Benjamin Langley > Recent Status Updates

The Conductor - an homage to the 1970s/1980s safety films that terrified so many of us as kids. Was naming a child 'Charley' a deliberate homage? I hope so.
Phenomenal - Part script, part story. It's clear this was fun to write the over-the-top traditional super-hero elements... and then there's some dark stuff in there. I was really enjoying it, but wasn't sure how it could be brought to a satisfactorty end. It was.

4 stories in and enjoying it:
Sunday Shoes - Footloose meets folklore. A strong opening story. The character, Sean was well developed. The folklore in the community used well, and a touch of the Lord of the Dance in there too.
Gorgon1978 - really cool concept. It played out well. There was a warning of something sinister to come from this. Perhaps I would have liked to see it play out a little further.

Closing in on the ending. Loving it.

I'm really enjoying this. I don't read a lot of other-world fantasy, so it took me a few chapters to get into, but the world-building is great, the characters are interesting, and I'm enjoying the interaction between them.

Proofs recieved - here's the cover!

Well, I'm currently proofreading it...

Yeah, I'm enjoying this.

Stephen King doing the Sixth Sense thing only not the Sixth Sense. Great first third.

Some excellent stories so far. Skunk Jr was amazing. Such variety. Such rich imagination.

Dead Deanna, the second story in the collection, is a blast. It's a familiar tale, but done really well. Everyone gets what they deserve. I really liked it.

I read the first storry, Bebbel, last night. The imagery in it is outstanding. It's grim, but within it there is a beauty. There's something of clive Barker in it - the idea of the delight in pain comes across. I hope I enjoy the rest of the stories as much as I did this one.

Gardner's story, The Iron Curve of Thorns is an intriguing tale. The odd events in the present are augmented by the events of the past, building to a very satisfying ending.
Everington's story, in which the woods gets 'bigger' is rather unsettling. I was fascinated by the premise and seeing how our protagonist got sucked into the strangeness.

Cate Gardner's tale, The Iron Curve of Thorns is an intriguing tale. The odd events in the present are augmented by the events of the past, in particular, the disappearances, building to a very satisfying ending.

Lots to like about this. The central premise is simple, what if the exhibits at a theme park, in this case ghosts, escape and cause chaos. The two main characters, Ben and Lil, are likeable and the relationship between them is well developed.
Also, the threat of Rex Garotte is interesting.
Three are times when the plot feels a little like a video game - go here, fetch thing, go to next set piece, but I

It's a hoot.

The Dream Woman is a really interesting premise. A man wakes to find someone standing over his bed. She tries to kill him. But there couldn't possibly have been anyone there. He figures he must have been dreaming, and he'll continue to dream of her for years to come, perhaps as a warning...

There Was an Old Man is an amazing story. Revolting and yet compelling. Love it.

The Man Who Fed Foxes - another strong story.

Trying to sneak in chapters whenever I can.

Can't wait to get back to it to see how it turns out.

Developing nicely. Enjoying it.

So I read the novella, The Haunted Hotel, which is an entertaining crime/gothic crossover. I might get to the other stories some day.

The second story Discomfort Food is an odd one that begins with talking food, but as I read on I came to understand the reason for it. It gives the story a blackly comic element, but it's another story where we see the psychological damage done to a character by others. Very good.

Second story in here, Shepherds' Business by Stephen Gallagher is an understated affair. It builds its small community well, developing to an unsettling conclusion. You always get the idea that there's more going on behind the scenes, and when it comes to the conclusion it's almost unbearable to thing about.

I'm going to review story by story. The first, Broken on the Inside is absolutely stellar. It blew me away. The characters, Kira and Connie, are realistic and their difficult mother-daughter relationship is well developed on the page.
The introduction of Pam works so well, and when things start to go wrong it's genuinely unsettling. It builds towards an inevitable conclusion, but hits you with a final twist. Fab.

I'm going to be ducking in and out of this book from time to reading reading the stories in the order presented. First up is Alison Littlewood's The Boggle Hole.
While it's not a story that is scary, it is one that evokes a feeling of sadness and loss. Tim and Grandad are well-drawn and the idea of the Boggle well delivered. It's a subtle horror, and because the story sticks to the rules it establishes, it works.