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Behold!: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders Kindle Edition
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***Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in the Anthology category***
Want to see something weird?
Embrace the odd? Satisfy your curiosity? Surrender to wonder?
From Crystal Lake Publishing and the Bram Stoker Award-winning co-editor of the smash hit Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories comes Behold! Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders.
Sixteen stories and two poems take you into the spaces between the ordinary—and the imaginations of some of today's masters of dark and thrilling fiction.
- A travel writer learns the terrible secrets at a hotel that's not at all as it seems.
- A disfigured woman and her daughter explore methods of weaponizing beauty.
- An amateur beekeeper acquires an object that shows her the true
danger of the hive-mind. - Drifters ride the rails seeking something wondrous that could change their fates forever.
- A strange creature that holds our very existence in its hands shapes the lives of two lovers to touching and devastating effect.
- A young man helps his grandfather—and something much more monstrous—atone for bargains made during wartime.
- And much, much more…
Featuring Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Brian Kirk, Hal Bodner, Stephanie M. Wytovich, John Langan, Erinn L. Kemper, John F.D. Taff, Patrick Freivald, Lucy A. Snyder, Brian Hodge, Kristi DeMeester, Christopher Coake, Sarah Read and Richard Thomas. Foreword by Josh Malerman. Illustrations by Luke Spooner. Cover art by John Coulthart. Brought to you by Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor Doug Murano and Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.
Interview with the editor:
What kinds of short stories will readers find in this anthology?
Doug Murano: I wanted this book to encompass a lot of the things I love about weird fiction, fantasy and horror—as well as give a tip of my cap to some of the things I loved growing up. So, it’s not exclusively a horror anthology, though you’ll find there’s plenty of darkness and dread throughout the book.
It was important to me that the stories throughout the anthologyembraced and celebrated the odd—so you're not going to find stories of big-top exploitation or carnival freak shows here. The closest, perhaps, you'll find to this angle is in Lisa Morton's story—but that piece turns the freak-show trope on its head and aspires to something much more daring, interesting, and, ultimately, haunting.
Some tonal touch-points for much of the book are actually Jim Henson's work — like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal — particularly in the Undefinable Wonders section. I also drew tonal influences from Guillermo del Toro’s filmography, especially his Spanish-language films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone. As in those films, there’s terror and darkness here, but there’s beauty, wonder, and magic, as well. In other words, the book is willfully bizarre, wide-ranging, and beautifully strange.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJuly 28, 2017
- File size6427 KB
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From the Publisher
Our anthologies include the likes of Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Josh Malerman, Damien Angelica Walters, Orrin Grey , Brian Keene, Graham Masterton , Kathe Koja, Gemma Files, Lee Murray, Christopher Golden, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rick Hautala, Tim Curran, Elizabeth Massie, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Kevin Lucia, John Skipp, Mary SanGiovanni, Jonathan Janz, Glenn Rolfe, Jeff Strand, Rachel Autumn Deering, Patrick Lacey, Bev Vincent, John Palisano, Tim Waggoner, Lisa Morton, Rena Mason, Tim Lebbon, Aaron Dries, Richard Chizmar, Mark Allan Gunnells, Kenneth W. Cain, Kealan Patrick Burke, Gene O'Neill, Maria Alexander, Michael Bailey, Lucy A. Snyder, Jason Sizemore, Laird Barron, S.P. Miskowski, Gwendolyn Kiste, Seanan McGuire, Richard Thomas, Taylor Grant, Armand Rosamilia, Todd Keisling, John Boden, Chad Lutzke, Gary McMahon, Jasper Bark, Jeremy C. Shipp, John Claude Smith, Scott Nicholson, William Meikle, and many more.
Editorial Reviews
Review
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "From the alluring foreword written by the astonishing Josh Malerman, to the table contents packed with writers who have true magic up their sleeves, to the otherworldly artwork, Behold! truly is a thing of beauty and wonder. It's an anthology of the strange and mystic, of darkness and prevailing light and it will knock your socks off. It's uniquely split into three categories, Oddities, Curiosities, and Undefinable Wonders, pairing handfuls of stories in each, every category just as satisfying as the one before it. The tales draw you in with the charm of a sideshow barker, promising your imagination things it has never seen before, and a few it may wish it could soon un-see."—This is Horror
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "...the lesser-known authors are not carried by the veterans but proudly skip ahead, leading the way."—Cemetery Dance
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Every story will leave you wanting more."—Horror Novel Reviews
Product details
- ASIN : B0737D2KQJ
- Publisher : Crystal Lake Publishing (July 28, 2017)
- Publication date : July 28, 2017
- Language : English
- File size : 6427 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 356 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #323,485 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #232 in Horror Anthologies (Kindle Store)
- #444 in Horror Anthologies (Books)
- #517 in Horror Short Stories
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of non-fiction books, award-winning prose writer, and Halloween expert whose work was described by the American Library Association's READERS' ADVISORY GUIDE TO HORROR as "consistently dark, unsettling, and frightening". She began her career in Hollywood, co-writing the cult favorite MEET THE HOLLOWHEADS (on which she also served as Associate Producer), but soon made a successful transition into writing short works of horror. After appearing in dozens of anthologies and magazines, including THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF DRACULA, DARK DELICACIES, THE MUSEUM OF HORRORS, and CEMETERY DANCE Magazine, in 2010 her first novel, THE CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES, was published to critical acclaim, appearing on numerous "Best of the Year" lists. Her book THE HALLOWEEN ENCYCLOPEDIA (now in an expanded second edition) was described by REFERENCE & RESEARCH BOOK NEWS as "the most complete reference to the holiday available," and Lisa has been interviewed on The History Channel and in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL as a Halloween authority. She is a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award®, a recipient of the Black Quill Award, and winner of the 2012 Grand Prize from the Halloween Book Festival. A lifelong Californian, she lives in North Hills, California, and can be found online at www.lisamorton.com.
Hal Bodner is a Bram Stoker Award nominated author, best known for writing the best selling gay vampire novel, Bite Club and the lupine sequel, The Trouble With Hairy. He tells people that he was born in East Philadelphia because no one knows where Cherry Hill, New Jersey is. The obstetrician who delivered him was C. Everett Koop, the future US Surgeon General who put warnings on cigarette packs. Thus, from birth, Hal was destined to become a heavy smoker.
He moved to West Hollywood in the 1980s and has rarely left the city limits since. He cannot even find his way around Beverly Hills—which is the next town over.
Hal has been an entertainment lawyer, a scheduler for a 976 sex telephone line, a theater reviewer and the personal assistant to a television star. For awhile, he owned Heavy Petting, a pet boutique where all the movie stars shopped for their Pomeranians. Until recently, he owned an exotic bird shop.
He has never been a waiter.
He lives with assorted dogs, and birds, the most notable of which is an eighty year old irritable, flesh-eating military macaw named after his icon – Tallulah. He often quips he is a slave to fur and feathers and regrets only that he isn’t referring to mink and marabou. He does not have cats because he tends to sneeze on them.
Having reached middle-age ("middle" age being dependent on how many 100 years-plus people happen to be around), he remembers Nixon.
He was widowed in his early forties and can sometimes be found sunbathing at his late partner's grave while trying to avoid cemetery caretakers screaming at him to put his shirt back on.
Hal has also written a few erotic paranormal romances -- which he refers to as “supernatural smut” – most notably In Flesh and Stone and For Love of the Dead. While his salacious imagination is unbounded, he much prefers his comedic roots and he is currently pecking away at a series of bitterly humorous gay super hero novels.
He married again -- this time legally -- to a wonderful man who is young enough not to know that Liza Minnelli is Judy Garland’s daughter. As a result, Hal has recently discovered that the use of hair dye is rarely an adequate substitute for Viagra.
Hal's website is www.wehovampire.com and he encourages fans to send him email at Hal@wehovampire.com. It may take him a month or so, but he generally responds to almost everyone who writes to him with the sole exception of prisoners who request free copies of his books accompanied by naked pictures.
Lucy A. Snyder is the five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of 14 books:
* Sister, Maiden, Monster
* Halloween Season
* Exposed Nerves
* Garden of Eldritch Delights
* While the Black Stars Burn
* Spellbent
* Shotgun Sorceress
* Switchblade Goddess
* Soft Apocalypses
* Orchid Carousals
* Sparks and Shadows
* Chimeric Machines
* Installing Linux on a Dead Badger
* Shooting Yourself in the Head For Fun and Profit: A Writer's Survival Guide
Her writing has been translated into French, Russian, Italian, Czech, and Japanese editions and has appeared in publications such as Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, Weird Tales, Steampunk World, and Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 5.
She has an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College and lives in Ohio. You can follow her on Twitter at @LucyASnyder.
You can learn more at her website: www.lucysnyder.com
(Art by Erik Wilson) Richard Thomas is the award-winning author of seven books: three novels—Disintegration and Breaker (Penguin Random House Alibi), as well as Transubstantiate (Otherworld Publications); three short story collections—Staring into the Abyss (Kraken Press), Herniated Roots (Snubnose Press), and Tribulations (Cemetery Dance); and one novella in The Soul Standard (Dzanc Books). With over 150 stories published, his credits include The Best Horror of the Year (Volume Eleven), Cemetery Dance (twice), Behold!: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders (Bram Stoker winner), PANK, storySouth, Gargoyle, Weird Fiction Review, Midwestern Gothic, Shallow Creek, The Seven Deadliest, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Qualia Nous, Chiral Mad (numbers 2-4), PRISMS, Pantheon, and Shivers VI (with Stephen King and Peter Straub). He has won contests at ChiZine and One Buck Horror, has received five Pushcart Prize nominations, and has been long-listed for Best Horror of the Year six times. He was also the editor of four anthologies: The New Black and Exigencies (Dark House Press), The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers (Black Lawrence Press) and Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press) with Chuck Palahniuk. He has been nominated for the Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller awards. In his spare time he is a columnist at Lit Reactor. He was the Editor-in-Chief at Dark House Press and Gamut Magazine. His agent is Paula Munier at Talcott Notch. For more information visit www.whatdoesnotkillme.com.
John F.D. Taff is a multi-Bram Stoker Award short-listed dark fiction author with more than 30 years experience, and more than 100 short stories and seven novels in print.
He has appeared in Cemetery Dance, Eldritch Tales, Unnerving, Deathrealm, Big Pulp and One Buck Horror, as well as anthologies such as Hot Blood: Seeds of Fear, Hot Blood: Fear the Fever, Shock Rock II, Lullabies for Suffering, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Behold!, Shadows Over Main Street 2, Horror Library V, Best of Horror Library, Dark Visions Vol. 1, Ominous Realities, Death's Realm, I Can Taste the Blood and Savage Beasts. His work will appear soon in The Seven Deadliest and I Can Hear the Shadows.
His novels include The Bell Witch, Kill-Off and the serialized apocalyptic epic The Fearing. Thunderstorm Books and Grey Matter Press will release a one-volume version of The Fearing in 2021, in limited edition hardcover, soft cover and digital. Short fiction collections include Little Deaths: The Definitive Collection and Little Black Spots, both published by Grey Matter Press.
Taff's novella collection, The End in All Beginnings, was called one of the best novella collections by Jack Ketchum and was a Stoker Award Finalist. His short "A Winter's Tale" was also a Stoker Finalist.
His upcoming anthology Dark Stars, a tribute to that seminal '80s work Dark Forces, will be published by Tor/Nightfire 11/2/21.
His website is at johnfdtaff.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnfdtaff.
Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her work has been showcased in numerous magazines and anthologies such as Weird Tales, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2, The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8, as well as many others.
Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Point Park University, and a mentor with Crystal Lake Publishing. She is a recipient of the 2021 Ladies of Horror Fiction Writers Grant and has received the Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship for non-fiction writing.
Wytovich is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, an active member of the Horror Writers Association, and a graduate of Seton Hill University’s MFA program for Writing Popular Fiction. Her Bram Stoker Award-winning poetry collection, Brothel, earned a home with Raw Dog Screaming Press alongside Hysteria: A Collection of Madness, Mourning Jewelry, An Exorcism of Angels, Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare, and most recently, The Apocalyptic Mannequin. Her debut novel, The Eighth, is published with Dark Regions Press.
Follow Wytovich at http://stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter and Instagram @SWytovich and @thehauntedbookshelf. You can also find her essays, nonfiction, and class offerings on LitReactor.
Doug Murano lives somewhere between Mount Rushmore and the mighty Missouri River. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning editor of Behold! Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders and the co-editor of Bram Stoker Award-nominated Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories.
Since 2008, his short stories have appeared in a number of venues. He is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association, and was the organization's promotions and social media coordinator from 2013-15. He is a co-recipient of the HWA's 2014 Richard Laymon President's Award for Service.
Follow @muranofiction on Twitter.
Since its founding in August 2012, Crystal Lake Publishing has quickly become one of the world’s leading publishers of Dark Fiction and Horror books in print, eBook, and audio formats.
While we strive to present only the highest quality fiction and entertainment, we also endeavour to support authors along their writing journey. We offer our time and experience in non-fiction projects, as well as author mentoring and services, at competitive prices.
With several Bram Stoker Award wins and many other wins and nominations, Crystal Lake Publishing puts integrity, honor, and respect at the forefront of our publishing operations.
We strive for each book and outreach program we spearhead to not only entertain and touch or comment on issues that affect our readers, but also to strengthen and support the Dark Fiction field and its authors.
Not only do we find and publish authors we believe are destined for greatness, but we strive to work with men and woman who endeavour to be decent human beings who care more for others than themselves, while still being hard working, driven, and passionate artists and storytellers.
Crystal Lake Publishing is and will always be a beacon of what passion and dedication, combined with overwhelming teamwork and respect, can accomplish. We endeavour to know each and every one of our readers, while building personal relationships with our authors, reviewers, bloggers, podcasters, bookstores, and libraries.
We will be as trustworthy, forthright, and transparent as any business can be, while also keeping most of the headaches away from our authors, since it’s our job to solve the problems so they can stay in a creative mind. Which of course also means paying our authors.
We do not just publish books, we present to you worlds within your world, doors within your mind, from talented authors who sacrifice so much for a moment of your time.
There are some amazing small presses out there, and through collaboration and open forums we will continue to support other presses in the goal of helping authors and showing the world what quality small presses are capable of accomplishing. No one wins when a small press goes down, so we will always be there to support hardworking, legitimate presses and their authors. We don’t see Crystal Lake as the best press out there, but we will always strive to be the best, strive to be the most interactive and grateful, and even blessed press around. No matter what happens over time, we will also take our mission very seriously while appreciating where we are and enjoying the journey.
What do we offer our authors that they can’t do for themselves through self-publishing?
We are big supporters of self-publishing (especially hybrid publishing), if done with care, patience, and planning. However, not every author has the time or inclination to do market research, advertise, and set up book launch strategies. Although a lot of authors are successful in doing it all, strong small presses will always be there for the authors who just want to do what they do best: write.
What we offer is experience, industry knowledge, contacts and trust built up over years. And due to our strong brand and trusting fanbase, every Crystal Lake Publishing book comes with weight of respect. In time our fans begin to trust our judgment and will try a new author purely based on our support of said author.
To date we’ve published around 100 books, and with each launch we strive to fine-tune our approach, learn from our mistakes, and increase our reach. We continue to assure our authors that we’re here for them and that we’ll carry the weight of the launch and dealing with third parties while they focus on their strengths—be it writing, interviews, blogs, signings, etc.
We also offer several mentoring packages to authors that include knowledge and skills they can use in both traditional and self-publishing endeavours.
We look forward to launching many new careers.
This is what we believe in. What we stand for. This will be our legacy.
Welcome to Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.
Kristi DeMeester is the author of Such a Pretty Smile, a novel from St. Martin's Press, Beneath, a novel from Word Horde, and Everything That's Underneath, a collection of short stories forthcoming from Apex Publications.
Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year, Year's Best Weird Fiction, Black Static, The Dark, Apex Magazine, and several others.
In her spare time, she alternates between telling people how to pronounce her last name and how to spell her first.
Find her online at www.kristidemeester.com.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017
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But what this book does better than any I’ve read in years is to bring such conflicting stories together and let them flow as stops on a great journey, never feeling as distant from one another as they are. They are the attractions as we make our way through the big top, forever on the quest for something new to astonish our senses and let us feel as though we are normal – if only for a moment. Finding the similarities between such different stories and creating a path between them is almost a superpower for Editor Doug Murano. We’ve seen it in his past works (Shadows Over Main Street and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories), but Murano takes it to another level with this offering and creates a literary tour through the minds of some of the hottest names in horror today.
We begin with the Oddities. Our first stop, Lisa Morton’s “LaRue’s Dime Museum,” is the exact sort of story you would expect in this collection. It features an Inside Out Man, a tentacled accomplice and a woman who can contort into any shape. But the aberrations are perspective; and we are quickly reminded the view can change depending on the lens.
In fact, the belief that the view can change runs directly into the next entry, Brian Kirk’s “Wildflower, Cactus, Rose,” where we find that the world is a mirror. What you put into it is often what you’ll take out of it and some people will go to great lengths to protect the beauty they brought into the world.
Speaking of getting out what you put in, the main character in Hal Bodner’s “The Baker of Millepoix,” loses the love of his life, but finds a passion for helping people. Henri pours himself into helping others, no matter how much of himself he loses in the process. When you have a gift like Henri does, it would be a sin not to share it with the world.
Jaqueline Ess also has a gift to share with the world, but it is not one her recipients get to enjoy for long. Clive Barker (he made a few small things like Hellraiser, Candyman, and Gods and Monsters) brings us “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament.” This story is right up there with his other works; perhaps it’s even more sinister in some respects. It’s the story of a woman who degrades herself to gain power over the powerful.
We are greeted with Stephanie M. Wytovich’s poem, “An Exhibition of Mother and Monster.” Later, we encounter a second poem by Wytovich entitled, “As a Guest at the Telekinetic Tea Party.” The two poems serve almost as bridge between the sections of the book, bringing us from Oddities to Curiosities and from there to the Undefinable Wonders. Each is a handcrafted masterpiece of poetry, calling to mind that Fancy Pants announcer who wants us to move on and see the next attraction.
The Curiosities abound, beginning with a garden gnome who prefers to remain outside. John Langan’s “Madame Painte: For Sale” wins the distinction of containing my favorite death in this anthology. It was the type of story I anticipated going into the book, but I was rewarded with so much more than I’d expected from it. This typical haunted doll story is anything but typical, as even people who know her story can’t wait to take her home. I suggest letting her stay outside, though.
Next, we stumble directly into an antiques store to find another treasure to bring home. Neil Gaiman (Yes, THAT Neil Gaiman; creator of Sandman, American Gods, and Neverwhere) brings us “Chivalry,” the story of an elderly woman who happens to find the Holy Grail. When Sir Galaad requests it back, he finds that some treasure is worthless and some trash is priceless. Only in understanding what the elderly woman finds worthwhile will he gain the treasure he seeks.
One of the most decorated horror writers of all time, Ramsey Campbell, pops in to frighten us with “Fully Boarded.” His protagonist finds something he definitely doesn’t want to bring home; but oh how he longs to get back there. Campbell weaves a story of several layers of isolation that grab you by the wrist and never let go.
At first glance, “In Amelia’s Wake” seems to have one of the most choreographed climaxes in this book, but Erinn L. Kemper flips it on its side and beats us with it. Only when the tragedy telegraphed from the very first paragraph occurs does the real horror begin. Kemper subjects every character in this story to tragedy and makes each not only memorable, but relatable. This story was a slow burn, but the scars it left on my psyche have brought me back to it several times in the last week.
John F.D. Taff brings us a tale of man seeking vengeance and survival in “A Ware That Will Not Keep.” He finds both, but not without consequences. As is often the case, revenge can get out of hand quickly. The price Lev pays may leave him a prisoner long after he’s found his freedom.
Step this way for a moment and meet Jamie, a woman who will also learn the price of revenge. In Patrick Freivald’s “Earl Pruitt’s Smoker,” Jamie gives in to hive mentality to commit her crime, but she finds the guilt that accompanies it can be too much for one individual to live with.
The final exhibit in the Curiosities section, Lucy A. Snyder slips us some “Hazelnuts and Yummy Mummies” laced with the dreams, guilt, and sorrows of her main character’s life. This tale of a woman retracing her life’s steps with a little help from her friends dug into my soul and wouldn’t let go, long after the effects of the trip wore off.
We move into the Undefinable Wonders and it becomes more than apparent that many of these stories straddle a fine line between sections. How Murano decided for sure where they should sit is a mystery I’ll never understand, but I’ll argue to the death that he chose correctly. This is certainly the case with Brian Hodge’s “The Shiny Fruit of Our Tomorrows” which tells the tale of two drifters riding the rails in search of something but finding what they’re looking for doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better for everyone involved.
Charlotte Pratchett continuously plants the seeds for her future, but none of them find purchase until the events of Kristi DeMeester’s “The Wakeful” unfold. This story dug deep into my psyche and produced a monster I didn’t expect, but fully appreciated. DeMeester’s style and tone bring this story to another level, grounding it in a familiar reality when nothing about this should be normal.
In every collection of stories – as in every circus, in every freak show – there is one attraction that resonates with you more than any other. While it probably won’t be the same for you, the one that did it to me was Christopher Coake’s “Knitter.” This story weaves the most tragic story while showing the undying love between two people who were practically made for one another. I have been thinking about their loss for weeks now. I hope I never stop. That’s all I can tell you about this, because I don’t want to create any expectations or allow your own sense of wonder to disappear with this one.
Sarah Read’s “Through Gravel” brings us a new society not so far removed from our own, but different as night and day. A subterranean society picks a new member, but will she signal a new beginning as they hope or bring about the very destruction they long to escape? And will she ever make it home?
Speaking of home, it’s almost time to leave the Freak Show and head home ourselves.
But just where is home? That’s the question at the very heart of Richard Thomas’s “Hiraeth.” The word itself is defined as a yearning or nostalgia for a home to which we can never return. A home that, perhaps, never existed. Jimmy has a home, but it’s not the home that calls to him. It’s not the home he wants. It’s not where the love of his life is. It’s not where he hangs his heart. On a search for that home – the one he desires – Jimmy can’t resist the forbidden fruit and gives in to his weaknesses. He will have to deal with the consequences and one of those consequences just might be losing something he never got to have.
This book is an absolute tribute to how great the horror industry is right now. With a mix of the all-time greats, relative newcomers, and the hottest attractions hitting the scare scene at the moment, Behold! does what so few books could do thematically – it makes each attraction the absolute star of the show while allowing them as a team to make one another shine.
5/5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
I’m going to be honest: I rarely finish reading anthologies. Sometimes, the work just doesn’t resonate with me; other times, I simply don’t have enough time to read through it before the Next Big Thing on my reading list is released. So, when I accepted an ARC of Behold! Oddities, Curiosities, and Undefinable Wonders, I did so with the explanation that I’d try to have a review ready for launch day, but would make no promises.
But then something happened that almost never happens for me: I read the whole thing, and here I am, writing a review on launch day.
Every story in Behold! is excellent. With a lineup like this, you can’t really go wrong. Check this out: Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Brian Kirk, Hal Bodner, Stephanie M. Wytovich, John Langan, Erinn L. Kemper, John F.D. Taff, Patrick Freivald, Lucy A. Snyder, Brian Hodge, Kristi DeMeester, Christopher Coake, Sarah Read, and Richard Thomas.
I won’t recap all the stories here—I’ll leave those for you to discover—but I do want to give mention to several stand-out favorites in the collection:
Brian Kirk’s “Wildflower, Cactus, Rose.”
Hal Bodner’s “The Baker of Millepoix.”
John Langan’s “Madame Painte: For Sale.”
Erinn L. Kemper’s “Amelia’s Wake.”
Patrick Freivald’s “Ed Pruitt’s Smoker.”
Sarah Read’s “Through Gravel.”
Stephanie Wyotivich’s “An Exhibition of Mother and Monsters.”
Each story will take you through a gauntlet of emotions, and I feel like these pieces best exemplify what Doug was going for in this collection: the bizarre, the unsettling, the fantastic, the magical, and the heartbreaking.
Doug Murano has done a wonderful job curating this collection. From the cover art by John Coulthart, to the interior design by Lori Michelle and illustrations by Luke Spooner, to the content itself, this book is a full package of speculative tales that lives up to its promise, a carnival sideshow of prose and poetry that will spark your imagination and break your heart. Buy it!
UPDATE: I *did* continue reading, and had to improve my rating. I still hated the first section ("Oddities"), but the second ("Curiosities") included a story by Neil Gaiman, "Chivalry," that I thoroughly enjoyed. An old woman visits her favorite thrift shop, and finds the Holy Grail. She recognizes it, takes it home and cleans it up, and finds the perfect place to display it. Pretty soon a knight shows up on his charger, informs her that he is on a quest for the Holy Grail... and we're off. I found this story laugh-out-loud funny. In a much more serious vein, I also appreciated "A Ware That Will Not Keep," by John F.D. Taff, a story set during the Holocaust. Also interesting was "In Amelia's Wake," by Erinn L. Kemper, which offers a fantastical alternative explanation for Amelia Earhart's plane going down.
The third section of the book, "Undefinable Wonders," again, I didn't care for. So overall, not a big change in my rating. If I could rate individual sections of the book, I'd rate the first part one star, the second part four stars, and the final part two stars.
Top reviews from other countries

The Baker of Millepoix by Hal Bodner: To get over the death of his husband, Henri decides to move to Millepoix. To help occupy his mind Henri became the local baker, but after a freak accident, his pastries did more than stop the hunger. At the start, you could sense Henri’s grief and even with his new venture you knew that he still had not moved on. Whilst he tried to fit in, it was not until the freak accident that he felt wanted and this story showed just how compassionate he was. Whilst there is a supernatural feel to this story, this was a story about grief and acceptance.
Madame Painte: For Sale by John Langan: A gnome is for sale and with it comes a warning Must keep outside. The story told by the shopkeeper was very similar to the instructions given to keep a gremlin, although the consequences were deadlier. A creepy story that ended all too soon.
Chivalry by Neil Gaiman: When Mrs Whitaker finds the Holy Grail in a charity shop, she does expect the visitor that arrives soon afterwards. If you like rummaging in junk shops this is everyone’s dream and to have the mysterious visitor is most women’s dream. Mrs Whitaker was a lovely OAP who was happy with what she got. I loved the way she looked forward to the visitor and even the simple things like making him a sandwich gave her pleasure, although I did laugh when she used him to move all the heavy furniture on one of his visits and the ending how could she be so lucky.
The Wakeful by Kristi DeMeester: The story is about the relationship between Charlotte and her pupil Edith. This story had an eerie feel to it mainly due to the descriptive way author described what was happening to Charlotte. Whilst you do not know what Edith is or the power she has over Charlotte, you can let your imagination run loose.
This anthology is a good example of the weird and the wonderful. This will also suit readers that are not horror lovers as there is such a mixture. It’s a book that you can curl up with and forget the world. Whilst I am not a poetry lover the 2 poems in this book fitted in perfectly. Thank you Crystal Lake you have not let me down.

