December
2017 was brutal on a personal level in so many ways. One of those ways was the
sudden passing of my online friend, Glenn Walker. A prolific writer of short stories and other
things including several other blogs, he was known best around here for his Welcome To Hell blog. I had been aware that he was having some health
problems, but had no idea things were so serious. His obituary can be found here.
Please continue to keep his wife, Jennifer, and the family in your thoughts and
prayers.
In
honor of Glenn, I have chosen to run again today my 2014 review of Strange World: A Biff Bam Pop Short
Story Anthology. The anthology includes his short story,
“Live To Write, Write To Live.” The book is one heck of a read and Glenn’s
short story is a highlight.
For the rest of the reading suggestions
today for Friday’s Forgotten Books, make sure you head over to Patti’s
blog. Stay warm, my friends.
After a short introduction by Jonathan
Mayberry to Strange World: A Biff Bam Pop Short Story Anthology the book
opens with “Sister Mine” by Annie Michaud. It is hard being the baby brother
who is scared by his older sister's screams from nightmares and other odd
events. But, when Jenny disappeared without a trace things got worse.
Taking a called strike three that
results in the final out is brutal. Shane knows that all too well in “Dirt Man”
by Jason Shayer. The ninth grader knows his local history and has a plan to
seek revenge against his bullies. The small town of Atwood has had strange
events before in its 75 year history and if Shane gets his way it will happen
again.
Ms. Chagrin is perfectly willing for
you to “Blame Me” in this stream of consciousness type tale by Rathan Krueger.
You might think of her as a serial killer. She sees herself as a liberator of
sorts helping those who need freedom from their oppressors.
“Medium Double Double” by Andrew Burns
features a regular guy who has been driving eighteen wheelers for about twenty
years now. About ten years back another driver told him he time he had to go
check out a place called “The Coffee house.”
The coffee there was supposed to be something special and well worth
going off at Exit 43-A and down the road 20 minutes. The long haul driver known
as “Hammer Monkey” sent him and that serves as the best introduction he ever
could have gotten.
40 year old Doctor Jane Shockrowski or
“Doc Shock” to her peers lives the good life in Virginia. Being the only one
with a PHD at the “Automobile Safety Institute of America” she takes her job
and responsibility and very seriously Prudent and sensible she has everything
firmly in control. Then there was the day when everything changed in “Crash” by
Jim Morris.
“Kitty” by David Sandford Ward comes
next in a disturbing tale of what it is like to be experimented on from the
animal's point. Needless to say the animals are not happy and looking for their
chance to settle the score a little bit.
50 year old Naomi just had some
seriously lousy sex in “Live To Write, Write To Live” by Glen Walker. If she
liked sex without pleasure she would have stayed with her husband of
twenty-eight years. The writer's workshop that evening had been the only thing
worth doing and quite an inspiration for all the participants. That might have
led to her current situation where she is tapping out words on her cell phone
in some guy’s bathroom in the middle of the night while the lousy lay sleeps.
Everything is grist for the mill and this will be too once she figures out what
that weird banging sound is that just started outside the locked bathroom door.
It has been 12 years of living in the
house without a problem. Then, after a great date with Jessika as he is trying
to sleep he hears a noise. Not a soft sound either. It is a “ka-thunk” type of
deal in “Down In the Cellar Basement” by Kayla Tyson. After twelve years of
being in the house, he has never once gone into the basement. Thanks to the
noise tonight is the night to go down there assuming he can get the old door
leading down into the basement open.
“The Face in the Well” by Andre
Narbonne comes next where a girl apparently was right about the monster. The
narrator was a young boy then living in a small village where his dad owned a
small store. The girl came in the place looking to buy a drink and instead took
him away from his toy cars to see a troll in nearby well. Or maybe it was a
genie. Either way, the narrator has an 8mm camera and plans for a movie and
whatever is in the well will be in it.
Susan has signed her contract and has
been assigned locker 307 storage facility. “The Storage Locker” by JG Chayko is
a tale of memories, secrets, and fate.
Eric had said the hiking trip in
Schwartzwald would be great. He was wrong and not just because he backed out at
the last minute. Now our unnamed narrator is “Lost In The Dark Woods” by Ken
Haigh. Fortunately, he has somehow found an isolated castle like structure where
he can take shelter from the weather and the night.
Lucas Mangum comes next with his tale
titled “Occupy Babylon.” Michaela is one of many protesting what is happening
while her boyfriend, Eddie thinks such actions are a waste of time. The world
is at the brink of collapse according to some and Michaela knows that something
is happening to her. She just has to have faith. The real question is what kind
of faith and faith in what?
The last thing the young kid wants is
the syringe in “I Hate Needles” by Ian Rogers. But, Dr. Peters has a job to do
and is not going anywhere. His eight year old patient isn't coming out from
under the table either so a negotiation is in order. This should be
interesting.
A brief afterword and short author bios
bring this read to a close.
Compiled by Andrew Burns, JP
Fallavollita, David Sandford Ward, and Corina Newby the book is an interesting
anthology that uses the concept of “horror” with a very wide brush. Much of the
works in this collection are more about strange events that may or may not have
rational explanations when viewed by others. Things that may have appeared one
way to those directly involved and far different to others. While zombies and Dracula
do make an appearance here, most of the stories are more about what is in your
mind.
Strange World: A Biff Bam Pop Short
Story Anthology
is a good read featuring a well done mix of story types, writing styles, and
plenty of interest characters. Many of
them take the everyday and twist it into something far more complicated as the
story pushes the definition of reality. The collection comes across to this
reviewer more as a dark fantasy type anthology than actual horror. No matter
how you define the genre, the read is a good one.
Strange World: A Biff Bam Pop Short
Story Anthology
Compiled by Andrew Burns, JP
Fallavollita, David Sandford Ward and Corina Newby
Biff Bam Pop Press
November 2012
ISBN # 1230000031504
E-Book
$0.99
A PDF of the book was provided quite
some time ago by Glen Walker in exchange for my objective review.
For more on the book at the time of
release go to:
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014, 2017
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