Customer Reviews

Beluthahatchie and Other Stories

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Damn what a fine book. Amazing range and passion, wonderful writing. Weird and sad, surprising and wise. And very, very funny. Damn. Read one story and try to imagine the author. Read another and try again. Read a third and you will give up. Andy Duncan's got some serious stories to tell us. And we have such a good time listening to his remarkably convincing and varied voices we don't figure that out till later. A grand collection.

This book just won the World Fantasy Award and for good reason! My favorite story is "Fortitude" an alternate history fantasy about George Patton, but every story is unique and remarkable. And if you buy this book, don't let it sit on your shelf unread. Read one story at random and you will fall in love with Duncan's writing style and will probably finish the entire book in one sitting (I know I did!).

Andy Duncan is a delight, a surprise, and an original. If you haven't yet sampled his work, in "Beluthahatchie and Other Stories" you've got the pleasure of discovering a huge new talent ahead of you. And if you're already familiar with his beautifully written and crafted stories, "Beluthahatchie and Other Stories" allows you to re-read, rediscover, and relish them as often as you wish -- and if you're like me, you'll find yourself dipping into this wonderful collection again and again.

Andy Duncan is one of those rare and wonderful writers that only come along once in a great while, making an immediate impact with his adroit storytelling ability, while his stories defy category. Duncan has the electrifying intensity of Richard Powers, with a touch of Tennessee Williams, a smidgen of William Faulkner and Hemingway, and the sense of humor that blends Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut all into one. But despite this heady mix - Andy Duncan is a fresh and exciting and original voice; a voice you're going to be hearing a lot about and lot from. BELUTHAHATCHIE is just a sampling of things to come...much bigger and better things. A solid collection from a powerful young voice. Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.

I originally wrote a review of this book saying that it did not merit the praise others gave it, but I was wrong. I've since reread the book and now see that it's highly crafted, witty, and original. If you want to see fiction that's not like anything else you've ever read, buy this book and read Mr. Duncan's excellent stories. He's a writer to watch, and will surely go far, in the mainstream as well as in the SF world.

Andy Duncan writes brilliant stories.

That's all I need to say. He puts words down on paper and they look beautiful! This collection, from the magnificent Golden Gryphon press, collects all of Andy Duncan's early published work. The stories are by turns, beautiful, poignant, and sometimes horrific.

My favorite story of the collection is 'The Executioner's Guild'. This incredible novella is set in a small Southern town. The town is abuzz because the Execution wagon is coming to town. The Executioner is a young man whose job it is to perform Executions for the state. The story becomes really interesting when the Executioner's mysterious mentor unexpectedly arrives in town and the Executioner must come to grips with the true importance of his job. This story will leave you thinking long after you've put the book down.

There are other stories in this collection of equal quality: 'Liza and the Crazy Water Man', 'Fenneman's Mouth', 'Grand Guignol', 'From Alfano's Reliquary', and the title story 'Beluthahatchie', set in a suburb of Hell.

It's a genuinely exciting experience to stumble across a relatively new author. If you're not familiar with Andy Duncan, you should definitely check out this explosive new author. Duncan's stories remind me a lot of those by another Southern author, Howard Waldrop. Whatever their similarities and differences, both are incredible authors. Duncan's published stories since this collection have maintained his very high level of excellence. I have every reason to believe that Andy Duncan will be a very big name in short speculative fiction. Don't miss this collection. Highly recommended.

The writing in this collection is fabulous, top quality. The stories are meticulously researched but the details are slipped in so naturally there is never a dry moment. The flavor of the book is southern macabre, a mix of fantasy and horror. Ghost stories, trains to hell, historical fantasy/horror. Great characterization and attention to detail. If Duncan has a weakness, it is plotting, but everything else is so strong I rarely minded. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shudder, but you will keep turning pages...

Andy Duncan attained a certain level of notoriety a few years ago with his short story "Beluthahatchie," about a African-American blues guitarist from the Depression-era South who dies and gets off at the next train stop past Hell. The story was nominated for a Hugo award. I've read this particular story several times, and still laugh out loud each time.

Most of Andy's stories take place in by-gone times - and all have some element of strangeness. His writing style deftly changes to match the time period in which the story is set. His Southern stories are like a cross between the Twilight Zone and To Kill a Mockingbird. Other tales are reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe. Regardless of where or when the tales are set, Andy always captures the spirit of the society - revealed in his incredible attention to detail. He also takes great pains to depict his characters without 21st century condescension, and without glossing over their cultural failings.

Beluthahatchie & Other Stories is the first compilation of this talented writer's works. The book contains eleven of Andy's best stories; highlights (aside from the title story) include:

"The Executioner's Guild," in which a white traveling executioner, assigned to dispatch a black prisoner, is joined by an elder of his ancient society.

"Lincoln in Frogmore," the remembrance of a former slave who recalls the Great Emancipator making a secret nocturnal visit to the black residents of St. Helena Island, South Carolina - at the height of the Civil War!

"Fortitude," a twist on legendary General George S. Patton's obsession with reincarnation. Andy explores Patton's belief that he has a particular destiny - and not just one of victory in battle - and the internal conflicts that arise as a result...END

Beluthahatchie And Other Stories is an outstanding, highly recommended collection of Andy Duncan's short stories, include a Hugo and a Nebula nominated tale. Quality speculative fiction from a talented and accomplished writer, Beluthahatchie And Other Stories is enhanced with a Foreword by Michael Bishop, an Afterword by John Kkessel, and includes: Saved; Grand Guignol; The Executioners' Guild; The Premature Burials; Fenneman's Mouth; Lincoln in Frogmore; The Map to the Homes of the Stars; From Alfano's Reliquary; Lisa and the Crazy Water Man; Fortitude; and the title piece, Beluthahatchie.