A review by jsilber42
A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe by J.R. Hamantaschen
4.0
Disclosure: I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
J.R. Hamantaschen writes horror fiction, and he comes up with some very interesting ideas involving the supernatural (ghosts, monsters, and other beings), the maybe-natural (aliens, sexually-induced rage-plagues), and the sadly natural (human murderers, bullying). Where his writing really stands out, though, is how he gets inside the heads of his characters. Stephen King does this as well, but Hamantaschen's characters in some ways are more realistic, neurotic, more awkward, less polished. They truly sound like real people, and you may occasionally grimace to see some of your own flaws reflected in them. If King often writes idealized "everyman" characters, then Hamantaschen often writes everyman characters that reflect, say, how you felt in high school. Self-conscious, full of doubt, not as clever or witty as you wished you were.
Most of the stories in the delightfully titled "A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe" take their time. Often, the "horror" aspect comes late in the story. One of my favorite stories in the collection, "Bleecker and Bleaker; or, Gay for Muesli" (Mr. Hamantaschen likes his unusual titles, yes he does) is a straight-up friendship story for about 80-85% of its length; the horror aspects only come in toward the end, and then only in an oblique, never-fully-explained way. And yet, the story is delightful and page-turning and heart-breaking. "No One Cares But I Tried" starts as an awkward office drama before gradually taking a turn into horror. "Story Title Revealed About Halfway Through" completely changes protagonists and genres at the halfway point. "Faithfully and Lovingly" starts as a relationship drama that suddenly and shockingly shifts into an entirely different type of story (but also not different at all, if you are paying close attention) partway through. "I Will Soon Be Home and Never Need Anyone Again" is a full novella and spends plenty of time setting up the situation of the main character before the plot kicks in.
Other stories are more straightforward and shorter: "7099 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio" is weird horror from the get-go, in classic Stephen King short story fashion, and "A Gob of Minty Spit in the Sink" begins with the death of the main character and ends with a clever trick in about 7 or 8 pages.
My main criticism of the collection is that many of the stories could stand some more editing and trimming. In some cases, the writing could use more polishing (the awkwardness adds to realism in places, but sometimes makes it seem like we're reading an early draft). In others, some of the character introspection gets a bit repetitive. While the length of some of the stories adds to their quality ("Bleecker and Bleaker", for instance), others simply drag it out ("No One Cares But I Tried") and risk losing the reader's interest. "I Will Soon Be Home..." works fine as a novella, but it would, I think, be even stronger with some judicious cuts.
That said, I think this collection works well for the patient horror fan.
J.R. Hamantaschen writes horror fiction, and he comes up with some very interesting ideas involving the supernatural (ghosts, monsters, and other beings), the maybe-natural (aliens, sexually-induced rage-plagues), and the sadly natural (human murderers, bullying). Where his writing really stands out, though, is how he gets inside the heads of his characters. Stephen King does this as well, but Hamantaschen's characters in some ways are more realistic, neurotic, more awkward, less polished. They truly sound like real people, and you may occasionally grimace to see some of your own flaws reflected in them. If King often writes idealized "everyman" characters, then Hamantaschen often writes everyman characters that reflect, say, how you felt in high school. Self-conscious, full of doubt, not as clever or witty as you wished you were.
Most of the stories in the delightfully titled "A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe" take their time. Often, the "horror" aspect comes late in the story. One of my favorite stories in the collection, "Bleecker and Bleaker; or, Gay for Muesli" (Mr. Hamantaschen likes his unusual titles, yes he does) is a straight-up friendship story for about 80-85% of its length; the horror aspects only come in toward the end, and then only in an oblique, never-fully-explained way. And yet, the story is delightful and page-turning and heart-breaking. "No One Cares But I Tried" starts as an awkward office drama before gradually taking a turn into horror. "Story Title Revealed About Halfway Through" completely changes protagonists and genres at the halfway point. "Faithfully and Lovingly" starts as a relationship drama that suddenly and shockingly shifts into an entirely different type of story (but also not different at all, if you are paying close attention) partway through. "I Will Soon Be Home and Never Need Anyone Again" is a full novella and spends plenty of time setting up the situation of the main character before the plot kicks in.
Other stories are more straightforward and shorter: "7099 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio" is weird horror from the get-go, in classic Stephen King short story fashion, and "A Gob of Minty Spit in the Sink" begins with the death of the main character and ends with a clever trick in about 7 or 8 pages.
My main criticism of the collection is that many of the stories could stand some more editing and trimming. In some cases, the writing could use more polishing (the awkwardness adds to realism in places, but sometimes makes it seem like we're reading an early draft). In others, some of the character introspection gets a bit repetitive. While the length of some of the stories adds to their quality ("Bleecker and Bleaker", for instance), others simply drag it out ("No One Cares But I Tried") and risk losing the reader's interest. "I Will Soon Be Home..." works fine as a novella, but it would, I think, be even stronger with some judicious cuts.
That said, I think this collection works well for the patient horror fan.