jdavidhacker1 reviewed Gateways to Abomination by Matthew M. Bartlett
None
4 stars
I enjoyed this a lot more than I did the last Bartlett book I read. Not because this is better than its follow up book, I would say the follow up is arguably better. However, going into this I was more prepared for what Bartlett was doing stylistically. I was initially offput when I read my first book by Bartlett, as these collections are not so much short stories as they are loosely connected vignettes. The use of language is lush and varied, albeit in the most disturbing of ways. So long as you enter into it not looking for a narrative, but instead allow yourself to just enjoy the horrifying tapestry being woven before your eyes, I think youâll enjoy yourself.
I would not even necessarily categorize this as weird fiction...while thereâs little in the way of explanations for the events described, these vignettes are less straight forward than …
I enjoyed this a lot more than I did the last Bartlett book I read. Not because this is better than its follow up book, I would say the follow up is arguably better. However, going into this I was more prepared for what Bartlett was doing stylistically. I was initially offput when I read my first book by Bartlett, as these collections are not so much short stories as they are loosely connected vignettes. The use of language is lush and varied, albeit in the most disturbing of ways. So long as you enter into it not looking for a narrative, but instead allow yourself to just enjoy the horrifying tapestry being woven before your eyes, I think youâll enjoy yourself.
I would not even necessarily categorize this as weird fiction...while thereâs little in the way of explanations for the events described, these vignettes are less straight forward than a weird tale. The focus truly is on mood, tone, and describing a particular moment(s) sensororily, not on telling a story.
