_danhill's review against another edition
5.0
A shambling, rotting, cackling collection of vignettes that reads like a fun house mirror version of 'Welcome to Night Vale' (which the collection predates).
sisteray's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those things where I totally get being drawn to this book, and if anyone loves it I feel like I should be there with you. If I were to try to sell anyone on this book I would immediately compare it to Brian Evenson’s immediacy of horror and gore from Dark Property, Thomas Ligotti’s chilling nowhere quality of a town overrun by horror to make it commonplace like Teatro Grottesco, or even the weirdo radio schtick from Welcome to Night Vale. For me though it felt like it was trying so hard to be those things, but it rarely felt like it was naturally there. It was like a pretty good fan fiction of those things.
Occasionally, things clicked and the pieces fit together with ease (namely The Investigator) but for the most part it just felt random and absurd with shocking images delivered like an edgelord troll on the internet. Moments like having an uncle have his family hammer his wang with a meat tenderizer, or a scary clown with syringes in his back, just feel tired and contrived.
Part of it was that he was really good at avoiding having to use dialogue so that when characters actually said stuff it was clear why he avoids it.
For me, the vignettes were so abstract that there was rarely anything for me to sink my teeth into. I had hopes that their interconnectedness was going to build a bigger picture, but the world building buried under his insistence on unreality. There was no payoff at the end.
It had a few great moments and was thankfully short enough that it didn’t feel like a waste of time. This is totally going to be someone’s favorite book, but it certainly isn’t mine.
Occasionally, things clicked and the pieces fit together with ease (namely The Investigator) but for the most part it just felt random and absurd with shocking images delivered like an edgelord troll on the internet. Moments like having an uncle have his family hammer his wang with a meat tenderizer, or a scary clown with syringes in his back, just feel tired and contrived.
Part of it was that he was really good at avoiding having to use dialogue so that when characters actually said stuff it was clear why he avoids it.
For me, the vignettes were so abstract that there was rarely anything for me to sink my teeth into. I had hopes that their interconnectedness was going to build a bigger picture, but the world building buried under his insistence on unreality. There was no payoff at the end.
It had a few great moments and was thankfully short enough that it didn’t feel like a waste of time. This is totally going to be someone’s favorite book, but it certainly isn’t mine.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
2.0
Eh.
Okay, to be clear: it's not "collected short fiction". That implies these were published in various places before being collected. They were clearly not. Almost none of these could stand alone, as they lacked such things as characters or plots. Many of them read like a group of interstitials that abandoned their novel because they thought they could go it alone. They cannot.
Imagery is impressive, the rest of it, not at all. At least it was short, because I was honestly bored by the end.
Okay, to be clear: it's not "collected short fiction". That implies these were published in various places before being collected. They were clearly not. Almost none of these could stand alone, as they lacked such things as characters or plots. Many of them read like a group of interstitials that abandoned their novel because they thought they could go it alone. They cannot.
Imagery is impressive, the rest of it, not at all. At least it was short, because I was honestly bored by the end.
philly393's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Really dig the vibe of this whole thing. Can’t wait to read more from Leeds/WXXT
jdcorley's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The single-author horror short story anthology is more difficult to handle than it seems. If you make the stories completely independent it's hard to get across a horror scenario quickly enough to bring the reader into it. If they're not independent you feel like you'd spend your time better on a novel. Bartlett hangs his hat on a tone - both narrative and stylistic - and tries to tell you about what amounts of extrusions in that tone into more grounded situations (a kid going over to your weird friends' house, going to the dentist after waiting too long, etc.) It works, essentially, but by the time you're halfway through, you "get it". The mythology is suggestive and interesting, so you're drawn along in order to learn more about it, but in the end there really isn't a single story that is sharp enough to be truly memorable. I credit this collection for attempting a new approach to this type of anthology, and for the inventiveness of the horror mythology, but it doesn't quite add up. A "normal" anthology with a couple of hot stories might have more merit overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Sexual assault
alexalily's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
cmcrockford's review against another edition
5.0
Micro and flash horror fiction unified by occult radio station WXXT in Leeds. The result is truly scary and makes me really jealous and pissed that I didn't write it. Bartlett's prose is surreal, serene, and panic-inducing.
rock_n_reads's review against another edition
5.0
When one of my favorites recommends another author, I listen. So, when I saw John Boden post about Matthew M. Bartlett’s work, I immediately ordered his short fiction collection, Gateways to Abomination. It took me awhile to get to this one, but it was worth the wait.
After I finished reading this book, I had to set it aside and allow myself to think on it for a few days before I could write this review. It’s hard to categorize this type of book into a subgenre of horror. Bartlett has a unique writing style that shines in this collection and there are no wasted words. The stories are all connected by a common link—transmissions from a sinister radio station called WXXT. But don’t go into this book expecting each story to read like a radio broadcast. That was my initial expectation upon reading the synopsis, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that’s not the case. These stories tie together through mention of WXXT at times, but they are also linked by some recurring locations and characters.
I set this one down a couple of times in between stories, but now that I’ve finished it, I highly recommend reading the stories in order, and in one sitting (if possible) for full effect. I’d actually like to go back and re-read this again in that fashion. I think I’d take even more from the writing in that way. I am not sure I can select “favorites” from this collection because the stories just work so well together, and I feel like one without the others would not be the same.
The horror in this collection is subtle at times, and strong and visceral in other moments. There’s an underlying and sinister hum of the occult that you can feel pulsing throughout the pages as you read. These stories gave me the creeps and left me disturbed, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for with this read. This book won’t be for everyone—I guess you could describe it as “weird” fiction. If it were a film it would be that hidden indie gem that’s often overlooked in a sea of Hollywood blockbusters. Gateways to Abomination is weird and wonderful, and the kind of content that would make for a great live reading. I’ll be picking up more of Bartlett’s work soon, and recommend this is if you’re looking for something to refresh your horror collection.
4.5/5 stars, rounded up for GoodReads
After I finished reading this book, I had to set it aside and allow myself to think on it for a few days before I could write this review. It’s hard to categorize this type of book into a subgenre of horror. Bartlett has a unique writing style that shines in this collection and there are no wasted words. The stories are all connected by a common link—transmissions from a sinister radio station called WXXT. But don’t go into this book expecting each story to read like a radio broadcast. That was my initial expectation upon reading the synopsis, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that’s not the case. These stories tie together through mention of WXXT at times, but they are also linked by some recurring locations and characters.
I set this one down a couple of times in between stories, but now that I’ve finished it, I highly recommend reading the stories in order, and in one sitting (if possible) for full effect. I’d actually like to go back and re-read this again in that fashion. I think I’d take even more from the writing in that way. I am not sure I can select “favorites” from this collection because the stories just work so well together, and I feel like one without the others would not be the same.
The horror in this collection is subtle at times, and strong and visceral in other moments. There’s an underlying and sinister hum of the occult that you can feel pulsing throughout the pages as you read. These stories gave me the creeps and left me disturbed, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for with this read. This book won’t be for everyone—I guess you could describe it as “weird” fiction. If it were a film it would be that hidden indie gem that’s often overlooked in a sea of Hollywood blockbusters. Gateways to Abomination is weird and wonderful, and the kind of content that would make for a great live reading. I’ll be picking up more of Bartlett’s work soon, and recommend this is if you’re looking for something to refresh your horror collection.
4.5/5 stars, rounded up for GoodReads
testpattern's review against another edition
5.0
A delightfully sqaumous collection of beautifully crafted vignettes. Flickering lunettes of vivid, startlingly wrought imagery punctuated by moments of savage violence. The sense of mystery and hidden history underlying WXXT and the towns it reaches is tantalizingly created, and there is a sense of a richer, darker works that lies below the surface of the text. Highly recommended.