bergamint's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book. I have only given it 4 stars as I prefer full-length novels to short stories. The stories made you think and definitely gave you chills down the spine. Well written and thought provoking.
iguana_mama's review
5.0
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
I loved [b:Martyrs & Monsters|6608813|Martyrs and Monsters|Robert Dunbar|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337106699s/6608813.jpg|17348769] for its variety of rich, intense stories, and its diverse cast of characters, many of whom are troubled people who struggle through life and live on the edge.
These disturbing and unsettling stories are not graphic, but they will creep up on you and won’t let go.
Though each story in this collection will linger on in my memory, a few favorites stand out:
Getting Wet – Very murky, damp and unsettling. Tim and Conrad were extremely well developed considering the short length of this story. They were not especially likable, but their life experiences and the tragic events in the story made me feel very deeply for them. The ending left me breathless and managed to be sexy and revolting at the same time.
High Rise – It’s a contemporary ghost story. It’s also about the relationship between two brothers and the sacrifice one makes. The ending shattered me.
Mal de Mer – A beautifully written, evocative story that left me shaken. I love the sea - its mysteries, turmoil, tranquility, and lack of consciousness. This haunting, disturbing and erotic story explored aging, loneliness, and the emotional toll of being a caregiver.
Explanations – Wagner and Jimmy love comics and old movies. Wagner owns a comic book store. When Jimmy gets a job at Wagner’s store, their friendship deepens and obsession grows. Wagner’s wife has had enough. Dark, sad, and humorous.
I would recommend this collection of stories to those who love thoughtful and intelligent horror.
I loved [b:Martyrs & Monsters|6608813|Martyrs and Monsters|Robert Dunbar|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337106699s/6608813.jpg|17348769] for its variety of rich, intense stories, and its diverse cast of characters, many of whom are troubled people who struggle through life and live on the edge.
These disturbing and unsettling stories are not graphic, but they will creep up on you and won’t let go.
Though each story in this collection will linger on in my memory, a few favorites stand out:
Getting Wet – Very murky, damp and unsettling. Tim and Conrad were extremely well developed considering the short length of this story. They were not especially likable, but their life experiences and the tragic events in the story made me feel very deeply for them. The ending left me breathless and managed to be sexy and revolting at the same time.
High Rise – It’s a contemporary ghost story. It’s also about the relationship between two brothers and the sacrifice one makes. The ending shattered me.
Mal de Mer – A beautifully written, evocative story that left me shaken. I love the sea - its mysteries, turmoil, tranquility, and lack of consciousness. This haunting, disturbing and erotic story explored aging, loneliness, and the emotional toll of being a caregiver.
Explanations – Wagner and Jimmy love comics and old movies. Wagner owns a comic book store. When Jimmy gets a job at Wagner’s store, their friendship deepens and obsession grows. Wagner’s wife has had enough. Dark, sad, and humorous.
I would recommend this collection of stories to those who love thoughtful and intelligent horror.
gerhard's review
5.0
It took me forever to finish this collection of short stories by Robert Dunbar. The opener, ‘Getting Wet’, was so disquieting I stopped reading after that. Then when had I recovered sufficiently from its eerie creepiness, I returned again to the bloody, haunted pages of Martyrs & Monsters. And again, and again.
For example, I cried at the end of ‘The Moon (Upside Down)’, and don’t really know why. It was such a beautiful, sad, inexplicable story.
Some stories were laugh-out loud funny, while quite a few disgusted me. Some were pretty grim and depressing. And then there were those shimmering with love and sensuousness.
Dunbar is a writer of great nuance, who knows exactly when to let the reader’s imagination do the work. To call this a ‘horror’ collection does not reflect the depth or quality of the writing here – this is psychological fiction at its finest and most insightful.
And if you are a horror fan like I am, you will be amazed at what he does with some of the genre’s fondest tropes: ghosts, zombies, werewolves, vampires. They become alive, frightening, powerful … and desirable.
This is a superb collection that takes you well out of your comfort zone into an eerie realm of wonder and terror, which Dunbar knows very well are two sides of the same coin.
For example, I cried at the end of ‘The Moon (Upside Down)’, and don’t really know why. It was such a beautiful, sad, inexplicable story.
Some stories were laugh-out loud funny, while quite a few disgusted me. Some were pretty grim and depressing. And then there were those shimmering with love and sensuousness.
Dunbar is a writer of great nuance, who knows exactly when to let the reader’s imagination do the work. To call this a ‘horror’ collection does not reflect the depth or quality of the writing here – this is psychological fiction at its finest and most insightful.
And if you are a horror fan like I am, you will be amazed at what he does with some of the genre’s fondest tropes: ghosts, zombies, werewolves, vampires. They become alive, frightening, powerful … and desirable.
This is a superb collection that takes you well out of your comfort zone into an eerie realm of wonder and terror, which Dunbar knows very well are two sides of the same coin.
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