jdhacker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the first McCammon I read (though I followed it up with Usher's Passing). Blue World is a wide ranging selection of his short fiction work from the 80s and early 90s, plus the titular novella.
The collection is a pretty broad cross-section of his short fiction; horror (He'll Come Knocking), thriller/slasher (Blue World), science fiction (Red House), fantasy (Nightcrawler), and Twilight Zone-esque (I Scream Man) stories are all represented here. The influence of script writing on McCammon's style is evident across genres, which helps keeps the pacing as reasonably fast a short story tends to demand. It also lends itself to satisfying endings, though ones that do not always explain what we've just experienced (Doom City).
While I have seen complaints the stories fail to address more timeless themes in favor of what would be more commercially successful at the time, I feel that's definitely an off-base claim. Like Michael Shea, a lot of our main characters to tend be from the working class or poor who are sometimes driven to criminalized behaviors based on that (Makeup), and though the trappings of those experiences may have shifted over the decades, their struggles are as easy to identify with now as then. Though main characters are almost all white, and for the most part men, we do have a number of strong female characters (Yellachile's Cage, Night Calls the Green Falcon, Blue World), and main characters ranging in age (Yellowjacket Summer) from children to the elderly (Night Calls the Green Falcon). McCammon does a masterful job of creating evoking strong relatable emotions and creating sympathetic (though not always easily identified with) characters in the limited space he has for each story.
I would normally single out strong shorts from the collection, but with the possible exception of Pin they're all standouts.
The collection is a pretty broad cross-section of his short fiction; horror (He'll Come Knocking), thriller/slasher (Blue World), science fiction (Red House), fantasy (Nightcrawler), and Twilight Zone-esque (I Scream Man) stories are all represented here. The influence of script writing on McCammon's style is evident across genres, which helps keeps the pacing as reasonably fast a short story tends to demand. It also lends itself to satisfying endings, though ones that do not always explain what we've just experienced (Doom City).
While I have seen complaints the stories fail to address more timeless themes in favor of what would be more commercially successful at the time, I feel that's definitely an off-base claim. Like Michael Shea, a lot of our main characters to tend be from the working class or poor who are sometimes driven to criminalized behaviors based on that (Makeup), and though the trappings of those experiences may have shifted over the decades, their struggles are as easy to identify with now as then. Though main characters are almost all white, and for the most part men, we do have a number of strong female characters (Yellachile's Cage, Night Calls the Green Falcon, Blue World), and main characters ranging in age (Yellowjacket Summer) from children to the elderly (Night Calls the Green Falcon). McCammon does a masterful job of creating evoking strong relatable emotions and creating sympathetic (though not always easily identified with) characters in the limited space he has for each story.
I would normally single out strong shorts from the collection, but with the possible exception of Pin they're all standouts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Confinement, Drug use, Child death, and Body horror
itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
4.0
While definitely not a perfect short story collection there are quite a few absolutely amazing stories here.
My favourites being:
Night Calls the Green Falcon and the titular novella Blue World.
Even asides from my two favourites there is a lot to like about this collection and it is especially fun to see Robert R. McCammon go absolutely weird with some of these short stories.
My favourites being:
Night Calls the Green Falcon and the titular novella Blue World.
Even asides from my two favourites there is a lot to like about this collection and it is especially fun to see Robert R. McCammon go absolutely weird with some of these short stories.
twerkingtobeethoven's review against another edition
5.0
Great short story collection with more than a shining & precious gem - one of them being "He'll Come Knocking at your Door" which turned out to be one of the best Halloween tales I've ever read.
The rest of the stories have a unique Twilight Zone flavour to them, and that definitely adds to the quality of the book itself.
The novella "Blue World" is truly a masterpiece. It's got everything I'm looking for when it comes to good story-telling: sharp humour, high tension, bitching characters (including a cleverly written psycho-villain) and a touching ending that reminded me of "Boy's Life" (best book ever, period.) because it sort of warmed my heart in the sense that it leads the reader to the conclusion the world's not as ugly a place as some people think it is.
This is superior writing, peeps. Highly recommended.
The rest of the stories have a unique Twilight Zone flavour to them, and that definitely adds to the quality of the book itself.
The novella "Blue World" is truly a masterpiece. It's got everything I'm looking for when it comes to good story-telling: sharp humour, high tension, bitching characters (including a cleverly written psycho-villain) and a touching ending that reminded me of "Boy's Life" (best book ever, period.) because it sort of warmed my heart in the sense that it leads the reader to the conclusion the world's not as ugly a place as some people think it is.
This is superior writing, peeps. Highly recommended.
david_agranoff's review against another edition
5.0
At this point in my life my favorite authors are John Shirley, F.Paul Wilson and Robert McCammon. McCammon wrote my second favorite novel of all time – Swan Song. He has written several other favorites in my collection including Mine and the weird crime classic Gone South. I had been saving two of his books for the “Right time” for years. That has included “Boy’s Life,” and his short story collection “Blue World.”
While I still have found the perfect time for the other yet, I read Blue World this last summer and I am so glad I did. McCammon is to me the genre author who has the most readable and smooth prose of any I have ever read. The pages just fly when you read his novels. I had read one or two of these short stories but I was reading most of these ten short stories for the first time. The title piece at the end is longer and I would argue that it is actually a novel. In the fifties it’s length would have been considered a novel. It is easily 60,000 words, has twenty three chapters and it feels like a novel. I Digress.
While McCammon doesn’t write traditional horror anymore, he is stillactive with historical mystery novels like “Speaks the Nightbird” which do contain macabre elements and the novel “the Five” which was genius Rock and Roll thriller. Blue World is filled with classic 80’s McCammon shorts and I loved every single page of it.
My favorite story was a Halloween classic called “He’ll come a knocking at the Door.” This perfectly wicked Halloween story would be perfect for a campfire. Other favorites included “Something Passed By,” and the opener “Yellowjacket Summer.” The classic story Nightcralwers that William Fredkin directed as an episode of the 80’s Twilight zone and the amazing “Night calls the Falcon” which celebrates old school super hero serials.
The title story is a very strong character piece that is more about people in the story than the thriller aspects. It is the story of a porn star named Debra Rocks, and the priest that falls in love with her after she comes into confessional. Father John can’t himself, but as he gets to know Debra he discovers that he not only one obsessed with the star. Someone is killing her co-stars, is she next?
There is no dud in this collection, McCammon was at the top of his horror skills in the 80’s. I am glad I finally read this one, it’s a classic, If you like short horror fiction do yourself a favor and read it.
While I still have found the perfect time for the other yet, I read Blue World this last summer and I am so glad I did. McCammon is to me the genre author who has the most readable and smooth prose of any I have ever read. The pages just fly when you read his novels. I had read one or two of these short stories but I was reading most of these ten short stories for the first time. The title piece at the end is longer and I would argue that it is actually a novel. In the fifties it’s length would have been considered a novel. It is easily 60,000 words, has twenty three chapters and it feels like a novel. I Digress.
While McCammon doesn’t write traditional horror anymore, he is stillactive with historical mystery novels like “Speaks the Nightbird” which do contain macabre elements and the novel “the Five” which was genius Rock and Roll thriller. Blue World is filled with classic 80’s McCammon shorts and I loved every single page of it.
My favorite story was a Halloween classic called “He’ll come a knocking at the Door.” This perfectly wicked Halloween story would be perfect for a campfire. Other favorites included “Something Passed By,” and the opener “Yellowjacket Summer.” The classic story Nightcralwers that William Fredkin directed as an episode of the 80’s Twilight zone and the amazing “Night calls the Falcon” which celebrates old school super hero serials.
The title story is a very strong character piece that is more about people in the story than the thriller aspects. It is the story of a porn star named Debra Rocks, and the priest that falls in love with her after she comes into confessional. Father John can’t himself, but as he gets to know Debra he discovers that he not only one obsessed with the star. Someone is killing her co-stars, is she next?
There is no dud in this collection, McCammon was at the top of his horror skills in the 80’s. I am glad I finally read this one, it’s a classic, If you like short horror fiction do yourself a favor and read it.
paulopaperbooksonly's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book soon after I read Baal. Second Chance and I was dissapointed because not all stories were that good and for me most of them were not that satisfactory… (unfortunally). I still believe he is a good writer because he has some good stories here…
"Yellowjacket Summer" – This story is boy with a power to talk to Yellowjackets (bees? Hornets?). If in the beginning was a little slow the ending was an good one.
"Makeup" – a Thief steals a make up from an old horror movies actor and gets a lot more than he bargained. Not the best story around.
"Doom City" – an post apocalyptic tale and a spooking one… One of the best of the anthology (I hope this tale is in the same vein of Swan Song.
"Nightcrawlers" – This is a story about a life of Vietnam Vet’s as his nightmares comes out to hunt them (This story was then put into that mythical series of Twilight Zone).
"Pin" – Not the best story but good portrayal of an insane person. I hope I don’t met anyone like this…
"Yellachile's Cage" – A prisoner and a canary. That’s it. Not many more to say about it. I didn’t enjoy it.
"I Scream Man" – Another post-apocalyptic tale about what is real and not. Lucidity in a crazy person. A game of scrabble that is not what it seems. Well what it seems is that his best stories are post-apocalyptic. Maybe this is something to make me read Swan Song.
"He'll Come Knocking at Your Door" – You live in a perfect neighbourhood but for that you have to pay… sometimes with the things you love. This story is another story that I think I read it somewhere else This story reminds me of The Association by Bentley Little. (I made a review last year I guess)
"Chico" – I didn’t enjoyed and couldn’t finish… It was about a tale of a abused child by his stepfather.
"Night Calls the Green Falcon" – Not that good tale. I didn’t finish. IF you want you can try.. It’s online in Robert McCammon’s website.
"The Red House" –Another story I didn’t finish. A self discover tale… I really didn’t understand… or tried to understand
"Something Passed By" – This tale was one that if it wasn’t made into The Twilight Zone it should have. I think he had the possibility to be a good story. It’s simple story where you think what is normal or not. It really depends of who are you and where do you belong.
"Blue World" (Novella) – This was the biggest tale. It wasn’t in my opinion that good. It depicts the story of a priest that sniffs cocaine and a porn star (and her stalker) I didn’t enjoyed and I didn’t finish.
As you can see you’ve got all kinds of stories. Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Self-Discovery, Psychological thriller and everything you want… In the end some stories were good others were not. IF I would advice you to read it? Well go check his webpage because there are a couple of short stories available.. http://www.robertmccammon.com/
"Yellowjacket Summer" – This story is boy with a power to talk to Yellowjackets (bees? Hornets?). If in the beginning was a little slow the ending was an good one.
"Makeup" – a Thief steals a make up from an old horror movies actor and gets a lot more than he bargained. Not the best story around.
"Doom City" – an post apocalyptic tale and a spooking one… One of the best of the anthology (I hope this tale is in the same vein of Swan Song.
"Nightcrawlers" – This is a story about a life of Vietnam Vet’s as his nightmares comes out to hunt them (This story was then put into that mythical series of Twilight Zone).
"Pin" – Not the best story but good portrayal of an insane person. I hope I don’t met anyone like this…
"Yellachile's Cage" – A prisoner and a canary. That’s it. Not many more to say about it. I didn’t enjoy it.
"I Scream Man" – Another post-apocalyptic tale about what is real and not. Lucidity in a crazy person. A game of scrabble that is not what it seems. Well what it seems is that his best stories are post-apocalyptic. Maybe this is something to make me read Swan Song.
"He'll Come Knocking at Your Door" – You live in a perfect neighbourhood but for that you have to pay… sometimes with the things you love. This story is another story that I think I read it somewhere else This story reminds me of The Association by Bentley Little. (I made a review last year I guess)
"Chico" – I didn’t enjoyed and couldn’t finish… It was about a tale of a abused child by his stepfather.
"Night Calls the Green Falcon" – Not that good tale. I didn’t finish. IF you want you can try.. It’s online in Robert McCammon’s website.
"The Red House" –Another story I didn’t finish. A self discover tale… I really didn’t understand… or tried to understand
"Something Passed By" – This tale was one that if it wasn’t made into The Twilight Zone it should have. I think he had the possibility to be a good story. It’s simple story where you think what is normal or not. It really depends of who are you and where do you belong.
"Blue World" (Novella) – This was the biggest tale. It wasn’t in my opinion that good. It depicts the story of a priest that sniffs cocaine and a porn star (and her stalker) I didn’t enjoyed and I didn’t finish.
As you can see you’ve got all kinds of stories. Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Self-Discovery, Psychological thriller and everything you want… In the end some stories were good others were not. IF I would advice you to read it? Well go check his webpage because there are a couple of short stories available.. http://www.robertmccammon.com/
testpattern's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read anything in this genre for a long time, and I'd forgotten the pleasures of a well-crafted, satisfyingly told horror story. To be fair, McCammon is not firmly in the slash-em-up camp that many of his colleagues live in, although there are some gruesome moments in this collection.
rapgamenancyreagan's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
acknud's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent collection of horror short stories. I think McCammon is one of the under appreciated authors of the horror genre.