Leni Zumas's writing crackles. Her books are sharp, bleak, funny, and possibly dangerous. When her collection of short stories, Farewell Navigator,...
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Joe Hill has a wild imagination and a master's touch for short fiction, making 20th Century Ghosts the best debut fantasy/horror book of the past decade. The tales are varied in theme and language, moving from the darkest fantasy to the dreamiest surreality with grace. It's hard to believe that the same writer who penned "Best New Horror," in which a jaded editor of horror anthologies meets up with some real life terror, is the same fellow who wrote "Pop Art," about a teen who is literally inflatable. The story from which the book takes its title is a tribute to the movies, and will bring back memories in those of a certain age who went to Saturday matinees and got hit in the back of the head with jujubes. Hill has written a novel since publishing this collection (Heart-Shaped Box), has another coming out soon (Horns) and has tried his hand at the graphic novel (Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft). Heart-Shaped Box and Locke & Key are wonderful, but in my opinion Hill has yet to surpass the excellent work in 20th Century Ghosts. Like his father, Stephen King, Hill does his best work (so far) in his short stories.
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20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
Terry Weyna, January 19, 2010
Joe Hill has a wild imagination and a master's touch for short fiction, making 20th Century Ghosts the best debut fantasy/horror book of the past decade. The tales are varied in theme and language, moving from the darkest fantasy to the dreamiest surreality with grace. It's hard to believe that the same writer who penned "Best New Horror," in which a jaded editor of horror anthologies meets up with some real life terror, is the same fellow who wrote "Pop Art," about a teen who is literally inflatable. The story from which the book takes its title is a tribute to the movies, and will bring back memories in those of a certain age who went to Saturday matinees and got hit in the back of the head with jujubes. Hill has written a novel since publishing this collection (Heart-Shaped Box), has another coming out soon (Horns) and has tried his hand at the graphic novel (Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft). Heart-Shaped Box and Locke & Key are wonderful, but in my opinion Hill has yet to surpass the excellent work in 20th Century Ghosts. Like his father, Stephen King, Hill does his best work (so far) in his short stories.(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)