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Thomas Gaffney

writertomg@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 9 months ago

Author • Dreamweaver • Visionary • Plus Actor • You're about to enter the world of my imagination • You are entering my Darkplace • He/him

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Ellen Datlow, Joyce Carol Oates, Karen Heuler, Elizabeth Hand, Benjamin Percy, Josh Malerman, Carmen Maria Machado, Paul Tremblay, Richard Kadrey, Stephen Graham Jones, Kelly Link, Cassandra Khaw, John Langan, Laird Barron, Jeffrey Ford, M. Rickert, Seanan McGuire, Gemma Files, Genevieve Valentine: When Things Get Dark (Hardcover, 2021, Titan Books) 5 stars

A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by, and in tribute to, Shirley …

Great Tribute to the Master

5 stars

Fantastic short stories by some big names in the horror field, all written to pay tribute to the Master, Shirley Jackson. There were one or two that were iffy, but overall they were all good and creepy, and this collection is certainly worth a read if you like horror or Jackson.

The cream of the crop (IMHO) was Quiet Dead Things by Cassandra Khaw. Between this and Nothing But Blackened Teeth, she has become my new favorite author. Her work is amazing.

Also worth noting are Money of the Dead by Karen Heuler, Hag by Benjamin Percy, Special Meal by Josh Malerman, Tiptoe by Laird Barron, and Skinder's Veil by Kelly Link.

Ellen Datlow, Joyce Carol Oates, Karen Heuler, Elizabeth Hand, Benjamin Percy, Josh Malerman, Carmen Maria Machado, Paul Tremblay, Richard Kadrey, Stephen Graham Jones, Kelly Link, Cassandra Khaw, John Langan, Laird Barron, Jeffrey Ford, M. Rickert, Seanan McGuire, Gemma Files, Genevieve Valentine: When Things Get Dark (Hardcover, 2021, Titan Books) 5 stars

A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by, and in tribute to, Shirley …

Fantastic short stories by some big names in the horror field, all written to pay tribute to the Master, Shirley Jackson. There were one or two that were iffy, but overall they were all good and creepy, and this collection is certainly worth a read if you like horror or Jackson.

The cream of the crop (IMHO) was Quiet Dead Things by Cassandra Khaw. Between this and Nothing But Blackened Teeth, she has become my new favorite author. Her work is amazing.

Also worth noting are Money of the Dead by Karen Heuler, Hag by Benjamin Percy, Special Meal by Josh Malerman, Tiptoe by Laird Barron, and Skinder's Veil by Kelly Link.

Victor LaValle: The Ballad of Black Tom (Paperback, 2016, Tor.com) 4 stars

”The Ballad of Black Tom” — the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker …

Glorious

5 stars

A retelling of HP Lovecraft's The Horror at Red Hook, but from the POV of Black Tom. Takes the racist story from the notoriously racist Lovecraft and puts the power of The Great Old Ones in the hands of a Black man who suffered from society. Black Tom is set entirely in Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos where the original story predated Cthulhu and was spottily tied to the mythos at best.

Overall, The Ballad of Black Tom was brilliant and amazing. HIGHLY recommended for anyone, but especially for those who like/prefer cosmic horror. I don't know what took me so long to read this book, but I'm glad it was required reading for my The Haunted Library lit class at Emerson.

I'll take Cthulhu over you devils any day.

Robert Bloch: Midnight Pleasures (Paperback, 1991, Tor Books) 5 stars

From Publishers Weekly This latest collection from Bloch, who has been writing professionally for 52 …

Right book at the right time

5 stars

I see overall, this collection didn't get the best reviews. But it's been a while since I've read some short stories, and I've never read anything by Bloch before, so this book hit the spot for me. Obviously, not all the stories were winners, but when Bloch nailed the creepiness with the good ones, he really crushed it. Overall, I'm giving it 5 stars, but I think that's because this was the right book at the right time for me. If I reread it in the future, that rating might come down when I'm more objective.

The Rubber Room - Started with a story that seems, unfortunately, more relevant today about a Neo-Nazi striking out on his own to murder a Jewish girl and then wonder why people would arrest him for it. The twisty ending set the tone for the rest of the collection and let me know this …

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Gwendolyn Kiste: Reluctant Immortals (2022, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) 5 stars

For fans of Mexican Gothic, from three-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a …

Review of 'Reluctant Immortals' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Incredible book. Gives a satisfactory conclusion to two characters long forgotten by the literary world. Also includes the scariest version of Dracula on paper since Stoker's original story. Highly recommended if you liked Dracula, Jane Eyre, or anything dripping with gothic overtones. Five stars.

Gwendolyn Kiste: Reluctant Immortals (2022, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) 5 stars

For fans of Mexican Gothic, from three-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a …

Review of 'Reluctant Immortals' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Incredible book. Gives a satisfactory conclusion to two characters long forgotten by the literary world. Also includes the scariest version of Dracula on paper since Stoker's original story. Highly recommended if you liked Dracula, Jane Eyre, or anything dripping with gothic overtones. Five stars.

Oyinkan Braithwaite: My Sister, the Serial Killer (2019, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group) 4 stars

"Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a …

Review of 'My Sister, the Serial Killer' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

It was good. Not as great as I was expecting based on recommendations, but a really solid novel I'm glad to have read for school. While I wouldn't call the ending a "twist," I liked it and thought it to be unexpected.

Edwin Hill: Little Comfort (2019, Penguin Random House) 3 stars

In a brilliantly twisted debut set among Boston's elite, Edwin Hill introduces unforgettable sleuth Hester …

Review of 'Little Comfort' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Took a while to finish this because of school, but it was a pretty good page-turner. I'd recommend it and getting ready to start [b:The Missing Ones|43247907|The Missing Ones (Hester Thursby Mystery #2)|Edwin Hill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544993717l/43247907.SY75.jpg|67111924] next.

Paula Munier: Plot Perfect (2014, F&W Media, Incorporated) 3 stars

Build an Exceptional Plot, One Scene at a Time!

Think of your favorite story--the one …

Review of 'Plot Perfect' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Started off dry (IMHO) but offers some good advice. Annoyed the cheatsheets at the end for all genres didn't include horror. Would recommend. Probably would lean more toward 3.5 stars, but Goodreads still won't let you do 1/2 stars...

reviewed One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (One of us is lying, #1)

Karen M. McManus: One of Us Is Lying (Paperback, 2018, Delacorte Press) 3 stars

Five students go to detention. Only four leave alive.

Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly …

Review of 'One of Us Is Lying' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

The title One of Us Is Lying implies that one of the four students accused of murder and denying it is actually a murderer. Finding out Simon killed himself makes none of the students a liar and therefore, the title is bullshit. Even if they are lying by omission (they all have secrets) then All of Them Are Lying. Still a bullshit title.

Plus, I hated the constant switching of POVs within a chapter. Sometimes even multiple POVs across multiple consecutive pages.

This book sucked. Terrible writing.