raforall's review against another edition
4.0
Review in the 11/1/17 issue of IndiePicks Magazine and on my blog: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/2017/10/31-days-of-horror-day-24-reviews-by-me.html
pbanditp's review against another edition
5.0
What a great collection! Filled with apprehension and dread but yet each story starts off like a nice normal day. You just never know what is going to go wrong but you definitely know that something will. Don’t become close to any characters, although that is easier said than done.
bookishactor's review
4.0
Behold the Void by Philip Fracassi is a short story collection of horror tales, largely featuring the cosmic sub-genre. Themes of parents, children, loneliness, toxic masculinity and misogyny, and fear of loss recurred throughout many of the stories in the collection. and For me, this collection was a mixed bag. A few stories really stood out to me as four and five star stories including Fail-Safe, Mandela, Baby Farmer, and Horse Thief (especially part 2). I also mostly enjoyed Coffin and Mother, but sadly the other three stories were disappointments to me. I noticed that Fracassi writes beautiful prose, but I found many of the stories to be long, slow, and loaded with detail that did not directly advance the plot. Perhaps it’s simply my preference as a read, but I think I enjoy stories that are plot driven more than character or world-building driven, and that made reading some of this stories a tad tedious. This collection was published prior to Fracassi’s Beneath a Pale Sky, which I have previously reviewed. I think I preferred Beneath a Pale Sky a bit more, although my comments about meandering detail holds true in both collections. Still, fans of literary horror may find this an enjoyable read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
trebel's review against another edition
Content was difficult, didn't like stories enough to justify. First one was alright though.
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
With the release of two novelettes (Altar and Mother) and one novella (Fragile Dreams) in 2016, Philip Fracassi has quickly become synonymous with disturbing and disquieting horror. Building on his screenwriting experience, he has mastered the art of producing creepy and suspenseful horror stories and he shows no sign of slowing down if his publishing schedule for 2017 is anything to go by. With two new novellas and numerous short stories already announced, there are plenty of Fracassi tales to look forward to. But he begins the year with a short story collection, inviting us to Behold the Void.
Oftentimes, when an author releases a collection, it will be made up of the previously released stories (in this case ‘Altar’, ‘Mother’ and, as readers of Strange Aeons will tell you, ‘Coffin’), some other good original stories, and then “filler” material. But there is no filler here. Every story is as unique in its subject matter as it is identical in its quality and excellence. Philip Fracassi is quickly building a reputation as a superior storyteller of incredible talent. And we are excited to see what fate has in store for an author we must surely now hail as a leading light in the dark field of horror fiction.
To read the full review, head over to This Is Horror
Oftentimes, when an author releases a collection, it will be made up of the previously released stories (in this case ‘Altar’, ‘Mother’ and, as readers of Strange Aeons will tell you, ‘Coffin’), some other good original stories, and then “filler” material. But there is no filler here. Every story is as unique in its subject matter as it is identical in its quality and excellence. Philip Fracassi is quickly building a reputation as a superior storyteller of incredible talent. And we are excited to see what fate has in store for an author we must surely now hail as a leading light in the dark field of horror fiction.
To read the full review, head over to This Is Horror
cryingalot49's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
2.5
andynorth's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good! Whether this type of uncanny fiction works for me relies upon the author implying enough to get my imagination hinting at dark possibilities, but not explaining too much so that you lose that important sense of unease and menace. I feel like Fracassi has a little bit too light of a touch sometimes - in some of these stories, there wasn't enough on the "dark possibilities" side of the equation to get me interested (Fail-Safe is the best example here - I liked it, but could have used a LITTLE more detail about what was up in order for the horror to really bite). But my favorites in this collection really worked for me - Altar I'd already read and liked a lot, and Surfer Girl and Mandala were my other top two.
readundancies's review
So I started this short story with the best intentions because the words cosmic horror jumped out and spoke to me.
However, I’m really not jiving with the writing. There’s a pretty big comparison made with Stephen King in the Introduction, specifying the type of horror written in the 80s and I’m of a mind that during that period of time, the horror being written was not for me.
It’s not terrifying, it’s not terribly eye-catching and engaging for me either and the sense of unsettlement that I need in a horror read is just not present.
I got as far as Part I of The Horse Thief and really didn’t enjoy Soft Construction of a Sunset or Altar, so I’m calling it quits.
I’m pretty picky with my horror I guess, and this just didn't make the cut.
ollie_lee's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the stories felt incomplete or just did not hold my interest. Fracassi is a very talented author and I enjoyed the different styles and narratives of each story. The last story in the book, "Mandala" was amazing. As a stand alone I give it the full five stars. Full of tension and dread. I look forward to read more stories by Philip Fracassi.