Literary Horror discussion

Please join us for our May 2024 monthly read: Jonathan Duckworth's collection Have You Seen the Moon Tonight? and Other Rumors

I can't find more formal reviews from the usual websites. But here's an interview with the author:
https://cemeterygatesmedia.com/2021/1...

The collection is available on paper and as an e-book. We're starting a bit late this month, so I'm inclined to start this weekend. Please let me know if you need more time to get a copy.

I found the first three stories enjoyable, but hardly earthshaking.

"Drake's Last Show" has a nice narrator's voice. Breezy delivery even if the arc is not terribly surprising. "The Brine's Embrace" has an odd dual-stream narrative, which I'm not sure works that well. But I guess the rather standard (view spoiler)[mermaid story (hide spoiler)] could use a little sprucing up.

"Once of those Nice Guys": again not that surprising, but good fun. I like how significant details are left unexplained.

I was going to say that the stories so far had been okay. Not great, but not bad, either. But the last story I read, "The Follower's Revel," was boring.

I like the phrase "richly dyed in arterial crimson" and using an (view spoiler)[abandoned Toys R Us parking lot for demon gatherings (hide spoiler)], so "Darke's Last Show" is my favorite of the first three.

I was expecting the two Buddies to have more of a point, so I was a bit let down by "The Brine's Embrace," even though I thought it had a nice atmosphere.

"One of the Nice Guys" did a lot with the trucker theme, which I enjoyed.

Vanessa wrote: "But the last story I read, "The Follower's Revel," was boring."

I agree. It's clogged w. throwaway detail and has a predictable arc.

A bit of uptick with the next few stories. The 2-page "Some Places It's Turnips" is sinister and has a funny reveal. I liked the quiet elegiac writing in "Paper Wings in the House of Light", and the idea of (view spoiler)[notes turning into butterflies (hide spoiler)]. But why have the ghouls at all? I thought that ruined the overall atmosphere.

I loved the first section of "Harvestman", with the old photos and old-timey carnival. But the feeble attempt at building a larger mythology was disappointing.

Nominations for June?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I agree that this next group of stories are better than the first ones.

The beginning of "Paper Wings in the House of Light" had me expecting something predictably Walking Dead-esque, and not being excited about it, so I was happy that it went in a different direction. I guess that means the ghouls worked for me.

I thought "Harvestman" was also good. I agree that the first section was the best. The grandfather character was good.

I'm not sure about "Concerning a Pond in Massachusetts." (view spoiler)[I did not pick up on the reference to Walden Pond until the end. Nothing about the story really screamed Thoreau to me, but I think I only read a selection from it in college. "Resistance to Civil Government" is a little more my kind of thing. (hide spoiler)]

"Have You Seen the Moon Tonight?" is a nice title. The moon hypnotizing people has been done a lot in the last few years, so the plot feels a little tired. I like Gene.

I think that Hallmark horror has potential. I don't know that this is the author that I would expect to really dig into the idea, so I'm glad that "Elmreach" branches out pretty quickly. (view spoiler)[I don't think that the brother character was the most interesting direction for the story to go in, but I think it fits the author's style better than other options. (hide spoiler)]

There are interesting ideas; for example I like the cryptic graffiti in "The Rumor". But I'm not fond of the writing in the later stories.

I feel like I'm really forcing myself to have something to say about some of these.

"Got the Spirit but Lose the Feeling" was good. I like the diner setting, and (view spoiler)[the mystery of when the main character became infected. (hide spoiler)]

I think "A Wild Green Tide is Soon Coming" is the more successful experiment. I would have liked to hear more about what the story would be like if it was a $2.99 video game. (view spoiler)[Kind of surprised that I called Big Al having the hots for Bad Carl. (hide spoiler)]

"Distant Fire of Winter Stars" was sweet. It isn't the most memorable story in the collection, but I think it adds variety.

I liked "The Littlest Fishy." I'm very pro sad aquatic lesbians in horror.

I read "The Rumor" this morning, and I don't actually remember if we find out what the rumor is. Good worldbuilding. Duckworth is a good name.

"Druckteufel" seems like it is a little longer than the other stories in the collection, and I do like when a single author collection ends with a long one.