Book Lair discussion

Well, I finally got around to starting this for real, Melas!

I had previously read the first story but it put me off a bit because I just could not get how a guy who was so used to doing what he did didnt recognize.what was in front of him. Reading the story again I know realize most of his knowledge came from books but the fact that he had tht sort of radar that told him where to go threw me off and still does, I guess. I am so picky with my books, especially horror, I want to be scared but want everything to make sense. In the end I could not tell if there was anything paranormal about the guy at all, what exactly that sixth sense was.

What I liked the most about this author is how the border between reality and fantasy is really thin, foggy. How you slip between one to the other so easily. It's horror, but there's also a lot of paranormal, so I guess not everything oes make sense. Well, for me, they did make sense, in the stories.

Although the first one is not the best I think.

Yep, I get what you mean.

I didn't care for the mermaid one much either but there were two that almost made me sick at how twisted and macabre and at the same time sad they were. The Festering and When the devils came at night? Something like that. I don't know. Maybe it's because I read the last one at 4 am.
I am reading Night Fishing now. It approaches a lot of sensitive subjects.

Funy, the mermaid one is one of my favorites. I guess that's the good thing about anthologies, we can all pick the ones we prefer ^^.

And yeah, I see what you mean about the "Festering" and "When the devils came at night" (if I remember correctly). Not sure how to say it exactly, but they clearly don't leave you indifferent.

I can't really remember "Night Fishing" based on the title only, I'll nead a little bit more. But a couple of other stories left a lasting impression too. We'll see when you get to there if you mention them too ^^

It's about a fisherman who has ghosts drive him to suicidals who jumped off the bridge so he finds their bodies. It approaches different aspects, though.

So far, all the stories have left me feeling so sad in the end and scared throughout. How did you feel while reading?

OK, now I remember which one it is!

Feeling could change depending on the stories, but they all made me feel something, and usually feel quite strongly, which I think is already a good point in favor of the author.

Usually, it was going from melancholy, to sadness, to being terrified, shocked or just confused.

I also liked that most stories makes you think also on human nature. They are not scary because of supernatural monsters, but because we are the monsters.

Pretty sure I went through that entire range myself :)

Yep, that is definitely the highlight of this book for me. Everyone can be a monster.

As it is going to come out in my review, I just cannot do this genre well. Short stories are just not my thing.

I can definitely appreciate the quality, though. Bloodcloth is one of the several I would love to see further explored.

Finished the one about the salmon, think I still have 5 stories to go.

I loved Bloodcloth. One of my favorites too. I even had dreams about this one for a while after. I also think there's a lot of potential for this one too to be further developped.

He definitely saved the best for last! I loved Beachcombing.

You can find my review here on GR or in my blog at https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2016/0...

Note: Reading PDFs on Kindle really sucks.

Now to figure out what to read next...

Oh and feel free to comment on any of the stories you do remember! I'm always up to comparing notes :)

Wow, that's a great review (your reviews are a model for me, in as they are so detailed and well documented). I'm quite impressed that you did write a small individual review for each story.

It's been a while since I read this book, but here are a few thoughts on all the stories:

All Change
Nice little introduction, quite cute, but didn't really made me feel a lot nor stick with me.

I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing
I actually loved this story. It's starting from that one that I really got caught into this book. But I have to say that I have a fascination for the deep, and that I even went I got my diving certification almost 2 months ago now. And yes, during all that time, while learning how to dive, I had this story in mind. And no, it didn't scared me off from diving, quite the contrary (how do a horror story wants you to do something even more? I'm not quite sure of that yet...). I was quite tempted to share this story with my instructor then refrained, thinking it migth be a little misplaced.
More than 6 months after, and the story and impressions from it are still stuck in my mind. I think we can call this a success.

The Festering
I still shiver just thinking about it...

At Night, When the Demons caught
I was really impressed by it while reading. Especially since compared to others, I felt it was really "complete". Really scared be, but also really loved it. And liked you, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. But didn't stay as much as some others.

Night Fishing
Quite eery.

Knock knock
That's one that had me trembling all along.

The Death Drive of Rita, Nee Carina
Freaky.

The Man Who Was
That's one of the stories who got my imagination going. I really liked it when I read it, it was maybe one of those that got me strongly. But after all this time, when I remember about this book, it's not the first story that comes to mind. I had to read you mention it for me to remember it.

Shark! Shark!
I actually found it more funny than anything else.

Bloodcloth
Maybe my favorite one of the lot. As I mentionned previously on this thread, it even followed me in my dreams for a while.

The Tilt
Maybe the one I liked the less. Actually, the only one I didn't really liked. Too weird. I didn't really get it.

Bones of Crow
Nice metaphor.

Pins and Needles
I wonder how many crazy people like this there are outside. The ending weirded me out, but I don't think it could have ended any other way.

Gator Moon
Strong and melancholic

Where the Salmon Run
I'm going to start being repetitive. But weird. OK story, not my favorite one.

Indian Giver
I actually can't really remember that one, even after your small description.

A Mother's Blood
I never want to have kids... (Not that I wanted any before, but it only confirmed me in my opinions).

The Travellers Stay
Urgghhh. Cockroaches... Good take on Kafka.

No More West
A life of errance...

Beachcombing
I really liked this one too. Really melancholic yet beautiful.


All in all after all this time, and remembering the story, it's fun to see which one stayed or not. The ones I remember the most strongly now are of course some of my favorites at the time of the read, but not only or not all of them. Funny how memory works.

When I think of this books, the stories that now come to mind first and foremost are I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing, The Festering, Bloodcloth, Beachcombing. Those are the stories that I still carry with me today.

Some I really liked when reading them, but had to make an effort to remember them, such as The Man Who Was.

One I didn't like The Tilt, yet remember quite strongly.