Stephen H. Provost

Nightmare’s Eve by Stephen H Provost is an intriguing collection of poems and short stories focusing on the darker side of life. From waking nightmares, and death, to the haunting madness of the human psyche, these stories and poems run a gamut. There are tales set in the modern or near modern world, tales from the ancient past, and tales of the future, each perfectly tailored for the era it represents.

I read this book within a day or two. I can be pretty picky with short stories, but I loved this collection. To me, the whole thing had a very Edgar Allan Poe feel, especially with the poems. My favourite story, though, reminded me of Stephen King's Needful Things. 'Just the Ticket’ is about the price you pay for what you think you really need. An offer to be sent into the future to snag winning lottery numbers sounds pretty sweet, right? Especially at the seemingly impossible ‘cost’ of three years of your life. Problem is, none of us really knows how many of those years we actually have allotted to us.

'Will to Live’ terrified me the most, bringing back memories of my earliest experiences of sleep paralysis. A feeling of darkness, and immobility, free of the expected weight of my body. ‘Fighting’, such as it is, only heightens the fear, and reinforces the immobility. Nowadays, should I have it, I allow myself to drift back to sleep. I know I'll wake. Never waking from that sort of state? I think it'd drive a soul mad quite quickly. 'Virulent’ really spoke to my own beliefs regarding the insidious nature of religious doctrine and dogma. They weren't all depressing though. Some, like 'Turn Left at Dover’, ended on a happier note.

Perfect for fans of Edgar Allan Poe's works, or shows like The Twilight Zone.

***Many thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.… (mehr)

I'm so glad that this book was featured on Scalzi's Big Idea! I'm a born and raised Hanford girl, so for me Fresno was always "the big city." I enjoyed reading this book and seeing how the city transitioned and how many familiar landmarks came to me, but I am really curious as to what my mom will think. This will be part of her Christmas. She lived all around the valley as she grew up, including several places in and around Fresno, so the pictures and stories will really resonate with her. I imagine this will be a fun book for her to pull out for friends and family. Hooray for well-done local history books!… (mehr)