We've all heard the stories of what happens to those who go to lovers' lane and of the folly of flashing your lights at another car at night. We all know someone who knows someone that survived a meeting with Bloody Mary and another who picked up a hitchhiker that then disappeared. And we all know these stories aren't true. They're just urban legends. Right? Wrong. Sometimes the stories we hear are true. Often they're more than they seem. These are the urban legends with alien explanations and the alien encounters mistaken for urban legends. The line between one and the other is so blurred in this anthology of stories about Close Encounters of the Urban Kind that you will never look another urban legend the same way again. Featuring stories by Alma Alexander, Nathan Crowder, Carole Johnstone, Pete Kempshall, Jennifer Pelland, Erik Scott de Bie, Bev Vincent, and many others.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In Close Encounters of the Urban Kind, editor Jennifer Brozek has put together a collection of short stories in which urban legends are explained by alien encounters. The level of explanation varies, as do the types of aliens involved. Many of the urban legends used as inspiration for the tales are well-known, others are local phenomena, while some are new legends created by the authors. I thought it interesting that alien explanations for urban legends are not more common after reading Close Encounters of the Urban Kind.
A short note from the author follows each of the twenty stories explaining the urban legend within. I found this useful for those legends with which I was not familiar. As Jennifer Brozek states in the foreword, the aliens' motivations and the reasons behind their actions are unknown to us in the early stories. Later in the collection, we are offered more explanation and greater interaction between the humans and those other beings. At the end of the volume, there are biographies for all the authors. I have highlighted some of my favorite stories below:
"Lollo" by Martin Livings
While many people apparently have a fear of clowns, I had thought I was immune. In this first story, Jenny, the babysitter, has an easy time until Domenic, one of her young charges, asks her to cover a black and white clown doll with a blanket so that he can go to sleep. After the terrifying events that ensue, I will never look at clowns the same way.
"Headlights" by Jennifer Pelland
In this story, Jennifer Pelland relates the misfortunes of three high school students in search of alcohol and entertainment on a dark New England night. The "bad boy" of the group drives with the headlights off, waiting for another car to flash its lights at them. This echoes the urban legend of a gang initiation ritual in which the prospective member shoots the first person to flash their lights in such a way. Things do not go as planned, and I found the ending gratifyingly unpredictable and creepy.
"Frames of Reference" by Nathan Crowder
Do you remember the alien autopsy that was on television some years ago? This story relates the legend of snuff films to the treatment of aliens in movies and television. Greg is hired to examine an unusual film, but discovers that the truth is out there, and they're not happy about it.
"Two Out, Wendigo" by Rosemary Jones
This was a nice change of pace and setting, using the midwestern wendigo to explain the Chicago Cubs' failure to win the World Series. The story is set in the first half of the twentieth century and follows a nurse, Josephina, whose father had taught her how to recognize a wendigo before he died. When she finds that one has entered the hospital where she works, she flees as her dad had instructed her. Yet, she knows this is no solution, and she must find a way to contain the monster.
"Roadkill" by Rick Silva
Rick Silva's offering opens with a man counting road kill and trying to identify each species as he drives down an empty road. Distracted by thoughts of a recent fight with his girlfriend, he accidentally runs over a box and stops to see what he hit. What he finds is disturbingly alien and mimics an urban legend in which small children hiding in a pile of autumn leaves are run over by a swerving car.
"Mastihooba" by Joshua Palmatier
This tale combines the New York state legend of Masty Huba, a bogeyman based on a real drifter, with an unfriendly version of E.T. who is trying to find its way home. When Devon's son goes missing, he searches for him in the sewer pipes where he had encountered Mastihooba as a boy. The descriptions are colorful and all the details come together for a satisfying conclusion.
"Dead Letter Drop" by Pete Kempshall
In another change of setting, "Dead Letter Drop" takes place in post-war Berlin. We follow a starving girl through her daily struggle for food and safety. She encounters a blind old man who asks her to deliver a letter for him, with a possible reward of food. The result of her trip is not what you would expect, and the urban legend behind the resolution of the tale is disturbing, yet intriguing.
Before beginning this book, I was concerned that an anthology with such a specific theme might grow predictable and redundant. I knew that an extraterrestrial explanation would underlie whatever strange or frightening myth began each story. Yet, I enjoyed how each author took the overall theme and twisted it in their own unique way. Each successive story retained my interest, and I found myself eager to discover those urban legends that were new to me. I would recommend this collection particularly to readers that love tales of aliens among us, unexplained disappearances, or those ghost stories told around the campfire when we were children.
A short note from the author follows each of the twenty stories explaining the urban legend within. I found this useful for those legends with which I was not familiar. As Jennifer Brozek states in the foreword, the aliens' motivations and the reasons behind their actions are unknown to us in the early stories. Later in the collection, we are offered more explanation and greater interaction between the humans and those other beings. At the end of the volume, there are biographies for all the authors. I have highlighted some of my favorite stories below:
"Lollo" by Martin Livings
While many people apparently have a fear of clowns, I had thought I was immune. In this first story, Jenny, the babysitter, has an easy time until Domenic, one of her young charges, asks her to cover a black and white clown doll with a blanket so that he can go to sleep. After the terrifying events that ensue, I will never look at clowns the same way.
"Headlights" by Jennifer Pelland
In this story, Jennifer Pelland relates the misfortunes of three high school students in search of alcohol and entertainment on a dark New England night. The "bad boy" of the group drives with the headlights off, waiting for another car to flash its lights at them. This echoes the urban legend of a gang initiation ritual in which the prospective member shoots the first person to flash their lights in such a way. Things do not go as planned, and I found the ending gratifyingly unpredictable and creepy.
"Frames of Reference" by Nathan Crowder
Do you remember the alien autopsy that was on television some years ago? This story relates the legend of snuff films to the treatment of aliens in movies and television. Greg is hired to examine an unusual film, but discovers that the truth is out there, and they're not happy about it.
"Two Out, Wendigo" by Rosemary Jones
This was a nice change of pace and setting, using the midwestern wendigo to explain the Chicago Cubs' failure to win the World Series. The story is set in the first half of the twentieth century and follows a nurse, Josephina, whose father had taught her how to recognize a wendigo before he died. When she finds that one has entered the hospital where she works, she flees as her dad had instructed her. Yet, she knows this is no solution, and she must find a way to contain the monster.
"Roadkill" by Rick Silva
Rick Silva's offering opens with a man counting road kill and trying to identify each species as he drives down an empty road. Distracted by thoughts of a recent fight with his girlfriend, he accidentally runs over a box and stops to see what he hit. What he finds is disturbingly alien and mimics an urban legend in which small children hiding in a pile of autumn leaves are run over by a swerving car.
"Mastihooba" by Joshua Palmatier
This tale combines the New York state legend of Masty Huba, a bogeyman based on a real drifter, with an unfriendly version of E.T. who is trying to find its way home. When Devon's son goes missing, he searches for him in the sewer pipes where he had encountered Mastihooba as a boy. The descriptions are colorful and all the details come together for a satisfying conclusion.
"Dead Letter Drop" by Pete Kempshall
In another change of setting, "Dead Letter Drop" takes place in post-war Berlin. We follow a starving girl through her daily struggle for food and safety. She encounters a blind old man who asks her to deliver a letter for him, with a possible reward of food. The result of her trip is not what you would expect, and the urban legend behind the resolution of the tale is disturbing, yet intriguing.
Before beginning this book, I was concerned that an anthology with such a specific theme might grow predictable and redundant. I knew that an extraterrestrial explanation would underlie whatever strange or frightening myth began each story. Yet, I enjoyed how each author took the overall theme and twisted it in their own unique way. Each successive story retained my interest, and I found myself eager to discover those urban legends that were new to me. I would recommend this collection particularly to readers that love tales of aliens among us, unexplained disappearances, or those ghost stories told around the campfire when we were children.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Close Encounters of the Urban Kind is a solid anthology that stays true to its base premise of mixing urban legends with aliens, complete with an author note at the end of each story indicating where the legend came from and how the story came to be written. The stories are generally sufficiently creepy to be entertaining, especially the opening few and closing few stories, with just a touch of middling performance in the middling regions of the book. Stories include: Lollo, by Martin Livings, a nicely creepy story about a babysitter and a toy clown; Green Tears on Black Velvet, by Jeff Soesbe, a tale of artistic alien arson; Racing Lights, by Erik Scott de Bie, with some particularly credible dialogue; Waterheads, by Ivan Ewert, which teaches the lesson of listening to the locals; The Fingernail Test, by Bev Vincent, which teaches the advantages of proper reflection; Headlights, by Jennifer Pelland, a tale of friendships and transitions; Shiny Eyes, by Jonathan McKinney, a short short about trusting yourself and breaking the rules; The Invitation, by Carole Jonstone, a tale of storms and mirrors; Frames of Reference, by Nathan Crowder, a story which shows that the line between fiction and reality can be very, very important; Late Night Snack, by Robert Farnsworth, a tale to creep you out the next time you are driving a lonely highway late at night; Two Out, Wendigo, by Rosemary Jones, a story which shows that the Cubs aren't the only thing in the Midwest that's cursed; The Hippie Monster of Eel River, by Shannon Page, a tale which mixes parties, drugs, and a message of peace in quite uncomfortable ways; Roadkill, by Rick Silva, a tale which will make you wonder if the aliens agree that there is intelligent life on this planet; End of Life, by Richard Lee Byers, a cautionary tale about the government or strangers at the door or worse; Teacups and Saucers, by Ramsey Lundock, a story which answers well-known questions in an unexpected way; Gloomy Sunday, by Eddy Webb, a tale of the power of music; Mastihooba, by Joshua Palmatier, a story about how bad things from your childhood never really go away unless you make them; I Am Sorry For Talking So Rarely To Strangers, by Alma Alexander, a tale of the power of a mother's love; Dead Letter Drop, by Pete Kempshall, a particularly powerful tale of the horrible things that sentient beings do to one another; and It Came From The Backseat, by Eric Lowther, which is about exactly what you think it is about, or not.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
...but I could never get into this book. Was it supposed to be true? Perhaps I'll try it again and maybe I'll have a different approach
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
From another writer's pov
I enjoyed these stories on several levels. First, they were fun to read. The combination of urban legends and aliens just works; kinda like honey mustard. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Patricia Buehler
5.0 out of 5 stars
Myth, legend or is there more out there...?
I have never been that interested in UFO mythology or speculation...but combine it with urban legends, and you've got me sold! Read more
Published on September 28, 2010 by Kerry Patterson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love Urban Legends? Keep Reading!
I love urban legends. Lovelovelove. Cannot get enough of them. I was also a huge X-Files fan as a kid, okay? Read more
Published on June 1, 2010 by Lily CM
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