apostrophen's review
5.0
"Daddy's Gift," by Larry C. Faulkner
Most of the stories in Tales from the Den, edited by R. Jackson, have a chill to them. The collection as a whole is hair-raising (and since we're talking bears, there's a lot of hair to raise). The first story, "Daddy's Gift," has that chill of the grave to it throughout, voiced by a bear who is no longer alive, strictly speaking, and slaking a vampiric thirst of a particularly bearish bent.
Vampire short fiction can end so darkly, and even when you know and love the genre, each tale has that knife's edge to it. Will everyone survive? As you watch the two men circle each other, that sense of tension builds, and throughout the story, the past of the narrator is teased for you. The past has been rough for him - will the present follow suit?
"Daddy's Gift" opens the collection delightfully, and gives you a real sense for where some of these bearish tales are going to go.
"Riverrun," by William Holden
Tales from the Den has more than a few stories that left a shiver to the skin, but "Riverrun" had a deep enough impact to it that the first time I read it, I actually had a very dark and disturbing dream on the following night. What begins as a bit of a sexually open vacation at a bear event for Dan and Steven - two buddies who struggle at being friends outside of the bedroom - enter a world beside our world, and the journey is both dark and erotic.
Which is exactly what I now know to brace for when I read William Holden in the first place. It's something he does extremely well - I'm sure I'll be talking more about this when I get to his story in Tented - and as a sucker for all things paranormal, I look forward to these tales from William Holden.
But now I know to leave the light on.
"Saving Tobias," by Jeff Mann
Ah, Derek Maclaine. Jeff Mann's vampire is a great way to wash out the foul taste of bigotry from the mouth. With blood. And no better a tale to do it with than "Saving Tobias." Derek Maclaine is Mann's Scottish pagan vampire with a taste for rope alongside his thirst for blood (and vengeance). If you've not read any of the Derek Maclaine tales before, this is a great story to start with, as it captures the tones - and Mann's phenomenal poetic voice - of the vampire perfectly.
Without ruining anything, "Saving Tobias" is about a meeting between Derek Maclaine and a former country musician turned politician who has helped guide some of the hateful laws of the land. The "discussion" is satisfying, to say the least, and in good company among the darker stories in Tales from the Den. It was the perfect story to revisit after a day pondering the bigoted Orson Scott Card.
(Sidenote: if you do want to immerse yourself in the freaking wonderful Derek Maclaine stories by Jeff Mann, there's a collection that pulls together almost all the appearances of the vampire called [b:Desire and Devour, Stories of Blood and Sweat|15853143|Desire and Devour, Stories of Blood and Sweat|Jeff Mann|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346109792s/15853143.jpg|21601270].)
"The Dragon-Bone Tower," by Cynthia Ward
This is probably the most "fantasy" tale of Tales from the Den. A wizard's apprentice is tasked with ridding himself of his emotions in order to power his darkest magics, but when a barbarian falls near dead at the doorstep, the wizard commands the apprentice trade the dying barbarian for a hellhound, opening a deal with a demon through a portal to Hell itself.
Dark magic, however, rarely comes without a cost. Dark and moody, this story read like I wanted the fantasy stories to read when I was younger - but, alas, they never did. Still, it's never too late to let the darkness try to smother you whole...
"Laid to Rest," by Hank Edwards
Speaking of poor communicators: the dead.
With the right ear, or eye, or attention to detail, maybe Rick can figure out who - or what - is trying to send him a not-so-subtle message in his new home. Given that bad things have happened in his new home, the message might not be one he wants to hear, though. Or want to know. But with the handsome bearish Steve around to help with the handywork, he might just work up the nerve to be brave about it all.
I liked this story, which had a bit of mystery among the paranormal, but was - at it's heart - a kind of supernatural meet-cute that made me smile. Tales from the Den has its share of darker tales, so the smile was nicely placed - enough to give you a pause to breathe (if you're a horror wuss like me).
Most of the stories in Tales from the Den, edited by R. Jackson, have a chill to them. The collection as a whole is hair-raising (and since we're talking bears, there's a lot of hair to raise). The first story, "Daddy's Gift," has that chill of the grave to it throughout, voiced by a bear who is no longer alive, strictly speaking, and slaking a vampiric thirst of a particularly bearish bent.
Vampire short fiction can end so darkly, and even when you know and love the genre, each tale has that knife's edge to it. Will everyone survive? As you watch the two men circle each other, that sense of tension builds, and throughout the story, the past of the narrator is teased for you. The past has been rough for him - will the present follow suit?
"Daddy's Gift" opens the collection delightfully, and gives you a real sense for where some of these bearish tales are going to go.
"Riverrun," by William Holden
Tales from the Den has more than a few stories that left a shiver to the skin, but "Riverrun" had a deep enough impact to it that the first time I read it, I actually had a very dark and disturbing dream on the following night. What begins as a bit of a sexually open vacation at a bear event for Dan and Steven - two buddies who struggle at being friends outside of the bedroom - enter a world beside our world, and the journey is both dark and erotic.
Which is exactly what I now know to brace for when I read William Holden in the first place. It's something he does extremely well - I'm sure I'll be talking more about this when I get to his story in Tented - and as a sucker for all things paranormal, I look forward to these tales from William Holden.
But now I know to leave the light on.
"Saving Tobias," by Jeff Mann
Ah, Derek Maclaine. Jeff Mann's vampire is a great way to wash out the foul taste of bigotry from the mouth. With blood. And no better a tale to do it with than "Saving Tobias." Derek Maclaine is Mann's Scottish pagan vampire with a taste for rope alongside his thirst for blood (and vengeance). If you've not read any of the Derek Maclaine tales before, this is a great story to start with, as it captures the tones - and Mann's phenomenal poetic voice - of the vampire perfectly.
Without ruining anything, "Saving Tobias" is about a meeting between Derek Maclaine and a former country musician turned politician who has helped guide some of the hateful laws of the land. The "discussion" is satisfying, to say the least, and in good company among the darker stories in Tales from the Den. It was the perfect story to revisit after a day pondering the bigoted Orson Scott Card.
(Sidenote: if you do want to immerse yourself in the freaking wonderful Derek Maclaine stories by Jeff Mann, there's a collection that pulls together almost all the appearances of the vampire called [b:Desire and Devour, Stories of Blood and Sweat|15853143|Desire and Devour, Stories of Blood and Sweat|Jeff Mann|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346109792s/15853143.jpg|21601270].)
"The Dragon-Bone Tower," by Cynthia Ward
This is probably the most "fantasy" tale of Tales from the Den. A wizard's apprentice is tasked with ridding himself of his emotions in order to power his darkest magics, but when a barbarian falls near dead at the doorstep, the wizard commands the apprentice trade the dying barbarian for a hellhound, opening a deal with a demon through a portal to Hell itself.
Dark magic, however, rarely comes without a cost. Dark and moody, this story read like I wanted the fantasy stories to read when I was younger - but, alas, they never did. Still, it's never too late to let the darkness try to smother you whole...
"Laid to Rest," by Hank Edwards
Speaking of poor communicators: the dead.
With the right ear, or eye, or attention to detail, maybe Rick can figure out who - or what - is trying to send him a not-so-subtle message in his new home. Given that bad things have happened in his new home, the message might not be one he wants to hear, though. Or want to know. But with the handsome bearish Steve around to help with the handywork, he might just work up the nerve to be brave about it all.
I liked this story, which had a bit of mystery among the paranormal, but was - at it's heart - a kind of supernatural meet-cute that made me smile. Tales from the Den has its share of darker tales, so the smile was nicely placed - enough to give you a pause to breathe (if you're a horror wuss like me).
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