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megapolisomancy's review
4.0
More pulpy weird horror from Undertow - an even more consistent entry than #1, I think. Some resonated with me more than others but, an absolute rarity for an anthology, none of them were outright failures.
1. “Unmaskings” (Marc Joan) - A psychology experiment at a masquerade has some things to say about trauma and serial killers and class (it’s a masquerade, after all). Rather overwrought in both prose and structure, but I understand why it was presented the way it was.
2. “Feral” (Catherine MacLeod) - A photographer of houses reclaimed by nature revisits her survivalist childhood. Folksy, short and sweet, aside from a couple of passages that felt kind of muddled in a way that didn't feel intentional.
3. “Adventurous” (Stephen Volk) - Suburban malaise gives way to Narnia-esque portal adventures, one step removed from the reader. Prose with some character, overall a lark, no horror at all. Suffers in comparison with my recent read of Mari Ness’ “Rockshell,” a portal fantasy of a different tone that’s really stuck with me.
4. “A Mouthful of Dirt” (Maria Abrams) - An interview with a woman whose brother vanished while they were camping in Colorado. Creepy sounds and footprints abound. This was good but didn’t give itself enough breathing room.
5. “Things Found in Richard Pickman’s Basement, and Things Left There” (Mary Berman) - Eliot’s wife confesses a string of murders to Thurber and disposes of the evidence in you-know-who’s basement. I don’t generally have much use for HPL fanfic but this was a zippy lark, and the wife being a poor native of the North End adds some depth.
6. “Bonemilk” (Rob Francis) - A real estate developer retires to the Welsh countryside and finds that capital isn’t the only thing in the world that’s vampire-like. Landlords, after all, love to reap where they never sowed. Very good!
7. “Scratching” (Alys Key) - Pandemic lockdown irritation of both mind and skin; captures this miserable era very well while paralleling previous disasters in London. Bit more definitive an ending than I usually prefer but a very promising first publication from this author.
8. “Eyes Like Pistils” (Evan James Sheldon) - A homeless ex-priest tends to two plants grown from seeds given to him by a “priest” in the woods. A surreal fever dream of a story, slightly abstract and very self-assured prose, excellent stuff. Do not be afraid, as the angels say.
9. “The Dreadful and Specific Monster of Starosibirsk” (Kristina Ten) - After an industrial accident ruins the caviar that brought tourists to a Siberian village, the folk invent a monster to do the same. A fantastic story with a distinctive, rueful voice and great sense of place.
1. “Unmaskings” (Marc Joan) - A psychology experiment at a masquerade has some things to say about trauma and serial killers and class (it’s a masquerade, after all). Rather overwrought in both prose and structure, but I understand why it was presented the way it was.
2. “Feral” (Catherine MacLeod) - A photographer of houses reclaimed by nature revisits her survivalist childhood. Folksy, short and sweet, aside from a couple of passages that felt kind of muddled in a way that didn't feel intentional.
3. “Adventurous” (Stephen Volk) - Suburban malaise gives way to Narnia-esque portal adventures, one step removed from the reader. Prose with some character, overall a lark, no horror at all. Suffers in comparison with my recent read of Mari Ness’ “Rockshell,” a portal fantasy of a different tone that’s really stuck with me.
4. “A Mouthful of Dirt” (Maria Abrams) - An interview with a woman whose brother vanished while they were camping in Colorado. Creepy sounds and footprints abound. This was good but didn’t give itself enough breathing room.
5. “Things Found in Richard Pickman’s Basement, and Things Left There” (Mary Berman) - Eliot’s wife confesses a string of murders to Thurber and disposes of the evidence in you-know-who’s basement. I don’t generally have much use for HPL fanfic but this was a zippy lark, and the wife being a poor native of the North End adds some depth.
6. “Bonemilk” (Rob Francis) - A real estate developer retires to the Welsh countryside and finds that capital isn’t the only thing in the world that’s vampire-like. Landlords, after all, love to reap where they never sowed. Very good!
7. “Scratching” (Alys Key) - Pandemic lockdown irritation of both mind and skin; captures this miserable era very well while paralleling previous disasters in London. Bit more definitive an ending than I usually prefer but a very promising first publication from this author.
8. “Eyes Like Pistils” (Evan James Sheldon) - A homeless ex-priest tends to two plants grown from seeds given to him by a “priest” in the woods. A surreal fever dream of a story, slightly abstract and very self-assured prose, excellent stuff. Do not be afraid, as the angels say.
9. “The Dreadful and Specific Monster of Starosibirsk” (Kristina Ten) - After an industrial accident ruins the caviar that brought tourists to a Siberian village, the folk invent a monster to do the same. A fantastic story with a distinctive, rueful voice and great sense of place.
bosermoki's review
5.0
Another top notch collection in this publication. Overall riveting. I also appreciated the short but insightful non-fiction discussion from Simon Strantzas and Orrin Grey
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