Customer Reviews

13 Stories

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! I just finished reading this book and I'm still trying to digest it. Where has this guy been? As an avid fan of horror who had grown Oh so tired of vampires or horror disguising itself as romance, I've finally found a writer who writes horror without trying to be PC. Cain's stories don't hold back. They are rude at times, violent, he never backs off. Though I wish some of the stories had been longer, Cain's writing style is definitely for the Gen-X crowd. Rather than having to skip large portions of the text due to excessive use of adjectives, Cain gives you enough background to understand where you are, then throws you into the abyss. The baby boomers have Stephen King, and Dean Koontz, but few of our generation feel like reading a 500 page book. Cain covers in 170 pages what many author's would cover in 500, but you don't miss anything. Without doubt, the strongest story in the book would have to be Glory Hole. This bizarre tale of ancient Chinese myth, spun neatly into the life of a porn junkie living during the depression, is brilliant, original, and totally engrossing. Tevin's Monster ran a close second with me. The story centers around a young black child living in the projects who discovers a family secret the hard way. Cain's settings are perhaps the best part of his books. No two of these stories are even close to the same, even the writing style changes to adapt to the needs of the story. I don't normally recommend books, but if you are a fan of horror, or just looking for something completely different, try 13 Stories, you won't be disappointed.

What a shocker this book had me engrossed from page 1. I could not believe someone had the balls to write what I was reading. I was hoping that the lady next to me on the plane wasn't looking over my shoulder. 13 stories takes you for a ride you have no idea where it will lead until Ed decides to blindside you with his unique style. If you like your surprises with no holds barred then this book is a must read for you. I hope somewhere Ed is working on a sophamore project for the following this author is sure to amass.

Cain is undoubtedly one of the best new talents. All the stories are written by him, but you'd never know it to read them! Each story is a different facet of this fascinating man's personality. From an anything-but-simple haunting "The Lost Souls of the Stanton", To an odd diary, ( very odd) "The Diary" to the amazing "Glory Hole", each shows the talent of a much more experienced author. There IS one thing in common in all 13 stories--they make it difficult to fall asleep at night! So if you dare, give 13 STORIES a try, and invite me to your nightmares! Enjoy!

From disgust to revulsion, from fright to abject terror... Ed Cain strikes a cord in so many ways with his first book. "Glory Hole" takes you to the depths of depravity and shows in vivid detail where that path can lead. "Pieces" tears apart your psyche like the wrecked body of the monster in the story. And "The Lost Souls of the Stanton" departs from the classic horror genre, but Cain's results are no less unsettling for it. I was skeptical when I first cracked the pages of this book, as new authors usually have to write several books to find their voice, but Ed Cain captures your attention from the get-go. I was truly engrossed in this book from start to finish.

What sticks out most is that this book is like no other I've read. This work is void of the common horror cliches we've come to expect in this ever-narrowing genre of vampires and knife-wielding psychonuts. As an example, who would expect to find Satan himself in the thick of the battle in Viet Nam? "In the Scope", my favorite story, we see that the ol' fork-tailed one has landed himself and a few of his own in the jungle letting hell play itself out as the war rages on around him. This is a refreshing set of short stories that takes the reader to different settings and surroundings somewhat new to the horror realm. "Teven's Monster" takes us to the inner-city project where a young boy meets a brother he never knew he had - and for good reason. Cain is able to play on your worst fears and deepest delusions like a conductor would a symphony.

Ed Cain's new book 13 Stories is one of the best new horror novels I've read in a long, long time. This collection of original short horror stories is reminiscent of early Clive Barker. The stories feature settings and time periods largely ignored by other author's, the best example probably being the plight of an affluent porn addict living in San Francisco in the 1930's. Cain also brings Satan to the VietNam war, sets a traditional ghost story on a derelict navy ship, and even spins some urban legends in a new, trendy way. Cain's stories are not for the shy. There are more than a few stories that immerse themselves in sex and drugs, not in a gratuitous fashion, but more a genuine understanding of the pervasive influence of these in our modern society. Cain's writing style is sparse, several of the stories could have easily been blown into novels, but there is something almost Hemingway like in his sparing use of verbage. Cain's stories tend to put normal people under extraordinary circumstances, and how these characters come to terms with their situations is as varied and entertaining as anything being written today. Although the book is small press, I suspect Ed Cain's name is giong to be looming large in the horror world very shortly. This book is truly a gem in the rough.