Book Review: STORIES. Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. *** and a 1\2 out of *****

I fell out of love with short story anthologies a long time ago. There are dozens of them published every year, and only a handful that are worth the paper they are printed on. The deciding factor, always, is the editor. Stories, an anthology of tales that span many genres, but with a special focus on the fantastic, and edited by author Neil Gaiman and author and veteran editor Al Sarrantonio, is, for the most part, one of the better ones.

In his introduction to the collection of stories, Neil Gaiman says that all good stories, regardless the genre, have to have this one factor: While turning the pages, the reader has to keep asking him/herself, "And then what happened?". Out of the 27 stories included here, 16 had me asking that question as I lost myself in the tales. 16 out of 27 ain't bad, right? So, in my book, that makes this collection a success.

Out of these 16 stories, stand-outs include "The Truth Is A Cave In The Black Mountains" by Neil Gaiman, a thrilling story of revenge and magic; "Unbelief" by Michael Marshall Smith, a clever little tale about a hitman, with a neat twist; "The Stars Are Falling" by the incomparable Joe R. Lansdale, a touching and highly atmospheric story about a man who returns from a war to discover that the life he left, including a loving wife and a son, no longer exists; "Polka Dots And Moonbeams" by Jeffrey Ford, a wonderfully weird tale about two lovers stuck in time, that hops genres with astounding ease; "Leif In The Wind" by Gene Wolfe, a disturbing Sci-Fi tale that manages to pull off in 13 pages what many writers fail to achieve in a novel; "The Therapist" by Jeffrey Deaver, a clever tale about a psychopath who thinks he's possessed; "Parallel Lines" by Tim Powers, an entertaining ghost story; "The Cult Of The Nose" by Al Sarrantonio, a superb psychological horror story, and the best tale included here; "Stories" by Michael Moorcock, a touching and compelling tale about the lives of writers; "The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon"  by Elizabeth Hand, a wonderfully moving story about a group of friends who set out to recreate a film for a dying friend; and "The Devil On The Staircase" by Joe Hill, a frightening tale about a boy from a poor village who comes face to face with a devil, and how that encounter changes him forever.

So if you are in the mood for a bunch of good short stories, some of them true examples of the art form, then look no further. Stories is it.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2013 - 2021.

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Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which was released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

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Book Review: FORTITUDE By Hugh Walpole. **** out of *****

Reading Hugh Walpole is a strange and wonderful thing. Sometimes he's brilliant (The Prelude to Adventure), sometimes he's good (Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill), and sometimes he's barely passable (Jeremy). Fortitude (1913), Walpole's homage to the works and styles of Dickens and Henry James, is nearer to brilliant on that spectrum.

It follows the life of one Peter Westcott, from his boyhood to the onset of middle-age, tracking his attempt at transcending a hard life, including a disturbed, abusive father, poverty, and, ultimately, succeeding as an author. The plot is layered, sprawling, even meandering at times, but Walpole is at his most ebullient here, driving vigorously onwards through a breakneck narrative, pulling the reader with him.

I guess it would be considered sacrilege to call Fortitude as good, or even better than, a lot of Dickens' coming of age tales, but Walpole comes close. He also attempts to mimic James' psychological mastery, but here, he doesn't really succeed, although his characters are interesting enough, some even fascinating. The protagonist, Peter Westcott is a flawed character if ever there was one, and in the hands of a lesser, and less humane, writer, he would have been thoroughly unlikable, but Walpole makes him not only compelling, but sympathetic as well.

Aside from the sheer storytelling joy of Fortitude, with its twists, turns, and occasional forays into hackneyed melodrama, Walpole is aiming for something more, something higher. Like in this exchange between Westcott, after the successful publication of his first novel, and Henry Galleon, arguably a thinly disguised surrogate for Walpole's idol, Henry James. Galleon says to  the young author: "Against all these temptations, against these voices of the World and the Flesh, against the glory of power and the swinging hammer of success, you, sitting quietly in your room, must remember that a great charge has been given you, that you are here for one thing and one thing only ... to listen..." The whole of Galleon's speech, is sublime, in fact; and sublime is what Walpole, in his own flawed way, achieves with this novel.

Fortitude is unputdownable, moving, sensational, unabashedly melodramatic, somber, and, in the most surprising of ways, uplifting. A great book that deserves to be rescued from the shadows of obscurity.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

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Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which was released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

THE OVERVIEW: The Notch by Tom Holland - Trapped by J.A. Konrath - The City of The Dead (1960)

Introducing The Overview, a round-up of short reviews of movies, books, and everything in between.

The Notch by Tom Holland *** out of *****: Tom Holland, the Master of Horror behind Fright Night (1985), Child's Play (1988), Thinner (1996), among others, makes his fiction debut with The Notch, an entertaining if unremarkable novel of speculative fiction, about a ten year-old boy who appears out of nowhere, has the ability to heal and bring the dead back to life, and seems to have brought an apocalyptic plague with him. The high-concept plot starts promisingly enough, but soon falls into a kind of rhythm that is less than compelling. The large cast of characters is adequately drawn, but none are memorable, and the story doesn't really go any place special. But Holland is a born storyteller, and his short chapters keep one reading till the satisfying conclusion. But fans should know that, what The Notch isn't is a horror novel.

Book Review: NIGHT SHIFT. By Stephen King *** and a 1\2 out of *****

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What to do with the dilemma that is Stephen King? A prolific author, an assured stylist, and a man whose prose is so readable it is almost hypnotic. But there's also that other Stephen King, the one who writes interminable books that go nowhere, who is so politically correct to the point of blandness, and who flirts with crassness with seeming glee. Yes, I am conflicted about Stephen King. I love a lot of his work, but I also, well, don't like a lot of it. That wasn't always the case. As a younger man, I used to be a die-hard fan, saving much needed money to buy as many books of his that I could find, salivating over any movie poster that featured his name, and defending him to high-brow poseurs who called him a hack.

I still defend his work to these philistines, though, at least his earlier books. You see, I've come to realize that there are three epochs in the career of the King. There's early King (1974-1978), books that were mostly written before, but published after, he found success. All of those are great (including The Long Walk, Carrie, Salem's Lot). There's post-success King (1979-1987), books that were written and published after his breakout success with the movie adaptation of Carrie (1976). These include the much overrated The Shining, the masterpiece that is The Stand, the haunting The Dead Zone, the middling Firestarter, the awful Christine, the terrific Pet Sematary, and the masterwork that is Misery. And, lastly, there is post-fame King, books published after he became a household name all over the world (1988-Present). This period is the most problematic of all. It includes good books (Duma Key, The Colorado Kid), ok books (Cell), and books that are just terrible (the bland Mr. Mercedes, and the almost unreadable The Institute).

Which brings me to good, old, Night Shift (1978), King's very first short story collection, and a true box of wonders. In Night Shift, King showcases all his strengths, weaknesses, styles, and obsessions. From the blood and thunder Gothic horror of the opener, "Jerusalem's Lot" (a prequel to the novel Salem's Lot), to the pulpy, overheated, but terrifically entertaining horror of "Graveyard Shift" (about giant rats and exploited workers) and "The Mangler" (a truly ridiculous story about a killer laundry machine), to the forgettable but atmospheric prequel to The Stand, "Night Surf".

There are also a handful of truly original and masterfully told tales of terror and suspense. Like the disturbing "I Am The Doorway", about a man who may or may not be possessed by an alien force that just wants to kill for pleasure; "Strawberry Spring", about a man who violently kills college students in a fogbound campus; the Hitchcock Presents homage that is "The Ledge"; and "One For The Road", a terrifying and somber sequel to Salem's Lot.

But the standout is "The Last Rung on The Ladder", a heart-wrenching tale of innocence, love, and loss, about the toll time takes on the bond between a brother and a sister, and the vows they made to each other as children only to abandon them as adults. This story is a wonderfully written piece of literature, and, arguably, was the first indication that King had the ability to write masterfully in any genre, and so is a precursor to such beloved classics like the novellas "The Body" and "Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption", both featured in the collection Different Seasons.

So, if you find yourself disappointed with King's uneven output in the past two decades, travel back in time and pick up a copy of Night Shift. It features a number of duds, but it also has some stories that will chill your bones and warm your heart, and remind you that there once was a king named King.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which was released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Book Review: THE SHADOW: CRIME, INSURED. By Walter B. Gibson *** out of *****

One of the more famous The Shadow tales, Crime, Insured, has a wild premise: crooks in New York are getting bolder, more reckless, so The Shadow investigates, ultimately discovering that there's a master criminal actually selling crime insurance, protecting crooks if their plans fail. It's a far-fetched premise, bordering on silliness, and the lack of any memorable villains make this a somewhat slow-going story. It does, however, feature a great twist, and it is one of the few tales where The Shadow seems to be in real danger. A diverting read for fans, no more, no less.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which was released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Book Review: CUTTER AND BONE By Newton Thornburg **** out of *****

Published in 1976, when the radical movements and optimisms of the 1960s and 1970s were in their death throes, Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg is a powerful if grim novel about losing one's way.

The main characters are Bone, a jobless hunk in his thirties who just doesn't know where to turn after deciding to quit his job and leave his wife and kids behind, and Cutter, a one-armed, one-legged Vietnam vet who seems to have left his soul and the better part of his sanity back in Saigon. Together, along with Cutter's common law wife, Mo, an attractive ex-hippie who spends her days walking around stoned to the gills, Cutter and Bone go through life aimlessly, not always remembering where they've been, and not really caring where they're going, with Bone living off wealthy older women, and Cutter getting by on his welfare checks. That is, until Bone happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming a witness to the dumping of a young hooker who's just been murdered by a middle-aged man. From there, things slowly spiral out of control, as Bone becomes embroiled in a cat and mouse game with Cutter, who seems to be slowly losing himself to an obsession only he can understand.

But it is almost fruitless to write a plot synopsis for Cutter and Bone, as the plot really isn't the thing. It's the characters, their psychology, and Thornburg's mastery of mood and pacing. Thornburg writes with a clarity and a passion that is hard to resist, pulling you into a story that gets darker and darker as it goes along, and one that is peopled with characters who aren't exactly likable but are fascinating nonetheless.

Much has been said about the book's seemingly fiery politics, with Cutter's rants about the corruption of America bordering on hyperbole. Some critics and readers claim that Cutter and Bone is a leftist, anti-capitalist novel, others argue that it has a conservative bent, with its obvious disdain for hippies and radicals. But Thornburg, who was a fiscal republican, doesn't seem interested in partisan politics as much as in life choices and their price. His characters are all lost, broken outcasts who just can't seem to belong or find their way. Bone, in particular, is written as a man who has lost almost everything in exchange for his independence. And the one time he makes any kind of attachment, with Cutter and Mo, it leads to disaster. And Cutter is a man so angry at his country, the world, and himself, that ultimately he loses himself in a complex mystery that just might be of his own invention. Or is it?

Cutter and Bone is considered to be Thornburg's masterpiece, and it is easy to see why. It is far from a perfect novel – the dialogue is often clunky, and the politics too overheated – but it is original, unforgettable, and passionately written. It has the one quality that most writers strive to achieve even once in their career: After the last page is turned, the book lingers in the mind, its words echoing, its images refusing to fade.

* The novel was adapted into a feature film, Cutter's Way, released in 1981.

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Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which was released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Flashback Review: CUTTER'S WAY (1981) *** and a 1\2 out of *****

A hidden gem from the 1980's, Cutter's Way (1981), based on Newton Thornburg's novel Cutter and Bone, is too good to be forgotten.

Starring Jeff Bridges and John Heard, and directed by Ivan Passer, the film is part psychological thriller, part character study, and part buddy movie, and is an atmospheric and intelligent thriller with a twisty plot and a moody, enigmatic quality all its own.

The plot: Richard Bone (Bridges), an unemployed, womanizing scoundrel, is wrongfully suspected of murdering a teenage girl. Not knowing what to do, he seeks help from his best friend, Alex Cutter (Heard), a disabled Vietnam veteran with a terrible temper and occasional paranoid delusions. Together they try to uncover the identity of the real murderer before it's too late for both of them.

The plot, though original enough, is not the main thing here. What sets this movie apart and makes it a unique thriller, are the performances (especially Heard's as Cutter) and the stylish, nuanced direction by Ivan Passer. The enigmatic and shocking ending is also great.

Although it downplays the novel's complex themes and politics in favor of a more streamlined approach, many of the book's characters are wonderfully brought to life by a great cast and stylish direction. A dazzling paranoid thriller that deserves to be rediscovered.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021. (An earlier draft was published on Bitlanders.com)

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer