[ONX]∎ Download Gratis Figures of Fear An Anthology Graham Masterton 9780727884466 Books

Figures of Fear An Anthology Graham Masterton 9780727884466 Books

Download As PDF : Figures of Fear An Anthology Graham Masterton 9780727884466 Books

Figures of Fear An Anthology Graham Masterton 9780727884466 Books

I would have to state before I say anything that I am a fairly strong, long term Masterton fan.I first bought CHARNEL HOUSE in 1977 ( or so ), mainly based on the cover, and wow did it make me keep the lights on after a spooky read. My bias is towards the escapist elements in Masterton's work, which are often supernatural. It usually happens that one story has a non-supernatural theme( I am not giving names of stories, since I hope you have the same sense of discovery I had), although for most of it, it is somewhat hard to tell for sure.One story is co-written, but that is because it was part of a magazine contest, however the end-result is thoroughly eerie. A previous compilation , FESTIVAL OF FEAR, had the story SEPSIS, which whilst chilling was not overtly spooky in the sense I enjoy ( however, I did harbour supernatural suspicions), and I also managed to get a copy of the SEPSIS "Chap-Book" from Cemetary Publications, and it is an excellent read.In FIGURES OF FEAR, if you have the mindset, the stories are independent, and thoroughly chilling. Masterton brings a skill in writing that makes the reading process more of a "mind-meld", although to whose mind I don't know( like any artist, once the piece of art is out in the public, it becomes an almost separate entity, according to some commentators).
The biggest criticism of Masterton from some people seems to be about plot, and/or characters , or both. Well, I think this is false. One example I would cite ( and I am sure I am going to get some criticism for this ) is the way Masterton goes into the substance of a story in the same manner as Arturo Perez-Reverte does in the english translation of LE CLUB DUMAS; obviously not in the same way as CLUB DUMAS but in style. Reverte is a genius in his material, just as Masterton is in his genre(s).The title by Masterton I would cite as a good comparison is MAN OF DESTINY, the only one of Masterton's Historical novels I have read. In the horror genre's, some of the best title's which have been reprinted by Hammer, are PARIAH and the brilliant FAMILY PORTRAIT. I used the reference with Masterton to "Genres" in that on one level Masterton is seen to genre hop; once again, it could be argued that it is a false statement ,since the one thing that Masterton so very well is to tell a story, a VERY good story( hence the reason that some dislike or like certain stories, I supect). Stylistically I would equate at least part of the work in the Katie McGuire series as well crafted and works with chilling elements, but the characters and the story are, in my view, central to all that Graham Masterton does in his writing.
I hope you like Graham Masterton's horror writing as I do, as well as his other works, which I would consider brilliant, and unsurpassed in the current generation. My only wish is that Graham's back catalogue was fully available, since some titles sell for incredibly high prices in the second hand market.


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Figures of Fear An Anthology Graham Masterton 9780727884466 Books Reviews

By reading the prologue I can tell this book is very personal. The author has put fears which had been with him for years on paper. There are some pretty intriguing and exciting ideas here.

Here's how I felt about each story

Ex-Voto

It started well but then the middle and ending seemed rushed. Shame, it had potential to be truly horrifying. It needed to be developed a lot more to have an impact, I felt there was no progression.

What the Dark Does

This was interesting. It preys on childhood fears of the dark, making them real, and was pretty scary. A couple of things didn't make much sense to me. (view spoiler)

Saint Brónach’s Shrift

Not really scary but disorientating. The end made me wrinkle my nose.(view spoiler)

The Battered Wife

Well, we all know bad things happen to domestic violence victims. This story approaches a new take on it, creating a whole new consequence to a woman not getting away from her abusing husband. Again, not a scary story per se and it felt rushed as well. There was no transition in at least one important scene towards the end. (view spoiler)

The Night Hider

This story had a great buildup, and the premise was very interesting. Using CS Lewis' wardrobe was brilliant. But I found the ending utterly disappointing. (view spoiler)

Underbed

This one started really slow for me. At some point I was like 'yes ok, very imaginative, but let's go back to the story now'. It took me a while to realize that that was the story, and then I finally started getting into it, about the same time it started to get interesting (after all the squeezing through rocks). It was scary and thought provoking and had some really interesting concepts, like a Word of Ideas. The notion of the darkest fears chasing you anywhere you go for the rest of your life is pretty terrifying.

Night of the Wendigo

Meh, it was ok. Some scary bits. At this point I am resigning myself to average stories. (view spoiler)

Spirits of the Age

Very sad. Puts a whole new perspective on death and how when someone is gone, they should stay gone.

Witch-Compass

What would you do to wash your worries away? And what might you become?
Interesting story, well thought out but, again, some plot issues. (view spoiler)

Resonant Evil

This one was very intriguing. The first half was especially good. I'd still like to have known (view spoiler)and I am left again lacking full closure. But it's the story, out of the whole bunch, which felt the most complete to me.

Beholder

This one was utterly gross. Interesting, but gross.

Conclusion
This collection plays with people's fears. Dark themes like incest, domestic abuse, what a person can do when most vulnerable, their moral choices and the price of their wishes, things that can happen in the dark, etc. The stories are not all scary but definitely disturbing. As I mentioned before, the ideas/concepts are intriguing and exciting. However, in order for me to fully enjoy a story, horror or otherwise, things need to make sense. It's something which is not easy to achieve, particularly in short stories. But some things were missing in these short stories that were easily achieved, in the sense that they would not require many words to make it happen, just some investment in better execution. At times, I felt the author took the easy way out of a situation and that was enough to disengage me.
The stories were interesting, but not mind-blowing and that, along with those little things gnawing in the back of my mind, caused the 3 star review. There were also a few misspellings and typos and several hyphenized words for no apparent reason.
I wish I could share the enthusiasm written in other reviews. But to me it was only ok. Maybe if I had read them at night I would have been more scared.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

For a full review with spoilers please check out my blog Ana's Lair.
Excellent selection of short stories
Another winner from Mr. Masterton. This collection, again, is filled with his absurd twistings of legends and horror tropes, presented in his trademark clear and unobtrusive style. This makes you want to read the stories even though you are not too attached to the subject matter of the short story in questio n. From the bloody and actiob packed "Night of the Wendigo" to the short and sharp shocks of "Ex-Voto", there is barely a dud here.

Highly recommended
I would have to state before I say anything that I am a fairly strong, long term Masterton fan.I first bought CHARNEL HOUSE in 1977 ( or so ), mainly based on the cover, and wow did it make me keep the lights on after a spooky read. My bias is towards the escapist elements in Masterton's work, which are often supernatural. It usually happens that one story has a non-supernatural theme( I am not giving names of stories, since I hope you have the same sense of discovery I had), although for most of it, it is somewhat hard to tell for sure.One story is co-written, but that is because it was part of a magazine contest, however the end-result is thoroughly eerie. A previous compilation , FESTIVAL OF FEAR, had the story SEPSIS, which whilst chilling was not overtly spooky in the sense I enjoy ( however, I did harbour supernatural suspicions), and I also managed to get a copy of the SEPSIS "Chap-Book" from Cemetary Publications, and it is an excellent read.In FIGURES OF FEAR, if you have the mindset, the stories are independent, and thoroughly chilling. Masterton brings a skill in writing that makes the reading process more of a "mind-meld", although to whose mind I don't know( like any artist, once the piece of art is out in the public, it becomes an almost separate entity, according to some commentators).
The biggest criticism of Masterton from some people seems to be about plot, and/or characters , or both. Well, I think this is false. One example I would cite ( and I am sure I am going to get some criticism for this ) is the way Masterton goes into the substance of a story in the same manner as Arturo Perez-Reverte does in the english translation of LE CLUB DUMAS; obviously not in the same way as CLUB DUMAS but in style. Reverte is a genius in his material, just as Masterton is in his genre(s).The title by Masterton I would cite as a good comparison is MAN OF DESTINY, the only one of Masterton's Historical novels I have read. In the horror genre's, some of the best title's which have been reprinted by Hammer, are PARIAH and the brilliant FAMILY PORTRAIT. I used the reference with Masterton to "Genres" in that on one level Masterton is seen to genre hop; once again, it could be argued that it is a false statement ,since the one thing that Masterton so very well is to tell a story, a VERY good story( hence the reason that some dislike or like certain stories, I supect). Stylistically I would equate at least part of the work in the Katie McGuire series as well crafted and works with chilling elements, but the characters and the story are, in my view, central to all that Graham Masterton does in his writing.
I hope you like Graham Masterton's horror writing as I do, as well as his other works, which I would consider brilliant, and unsurpassed in the current generation. My only wish is that Graham's back catalogue was fully available, since some titles sell for incredibly high prices in the second hand market.