R. B. Russell

R.B. Russell's main job is helmsman for Tartarus Press, but he is also involved in art, music, and fortunately for us writing short stories. This little book from PS Publishing in the UK is a real treat. Rather than horror these are better described as strange or eerie stories.

There is not a stinker in the entire thing. These are best savored slowly but nevertheless I found myself just racing through the book I enjoyed them so much.

Russell's horror is not the horror of Stephen King or Richard Laymon; not the horror of mayhem and grue. The stories are no less disturbing but more in the quiet way of reality abruptly twisting; think of a touch of surrealism coming into your day. The author's prose is literate and interesting. This is the way M.R. James would write strange stories if he were alive today.

You couldn't do better than to read these by firelight this winter season.… (altro)

Nice little novella packaged in the usual elegant style by Ex Occidente. Two complaints: it wasn't error free: "fell" for "feel" and "were" for "where." Inexcusable in a book that almost purports to be handmade and is this expensive and has so few pages. There was also a lithographic error that left a blank spot in the middle of each of the even pages. A sort of fading of the letters. Again, inexcusable. If you are going to market the book as art object it needs to be flawless, after all you wouldn't buy a numbered art print if it had a spot on it or a deletion.

On to the story itself, nice little strange tale by Mr. Russell of Tartarus Press fame. Really nothing supernatural going on here but a trio of very seriously disturbed characters addled by ennui. Lucian is the protagonist, a boy torn by two older "friends" into a place he doesn't want to be that makes him incapable of ever going back to who he was. There's a Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolff? vibe to it with Lucian caught in the middle. Miranda and Gerald are only capable of connecting with pain and loss. The fatal consequences for these tired of life individuals is almost inevitable.

Like a Shakespeare play, the weather takes a role in mirroring what is going on in the "action" so to speak.

Nary a whit of supernatural but great fun and a marvelous ending that I didn't expect but should have. Isn't that always how it is with mysteries?… (altro)

Essential guide to those that are scrubbing the shop shelves and garage sales for priceless gems dear auntie left behind but the current owners think of as so much dusty ink and paper. Also needed if you want to go toe to toe in the online book auction business.

I hardly feel I should shelve it as read, except I've browsed through it enough times to despair about too little time and too little money. I've also used it to make me feel better by seeing what happens to value when you treated your books so badly in your wild, wild, youth.

Now you can get it on your Kindle or phone and carry it about as you look for those Antiques Roadshow bargains.

Keep the calculator around if you don't live in the UK because all the prices are in pounds and when you have to make that last 15-second bid on eBay you don't want to be figuring the exchange rates.… (altro)