Yaccub's Curse by Wrath James White
- Purchase it here
- Published October 2010 (Necro Publications ebook edition)
- Finished reading it on August 5, 2019
- Wow! What an incredible start to the story. I've read a couple of books by Wrath James White before but never has he pulled me in so much to the environment of the story. The story is based in the slums and ghettos of Philadelphia. And I very much felt like I was there while reading. Slight side track, I'm a middle-aged white guy. I've been across the entire United States, been to over a dozen countries, and have no problem with being the only white guy in a restaurant or room. However, while reading the first 40-50 pages where White is setting up the story, I had that scared feeling that I was in a bad neighborhood and I better be careful. Wallet moved to front pocket, hyper-alert about everything, and my Adrenalin prepping for fight or flight. And I was just sitting on my couch at home alone! I was *that* sucked into the world. It also probably helped that I had just started a new job and was working in the Tenderloin in San Francisco; an area where the reality of YACCUB'S CURSE is almost there. The story is about Malik, a young enforcer for a drug lord in a bad neighborhood of Philadelphia. The story covers his growth from a young kid to the hard-core killer that he is at the end of the story. Not only does it cover his descent into a gangster life but it also covers his attempt at redemption. That point where he realizes he needs to draw a line in the sand. The supernatural elements of this story are almost an afterthought. They are entwined into the story but at the same time could easily be written off as a character flaw of a demented gangster and killer. The ending chapters cover this element in more detail but as the final chapters in the book, you can almost pretend that they didn't happen. If you want. I've pretended the same with other books. To tell the truth though, the gripping parts of this story aren't the supernatural. It's the very real changes and development of Malik. How someone who could have achieved more and been a positive influence ends up being who he is. It's about life in a ghetto and how the choices are limited. It's about race and how much it affects one's life and what happens in it. It's a story that is gripping and scary and sobering. And while I haven't read a bunch of White's novels, this is easily the best that I have read. And it shouldn't be missed.
Year's Best Horror Stories: Series XII edited by Karl Edward Wagner
- Purchase it here
- 19 short stories by such authors as Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, Tanith Lee and more
- Published November 1984 (DAW paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on December 1, 1987
- unreviewed
Year's Best Horror Stories: Series XIII edited by Karl Edward Wagner
- Purchase it here
- 18 short stories by such authors as Charles L. Grant, Dennis Etchison, Gardner Dozois and more
- Published October 1985 (DAW paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on October 1, 1988
- unreviewed
Year's Best Horror Stories: Vol. XX edited by Karl Edward Wagner
- Purchase it here
- 22 short stories by such authors as Ramsey Campbell, Dennis Etchison, Brian Lumley and more
- Published October 1992 (DAW paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on 1995
- unreviewed
Year's Best Horror Stories: Vol. XXI edited by Karl Edward Wagner
- Purchase it here
- 26 short stories by such authors as Ramsey Campbell, Kim Newman, Rick Kennett and W.M. Schockley
- Published October 1993 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on February 15, 1996
- This collection is pretty good. For some reason, it seemed to drag in a lot of places. The first half didn't seem to have very many stories that I though of as good; they were mostly predictable. Things got better near the end of the book. Then they tied up with easily the best short story in the book and that I've read in a while. Once again my favorite stories are below:
"The Limits of Fantasy" by Ramsey Campbell - We find out exactly how far obsession can take a person and his subject.
"The Outsider" by Rick Kennett - An Australian goes on vacation in England and ends up performing an Exorcism.
"The Hyacinth Girl" by Mary Ann Mitchell - Long-life is discovered with an amazing sacrifice.
"Largesse" by Mark McLaughlin - This will give you second thoughts about renting the latest horror movie from the local video store.
"Spring Ahead, Fall Back" by Michael A. Arnzen - This will make you wary of the night to change your clocks.
"Week Woman" by Kim Newman - A demented twist of the movie "Green Card" with Gerard Depardieu.
"A Father's Gift" by W. M. Schockley - A chilling tale of a man who tries to make the world a better place for his children and in the end does much more than that.
Year's Best Horror Stories: Vol. XXII edited by Karl Edward Wagner
- Purchase it here
- 31 short stories by such authors as Dennis Etchison, Ramsey Campbell, Wayne Allen Sallee, T.E.D. Klein, Lisa Tuttle and others
- Published November 1994 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on December 10, 1996
- Wagner has compiled another really good collection of some really good stories. There are plenty here that I considered to slowly sneak up and scare me. Then to top it off, Wagner, while providing a biography for each author, comes up with a theory involving cats and coffee that is as fun to read. I found myself looking forward to the biographies as much as I was looking forward to the stories. Consider this collection recommended. Some of my favorites are below.
"The Ripper's Tune" by Gregory Nicoll - Jack the Ripper lays claim to a rock song.
"One Size Eats All" by T.E.D. Klein - A typo? Or not?
"Resurrection" by Adam Meyer - A scary tale of life after death, after death...
"David" by Sean Doolittle - A stranger has a request which he insists gets done.
"Ridi Bobo" by Robert Devereaux - It's a clown's world after all.
"Momento Mori" by Scott Thomas - The dead speak through tombstones.
"Ice Cream and Tombstones" by Nira Kiriki - A story most people can probably relate to.
You Come When I Call You by Douglas Clegg
- Purchase it here
- Published March 2000 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on October 01, 2001
- Unfortunately this is another book by Clegg that I'm disappointed with but I now know why. It's the way that Clegg jumps around in his story telling that annoys me; he is constantly having flashbacks and memories of the past that are weaved in to his stories. He did this for THE HALLOWEEN MAN, NAOMI and this novel. Then when he did not do it for BAD KARMA and I liked that one, it helped to clear up my mystery. This novel involves a story about three people who did something horrible years ago and who are now having things happen which are drawing them back to the small town where it happened. The story itself is pretty interesting and appealing but as I already mentioned, the method of story telling just does not do it for me. Give one of the previously mentioned novels a try for yourself though; it might just be a style thing that I don't like. Which is a shame because I really like his newsletter that he sends out; info on it can be found at his website.
Young Blood edited by Mike Baker
- Purchase it here
- 29 short stories by such authors as Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Bloch
- Published March 1994 (Zebra paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on October 11, 1996
- All of these stories were written before the author's 30th birthday, the point being to prove that you don't have to be old to contribute good stuff. The collection includes stories from both older or deceased authors as well as new previously unpublished authors. The collection started off kind of weak and didn't have quite as many gems as I expected. I was kind of amazed at how many of the stories were pretty short. Maybe it was their brevity or maybe the writing itself, but the stories were just not as good as I expected. However I have listed the ones I did like below.
"The Mangler" by Stephen King - Early King but still good stuff, some might even say better than some of his current offerings
"Little Black Bags" by Clark Perry - Everything is not as it seems
"Armadillo Village" by Terry Campbell - An old horror story theme that proves to still be very good
You're Mine by Somer Canon
- Purchase it here
- Published February 2023 (French Press audiobook edition)
- Finished reading it on April 5, 2026
- No spoilers so don't worry about that part. This novel surprised me in where it ended up going. After getting through about half the book, it seemed to me that the story was leading towards one direction. I was settling myself in when the pace quickened and events that "shouldn't be happening yet" were about to happen. Then suddenly Part 1 ended and I was a bit shocked. Guessing at what was to happen in Part 2, I again missed the mark and got another surprise. Everything was well within the parameters of the story; no crazy new random stuff. Just a story that zagged instead of zigged and left me happier for it. Shifting away from the content, I need to mention that I listened to the audiobook. Most of the time I don't comment on the narrator unless they do an amazing job. Unfortunately I have to comment on the reverse this time. I did not like the way that Clare Radix read the book. She relied more on changing her breathing to differentiate the characters than on a vocal change. As such, Raber (the boyfriend) constantly paused every few words which made it sounded like he was out of breath. She did the same with a couple other characters too. In fact, I had to look up the text of the book and make sure that the character could really talk normal instead of panting. It makes me wish that I had read the book instead of listening to it.
Send comments or your opinions on these books to mike@kazba.com.