Review: Behold the Void

Behold the Void by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Behold the Void by Philip Fracassi is a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ dark and creepy collection of short horror fiction, but it is not your typical conglomeration of "feel good" scary slasher tales. Fracassi takes us on a journey to explore what is just beyond the horror experienced by his characters, and makes us ask the question, "What if the end of the story, isn't the end of the terror?"

Reading this collection brought to mind some of the chronologically early tales of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, where he explores the battle between the opposing forces of "The Word" (order, light, love) and "The Void" (chaos, darkness, hate). The battle rages on in BEHOLD THE VOID, but Fracassi shows us that the chaos of The Void stems from, and is strengthened by, love, rather than being its complete opposite.

Each of the nine stories here are good on their own, and when combined as they are in this collection the result creates a building sensation of dread and heightened anticipation for what comes next. You know that things aren't as they seem, and while the reader may move on to the next tale, the characters in Fracassi stories remain. And their future is left to our imaginations.

Fracassi delivers a twisted tale with SOFT CONSTRUCTION OF A SUNSET, which had a Twilight Zone feel to it, and reminded me a bit of Stephen King's GRAY MATTER which appeared in his Night Shift collection.

Another standout for me was FAIL-SAFE in which a boy, desperately wanting to be grown up enough to make his own decisions, suddenly finds himself having to do just that - and his choice will determine his fate and that of his family.

I really enjoyed MANDALA - but I struggled with this story the most. Not because it wasn't a good story - it was - but because it was the one that I felt the most grounded in "reality" and hit closest to home. The one in which the "normal" events involving two boys whose typical summertime play gets out of hand, putting one's life in danger, seemed too possible. I think it would succeed even without the fantastic aspects, and those additional elements only added to the story's suspense and horror.

Dark. Creepy. Atmospheric. Unsettling. Recommended.

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Review: Never Flinch

Never Flinch by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With NEVER FLINCH Stephen King does it again, bringing back several wonderful characters from the Bill Hodges trilogy in a new, suspenseful crime-fiction tale that takes three separate story lines and brings them together in a thrilling conclusion.

Private Investigator Holly Gibney - one of King's most underrated characters - takes on an assignment to protect women's rights activist Kate McKay from a would-be assassin during a book tour. Meanwhile her friend, and Buckeye City Detective, Izzy Jaynes, is tasked with tracking down a guilt-wracked serial killer who is seeking to exact vengeance on those responsible for wrongly sending an innocent man to prison. And if that isn't enough, soul and Gospel singer Sista' Bessie is coming out of retirement to go on tour with her first show at Mingo Auditorium in the center of the city.

NEVER FLINCH is a compelling, tension-filled story that will satisfy King fans young and old. While this is a standalone novel, I do suggest that you read the earlier books that feature Holly Gibney if you haven't already done so as there are references to events that occurred in those earlier stories which may be mild spoilers.

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Review: Artemis

Artemis by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Artemis by Andy Weir is a fun read. It's a fast-paced, sci-fi adventure story with an intelligent, but down-on-her luck heroine (Jazz Bashara) who is trying to make up for past mistakes while making a living as a porter/part-time smuggler in the Lunar city of Artemis. She seizes the opportunity to finally get ahead by accepting a job from a wealthy businessman to help put a rival company out of business. It's a dangerous job that could get her deported back to Earth if she's caught, but the reward is too great to pass up.

It's a decent story, with plenty of humor, wise cracks, action and surprises that reminds me in many ways of some of Heinlein's young adult stories.

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Review: Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ryland Grace is an unlikely hero tasked with saving Earth from a space-born catastrophe that threatens to plunge the world into another ice age. He and the other members of the crew undertake a multi-year space mission to find a solution and get the information back to Earth in time to save it. His job is further complicated by the fact that the other crew members have died, and he suffers from amnesia that only slowly resolves itself as the story unfolds.

In spite of a couple of minor quibbles** I have, the story is fantastic - optimistic in tone in spite of, or perhaps because of, the consequences of failure. Weir reveals the characters and circumstances in a compelling way, building tension while unraveling mystery as he goes. The conclusion was an extra treat, well conceived and executed!

**My quibbles: The first is the relative ease Grace has accomplishing multiple EVAs during the course of the mission, some under incredible conditions. The second is the ability of the alien engineer, Rocky, to construct any object needed at will - in some ways a series of Deus ex machina moments.


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