20th Century Ghosts

I've been a fan of Joe Hill for two years or so, first stumbling upon his novel Horns, then reading everything else of his that I could get my hands on, including his graphic novels and stand-alone short stories for Kindle. Ghosts was his first widely-published book, and the only thing of his that I had not read, until now.Best New Horror starts the collection off with a bang. A disgruntled, apathetic editor of a horror journal seeks out the secretive author of the most shocking story he has ever read (which reminds me a bit of Sutter Cane in the film In the Mouth of Madness). This story gives nods to Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, with an ending that is satisfyingly haunting.Next is the titular story, 20th Century Ghosts, which was so unexpectedly beautiful that it nearly brought me to tears. It has hints of creepiness, but is really more a very sweet—and unique—love story, with an underlying thread of appreciation for classic cinema.Pop Art: also lovely. It's about an inflatable boy, and it seems only Hill could write a story like that and play it straight. There is zero tongue-in-cheek or cuteness, and somehow, it works.You Will Hear the Locust Sing pays direct homage to Kafka's The Metamorphosis (boy wakes up as a bug), but it is dark and sad and completely different. There are some gross-out moments, and it is far from a happy tale, but ultimately leaves you with a sense of wonder and stillness.Better Than Home is a sweet, straight-forward story of a father and son with brokenness at its edges, and beauty at its center.The Black Phone involves the sort of child-in-turmoil situation that Hill would later expand upon in NOS4A2. It's one of those where you keep going, 'oh god, please don't let such and such happen to the poor kid.' Some of it does, some of it doesn't. It has some chilling elements of the fantastic, and by the end, deserving parties get what's coming to them.I had previously read The Cape in graphic novel form, though it differs quite a bit from this version. An interesting exploration of a flawed 'hero' becoming a villain because of troubling circumstances.Last Breath, again, would have been right at home as a Twilight Zone script. Quick, creepy, original, great.Dead-wood is one page, and in few words, presents some big ideas.My Father's Mask is definitely the 'trippiest' of the bunch; both creepy and extremely bizarre. It is a tale that doesn't reveal all of its cards by the end, but the answers are there—I think—between the lines. Has a hint of Alice in Wonderland to it.Voluntary Committal is the longest piece, close to a novella, and is parked appropriately at the end of the collection, because it's the best story in here. At the heart, it is a story of two brothers with a complicated relationship—one of whom has a mental disability that lends to some incredible, uncertain powers—but is wrapped in a cloudy blanket of imagination. I say cloudy because this story had wonderful, fascinating moments of childhood wonder, but also haunting, unhappy, otherworldly terror. The disabled brother has an almost savant-like knack for building breathtaking structures out of household items, such as Dixie cups, egg cartons, Legos, and ultimately cardboard boxes. Sometimes his structures create doors to other places, not all of them friendly.Those were the stories that stuck out most for me, although all of them were good. I couldn't help but notice how many of these stories had children as their main characters, and how much of this collection deals with the imagination of youth and young people experiencing wonderful (or terrifying) things. Hill seems to have an appreciation for the things that kids go through, impossible or ordinary, and an aptitude to write from their perspective. His characters are real, and often broken, and you feel sympathy for many of them. That's what makes the scary parts all the more scary, because you've grown to care about the people to whom the bad stuff is happening.I knew I was in for a treat with 20th Century Ghosts, but what I got was a sometimes brilliant, frequently beautiful, horrifying collection of stories; I gobbled them down in rapid succession. Hill is a talented and diverse author, able to be deep and thoughtful, or campy and gross. He can write sweet things or horribly twisted ones, and all of it works in its right place. This is the first truly 5-star book I've read in 2014.

I'm not going to review EACH of the stories in the book, but I will talk about the ones that randomly "pop" out in my memory.The first story in the book called "ButtonBoy" I thought was very good. I need a story to suck me right in if there is going to be any hope of me finishing the book, and "ButtonBoy" did just that. Without giving away too much of the story, I will say it did have a Texas Chainsaw Massacre/Hills Have Eyes kind of vibe. I really like that. The story within the story was actually really good too, and I could see it really being book of its own. LOL. Though I saw the ending coming a mile a way, it still had me *fingers on - ready to turn the page before I got there*.The next story, "20th Century Ghost", wasn't to me horror but more a suspense type story. Had that been what I was in the mood for I would have really liked it. But I was laying in the dark, snuggled up under my covers, itching to have the hair stand up on my neck and jump at every odd sound. This story wasn't that - for me. I will say this one would be a fantastic read for anyone who likes ghost stories, but really isn't into scary or gory stuff. its actually quite beautiful, but definitely not horror.The last story I'm going to talk specifically about today is "Pop Art". This story is, different. lol. Ok, I have to say it, for a story in what is supposed to be a horror story book - it sucked. When I got what the title meant, I got excited and really expected some evil ending. What I got was moosh. The story is touching and actually, it made me tear up a little. That made me mad. I wasn't looking for tears, I was looking for fears. lol... Nothing scary about it, at all. Even the Cujo-esque escape to me, was lame. But if you are looking to feel all warm and fuzzy, and want to get a story with a little "deep" in between the lines raw emotion brought on by the remembrances and cruelties and emotions of what childhood with a dysfunctional family is like, then... YOU will LOVE this one. D**n you Joe Hill. lol.Ok, it wasn't the last. I want to talk about "Abraham's Boys". If you do not read any other story in the book, this one makes it worth the price of the book. It is a vampire story and in my opinion, the BEST story in the book. A father's forbidden study and children's loss of innocence.Given my scorecard, you may think I am not liking this book. That is actually inaccurate. So far, I am a Hill fan. I think he has a great grasp of language, and his stories all have an excellent flow. They all ebb, tide, and climax at the most proper points. My disappointment is, however, that this book is listed as horror. Over half of the stories inside are NOT horror. When you are a horror fan, and you pick up a horror book, you do not want to feel all "warm and fuzzy". Instead, you are looking to be jaunted, the hairs tingling on your arms and neck, the shadows to sway on the walls causing you to sink deep into the safety of your covers. You want it to grip you, rendering you unable to put it down because you HAVE to know what danger lies around the turn of the page.

A very enjoyable collection of stories , from joe hill rivels some of the best collections of his dad Steve king

Das Buch ist toll,müsste es nur auch auf deutsch geben.

Book was excellent, as expected. Love Joe Hill, writes very much like his father whom I also love. Vendor was excellent. Book arrived in good shape and on time.

Los cuentos están bien, hay algunos muy buenos, otros no tanto.Lo que si mi e-book trae incompleto el cuento DeadWood

Il libro è arrivato nei tempi stabiliti in ottime condizioni. Storie molto belle, ma bisogna conoscere bene sintassi e terminologie dell'ainglese americano per apprezzarle al meglio.