TrevorPTweedleD

Received a copy of Little Deaths By John F.D. Taff through the First Reads Giveaway

I was going to wait until Halloween was a little bit closer before I read and submitted my review, but a literary change of pace was of great need.

Eraserhead, Delusions,Omega Man, Infringing Forrestry, The Monster Squad, Hallucinogenic, Hitchcock, Pet Cemetery, Thirteen Ghosts, Schizophrenia,Evil Dead, The Simpsons House Of Whacks, Christine, She Wants Revenge. These were some of the thoughts that went through my mind while reading John F.D. Taff's Little Deaths. These inklings may or may not have any validity to said work. The question is how do you construct a story utilizing some of the main components of these horrifying vehicles without leading the reader astray? The easy answer is, you don't, you put them in a collection of short stories.

My first introduction to the horror genre was while in the early grades of elementary school having the librarian read (very effectively I might add) In a Dark, Dark Room And Other Scary Stories By Alvin Schwartz. The title short story of the collection is a present from the author to be read by amateur story tellers in a way to be presented to children as a dramatic professional. The Green Ribbon is my personal favorite. As a boy I found it non-threatening, almost friendly. You have no idea what is going to happen,but you damn well knew something was about to go down. These types of stories are complemented nicely in Little Deaths.

Later on I became a R.L. Stein fiend and for a few years read everything he released whether if it was Halloween or not. My pride must have initiated at that time because I was not reading for the scare potential, rather out of shear enjoyment. I do remember that the majority of the Goosebumps books did not ignite the same frequency of internal turmoil that Alvin Schwartz seemed to be able to do in my early childhood. The Water Bearer and The Mire Of Human Veins had childhood horror stories written all over it.

The fundamental idea about an anthology of short stories that I like is that typically their is a story for everybody to claim as their own. The problem with this principle is that their will be some stories that will not garner the same acceptance. As a whole I loved the variety found within the pages of this book. Their were a few that I thought that were cliche within the horror genre, but all in all the originality was evident. For me Snapback, although very creative and the tension was tangible in the story, it went too far science fiction for my tastes. Some of my favorite novels delve into the sci-fi genre,however; it is relieved by other aspects that give a whole purpose to a story.One of my favorites was "Calendar Girl" because of the realistic belief how obsessive bordering on crazy certain people can be when it comes to control. Their are supernatural elements that may seem hard to believe, but given the situation you may find yourself finding it hard to ignore. Being a dog lover my whole life, the story "Here" was a good touch albeit a little surprising given the ways the other stories turned out. "Helping Hands" started off a little nonsensical but by the end I was impressed by the affects death can have on the psyche of relationships. "The Toutine","The Lacquered Box", and "Child Of Dirt" provided humour for me that I enjoyed.

I would recommend Little Deaths to everyone and anyone that enjoys all aspects of horror, remember Halloween is right around the corner.