Book Review: Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
This is maybe a bit of an odd choice for my first book review, since Kelly Link's collection, Stranger Things Happen is not exactly straight-up horror. It's a mix of fantasy, horror, and the simply very, very weird. However many of the stories are infused with an uneasy dread. Several are eerie. A few are downright spooky.
Two particular standouts include:
The Specialist's Hat
This is the third story in the collection, and the first one that really solidified my opinion that I did right by purchasing this book. While the stories that proceed it are wonderfully strange and haunting in their own way, this one really stuck with me. A spooky story of two identical twin girls spending a summer in a not-so-typical haunted house, this one is disturbing in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. I would definitely add this to the list of my favorite short stories.
Survivor's Ball, or, The Donner Party
Although the title of the story gives an indication of where it will go, it doesn't quite proceed there in the way you might expect. This creepy tale hints at cannibalism and flirts with the grotesque when a traveler and his new friend attend a party of "survivors" at an isolated hotel in New Zealand.
My other favorite story, "The Girl Detective," features a Nancy Drew like detective, the underworld, and a twist on the twelve dancing princesses, but it falls more along the lines of weird than spooky. Still it's definitely worth a read if you like the preceding stories.
Two particular standouts include:
The Specialist's Hat
This is the third story in the collection, and the first one that really solidified my opinion that I did right by purchasing this book. While the stories that proceed it are wonderfully strange and haunting in their own way, this one really stuck with me. A spooky story of two identical twin girls spending a summer in a not-so-typical haunted house, this one is disturbing in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. I would definitely add this to the list of my favorite short stories.
Survivor's Ball, or, The Donner Party
Although the title of the story gives an indication of where it will go, it doesn't quite proceed there in the way you might expect. This creepy tale hints at cannibalism and flirts with the grotesque when a traveler and his new friend attend a party of "survivors" at an isolated hotel in New Zealand.
My other favorite story, "The Girl Detective," features a Nancy Drew like detective, the underworld, and a twist on the twelve dancing princesses, but it falls more along the lines of weird than spooky. Still it's definitely worth a read if you like the preceding stories.
Comments
Post a Comment