grandilocuente y moderno que te conduce a pensamientos íntimos, te arrebata como la ola hacia dentro del mar cuando no permite retorno a la orilla; primero te seduce, luego te arrastra y después te ahoga. Es difícil convertirse en un personaje de Fracassi (yo miro por encima del hombro a cada poco, con temor, para ver si escribe sobre mí), es sencillo y jodido leerlo.

Existen varias constantes en esta compilación, como los desastres meteorológicos de la nada (huracanes, tornados, tormentas, que parecen invocadas por algo más, algo mayor), los lagos (espejos de diversas épocas o dimensiones, manchas de pátina negrazulí que pueden llevarte a su otro lado). Tergiversa el universo para que nosotros decidamos lo que es real y lo que no. Indefectiblemente, acabamos cediendo a su oscuridad, convencidos que todo es posible, instalados en el miedo al detalle, al momento, a la persona, al cielo, a una gota de agua. El terror corre paralelo a la realidad, y a la vez, la otredad acecha, porque quizá ese miedo o esos actos atroces tan humanos convocan al otro lado. O quizá sean uno, se necesitan y se hermanen. Así destruye cimiento a brizna a cada personaje y situación planteada. Alteridad improbable, posible, inminente.

Fracassi genera desconfianza y desasosiego como un prestidigitador. Arranca el texto, todos y cada uno de ellos, y parece que captas el tono, el género y sentido, adivinando lo que vendrá después. Pues no. Habrá un golpe de cuento, lo pondrá del revés igual que a ti te dejará con la mente inversa. Compone cuadros, escenas, visuales, instantes, expresiones… para darnos un nuevo prisma con el que contemplar algo relativamente normal, y que convierte la rutina, el día a día, en una amenaza. Ese es el gran valor que tiene. Horror introspectivo y pesimista, funesto, enrevesado, tendencia al desastre mayor, en ocasiones te tortura lento, en otras a súbita calamidad. Pues con todo, uno de estos cuentos me ha desbordado una lágrima. Anverso y reverso. Grande.

He quedado con la sensación que en esta antología, comparada con la anterior, Contemplad el Vacío (de lo mejor en relatos que jamás leeré), y pese a los toques de lo extraño y paranormal o absurdo, se impone más el horror de ese realismo pesimista, los miedos, las situaciones que se repiten cotidianamente y que a la vez son ajenas para la mayoría de habitantes del primer mundo. Esa es la llaga donde mete el dedo Fracassi. Me dejó algo más completo su primera colección, manteniendo su excelencia en esta segunda, colmando los ojos, y haciéndonos revivir sus historias, las de sus protagonistas, ya bien dejadas atrás las páginas. En resumen, un autor de culto.

Pd: imagino a Fracassi escribiendo, disfrutando como un niño, vislumbrando las reacciones que provocará, nuestra cara de pasmo ante cada giro… Y, además de hacerlo bien, ¡lo pasa en grande!

Pd II: hazte con esta y con la primera antología de Fracassi, ¡ya!

[thevampireslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blending gruesome and the down right terrifying with the emotionally impactful? Introducing, Philip Fracassi everyone👏 this author has the uncanny ability to make me unable to breath when reading his work, the story never goes where I think its going too, is this man from earth? Who sent him? Honestly a horror literary force to be reckoned with, in my opinion (who do I think I am 😂) this collection of short stories was phenomenal, horror has never been written so beautifully, his characters never fail to be authentic and they crawl into your heart and scratch (sorry thats a horrible image) Harvest was my favourite in this collection but they were all brilliant, have you read this? What's your favourite? Do you like short fiction? What you having for dinner?

[Gatorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific collection of short stories/novellas from Fracassi, a true star of the horror genre. Not a bad one in the bunch. Masterfully written and full of strong characters, each story tells a tale that leaves you thinking about it long after it's over. One of the better collections I've read in a while, up there with Hawkins' "Suburban Nightmares". 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beneath a Pale Sky is a flawless collection of literary horror that manages to be emotionally complex yet unpretentious, cinematic yet grounded and beautiful yet foreboding. I adored each story and loved every moment; this is an outstanding collection of memorable stories and I give it my highest recommendation.

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful ending to a beautiful collection.

[AFrolicInTheTomesXx · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection was okay. Definitely very mid. The stories all seemed to be mundane very “regular” life scenarios with a bit of weird thrown in. I’ll let my reviews on the stories do most of the talking though.

Harvest- a strange boy will risk anything for the girl he loves, even if she doesn’t love him back. It takes her wedding day being interrupted by horrific events for that to be shown. 3.5/5. Kinda meh but also beautiful.

The wheel- people get stuck on a Ferris wheel as catastrophe happens on the pier below them. 1/5. This one was bland and the sexual violence in it made no sense.

Soda jerk- a young girls family moves to a new town, where she is given a tour of all the strange landmarks by a very weird neighbor. This one was the most out there so far. Also the shortest so far. I only wish it was longer. 3.5/5.

Symphony- a girl who is being mistreated by her father meets a mysterious unearthly being, drawn by its music. 4/5. I liked this and it was the most horror out of all of them so far. Not sure how I feel about the ending though.

Ateuchus- a geologist finds life in an ancient meteorite. Things get very strange from there. Bug horror. Cosmic. Definitely interesting but felt incomplete because of length. 3.5/5

ID- a man tells a story of how he met his partner at a psych ward. 2/5. Pretty much ended how I expected and relied on what I consider cheap tropes. Unnecessary to say the least. Was readable though.

Fragile dreams- guy has really weird mind bending dreams. This one was 1/5 for me. It was long, I hate when something focuses on dreams THIS much. And I was just bored.

Death, my old friend- a man is a friend with death. You watch how this impacts his life.
2.75/5. Another one where exactly what you expect to happen is exactly what happens. I appreciate the sentiment though and the sweetness of the ending. Just don’t get the point of it being in this collection.

—-
Well there you have it. An okay collection that I’m glad I finally read. But I think the mundaneness just didn’t work for me in this as a lot of the stories I actually liked were the ones on the weirder side.

I want to try this authors novels but I don’t think his short fiction is exactly for me! And that’s okay!

[Jennifer *Last Book on the Left* · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All the devils have come to feast on the dead"
 
I have been looking forward to this book for a while. I am so happy to be able to review this ARC from one of my favorite authors! I had no doubt that it would be a fantastic collection of stories. I started reading this one with super high expectations and it turns out I wouldn't be disappointed!
 
In this collection we get a range of stories from subtle and dread inducing cosmic horror to sad and horrifying tales of disasters just waiting to happen. Stories of the symphony of Hell and gods hiding just below the surface of the water.
 
Here are the three stories I liked the most:
 
🦇‘Wheel’ takes us to Santa Monica pier in California, a place I've been many times. I always feel more connected to the story when it takes place in an area I am super familiar with (I lived in SoCal for 35 years). I couldn't put down this tale of a couple headed to the top of the Farris Wheel while something is coming their way that will destroy their lives forever.  
 
🦇‘Soda Jerk’ is a dread inducing account of a town that has a secret to hide. Where something strange is lurking in the cold expansive depths of the lake and the local diner has a very special menu.
 
🦇‘Symphony’ tells the tale of a little girl dealing with the loss of her mother and the inappropriate advances of her grieving father. She takes solace in her new friend Hobbes, a creature from outside our world.
 
The other stories take us from a wedding with disastrous consequences to the mountains of Utah to a mental ward where a strange relationship is forming between two patients. We get earthquakes, Death, meteorites, and a trip to Hell.
 
I highly recommend getting this book when it comes out on June 15th, you won’t be disappointed! 
 
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Alex Wolfgang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding collection, Fracassi continues to impress me. I've been following his work since Behold the Void, and though I really enjoyed his standalone novellas, this is the followup I've been waiting for. To me, he's mastered the balance between gorgeous, literary prose and high octane thrill rides.

I don't want to reveal too much about the stories' plots because of how much I enjoyed going in blind, but The Wheel was so suspenseful that it had me pacing around my house to cope with the stress. Ateuchus was delightfully gross and cosmic, a classic sci-fi horror scenario made unique and memorable. ID had me questioning my sanity. Harvest felt like a sister story to Behold the Void's Altar, where humans encounter something far bigger and more dangerous than they could ever truly comprehend.

I can't recommend this collection enough. If you love weird fiction and literary horror, this will likely be one of your favorite releases of 2021.

[L.J. Zapico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenéis una amplia reseña en: https://capsulaslj.blogspot.com/2023/...

Buscad una foto, de esas que están llenas de detalles, elementos y personajes. No se, un paseo marítimo durante una fiesta, llena de gente y atracciones.
Ampliad una parte, un fragmento, con sus parejas paseando, niños jugando, bebés llorando, luces en medio de algún parpadeo, etc.
Y ahora, meted una catástrofe en el conjunto. Desde una presencia extraña a un derrumbe o un incendio, pasando por lo imposible, la sombra de lo extraño... lo que queráis.
Ése es el campo de juego de Philip Fracassi en "Bajo un cielo lívido".
Y ahí, justo en eso, Fracassi es el mejor.
Un escritor con una narración sólida, llena de matices, maravillosos adjetivos y escenas repletas de terror cotidiano, junto con elementos inevitables y extraños.
Fracassi se erige como un narrador en un plano superior, una figura que mete a entornos y personajes en un bote de cristal, agita la mezcla y que se apañen.
"Bajo un cielo lívido" tiene un título tan evocador como acertado: los personajes (y lectores) están (estamos) a merced de elementos que no comprendemos y solo pueden (podemos) mirar hacia arriba a ver si pasa la tormenta.

Fracassi ha llegado para quedarse y arrasar nuestra realidad, llenarla de elementos extraños y que no tengamos más opción que mirar al cielo, a ese lívido espejo, hasta que todo pase.
Si es que pasa, claro.

[David Washburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Boys in the Valley, and then following up with Sacculina, I gave this one a spin expecting more beautiful prose that plays well in the dark. What I got here was a bag of tricks from Fracassi's morbid mind.

While I didn't love every story in this, there were some stand outs that I loved. Considering this is a collection, I feel I should just rapid fire each story with short reactions.

The Harvest - 2/5
Not the greatest start to the book for me. Simply just didn't connect with the plot.

The Wheel - 4/5
Brilliantly written, alternating POV. Fracassi has a lot of fun writing immersive destruction and undoing in real time.

Soda Jerk - 3/5
Underwhelming start with a strong finish. Twist ending.

Symphony - 3/5
Great premise that worked at times, but too much flowery language and imagery took me out of the story.

Ateuchus - 4/5
Love this setup! Chasing fame only gets you into trouble.

ID - 4/5
Well written, intense! This story may have had me the most engaged. I wish the ending were a little more complete. Lots of tension and excellent buildup only to just... end...

Fragile Dreams - 4/5
This one started a bit confusing but hooked me quickly. Super creative writing from the POV of a character injured under athe rubble of a collapsed building. Incredible writing! (See a pattern here?)

Death, My Old Friend - 4/5
Unique spin on the reaper.

Overall, great collection. I'm looking forward to continuing to tear through the Fracassi backlist!

[Becky Spratford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming to Booklist Magazine soon.

Three Words That Describe This Book: slathered in dread, economy of words, overflowing with emotions

From my draft review:

This is a must read collection for those who enjoy horror in its short form by authors who can morph two dimensional words on the page into a very real terror from which readers cannot hide, even if they wanted to, such as Nadia Bulkin and John Langan.

[Austrian Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I take “Beneath a pale sky” apart into its constituent pieces in an attempt to explain my overall impression of Mr. Fracassi's collection, it would be remiss not to mention the overall impression one gets from reading a collection such as this – I think it would be fair to say that Philip hit it out of the ballpark with this. In terms of immersion into his collected worlds, the poetry of the language on display, breadth, and scope of themes – it’s all golden. You get the feeling that the author knows exactly what he is doing, and where he is going, and each story has its own emotional impact on the reader. It is, quite literally, breathtaking. Seen as a whole.

It would a disservice to highlight any of those elements I mentioned above because they all tie together so well that you know that you don’t want to break the magic of it all. So, the only option left is a closer look at the individual stories. Favorites have to be Harvest, The Wheel, and Fragile dreams. An interesting collection in that they all describe catastrophes – with "Harvest" we have a tornado, "The Wheel" documents a man-made disaster at a fairground on a pier (from which the cover gets its inspiration), and lastly in Fragile Dreams we experience an earthquake. Those three stories have massive emotional investment from the reader. In the first, we are so heavily invested in the protagonist Eli and his supernatural control of the elements, that his blinding love for his best friend becomes our world. The wheel introduces a love story between two young adults, just starting out on their life journey together, the man plans to surprise his beau with a proposal on the top of the Ferris wheel, spot lit against the disaster about to happen from a third party – the whole short runs on foreshadowing events, the bitter taste of what must happen with us from the beginning. And Fragile Dreams documents a man trapped in the rubble of a destroyed building after an earthquake. It has the feel of 9/11, both the “World trade center” film and the event. The protagonist's memories of friends, love interests, and parents (and substitute parent) bring out the reader's empathy and sorrow. All three of those shorts are long enough to feel like novellas in their own rights – you really feel like you got your money’s worth from them alone.

That’s not to dismiss the other shorts in the collection, with subjects are broad as Alien life, Magical realism and something akin to a unicorn Pan type creature, Mental illness, Death as a best friend. Fracassi brings his craft to all of the shorts, sometimes more so than others (Symphony was overly poetic – one gets the feeling Fracassi concentrated on the lyricism of the text and descriptions to the exclusion of everything else save the plot). It’s spellbinding, to be sure.

I wanted to look at Symphony in particular because it was distinctive through my unease. I apologize for the spoilers here, but to do credit to my discomfort, I have to break it down. If you want to avoid spoilers, skip all the following in italics:

A girl is woken by a symphony that leads her outside into a forest, where she has the compulsion to dig in a specific spot, where she discovers an amulet shaped like a unicorn. She lives in a broken household – her mother has recently died, and her father has broken down, become an alcoholic, and has initiated the beginnings of sexual abuse with his daughter (not penetrative yet, though we are left in no doubt that is his goal). To cut to the chase, the daughter defends herself whilst her amulet protector (a Pan-type creature) is merged with the father, she kills (as far as I can tell) the father but sustains mortal damage herself. She staggers back to the glade where she found the pendant, destroys the thing, and then dreams she hears her mother's voice calling her, and she is reunited with her mother, and father, and everyone is dead but happy in what I assume is a private heaven.

Now it’s because the abuse is the defining trigger in the story, that I have such a problem with the end. She is forced to defend herself against her father, whose rage mortally wounds her. He is primarily there to have sex – his lust is the driving force behind his actions, and she is terrified and repulsed by that need. She effectively kills him, but then he is a part of the heaven that we see at the end? So, I take it that she has forgiven the monster he became and is content with the previous memory of what he was before his wife died when he was actually a loving father? But trauma and abuse don’t forgive and forget that easily? It felt as if a happy ending was attempted, but yeah – I think it was a little misguided in that she dies through the trauma her father inflicts, after mental and physical trauma, yet she still clings to the memory of him as a good man? Regardless of how he was before the death of his wife, his memory is tainted by his actions since that event.

Yeah – as I said, probably only me here that has a problem with this, and I am sure that Philip meant a peaceful ending for his abused character, but for me, it’s a monster in heaven.

The collection is stunning, no doubt about it, the attention to detail, character, and prose leaves you in no doubt why the world is going crazy for Philip’s writing. It’s solid, through and through, certainly one of the best collections and showcases of a writer’s abilities that I have read in a long time. It all seems so effortless, you know that this is just the tip of the iceberg of Fracassi’s talent.

I still can’t separate my favorite from Harvest and The wheel. Both are heartbreaking.

5 out of 5 ⭐ ‘s, and I can’t wait for Boys in the Valley in summer ’23.

My thanks to both Philip Fracassi and Sadie Hartmann for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Gwendolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating 2.75 stars

I am still very new to the horror genre and I received this collection of short stories in the Nightworms subscription box, so I thought I would give it a go. Here's the thing, none of these stories scared me, none of them would keep me up at night. Maybe I have a higher threshold than some? What I did like was the writing. Beautiful descriptions, striking mental images and a sense of unease and dread did keep me turning the pages on some of the stories.

Harvest - 3.5 stars (loved the characters and the ambience of this one the best)
The Wheel - 3 stars
Soda Jerk - 3 stars
Symphony - 2
Ateuchus - 2
ID - 4 (loved the setting)
Fragile Dreams - 1 (way too long!)
Death, My Old Friend - 3

Some of the individual ratings could have been higher if the ending was a bit stronger or not as ambiguous.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was as phenomenal as I had heard. Beneath a Pale Sky has been recommended to me over and over and I can see why. I loved the CoverArt. And the story that went along with it.

The Wheel, the second story in the collection was my favorite. It was “real life” horror; not a lot of supernatural elements, which made it all the more terrifying. How one stranger’s bad decision can actually destroy your life. I loved the cause and effect nature of this story. The characters were beautifully written and drawn together in this hellscape. If you are scared of heights…well this one will make your heart flutter.

From tornadoes, falling Ferris Wheels, weird milk shakes and being trapped under the rubble of a destroyed office building these stories are full of disaster and fear. Lots of fun!

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, let's talk about Fracassi's writing shall we? Because, seriously, I hate the guy.

I read a lot of stuff. I read a lot of genres. I read comic books and non-fiction books and horror and science fiction and...well, I pretty much read anything except heavy political or religious works. Other than that, I'm pretty much open to everything.

And the reason I say this is, when I read stuff, the stuff I mostly enjoy is writing that fits into my style. That is, the story starts, carries on, and finishes and, because it fits within my framework and worldview, I find it satisfying. I read an action novel, and I get a shit-ton of action. I read a horror novel, and I experience the requisite dread. I won't necessarily know what's going to happen, but when stuff happens, it's logical, it's satisfying, and I dig it.

Then, along comes Philip Fracassi to fuck my shit up.

Fracassi writes like he comes from some other dimension. He writes stuff I can't even conceive of, he writes stuff that would never ever even enter my brain to think about. And not only does he drag all these alien thoughts and concepts over from his alternate dimension, but he still manages to weave them into a beautifully-worded, narratively brilliant, fully engaging story that takes me places not only have I never seen, but didn't even know existed.

Fracassi is an absolutely brilliant author, and when he goes out to bend your mind with his brilliance, he does it so well, so seamlessly, that he makes it look easy.

Yeah, I hate Fracassi. Because he's so damn good.

This collection opens with a bang that is Carrie as seen through the mind of an angry, fucked-up redneck...but far more subtle.

And then, tale after tale, the stories just keep coming, each one so different from the one prior, each one just...fucking...brilliant.

There's some writers who tell their stories. They use a very similar narrative voice for each one. You can tell who's writing, because their writing is consistent. Stephen King. William Gibson. Jonathan Maberry. Joe R. Lansdale. Their writing is gorgeous, and that's why you come back to it.

Fracassi is different. Fracassi slides into the characters and the worlds he's creating, and, while his writing is still gorgeous, the voice that he uses is different each time. He falls into those worlds and those characters, and tells the story in the voice the story demands. And I think that's an incredible strength.

Read these stories. Fall into these worlds. Meet these characters.

Just, be ready for your heart to be broken, over and over again.

Because the other thing Fracassi does really well? Once you find these new worlds, and you make friends with these people, he shows he's more than willing to burn them all to the ground.

I hate Fracassi. Because I'm utterly jealous of his talent.

He's a freaking brilliant author.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first real deep dive into Fracassi, and it will not be my last, I’m actually writing this after having already picking up and reading A child Alone with Strangers, I originally thought wow, how can they ever top Beneath a Pale Sky, but they did, more on that one later but for now, Pale Sky.

I stayed up reading this instead of sleeping, because it was so good, I love short stories, especially when I’m wanting to see what an author is really about. Like a little portal to their soul, you get to see how they treat, how they write, different characters and that’s always fun for me.

There being a intro from Josh Malerman doesn’t hurt, I maybe a slight Malermatic, *coughidonthaveaprobmemcough*

I picked two favorites like I always do, or try too, sometimes its really hard, even when it’s a collection from the same author.

But after some thinking, Harvest and ID had me addicted, and I had to start my next Fracassi that day.