Fringes of Horror: Little Deaths

The Rating System

All opinions are my own. We are all different. What I may think is great, you may this terrible. Don't let my opinios stop you from exploring the vast world of horror in all media.

~Mind Blowing: Search for this movie immediately. It can only be described as pure greatness and possible an instant classic.

~So Good: Highly recommended because for one reason or another it stands out above the usual fair. Put the movie on your radar as it wont disappoint.

~In the Middle: The movie is a nothing special, average affair. It may entertain in the short term but it will be easily forgettable in the long haul.

~Warning: This movie is a cliched driven slop of familiar territory. Only watch if you're really of fan of this type of material.

~Steaming Pile: The movie is absolute garbage, a complete bore, and not worth the time or effort.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Little Deaths

Author: John F.D. Taff

Synopsis:
A short story collection dealing with the theme of death.

My Take:
As with most collections some of the stories stick out more than others. Still there's not a bad tale in the book. Most have a slow burn effect and a subtle nature behind the words and often the end results are down right chilling.
I highly recommend giving this entertaining collection a read (19 stories in all). You wont be disappointed.

Here are some of favorites ones.

Bolts - A fantastic modern day homage to Frankenstein. What a way to kick off a book.

But For a Moment...Motionless - The last man on Earth comes to a realization on his fate.

The Water Bearer - An old man reflects on the his previous employer and the mysterious pond in the back yard.

Closed Eye of the Dead World - A man buys a house only to discover a window which looks into another dimension but what lives on the other side doesn't like the view. The story has a very Lovecraftian feel.

Child of Dirt - A man questions if he is the actual father of his new born baby.

Orifice - A man, a woman, an ex-boyfriend, and a tattoo come together this odd tale of passion and loss of love.

The Mellified Man - A delicious treat of a story about a man with a sweet tooth for the rare leading to cannibalism.

Box of Rocks - A disturbing tale where a man talks about his abusive childhood. This one keeps you guessing until the last sentence.

Rating: So Good

** Personal Side Note - Mr. Taff contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I'd be interested in writing a review for his book. I gladly excepted. Hey, I like freebies and horror and I have an obligation to what few loyal readers I have to fill this blog up with content. So I wrote a little longer than normal review. It's only fair, the man sent me a book. Below are the author's website and twitter account. So, go check his stuff work.

Author Info
Website: http://johnfdtaff.com/
Amazon Author Page: John F.D. Taff
Twitter: @johnfdtaff
Good Reads Author Page: John F.D. Taff

Book Synopsis:

Little Deaths is the first collection of short fiction by John F.D. Taff, whose career spans 25 years as a horror and dark speculative fiction author, with more than 60 stories in print in magazines (Cemetery Dance, Eldritch Tales, Deathrealm, Aberrations, Morpheus Tales) and anthologies (Hot Blood: Seeds of Fear, Hot Blood: Fear the Fever, Shock Rock II, andBest New Vampire Tales.) Four of his stories were chosen as honorable mentions by Datlow and Windling in their Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror anthologies. His short fiction has appeared so far this year in Best New Werewolf Tales, Vol. 1, Big Pulp, Evil Jester Digest Vol. 1, and the AmFAR charity anthology Horror for Good.

For more information on Books of the Dead Press, go to www.booksofthedeadpress.com