336 pages
English language
Published Oct. 1, 2007 by William Morrow.
Imogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945...Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when you're the only inflatable boy in town...Francis is unhappy. Francis was human once, but that was then. Now he's an eight-foot-tall locust and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing...John Finney is locked in a basement that's stained with the blood of half a dozen other murdered children. In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls from the dead...
***1/2
These are very interesting, very well written stories. I thoroughly enjoyed them. But, as much as I like the open-ended story, I could have used a few actual conclusions. I know that might make me a prude of sorts, but so be it. I still look forward to reading through the rest of Hill's works.
Best New Horror - Okay. I would have liked to see the story expanded and continued.
20th Century Ghost - Really good. A nice, but still creepy, "love" story for horror buffs.
Pop Art - The best short story that I have ever read. Can't go into too many details without giving away spoilers.
You Will Hear the Locust Sing - Nice story with a 1950s "giant monster" movie feel.
Abraham's Boys - Nice "continuing" tale of Van Helsing from Dracula. Good ending.
Better Than Home - Eh, sucked.
The Black Phone - Another fine, scary story. I feel like Joe Hill, at this point, already does short stories better than his dad.
In the Rundown - Okay at best.
The Cape - My third fav after Pop Art. Gave me the chills.
Last Breath - Very chilling. I would love to see this made into a tv show of …
Best New Horror - Okay. I would have liked to see the story expanded and continued.
20th Century Ghost - Really good. A nice, but still creepy, "love" story for horror buffs.
Pop Art - The best short story that I have ever read. Can't go into too many details without giving away spoilers.
You Will Hear the Locust Sing - Nice story with a 1950s "giant monster" movie feel.
Abraham's Boys - Nice "continuing" tale of Van Helsing from Dracula. Good ending.
Better Than Home - Eh, sucked.
The Black Phone - Another fine, scary story. I feel like Joe Hill, at this point, already does short stories better than his dad.
In the Rundown - Okay at best.
The Cape - My third fav after Pop Art. Gave me the chills.
Last Breath - Very chilling. I would love to see this made into a tv show of some sort.
Dead-Wood - Could have saved some trees and done without this one.
The Widow's Breakfast - The daughter's were creepy. Would have liked just a story about them.
Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead - Eh. One of my least favorite. Seems to just remind the reader that Joe Hill grew up being Stephen King's son.
My Father's Mask - WOW. If I hadn't already read Pop Art, then this would be my fav short story. Simply amazing.
Voluntary Committal - Nice build up of dread as the story went along, but I felt it was a little dragged out.
