[HDNA #5] - Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, edited by Ellen Datlow

[Alien Redrum]

After all that above, I already highlighted the first sentence of the next story. I hope the rest of it is as compelling.

[Alien Redrum]

"Must Be This Tall to Ride" by Seanan McGuire

Spoiler:

Loved, loved, loved this one! That first sentence got me hooked. The way the main character is described, it almost feels like she's a high-functioning autistic person. I don't know why I latched onto that, but the way how she was overwhelmed with the outside noises and such just stuck with me.

I also dug how fast this one moved. Zero fat. And it really worked because the pacing is very hurried like the sisters are.

The way she got her and her sister out of the jam is pretty impressive. It wasn't forced at all, and all the clues were there. Upon reflection, I should have immediately picked up how they were going to get out of it because a point was explicitly made that there was no charge for the ride.

I would love to ask the author if they came up with the solution first, then built the story around it.

Speaking of Seanan McGuire, their name has been coming across my Twitter feed here and there, but this is the first thing I've read by them. I'm pretty sure there will be more. This was a nice fucking bounce-back from the prior story.

[Alien Redrum]

“The Surviving Child” by Joyce Carol Oates

I had to stop. I'm not a big fan of gothic horror much anyway, but this one just drags. However, next year when you finish this and say it gets great, I'll give it another go.

[shiki-jitsu]

[Alien Redrum]

“The Medium’s End” by Ford Madox Ford

Spoiler:

This one is interesting because I really feel like I shouldn't have liked it as much as I did. On one hand (NO PUN INTENDED ), it's kind of meh. But on the other, I enjoyed the style it was told in. Like, here are these two dudes at a bar, and the one guy says, "Hey, you remember Johnny, right? Listen to what this asshole did."

It's telling a scary story in a very conversational tone. I kind of dig it. It will probably be forgettable, and it didn't grab me enough to hunt down more of the author's work, but it was a fun and quick read.

[Alien Redrum]

“A Shade of Dusk,” by Indrapramit Das

I'm by no means finished with this, I just wanted to let Shiki see the notification of guilt.

That said, this is another long one like Joyce Carol Oats', but this one is really good so far. I'm about 1/3 of the way through I guess and while nothing spooky has happened, it is bringing a sense of dread which is pretty impressive.

I also really like how it's using Indian terms and not bothering to explain them. The Kindle dictionary is coming in real handy. I don't know if anyone reading this has read any of Gabino Iglesias' work, but he does something similar. When Spanish people are 'talking', he doesn't translate. Fuck you, that's why. I don't mind that. I can either get it via context or I just highlight the words and it translates.

I think this is a great story on why people need to read outside of their comfort zone. This author is brining a lot of Indian culture in this, and it's pretty interesting.

[shiki-jitsu]

LOL.

I legit was going to read last night. It didn't happen. BUT I DO FEEL GUILTY DAMNIT! I will get back on to this this week and catch up.

[Alien Redrum]

“A Shade of Dusk,” by Indrapramit Das

Spoiler:

Okay, I really liked this up to the last page. It's beautifully written and definitely has a spooky and dread feeling running throughout. It does a great job of building up, and a really great job with the unreliable narrator. But then it just...ends. With no fan fair. It's like you go through an amazing meal with everything from the appetizer to the main course being fantastic, then, for desert, you get an apple slice. Your meal isn't ruined, but it does leave a 'what could have been' taste in your mouth.

Damn.

[Alien Redrum]

“Icarus Rising,” by Richard Bowes

Spoiler:

I loved the opening line of this so much, I highlighted it.

My mother screamed at the sight of the black mask that had become my face—I was peering into the kitchen window at dusk on the day I was buried.

The rest of the story isn't quite as good as that line, but it's a nice change up in tone from the ones we've been reading from it.

I don't know how I feel about it. I enjoyed it for sure, but I don't see anything there that's going to stay with me.

I think it was cool how the main character had to escape the graveyard, and I like how he made it to New York, but it's still unclear what his purpose was. He didn't get any sort of revenge, his thunder was stolen by the other ghost, and the other ghost isn't even explained.