2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully Disturbing, March 13, 2010
This review is from: In the Closet, Under the Bed (Paperback)
Having grown up on a steady diet of Hitchcock (films and TV show), the Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and Night Gallery, I've always had a penchant for horror and suspense, both in film and in literature. And it is perhaps because of growing up with these influences that horror seldom actually scares me. It is rare for me to read a book or see a movie and get chills down my neck or to worry what might be lurking on the other side of the door in my dark apartment as I read. I just know it all too well. I'm jaded that way. And I have to say, that Lee Thomas' extraordinary collection of short stories is no exception. None of the stories actually scared me....they did something better....they disturbed me.
One of the things that I love about the horror genre is that it -- like sci-fi -- when done well is one of the most interesting and entertaining ways of examining the human condition. Thomas, who has quickly and deservedly become the writer to watch in the dark fiction genre, shows himself to be a master of this with In the Closet, Under the Bed. Each one of these stories is incredibly crafted, with tight, clean prose that evokes mood--sometime brooding, other times ominous and even comedic at times--and creates wonderfully well-rounded characters. These are characters that each of us have met at one time or another in our lives...and perhaps more intriguing is that at times these are characters we ourselves may have been.
And that is what disturbed me so much about Lee Thomas' stories...I'm in them. Not in every story, but in a fair number, I find myself there. Little aspects of who I am creep in that feel familiar, whether it is the man who hides behind his computer...or his career...or his wife and kids. Finding pieces of myself in these stories made me squirm inside as I read, and at times made me angry or uncomfortable to the point of saying "I don't want to read anymore!" But, of course, I read anyway. Because I had to know how it turned out for them and, in a small way, for me.
Now part of this connection to the characters may be that Thomas is certainly writing characters with a gay perspective. But as I read on, I found a universality to the stories. A point where I sat back and realized that a lot of my straight friends would love this book as well. Because I recognized little pieces of them in there as well. And that was creepy, too.
Now, not every story worked perfectly for me. The more experimental pieces left me feeling a bit empty, but that really is more a comment about my particular preference than Thomas' authorial skill. But even in the very few pieces I didn't love, I still walked away thinking, wrapping my head around the subtle themes that run through each story.
That is also what Thomas does so well with this collection. He entertains the hell out of you, but underneath it, he lays in a subtle commentary on the human condition, and in particular, the gay human condition. There are stories about being in the closet, about the 21st century's love for disposability in products and relationships, about growing older. But the beautiful thing is that it is done so subtly, not only do you not notice it until the story is over...what Thomas is weaving in there is wonderfully malleable, open for interpretation. After I read all the stories, I ran through the Foreword and the Afterword and the nuances of theme that David Thomas Lord and Michael Rowe discuss therein--as often as not--were very different than my own interpretation. And that...that is what makes wonderful fiction and impressive dark fiction. Each of us gets to see what they want to see.
In the end, this comes together as one of the most impressive collections of dark fiction I've read in recent years. I understand the reputation that Thomas has earned. Boy has he earned it. It's all right here in these 15 stories. Because what Thomas does so well is to remind us that late at night when we're alone, the most disturbing thing that we can find lurking in the closet or under the bed might just be ourselves.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
super profound collection, January 17, 2010
This review is from: In the Closet, Under the Bed (Paperback)
This super collection contains nine new stories and six previously published in the past decade. Each tale explores the mobsters In the Closet, Under the bed that people prefer remain hidden from family and friends especially sexuality. That hiding one's inner desires inside the closet or under the bed hits home immediately with the first tale "All the Faces Change" when Tim learns life is a fairy tale with no happy ending unless you let your loved ones share all of you even when you are ashamed or fearful of revealing all to them; failure to do so means dying alone. This theme particularly with homosexual implications is key to these powerful psychological horror tales; for instance, the well written "Healer" and the exciting sexual asphyxiation tale "Dislocation". "Shelter" takes the spin into the erotic fantasy realm while "The Good and Gone" enters the erotic science fiction arena. Even the internet has closed closet doors. Readers will enjoy Lee Thomas' powerful compilation as the message throughout is simply to avoid the boogeyman In the Closet, Under the bed by coming out of them with your loved ones at your side; as you and they deserve the best of all of you if they truly are those who love you unrequited.
Harriet Klausner
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY, March 1, 2010
This review is from: In the Closet, Under the Bed (Paperback)
Posted by the Author:
Publisher's Weekly 3/1/10
In the Closet, Under the Bed
Lee Thomas. Dark Scribe, $16, (270p) ISBN 9780981863214
This collection of 15 short stories by Stoker and Lambda award-winning author Thomas (Stained) makes a worthwhile read for horror fans. The common theme among the stories (six reprints, nine originals) is the multitude of repressed adult secrets that become hidden monsters, as noted in David Thomas Lord's foreword. Standouts include "I Know You're There," in which a man's unsuccessful attempt to control his employee's creepy abilities to spy on corporate targets (and his employer) through astral projection lead to extreme tactics. The science-fictional "Tears to Rust" explores the recurring theme of reality and perception through the eyes of an abused husband trapped in an artificially maintained marriage, literally unable to be his own person. "Appetite of the Cyber Tribes" reads like a cross between Lovecraft and Clive Barker, as one man discovers the horrifying extremes by which people aren't what they seem. Thomas's extremely visceral descriptions and ability to tap into universal fears make this best read in small doses, with the lights on. (Jan.) Reed Business
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