James Ward Kirk

A few days ago I received my review copy for the Hell anthology. Previously a Static Movement anthology, it now has transferred to James Ward Kirk Fiction. The stories promised originally seem to be all there, but the cover has changed and now sports artwork by William Cook, a New Zealand artist. Quite an improvement, in my opinion.

I’m not much for poetry, so I just leafed through that. The flash fiction was ok, but did not leave a big impression.

The average level of short stories is reasonable to good. Some may end weak, some may be thin on plot, some may work around small ideas and some may not appeal to a wider audience. That’s pretty common when you read an anthology around a single theme that is filled by an international cast of authors.

There’s no accounting for taste, of course, but my personal gems, in order, are: ‘Because you watched’, by Paula D. Ashe, ‘Only Forgotten’ by Chantal Noordeloos, ‘Justine’ by A.B.Stephens, ‘Tiffany’s Model Affair’ also by Chantal Noordeloos, ‘What happens in Hell, stays in Hell’ by Clint Smith and finally ‘Rebellious’ by Timothy Frazier.

These gems lift the overall score for this book from a three star average to a four star average. In all, I would say it’s been a worthwhile read.
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OK, disclaimer first: I wrote two pieces in this anthology.

I recently reviewed the 'Hell' anthology by the same publisher, JWKfiction, and the format is nice and recognizable. The paperback is neatly done, the cover by Paul Chapman is spooky and really captures the atmosphere of the stories in the book.

Poetry usually doesn't hold my interest, but the piece called 'The Resurrection Man' by James S. Dorr was quite interesting. In the flash fiction department I most liked 'Buried Beast' by Matthew Wilson, which had a nice Mythos feeling to it. The short story section takes up around 60 percent of the book and it contains a variety of grave robber stories, with many different takes on the theme. Overall the quality of the stories is reasonable to good, with three stories that really stood out for me personally. Not in any particular order, I really liked Sean T. Page's 'The Marsh People', which shows us a well researched 19th century England that holds many ancient secrets. I recently reviewed Sean's 'The Black Caliphate', which showed the same level of attention to historical and geographical detail. Another favorite from this anthology is 'Angel's Grave' by Chantal Noordeloos, a ghastly tale of things that go 'bump' inside the coffin. The last tale of the anthology belongs to Timothy Frasier and is called 'Necrofreaks' and it is freaky and a worthy conclusion of this anthology.

The editor, James Ward Kirk, has created yet another great collection of poetry and prose around an interesting theme. Here's hoping he will continue the good work.

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First of all: disclaimer, I am one of the authors in the book.

My overall impression of this book is very good. There are some very talented authors who contributed to this anthology. Two prizes were awarded to Clint Smith and Chantal Noordeloos, both well deserved. Clint Smith's story had a distinct literary quality to it that appealed to me. Chantal's Indiana was just plain weird and very original.

So why not 5 stars, why 4? Well, I had the feeling that some, most actually, of the stories could have been slightly more polished. I know that tells the authors exactly nothing, but it's my impression after reading -and enjoying- the stories. There is a lot of talent here, and rich and original ideas, and some very beautifully written prose, as well as some hard hitting poetry. The last not really my cup of tea, but some will really enjoy it.

So despite a few rough edges, a very nice read and some very disturbing stories about Indiana.
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A dark, haunting story told through a deceptively simple narrative which peels back like an onion, revealing new layers of depth and meaning. A community is shocked and horrified by a series of disappearances. Three young girls, kidnapped and later found dead. A serial killer. Panic and paranoia spread through the community until a local mother makes a shocking discover about her son, home from his first year of college that sets the whole tale on its head. Her reaction, told unflinchingly through an epistolary framing device; a letter to her sister, brings up images of a traumatic childhood and illustrates well the philosophy of "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster". It also touches on the complex concept of nature vs nurture; are negative behavioral traits hereditary, or learned? It further poses the question; if it is in the blood, can it skip a generation? Though even if it seems to, is it really always there, lurking, suppressed, but waiting to come out in the right circumstances?… (mehr)