Christmas Trees and Monkeys: Collected Horror Stories, Volume 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Daniel G. Keohane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2002

Three young boys on a deadly dare. A giant ape swinging atop radio towers in New Hampshire. The end of the world as we know it. Eavesdropping on the dead. Deadly Christmas trees. From the deepest corner of the Congo to your own backyard, strange things are rolling up your street, hiding in the doghouse, or lurking in your own mind.Christmas Trees and Monkeys brings together for the first time fifteen tales of horror and the bizarre from Daniel G. Keohane. Dont waste any more time. Pull the sheets close to your chin, turn down the lights, turn the lights back up because you cant see the pages, and jump right inAll author royalties for this collection are being donated to the Central New England Multiple Sclerosis Society. For more information visit their website at www.msnewengland.org.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniel G. Keohane lives in the woods of New England with his wife and three children. His horror stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies over the years, and he is currently at work on his latest novel. For more information visit his website at www.dankeohane.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (November 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595256643
• ISBN-13: 978-0595256648
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,261,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel G. Keohane's first novel, Solomon's Grave (2009), was a finalist for the international Bram Stoker Award. Since then he has released Margaret's Ark (2011) and coming soon: Destroyer of Worlds. His short stories have been published in a number of major horror magazines and anthologies over the years, including Cemetery Dance, Apex Digest, Shroud Magazine, Fantastic Stories and many others, and have received multiple Honorable Mentions in the annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror / Best Horror of the Year.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A First Rate First Collection, February 10, 2003

By 

Jeffrey Thomas (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas Trees and Monkeys: Collected Horror Stories, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

CHRISTMAS TREES AND MONKEYS, besides boasting one of the most unusual titles ever for a collection of horror stories, proves Daniel G. Keohane to be one of the very best (perhaps THE best) of the next wave of writers in this genre - and heads above many of the (for now) better-established names I won't divulge here. His prose is clean, assured, his plots and characters intriguing, his imagination sparkling, his approach widely varied so that one doesn't know what to expect from each story - which keeps the offering fresh. A story like BARK can be very simple is plot, but a powerful engine of suspense. AM is a super-spooky tale that would make great reading at Halloween. But as eminently entertaining as these stories are, at times Keohane steps into the realm of surreal literature with brilliant and achingly human stories like FEED THE BIRDS and the gorgeous WHITE WAVE OF MERCY (perhaps the best story in the collection), and THE MONKEY ON THE TOWERS, in which the titular preternatural simian is an enigmatic symbol of chaos and catalyst in the lives of numerous people (Keohane is very adept at shifting view points). There are also a good many stories with a religious theme, in which an intimate hell (RITUAL) or apocalyptic event (REDEMPTION, LAVISH and the unnerving zombie tale TWO FISH TO FEED THE MASSES) are brought about by an incomprehensibly harsh Creator more frightening than any literary Satan - and in which characters fight for redemption, or at least a modicum of understanding in the face of the bleak unknown. Though the last story, TANNER'S BOMB, is a little silly, every story in this book is impressive in its own unique way. Keohane is a master in the making, and any fan of horror in its many sub-categories will find more than enough to be impressed by in this first collection from a first-rate author.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff!, January 25, 2003

By 

Jon F. Merz "http://www.jonfmerz.net" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas Trees and Monkeys: Collected Horror Stories, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

I've known Dan for a few months now and just picked this book up at a group signing we did a few weeks back. This is a stupendous collection of work from a writer with a serious future in speculative fiction. Excellent narrative skills combine with sleek dialogue and a wonderful gift for building suspense to create some of the coolest short stories I've read in a long time. Standouts for me included "Y2Kay" - one of the most unique takes on the Y2K crisis - and "Lavish" a truly great epic tale. Dan Keohane's work shines here and he will definitely be making a big mark on the genre. Don't miss this fantastic collection of stories from a serious up-and-coming author.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Miss This Collection, January 29, 2003

By 

Deborah A. Woehr (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Christmas Trees and Monkeys: Collected Horror Stories, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Up until the last story, I didn't think I would have a favorite, although a few will stick with me for quite a while. "Feed the Birds" will take you into the bowels of human depravity. "The Doll Wagon" outshines the old Twilight Zone story. Positively creepy. Thanks to Keohane, I will never see GI Joe the same way again! Ever.

The other stories are strange and thought-provoking (such as Y2Kay and The Storm of Generations). My favorite was "Tanner's Bomb". It was a darkly hilarious story about a trucker, desperate to drop his load so he could get home to his family in time for Christmas. He did, but not without dire consequences.

I not only enjoyed Christmas Trees and Monkeys for the stories, but for the way they were written. Mr. Keohane has his own unique style, which I found refreshing. I look forward to reading his next book. Highly recommended.