Books in the Freezer discussion

Introduction by Brian Keene
doungjai gam & Ed Kurtz — “Crossroads of Opportunity”
Matt Hayward — “Where the Wild Winds Blow”
Joe R. Lansdale — “Not from Detroit”
Kristi DeMeester — “A Life That is Not Mine”
Robert Ford — “Mr. Hugsy”

What were your thoughts on these stories? Any favorites or standouts?

The ones that stuck with me were Not from Detroit by Joe R. Lansdale and Mr. Hugsy by Robert Ford.

Follow the Sign and A Life That is Not Mine are my favorites from here.

The DeMeester was definitely my favorite. Good use of the theme of the book, with the dark, sunless road mirroring the main character's mental state. The line "The thought of doing anything other than this learned routine exhausts me" made me realize that I've frequently felt like this during a tough work week (maybe I should sign up for a dance class or something, before I find myself on that road).

I enjoyed the Lansdale as well, with its original presentation of a familiar idea.

And, Baker, did you mean the story “Crossroads of Opportunity”, or the artwork "Follow the Sign"?

I loved the introduction! The first two stories were a bit forgettable for me, but "Not from Detroit" by Joe Langsdale and "Mr. Hugsy" by Robert Ford were standouts.

I was excited to read Kristi DeMeester's story "A Life that is Not Mine" after hearing her on BITF podcast and reading "Beneath" which was a bit of a mixed bag book for me. This one was entertaining, I can see she likes insects :)

I feel like I might be the minority here, but nothing's really standing out for me. Maybe the other stories will be better.

I really enjoyed the Ed Kurtz and Doungjai Gam story. Very dark and unsettling.

Crossroads of Opportunity: 3 stars. Man I thought this one was just getting good, then it just ended. I know they’re short stories, but I feel this one could have been longer. It was actually creeping me out.

Where the Wild Winds Blow: 2 stars. I don’t know, I just didn’t like this one for some reason. It felt disjointed to me.

Not from Detroit: 3 stars. This one was pretty good, and there wasn’t anything wrong, it just wasn’t anything special.

A Life that is Not Mine: 3 stars. I skimmed through this one. It felt a little wordy, and I just didn’t enjoy it.

Mr. Hugsy: 3 stars. I get the story, but felt it could have been conveyed better.

Fabulous choice having Keene do the introduction. At first I thought he was just rambling and there was no discernible point. Then it all made sense. Great introduction!

Crossroads of Opportunity: So, Marianne is a kind of ghoul...or something? I was surprised when she “woke up” and attacked the driver of that pickup. Until then, I just believed that Henry was lost in his grief.

Where the Wild Winds Blow: Superb idea. Weak execution. The writing felt more like a rushed conversation than storytelling.

Not From Detroit: Maybe because I’m a native Michiganian I paid close attention to this one. While the story didn’t explicitly state it took place in Michigan, I got that vibe (the reference to Detroit vehicles and Highway 59), suggests it. I really liked this rather playful ending.

A Life That Is Not Mine: Everything I’ve read by Kristi Demeester up to this point has nearly destroyed me. Her writing is dark and conveys such deep emotional desperation. To say I liked this would be a gross understatement.

Mr. Hugsy: Oh, wow! This went in a completely unexpected direction. The child nightmare vigilante! I think I hear “Hollywood” calling! This was fantastic.

Selena wrote: "I feel like I might be the minority here, but nothing's really standing out for me. Maybe the other stories will be better."

No worries, Selena. A lot of anthologies are like this for people. I feel like these are more dark than outright horror, myself.

I like Mr. Hugsy the rest so far are just ok