The Shuddering Breath Before Oblivion by Taylor Grant

In his final collection of short stories, once again we are invited into Taylor Grant's unique and macabre imagination. A man discovers a portal in his basement that offers him an infinite variety of alternate lives he can live. A woman seeks revenge on the man who destroyed her life. In treating a young man's haunted memories of a childhood trauma, a psychiatrist uncovers terrifying possibilities. A property speculator gets more than she bargained for when she buys an unsellable house in a small town with a morbid obsession with Halloween. And in the collection's title story, a journalist fights to solve the mystery of a world of disappearing people. Come on in and explore the dark labyrinths of the human mind and what it's capable of, if you dare.
 

    I'm sad to say I was not familiar with this author's work before he passed away. Sadder still that the world has lost an incredible storyteller.

Not all of these tales are horror, but I was surprised to find that one in particular that had absolutely nothing to do with horror is one of my favorites in this collection. A Whiter Shade of Christmas is a story of grief and loneliness that gets harder to bear in the holiday season. Who can't relate to that? I envy anyone who can't. This year, a widower is deeply moved by a dinner invitation from a homeless man. I loved this poignant yuletide tale.

Another of my favorites was Don't Open Your Eyes, about a house flipper who moves into the last house on Willow Lane near Halloween. So what of the previous owners disappeared without a trace, as did the owners before? Surely it's just a coincidence that nobody has ever lasted through Halloween in this house. Or is it?

Red Christmas was an excellent story about a little girl who is grieving the loss of her grandmother, especially now that she is left alone with her bickering, abusive parents. I'm sensing a theme here, I must really enjoy holiday stories. Anyway it just might be possible that Grandma has a final gift from beyond the grave.

While not every story was my preferred genre, they are all skillfully written and engrossing tales. These were my favorites, but all were good.

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing.

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