Customer Reviews

Bad Seed

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shannon's stories are bullets that hit the mark. Mostly crime/noir, with a sprinkling of horror, these tales are filled with seedy characters who really come to life (at least until they get killed) and settings so gritty I had to check under my fingernails after I'd turned a few pages. The direct, driving style and unpredictability make this book hard to put down. Some of my personal favorites also confronted deeply meaningful issues -- the tragic effects of alcoholism on a man and his family, war and the universality of death.

If you'd like to be entertained, moved, even haunted -- put on your bullet-proof vest and pick up BAD SEED.

"Bad Seed" is a delicious collection of wonderfully creepy stories. Harry Shannon has created a fresh approach to the horror story - he has successfully blended it with elements of the noir genre, endowing each of these tales with the added ingredients of both realism and relevance. I can't wait to read more from this author.

The information and other reviewers led me to believe that this was a collection of stories. That's not true. It is ONE VERY short story.

However, I'm not letting that affect my review.

The story itself was rather predictable. Just a classic story of revenge, no twist, no mystery, ho-hum.

However, the writing was top-notch! I will be checking out this author's other works. Should he come up with a good plot, I am certain his books will be awesome!

...that'll give your stomach a nice twist. R u a fan of Night Gallery-esque stories? Then pick this one up!

Harry Shannon's "Bad Seed" packs the most punch you could ever hope for out of any collection of short stories, with plenty of gruesome detail and nasty characters to boot. Some of the tales are reminiscent of Stephen King, while others are in the vein of Elmore Leonard. Shannon quickly and adeptly develops his characters, moving each plot along at a heart-stopping pace, often taking hairpin turns to a shocking and unpredictble climax. The narration works well in that it often makes you feel as though you're at a campfire, in the middle of nowhere, or perhaps in a bar, hearing the nastiest yet most compelling stories from some strange local barfly. This makes for an eerie feeling all throughout the book. All-in-all, "Bad Seed" is a more-than-thoroughly satisfying collection that never fails to deliver in its content. But be careful: you could have nightmares after reading this! (i.e. Don't read right before going to sleep!)

Great reading! Every story goes straight for the gut, packs a hard punch and leaves you spinning. Cool mixture of Stephen King-like eeriness and horror, with a sense of humor reminiscent of Elmore Leonard. I bet there's lots more where this came from. A word of warning though: not for the easily spooked!

Shannon's prose is dark, edged with sinister humor and loaded with horror. I did not put BAD SEED down until I read the book from cover to cover! A must red for fans of noir terror.

Harry Shannon has received a number of recommendations for the 2001 Stoker Award from the Horror Writers' Association. In this great collection my favorite is the weird "twist" tale, "Quickie", an homage to TV's fabled Alfred Hitchcock Presents. This is a fun little book, full of down and dirty, lean and mean writing.

Shannon's stories are bullets that hit the mark. Mostly crime/noir, with a sprinkling of horror, these tales are filled with seedy characters who really come to life (at least until they get killed) and settings so gritty I had to check under my fingernails after I'd turned a few pages. The direct, driving style and unpredictability make this book hard to put down. Some of my personal favorites also confronted deeply meaningful issues -- the tragic effects of alcoholism on a man and his family, war and the universality of death.

If you'd like to be entertained, moved, even haunted -- put on your bullet-proof vest and pick up BAD SEED.

Okay, so it is not as good as the author's novels, particularly NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF (which ROCKS) and I almost knocked off another half a star for a couple of stories I felt had slightly obvious "twist" endings, overall this is a terrific piece of work for a first-time-out collection. The climax of "Loose Ends" did catch me me totally off guard. "She Who Is Kali" grossed me out and then made me laugh. The author's style is reminiscent of Ed Gorman, Michael Connelly and at times even Stephen King. Good fun, good read. Quite a collectors item now, too...