zacko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
sisteray's review against another edition
5.0
There has always been a blurred line for me between abstract postmodern literature and genre fiction. This collection of weird short stories dips its toe in both pools. Most of these stories are of human’s coping with loss and isolation, with a bizarre backdrop or conceit. Many of these stories could fall more under the category of magical realism than horror depending on the whimsey of the reviewer.
Wehunt’s writing style is really fascinating. He does this teeter-tottering with his sentence structure that starts with one idea and spills into an adjacent concept. He cuts to the chase sometimes merging what would be a paragraph of description for other authors into one see-sawing metaphoric description. So his work shimmies, subverting expectations sentence by sentence, creating a mild dreamlike quality. I really love it.
I joke that Cosmic Horror stories all pretty much end the same ways: the person is consumed/absorbed, the person gets away and is forever scarred, or the person is physically transformed. Wehunt LOVES transformation. The stories didn’t feel at all similar to me but outside of themes of loss, he clearly loves to have normal postmodern approaches to fiction and them does some element of body transformation. I am there for it.
His stories capture those that live on the long stretches of backwoods America; roadside diners, isolated cabins, & small towns. While I legitimately dug all of the stories, the biggest stand out for me was of angels literally falling into a trailer park and the subsequent results.
I highly recommend this.
Wehunt’s writing style is really fascinating. He does this teeter-tottering with his sentence structure that starts with one idea and spills into an adjacent concept. He cuts to the chase sometimes merging what would be a paragraph of description for other authors into one see-sawing metaphoric description. So his work shimmies, subverting expectations sentence by sentence, creating a mild dreamlike quality. I really love it.
I joke that Cosmic Horror stories all pretty much end the same ways: the person is consumed/absorbed, the person gets away and is forever scarred, or the person is physically transformed. Wehunt LOVES transformation. The stories didn’t feel at all similar to me but outside of themes of loss, he clearly loves to have normal postmodern approaches to fiction and them does some element of body transformation. I am there for it.
His stories capture those that live on the long stretches of backwoods America; roadside diners, isolated cabins, & small towns. While I legitimately dug all of the stories, the biggest stand out for me was of angels literally falling into a trailer park and the subsequent results.
I highly recommend this.
doctorwyrm's review against another edition
5.0
You never know what shade of spooky you're getting into, but you know someone will probably end up with some grotesque wings. Shout out to "The Inconsolable," probably my new favorite short story of all time.
em_harring's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection! It came in my September Nocturnal Readers box (highly recommend checking out if you're a horror fan). I'd never heard of the author or the publisher, so I went into the collection unsure what I'd find. Wehunt's stories are definitely surreal, a la Borges, and there isn't a clear answer as to what's happening, but I liked that. And, his writing is quite good.
If you want a weird, spooky collection to check out for October, I'd recommend this!
If you want a weird, spooky collection to check out for October, I'd recommend this!
magicmarc's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 estrellas.
OH POR MERLIN QUÉ CREEPY, ME HIZO ESTREMECER.
De los mejores que he escuchado hasta ahora.
OH POR MERLIN QUÉ CREEPY, ME HIZO ESTREMECER.
De los mejores que he escuchado hasta ahora.
beccagomezfarrell's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great collection of horror short stories, with the sort of beautifully descriptive writing that makes this writer hopeful her own has a market. Enough intriguing suspense to keep pages turning throughout, with recurrent themes of wings, loss, insects, Christian mysticism, and people living on the margins of proper society. I would prefer a little more explanation here and there, but ultimately, the stories are great as is.
rock_n_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I have to thank The Nocturnal Reader's Box for expanding my book selection to include more short stories. I thought that this was a great debut, and it's so different from anything else I've read. My favorite stories were: Greener Pastures, The Devil Under the Maison Blue, October Film Haunt: Under the House, Deducted From Your Share in Paradise, The Inconsolable, and Bookends. I also really loved that the author included story notes at the end. The stories are both haunting and beautiful. I look forward to reading more from Michael Wehunt!
lulustjames's review against another edition
5.0
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This book hit all of my buttons, in the best way possible! Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt is a wonderful collection of short stories that creep their way out of the horror genre and into Southern Gothic and New Weird. Every single story creates and maintains its own sense of unease, while also building upon and blending into the overarching feeling that ties everything together, the visceral and oppressing wilderness.
The very first paragraph from the very first story sets the mood for the remainder of the book. The constant feel of ache and weariness contrasted against the savagery of the environment. From a technical standpoint, it’s amazing how Wehunt manages to construct sentences that are both simple, yet impactful. To go from a character holding a jug of milk, to feeling devoured by the unending vastness of night, Wehunt juxtaposes common day occurrences with a dread and terror that fit seamlessly in. You’re left with a feeling that at any moment, you could find yourself in that very position, that very place. Whether intended or not, Greener Pastures oozes Southern Gothic charm. From unstable characters, the undertone of rebellion and overbearing small-town religion, to the sublime, yet grotesque depictions of nature.
Though themes do seem to be threaded through each story, they are each standalones and different, all in varying degrees of weird. From love lost and its consequences, to a quartet of child stories that are interesting to make sense of as a collection of its own, to life in places better left untouched, each story confronts the inevitable differently, makes use of the environment in its own way. Beside Me Singing in the Wilderness, one of my favorites, has a mountain demanding its return. Greener Pastures, another favorite, a darkness that consumes and demands more.
Whenever it comes to a book of collections, readers are naturally wary; I sure am most of the time. Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt, however, is what short story collections should be. Every story accomplishes its goal of disturbing the reader, inducing horror and unease. Out of the eleven, there are only one or two that I personally didn’t enjoy as much as the others, and yet, they were still good. Definitely pick this up!
// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. //
hartd's review against another edition
4.0
As soon as the guy thought of his little daughter, I knew he was a goner, but because that happened so early on, the evil force really felt inescapable from the start. Then, the author did a fantastic job of heightening its menace until the end. Most of all, this story really captured the unique loneliness of empty highways and isolated truck stops in the dark.