J. R. Hamantaschen

To say J.R.'s third collection does not disappoint would be an understatement. Both the individual stories and the overall collection are longer than previous publications, as the author has stated he is moving towards longer form work. Someday they may even approach the length of his trademark story and collection titles!
What really stands out here is the interweaving of the horror of the everyday and 'mundane' with the supernatural horror and violence one might be expecting from the genre. Whether is the helplessness felt when facing a boss that has it out for you, the bleakness of facing a life alone with no fault or explanation for mistakes made, or the terror of facing day in and out abuse at the hands of childhood bullies, J.R. grounds his stories by connecting these easily identified with experiences of fear and powerlessness with the macabre, surreal, and transcendent.
There is something for every type of horror fan here, and really demonstrates J.R.'s range. 'No One Cares, But I Try' gives a taste of science fiction-horror, perhaps in the vein of Scanners. 'Upon a Path Suddenly Irradiated at Some Halfway Point by Daybeams as Rich as Hers' is probably my favourite, and I feel is the most personal horror, with the elements of genre being an impetus for action, but ultimately having little impact on the characters themselves or the outcome. 'Bleecker and Bleaker: or Gay, for Muesli' (besides having a clever play on words in the title) comes in a close second for me, and though significantly more playful in tone, is similar in that the elements of horror play a minor note in the story. 'Story Title Revealed About Halfway Through...' presents some straight up slasher/sociopath gore. '7099 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio' and 'A Gob of Minty Spit in the Sink' give the reader a more tongue-in-cheek approach to horror, and I think readers who may have been exposed to J.R. through stories like the one in 16-bit Terror will really appreciate these.
J.R.'s endings are always particularly strong, and though I would not characterize them as 'twist' endings, I would say they pack a particularly strong emotional punch. In this shorter form work, they sometimes almost seem to lack a denouement at all, but that doesn't detract from their impact. It does help firmly place much of this work in the realm of 'weird fiction', where the reader is frequently left without not only explanation or reason for the events we have just witnessed, but even sometimes left without a true understanding of the outcome.
This, and J.R.'s other work, belong in the library of any fan of modern horror, the 'new weird', and so-called 'bizarro' fiction, though his genre and content spanning work here seems to more closely reseemble Matheson's range.… (mehr)

4.5/5 stars!

The work of J.R. Hamantaschen has been on my radar for years now, beginning with YOU SHALL NEVER KNOW SECURITY. A DEEP HORROR THAT WAS VERY NEARLY AWE is another short story collection from this author and this is his best yet!

It's easy to see how his work has matured in the depth of these tales and in the range which they cover. We have everything here from mental illness to strange, unknown things in a men's room stall, dissolved marriages and bullied teenagers.

Of all the stories here though, 7099 BRECKSVILLE ROAD, INDEPENDENCE, OHIO was my absolute favorite. Creepy and atmospheric, it was not what I've come to expect from this author at all. I love to be surprised, don't you?

I'm not going to get into each story, (there are eleven of them, total), but I will say that none of them are like the next-they're each stand alone creations. They often have strange titles, which I enjoy, for example one title was: STORY TITLE REVEALED ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH.

This author is quirky. I like that! I never fail to read the blurbs he has listed in the front of the book, because they're never all legit. He'll slip things in there that are funny to discover and they also make me laugh. Even the copyright page has a little bonus.

The only criticism I have, and it's a small one, is that a few of these stories verge on the title of novella, rather than short story. As I said, it's a small beef. That's all I got!

A DEEP HORROR THAT WAS VERY NEARLY AWE was dark, soul crushing, beautiful, funny and intriguing all at once. J.R. Hamantaschen always delivers-just maybe not quite in the way you expect. The variety on display here shows how diverse he can be and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Highly recommended!

You can get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2AugTvI

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

**A special thanks to Goodreads for deleting all of my reading updates on this book. All my story notes *poofed* away which I did NOT find helpful.**… (mehr)