Voodoo Heart: Stories

by Scott Snyder

Scott Snyder’s protagonists inhabit a playfully deranged fictional world in which a Wall Street trader can find himself armed with a speargun, guarding a Dumpster outside a pawnshop in Florida; or an employee at Niagara Falls (his watching for jumpers) will take off in a car after a blimp in which his girlfriend has escaped. But in Snyder’s wondrous imagination there’s a thin membrane between the whimsical and the the unlikely affair between a famous actress—in hiding after surgery—and a sporting goods salesman takes an ominous turn just as she begins to heal; an engaged couple’s relationship is fractured when one of them becomes obsessed with an inmate at the women’s prison next door. Dark, funny, powerful, this debut collection underscores the remarkable gifts of a fiercely original young writer.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Collections, Science Fiction, Novels, Literary Fiction

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2006

About the author

Scott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.

Reviews

[Chris_P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by Panagiotis

Blue yodel: ***
Happy fish, plus coin: ***
About face: ***
Voodoo heart: ****
Wreck: *****
Dumpster Tuesday: ***
The star attraction of 1919: ***

3.5
This collection of stories is Snyder's first effort in pure literature and it's certainly a succesful one. Seven stories, all brimming with an abstract form of romantic loss and sadness. Snyder seems to be willing to explore the inner layers of human psyche when applied to romance and relationships. Of course not all of the stories are about that. There is Happy fish, plus coin for example, which is about a guy who runs away from his loaded family and meets a man who had two almost fatal accidents in his past and which concludes with an interesting and fun twist.

If I had to say in a few words what my impression was on the stories, I'd say they're good but I don't think they'll stick with me in the future. That goes for all except Voodoo Heart and Wreck, the former of which I found brilliant and the latter by all means perfect. In any case, Snyder's ability to create good stories is more than apparent and I'll be looking forward to more.

[Panagiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ο Σνάιντερ είναι ένας από τους πιο γνωστούς, νέους συγγραφείς Αμερικάνικων κόμικς. Τον γνώρισα μέσα από τον καινούριο μπάτμαν του, μετά την επανεκκίνηση που έκανε η DC στο σύμπαν της, καθώς και το δικό του δημιούργημα, Wytches. Η γραφή και η προσέγγισή του σε αυτά τα κόμικς έδειχναν έναν άνθρωπο έξυπνο, με φαντασία και μια διάθεση να δώσει στα πολύχρωμα καρέ κάτι διαφορετικό, κάτι πιο εκλεπτυσμένο. Όμως η φόρμα των κόμικς είναι συγκεκριμένη, ακολουθεί τις δικές της συμβάσεις και ό,τι κι αν ήταν αυτό που έχει πραγματικά μέσα του ο Σνάιντερ μόνο αχνοφαινόταν στα καρέ των σελίδων. Δεν ήμουν προετοιμασμένος για ένα από τα καλύτερα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει φέτος.

Αν κάτι υποσχόταν την έκπληξη που θα αποτελούσε το βιβλίο ήταν τα εξαιρετικά σχόλια από το ετερόκλητο πλήθος αναγνωστών: άλλοι γνώριζαν τον συγγραφέα και πήραν το βιβλίο από αναγνωστική συνέπεια και περιέργεια, άλλοι που δεν είχαν ιδέα ποιος είναι ο Σνάιντερ το δέχτηκαν σαν δώρο ή το διάβασαν μετά από σύσταση. Αν δει κανείς τις κριτικές του βιβλίου, θα καταλάβει τι εννοώ. Πάντως το βιβλίο φαίνεται πως δεν προωθήθηκε ούτε καν παρουσιάστηκε μέσα από τα κανάλια που σπρώχνουν τις εκάστοτε κυκλοφορίες. Έτσι, μόνο του, εμφανίστηκε μεσοπέλαγα.

Μα τι γράφει ο Σνάιντερ εδώ;

Ας κάνω ξεκάθαρο πρώτα πως κάνω το εξής, το οποίο θεωρώ πως κάνει η πληθώρα αναγνωστών: τοποθετώ πριν και κατά την διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης σε τρεις νοερές κατηγορίες το βιβλίο: στα καθαρά λογοτεχνικά που πέφτεις πάνω τους στον έγκριτο λογοτεχνικό τύπο, στα genre (φαντασία, τρόμος, αστυνομικο κλπ) και στα καθαρά εμπορικά, που σπάνια διαβάζω. Εννοείται ενίοτε πέφτω σε κάτι που δεν εντάσσεται κάπου εύκολα και συνήθως τέτοια βιβλία αποδεικνύονται τα καλύτερα. Ο Σνάιντερ το μόνο που έχει να του προσδίδει μια ταυτότητα είναι η ενασχόλησή του με τα κόμικς, πράγμα που δεν είμαι σίγουρος σε τι βαθμό προδίδεται μέσα από τις ιστορίες του. Κι όμως μέσα από τις ιστορίες ενός αφελούς νεαρού που ακολουθεί για μήνες το αερόστατο στο οποίο νομίζει πως βρίσκεται η αρραβωνιαστικιά του, του τριαντάρη που καταστράφηκε η Μητροπολίτική ζωή του εξαιτίας ενός μουσικού της κάντρι κι άλλα τέτοια ωραία, ο Σναίντερ φτιάχνει μια πραγματικότητα σαν παραμύθι. Η γλώσσα του είναι απαλή, επιδέξια και αναπάντεχα χιουμοριστική δίχως ίχνος επιτήδευσης. Προσεγγίζει τους ανθρώπινους χαρακτήρες του και τις άκρως καθημερινές ιστορίες του από εκεί που προέρχονται εκείνοι οι λίγοι χαρισματικοί άνθρωποι. Δεν βλέπει την ζωή μέσα από τα βιβλία, ούτε όμως μέσα από το θολωμένο πρίσμα της ρουτίνας, αλλά έτσι όπως είναι: μια όμορφη περιπέτεια.

Σίγουρα είναι η καλύτερη συλλογή διηγημάτων που διάβασα φέτος και ένα από τα καλύτερα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει εδώ και πάρα πολύ καιρό. Ο Σνάιντερ είναι ένα τεράστιο ταλέντο. Πρέπει να βρεί χρόνο ανάμεσα στο κόμικς να γράψει κάτι πάλι. Η λογοτεχνία χρειάζεται τέτοιες ιστορίες, ωραία καμωμένες χωρίς πολλά φτιασίδια!

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please don't read this if you have a relationship with a significant other that is the slightest bit in question. My marriage is on pretty stable ground right now & this still depressed the heck out of me. While all the stories are lovely & extrememly well-written, they're also all about relationships going horribly wrong & people being sad or making others sad. I didn't find a lot of the fancy here that most reviews allude to, but that doesn't make this a bad book, just a bummer. Have you ever had a dream where your boyfriend was a total jerk to you for no reason? There's a story in here like that. Did you ever have a dream that your girlfriend floated away on a blimp? Left you for a brain-damamged country singer? No? Well, these are in there too. If you've got a guy or a girl, go give them a hug when you're done.

[Rachel Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

the pages of this particular book (i'm not sure if it's true of all the copies) were especially smooth and soft, as if the paper had been polished.
the stories were engaging, quirky, and i loved them. My favorite was "Happy fish, plus coin", but almost all the stories have moments and aspects I will remember for a long time. I was also intrigued in the fact that the stories sometimes had small connections between them- mentions of the same song or similar situations. The imagery was offbeat and interesting- the sagging balloon of a healing throat that filled up and drained, or a vine growing instantly, it's leaves thwapping open. The story I was least interested in was the first one, "Blue Yodel," perhaps because of the distanced tone, so I was pleased when the other stories were vastly different. all my stars.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a review, more an anecdote about this book and my stupidity.

My cousin's husband had long been urging me to read the new Batman comics. At NYCC last year, I went to a Midtown Comics booth to get a Batman issue for Snyder to sign. Voodoo Heart was beside the Batman comics. I read VH about 3 years ago and never connected it to the guy writing the comics.

When I came up to him, I told him I read his book but didn't have it with me because it never occurred to me he was the very same guy. He was very nice, thanked me for reading it and (I imagine) admirably stopped himself from calling me an idiot.

I will have this book in tow with me this year to correct this oversight. Along with some more recently acquired Batman issues.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Scott Snyder  wrote Batman, Wytches, and even American Vampire, he wrote some issues for Marvel (yeah did not see that coming aswell) and before that he wrote a novel with short stories. I have been quite the fan of his work for some while and this was a no brainer to check out. It got 7 short stories all dealing with loss and love, but with a good mix of weirdness ! Like someone who is guarding a dumpster with a speargun, someone falling in love with an inmate who he keeps spying on from his house, and someone who needs to keep an eye out for jumpers at Niagara Falls. The prose from Snyder is beautifull,  and while not all stories have a cut out ending, some just sort off end.. They are greatly done with a magical flow that sucks you in. I am pretty much blown away by it, and hope he will one day write another novel. If not, there are always the excellent comics to read from him.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars.

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Snyder's graphic novel writing for years. He always has solid plots, interesting characters, and entertaining tales--even if some of them might be a bit too quickly paced. Still, I was curious about this fiction writing.

Honestly, I'm surprised to say that his fiction is as good--if not better--than his graphic novels. He can turn a phrase better than most, and every story has at least one moment that I was completely jealous of its setup and delivery.

Many short story collections have a few duds, but I didn't find that here. True, each story didn't resonate in the same way as the others, which may bother some readers, but there is an odd cohesion of longing here that's explored in both human and almost fantastic ways.

These are beautiful and heartbreaking and hilarious stories, and much as I've dug his graphic writing, I do hope he finds time to squeeze out a few more short works or a traditional novel, as I'll be first in line for more.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars

Blue Yodel - 3 stars
Happy Fish, Plus Coin - 4 stars
About Face - 5 stars
Voodoo Heart - 5 stars
Wreck - 3 stars
Dumpster Tuesday - 3 stars
The Star Attraction of 1919 - 3 stars

[Victor Giannini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Scott Snyder exploded onto the comic scene, Voodoo Heart gripped me with it's surreal stories. Most fell into the realm of magical realism, even if only in feeling, yet all felt like heart break, leaving the reader grasping for a lost love of some sort, a person, an ideal, a place, as their heals give way in the dirt and they spiral down. It's also quite funny, I swear!

If you're a fan of his comic writing, pick this book up right now.

[NarraTea · Rating 3 out of 5]

IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLES IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND/OR DOUBTS OF YOUR LOVE LIFE, DON’T READ THIS BOOK. That being said, it was certain not what I expected considering Scott Snyder’s other works as a comic book writer, it was still very well done (even though I felt a slight heartbreak after each story)

[Kurt Dinan]

Am reading this book of short stories now after reading a review of it by Stephen King.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

romantic yet tragic short stories

[Bryson Grenfell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a lot of Scott Snyder’s work, and I’m very happy to say that this is no exception

[Scott Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Voodoo Heart because I admire Snyder’s work on American Vampire. I was interested to see Snyder’s prose stand alone without a team of artists’ aid. For the most part, I found myself quite pleased.

Each and every one of Snyder’s stories in this collection is original and very well written. They all utilize well-rounded characters that instantly attach to the psyche and schema. My only complaint, however, is that nearly half of them ended with no real sense of resolution. I don’t necessarily mind vague endings, but several of the works – specifically “Blue Yodel,” “Happy Fish, Plus Coin,” and “About Face” – simply stopped. I got no real sense of finality and I certainly felt no satisfaction, especially because each of those stories in particular was amazingly engaging. I wanted so much more because I cared about those characters’ plights in these tales, and I felt cheated without a stronger sense of culmination.

With that being said, as much dissatisfaction as I suffered from the previous stories mentioned, other stories like “Wreck” and “Dumpster Tuesday” left me almost giddy they were so well constructed and resolved. And, for me, “The Star Attraction of 1919” was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining stories I’ve read in quite some time. These specific three stories truly blew me away they were so good. In fact, I keep thinking about them even though I finished the collection several days ago.

I realize that others’ opinions about these stories may vary distinctly from mine. That’s the wonderful thing about literature, isn’t it? Rest assured, if you read this short story collection, you will experience prose written at its finest and plots that will rivet you.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, "Voodoo Heart" was my least favorite story in Scott Snyder's collection, Voodoo Heart.

Voodoo Heart is a very well organized collection of stories from the writer of one of my recent favorite comic books, American Vampire. The title story marks (though in my opinion, not well) the climax of a series of stories exploring the notions of "attachment" to places, people, and things in 1930s America. Not to belabor the point, while "Voodoo Heart" might have been a good story presented in isolation but sandwiched between stories like first story in the collection, "Blue Yodel" and the last, "The Star Attraction of 1919", it is a disappointing slice of salty bologna in between two warm, delicious slices of soft bread.

"Blue Yodel" and "The Star Attraction of 1919" make nice bookends to hold up and keep in place the stories in the middle. Where "Blue Yodel" ends with its protagonists dangling from a blimp, searching for his girl, "The Star Attraction of 1919" is about a pilot picking up a lost girl, falling for her, losing her, and ends with him proceeding on his own way.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written collection of 7 short stories, Snyder paints a whimsical, dark, absurd, and occasionally sad picture of men moving through their lives, generally nursing unhealthy obsessions. The prose is crisp and involving, the reveals perfectly paced. Snyder draws you in like a master - it's staggering to find out its a debut (though his quality has been shown with his American Vampire, Swamp Thing, and Batman comics work since). The only letdown to me were the endings of his stories, which seldom brought any sense of conclusion to the tales. Still, a solid read from a unique voice, and well worth your time.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The NYT review of Voodoo Heart rightly questioned whether--despite the fact that a lot of these stories are "well-made and inventive" and have an "admirable" boldness--the book is really alive. Snyder's overeagerness to impress (and he does impress in pieces like "Blue Yodel" and "The Star Attraction of 1919") is balanced by some of his elegant writing, though the book has one too many moments that are too tender and too sweet to be taken at face value.

[Sean Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The current writer of DC Comics' Batman and Swamp Thing, Scott Snyder, first wrote this taut collection of historical fiction short stories in '06. More literary than fantastic, most of the themes tackle 20-something romance at its most vulnerable. No dialogue or plot element is wasted here - everything congeals into an astounding whole by narrative's end. Pretty damn great.

[Kevin Yee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection, the stories worked so well with each other. Snyder has a way with creating concrete details while at the same time writing off-the-kilter characters in a wack world. Something always happens to the characters that make them go awry, and it is fascinating with each story here.

[Lili · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather well written, but a little too contemporary (in that the characters are rather unlikable) while being a little too old-fashioned (in that the women are mostly furniture).

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I previously read Scott Snyder's recent work for Batman and American Vampire, and I always enjoyed his narration, even though it can be overwhelming at times. Which is why I'm reading his Voodoo Heart book, which he wrote a few years before he started working with DC Comics.

I normally don't write reviews, but I figured I should do it since I'm reading an anthology book, and each story can vary in quality.

Blue Yodel: In 1918, a man goes on a cross country trip, chasing a blimp that supposedly has his fiance. The couple's odd jobs seem to foreshadow their actions in the story: Preston works as a rescuer of sorts at Niagara Falls, Claire is a fake model at a wax museum. I liked the parallels in the hypnotic trances between the people watching the blimp construction and the people watching Niagara falls; both groups do actions they may regret. The ending seemed abrupt (a common criticism I have with Snyder for some of his comic stories), and left ambiguous.

Happy Fish, Plus Coin: A young man, hiding from his rich family, befriends a disabled motivational speaker while staying in a rundown Florida town. The dynamic between the cautious unnamed narrator and the optimistic Gay Isabelle showcases more similarities between the two, including how they tell their life stories.

About Face: A man has to perform community service, working at a delinquent boot camp, and befriends the sergeant's daughter. There is the underlying theme that Fergus wants to be a hero (in his head) but in reality, his nature only causes problems, hence the community service sentence. His almost one-sided relationship with Lex is another example, as he imagines himself as a knight in shining armor to her.

Voodoo Heart: A young couple buys a broken down mansion near a women's minimum security jail. Given how prevalent it is in the story, the major theme is "what lies beneath": the sea monsters from the deep waters, the pristine muscle car in a junkyard, the new homeowner himself. There is a certain darkness everywhere, and one can either let it fester or control it. As the main attraction story, it is certainly the darkest story of the book.

Wreck: A hunter dates a Hollywood starlet as she recovers from an injury. A more bittersweet tale, with Wade hopelessly waiting for the day Grace has to return to California. The story examines how to tell if someone or something is purposely abandoned or lost in the chaos.

Dumpster Tuesday: A corporate employee travels to Florida to find his fiance, who ran off to see a brain damaged country singer. One of the more weaker stories, it was reminiscent to the first story Blue Yodel and the second Happy Fish Plus Coin when it came to the singer.

The Star Attraction of 1919: A stunt pilot travels across the US Heartland with a unwanted passenger. The beginning of story was hilarious, as it contrasts the pilot's desires with reality. Like the other stories, it ends with a not so happy ending.

The central theme of all the stories revolves around relationships with friends and loved ones. Honesty is needed to build solid bonds, otherwise relationships withered slowly but surely. All the stories feature tangents and flashbacks, like the history of early man and childhood memories, that foreshadows the outcomes of each story. Snyder later uses that technique in his comic book narration. In short, this collection provides odd tales set in America across the past century, in order to present how human nature affects relationships.

[Loafeecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Blue Yodel
It’s 1918. A young man reminisces as he chases a silver blimp across the country in hopes of reuniting with his lost love.
2. Happy Fish, Plus Coin
The story of a seemingly indestructible man, who has cheated death twice so far and cheats it again for a third time when he tries to save a runaway from the runaway’s rich and powerful family.
3. About Face
While working at a juvenile boot camp, one of Miles assignments is to chauffeur the director’s sickly daughter, Lex, to her weekly dialysis appointment. Lex and Miles get to know each other intimately but it’s McCray, an inmate of the camp, that shows Miles who he really is.
4. Voodoo Heart
Jake is great at the beginning of relationships, but inevitably something snaps and he hurts the one he loves best. He’s made it five years into his current relationship, by far the longest he’s been in, but he’s starting to feel a cold shift in his heart….
5. Wreck
She has it all: fame, fortune, and beauty. But while Grace convalesces in a small rural town after an accident, she falls in love with a different way of living. Is it enough for her to give up the life she knew?
6. Dumpster Tuesday
Max has a bone to pick with country singer, Dick Doyle, who has a severe brain injury that’s left him basically comatose—except when he miraculously comes to life to perform on stage. Is it an act, or isn’t it???
7. The Star Attraction of 1919
Showboating airplane tricks and rides, John travels the states just after the conclusion of WWI with a runaway bride (not his).

I read Voodoo Heart in print over 10 years ago and loved it. Was curious to see if it still held up and if the audible version was any good. It did and it was…and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t generally like short stories. These melancholic and at times disturbing vignettes are not directly related to each other, yet are cohesive with similarly poignant threads of self-reflection, identity, and love lost. Concurrently, they’re balanced with just enough whimsy, nostalgia, and humor to keep the reader (at least this reader) from ending it all. These little stories are on the open ended side, but I think it works well in this short story medium. The narrator does a fine job too; I didn’t find his reading to be detracting or distracting, and his voice + inflections were fitting for the main character of each story. Lastly, I don’t put much stock in book blurbs, but I see that Stephen King wrote the blurb on the front cover of this book and agree that the audience between King and Snyder would be very similar.

[Cort Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad stories about Lonely people

Voodoo Heart, which Stephen King listed in his On Writing reading list, is a book of short stories. I haven’t read many short stories beyond a few of Edgar Allen Poe’s (with which I struggled), so I didn’t know what to expect. I was delighted despite the stories being, for the most part, sad. I enjoyed Snyder’s often plain style. He wasn’t overly descriptive, which is a turnoff for me.

However, he does a great job of sprinkling in description in the right places which helps depict a part of the world created by the author, but leaves much to the imagination. The stories were long enough to read in a dedicated sitting but not what I would deem “quick” reads. But I may just be a slow reader.

That being said, the pages flew by and left me wanting more. I felt that many of them could have gone on longer but after letting them sit for a while am very happy with what Snyder gave us. While the stories are about sad, often lonely people, I imagine that many will resonate with the authors loners. I know I often did.

[Cal]

There's a common theme in the reviews for this book; they go along the lines of: "if you're having troubles in your love life, don't read this." I wasn't aware of this before, but that's not really an issue considering I am as far away from having a love life in the first place as one can get.

Each of the seven stories within Voodoo Heart, including the titular one, are about guys who are unlucky in love for one reason or another, either self-inflicted or via external circumstances. Which I guess I could say in that sense, I do relate to.

Scott Snyder manages to capture such vivid vignettes of Americana life — are any of them realistic? Who's to say, but the point is is that each character does feel like an authentic soul, thrown into their strange lives with strange circumstances, having to figure out what to do with it.

It's too early to say which story has stuck with me and will stick with me as the years go on. But as a gut reaction, I suspect Wreck may be the one to do it.

[Ashton Pacholski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very seldom does a collection of stories spark jealously in me; however, with Voodoo Heart, I’m flat-out envious. Snyder’s prose, mixed in with his clear detail to American values and symbolism, is a testament to the art of short, intentional fiction. With such a range that echoes the small town pathos of Anderson, and the primal terror of King, we see a writer who uses his inspirations to weave something memorable. This is a collection for any reader in the modern age.

[Beelzefuzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable overall. The stories have a Ray Bradbury type quality in their time out of place feel and small focus on a life moment. Only one ending was satisfying, and I would probably not revisit ay of them.
I realize that I was hoisted by my own expectations. I did expect the now famed writer of Batman and the DC pantheon to have a little more magic and adventure to his stories, but they are more American Vampire without the vampires.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book about ten years ago for a local newspaper, and now, on reflecting on my review, I really regret not giving this a much more glowing review. This is an excellent short story collection for those looking to read really great stories. Snyder captures a noir, pulpy, literary tone and style here that is absent in a lot of literary fiction. A fun read, fun stories.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I picked this up do to Scotts comic book work, and it is wonderful collection of short stories that are all about relationships wither personal or family relationships and how people interact with each other. They are filled with a deep narrative that never quite dips into fantasy.

[Kristy McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bizarrely entertaining collection of stories that had me, in turns, laughing, curious, confused, creeped out, or just plain saying "Whaaaaaaat?" And I kept turning pages, to see where Mr. Snyder would lead me next. Great collection!

[Monika Monika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed based on the rave reviews. Stories were not that great. Were not detailed enough to make you feel anything towards the characters. Felt like I was reading a teen’s fictional essay for English class.