“Face to Face” by John Harwood

by kattomic

“Face to Face” by John Harwood

12.10.12

Story 352/366

John Harwood, who was born in Tasmania, is no stranger to dark fiction set in the Victorian era. His novel The Séance won the Borealis Award for best horror novel in 2008 and his earlier novel, Children of the Night won a slew of awards, including “Best Gothic Novel” in 2004 from the Dracula society. The story takes place at “the last Christmas of the old century,” by which we assume Harwood means the 19th century. “Face to Face” also appears in the supernatural steampunk anthology Ghosts by Gaslight.

See you tomorrow!

 

“Smithers and the Ghosts of the Thar” by Robert Silverberg

by kattomic

“Smithers and the Ghosts of the Thar” by Robert Silverberg

12.09.12

Story 351/366

The year is 1858 and what happens to Smithers is in India is a little hard to believe but then many things that happen on Her Imperial Majesty’s subcontinent are hard to believe. Silverberg perfectly mimics the voice of Victorian novelists and this story is great fun. It appears in Ghosts by Gaslight, an anthology of steampunk and supernatural suspense edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers.

See you tomorrow!

“To Feel Another’s Woe” by Chet Williamson

by kattomic

“To Feel Another’s Woe” by Chet Williamson

12.04.12

Story 334/366

Sometimes in the theater it’s not enough to just be talented…This story appears in the vampire-themed Blood is Not Enough edited by Ellen Datlow.

See you tomorrow!

“The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs

by kattomic

“The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs

12.03.12

Story 333/366

This one story informed so many horror stories–from Stephen King’s Pet Sematary to episodes of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery–that it’s surprising to find out that Jacobs was actually best known for his comic tales. It’s a story we all read as children, a story that embodies the admonishment to “be careful what you wish for.” It was written in 1902 and remains as powerful now as it did 110 years ago. One of the great English-language short stories.n You can read it here on the literature network. (I was surprised that it’s longer than I remember.)

See you tomorrow!

 

“Good Kids” by Edward Bryant

by kattomic

“Good Kids” by Edward Bryant

11.30.12

Story 340/366

Four young girls in a group home take on their new night caretaker, a vampire. “Good Kids” appears in Blood is Not Enough, the vampire-themed anthology edited by Ellen Datlow.

See you tomorrow!

“Leaves of Wrath” by R.M. Hines

by kattomic

“Leaves of Wrath” by R.M. Hines

11.24.12

Story 323/366

“Leaves of Wrath” is a creepy little story. I have learned that no story involving a garbage dump ever ends happily. This story appears in Hines’ collection Blackout: 14 Tales of Horror and Dark Fiction. I bought this on amazon some months ago and now I can’t find it anywhere. I don’t know if Hines unpublished the book or what. His real name is Rob Heinz and you can read about his work on his blog, Sketches a Celestial Sea. His individual stories under his real name are available for 99 cents each.

See you tomorrow!

“Black Moon Rising” by Paul D. Brazill

by kattomic

‘Black Moon Rising” by Paul D. Brazill

11.21.12

Story 320/366

This is a stand-alone story in Paul D. Brazill’s series about Roman Dalton,werewolf PI, offering up some backstory on one of the main characters. This story appears in the anthology Weird Noir, edited by K.A. Laity. You can read other adventures of Roman Dalton in the anthology Drunk on the Moon.

See you tomorrow!

“Gus Weatherbourne” by Michael S. Chong

by kattomic

“Gus Weatherbourne” by Michael S. Chong

11.20.12

Story 319/366

Gus is the offspring of a sea creature and a storm nymph and is right hand is made of lightning so all in all…it’s better when he wears glovs.Michael S. Chong’s work can also be found in Kung Fu Factory. This story appears in the anthology Weird Noir, edited by K.A. Laity.

See you tomorrow!

“Just Today” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

by kattomic

“Just Today” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

11.19.12

Story 318/366

This story was posted around Halloween on Daily Science Fiction but for some reason the link has disappeared. That’s too bad because it’s a good story about a little girl who gets some supernatural  help with a bully. (I remember the editors felt the message about bullying was the wrong one, which I thought was kind of prissy.) Hoffman began publishing in 1975 when she was only 20.

See you tomorrow!

“Sugar Skulls” by Samantha Henderson

by kattomic

“Sugar Skulls” by Samantha Henderson

11.18.12

Story 318/366

“I will eat them from the inside out,” the narrator’s grandmother promises, a terrible promise a matriarch makes And it’s a promise she knows how to keep. Originally published in Jack-o-Spec, tales of Halloween fantasy. You can listen to the story here at Pod Castle.

See you tomorrow!