This is the Premier issue of what I hope will be a long line of successful volumes from Dead Letter Press. Nightmare Abbey Volume one contains "a mix of literary horror, gothic terror, and classic weird tales."
In addition to the spooky stories, there are notes after each one to tell you a bit about the author, where the stories were first published and the titles of some other books their work has appeared in, in case you feel like adding another mile to your TBR list. (which I did.) I expect to return to this volume over and over, not just for the entertainment value but for those informative notes about other books.
There are some spectacular illustrations by Allen Koszowski throughout.
I enjoyed the feeling of nostalgia brought on by the articles and photos of Kolchak, and I Walked With A Zombie. There are also some photos of one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock episodes, The Waxwork.
As for the stories themselves I had so many favorites.
Meeting The Author by Ramsey Campbell gave me chills!
The Graveyard Rats by Henry Kuttner is a creepy, crawly, claustrophobic story that I won't soon forget.
Snow by Helen Grant is a cautionary tale of why one should never break a promise. I don't think I have ever read this author previously but this story has made me want to read more from her.
Awake in the Hands of Solitude by Kurt Newton and John Boden is an eerie story about disembodied hands that do the evil bidding of a disabled man.
The Last Sighting of Black Dog by Tom English is for anyone who loves folk tales and urban legends as much as I do.
I was thrilled to see Catnip by Robert Bloch included in this volume. This is an older story I had never read before but had seen a tv adaptation of it on an episode of an old summer replacement TV series called Darkroom back in the 80s. I am a huge Robert Bloch fan even if I have seen more of his writing adapted for tv than I have read in books. The story as written by Bloch is much darker than was portrayed on television and I loved it.
Give Me Back My Name by David Surface is about a man who discovers it's harder than he thought to abandon his old life for new. This is an author I have never read before and I will definitely be looking for more from him.
It bears repeating that this is the first of what I hope will be many more volumes. Horror is my happy place and Nightmare Abbey has so much to offer. It's more than a great read, it's an immersive experience. It's brought me some pleasant memories of turning on the tv a half-hour early to get a good clear picture tuned in before Kolchak or Alfred Hitchcock started. The illustrations remind me of the days I'd go to the used book stores with my mom, her searching for horror novels she hadn't already read, and me searching through the horror comics that she would not have let me buy had she known what was inside. It's brought to my attention writers that I have missed out on and pointed me in the direction of where I will find more of their stories.
Recommended to all fans of dark fiction, horror stories, and weird tales.
My thanks to Dead Letter Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment