- edgenerous
Daily Short Story Diary - Week 45
Day 308 Nov 3, 2019
GOBBL’UNS by Thea Brune
Stories We Tell After Midnight – 2019
Horror – 10 Pages (about, digital)
Ooh, favorite of this anthology so far. A monster under the bed story with a good number of twists and a double tap ending. The writing’s accessible and quick. The right kind of voice for this almost schlocky kind of tale. Reminds me of those anthology movies from the eighties. Good, nasty fun.
*****
Day 309 Nov 4, 2019
ELEPHANT by Raymond Carver
Where I’m Calling From – Selected Stories 1989
General – 18 Pages
Another gem from the Carver pile. Here you get a guy getting financially bled to dead by his people. And he just keeps paying. It’s frustrating, sadly funny, and way realistic. Reminded me of my older brother who’d forever be borrowing small bits, leaving behind promises—or IOUs when he just stole the money. Anyway, told with that wonderful Carver voice. Fast. Has a fun ending.
*****
Day 310 Nov 5, 2019
DIRECTIONS by Judy Budnitz
Flying Leap – 1998
General – 10 Pages
This is a whimsical little tale about a mapmaker and his maps fixing up the lives of those who need direction. It’s a bit all over the place until that point of it all comes clear, and once it does, it comes together nicely. Funny. Endearing. Wonderfully accessible writing.
****
Day 311 Nov 6, 2019
ALIS by Stephen Graham Jones
Mad Hatters and March Hares – 2017
Horror – 30 Pages
Jesus, that was terrifying. Perfect.
*****
Day 312 Nov 7, 2019
FIXTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN AND JOO by Elizabeth Massie
Revelations – 1997
Horror – 37 Pages
As with most of the stories in this anthology, this one was longer than it needed to be. Probably could’ve shaved the first ten pages off. It was interesting enough, but the payoff just didn’t justify that many pages. That said, once it got going it was engaging and weird and had some nastiness. The reveal was fun, but, again, the ending wasn’t enough.
***
Day 313 Nov 8, 2019
BONES OF CROW by Ray Cluley
Probably Monsters – 2015 (story originally published in Black Static, 2012)
Horror – 14 Pages
This is another somber, sad person tale, which is a running theme in this collection, that said, stuff happens beyond the sadness that engages and intrigues. There’s a young woman who’s living life without living it at all, and she finds some big eggs in an alleyway. There’s some light nastiness and some cool blips of suspense. Overall, entertaining and well-written, as they all are in the collection.
****
Day 314 Nov 9, 2019
CREATURE FROM THE BLUE LAGOON by Dexter Rowland.
Stories We Tell After Midnight – 2019
Horror – 4 Pages
Bit of a dud. Redundancies and obviousness plague this tiny tale. A shipwrecked boat, a sailor, a sexy siren of sorts. Imagine how you’ve seen that go before and then read this story and say, hey, yeah, exactly as I’d remembered. Not painful, just not original or overly polished.
**