Customer Reviews

The Collection

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Bentley Little has done it again! This collection of short stories is an absolute must have for anyone interested in this hilarious author's writings. Little's stories are a deft mix of humor, horror, and weirdness that are an excellent way to pass a few hours. I am continually amazed that many people fail to grasp the humor in this man's novels and stories. Little is a master of black comedy and satire (or as he refers to it in several of his stories here, "slightly exaggerated" situations).

I don't think it is helpful to go through a story-by-story analysis. Since many of the stories in "The Collection" are very short, an in-depth analysis of them would undoubtedly give away crucial plot information. I'll try to touch on a few recurring themes that Little revisits more than once.

Little has an interesting view of history. This theme caught my eye because I have a degree in history, and enjoy reading and studying the topic. Two stories are notable with this theme. The first, and the one story that made me buy the book, is "The Washingtonians." A man finds a letter written by George Washington in a relative's trunk. The letter discusses eating children and making tools out of their bones, and is judged to be authentic. When the man visits a local university, he finds out that history, as we know it, is a total sham concocted to keep people in line and present a positive image of the powers that be. It is sufficient to say that by the time you reach the end of this story, you'll see a whole new meaning to the phrase, "the British are coming!"

The second story with this historical theme is "Colony." A newly elected president finds out that America isn't what it appears to be. Let's just say that the Declaration of Independence is a facade to placate the people. The president, with the help of Nixon crony H.R. Haldeman (who turns out not to be dead, just in hiding), stages a new war for independence.

These two stories highlight Little's pessimistic view about accepted knowledge. Knowledge is often not a set of rigid facts or figures, but something softer and hazier that can be manipulated by people for whatever goals they desire. Sometimes, historical lies cover up something that can be truly terrifying.

Another theme in the book is his humor, especially in satire. The story that best fits this rubric is "Confessions of a Corporate Man." In this brilliant gem of a tale, Little viciously skewers corporate America's attitude of competition. Disagreements between various departments in a company turn into full-blown wars involving murder, sex, and betrayal. It is bloody, but screamingly funny, as anyone who works (or has worked) in an office will quickly accede. Another tale, "Life with Father," shows us what happens when recycling is taken WAY too far.

The humor isn't just satire, sometimes it is as black as the coffee at an AA meeting. Just check out "The Show," about a snuff theater where the victim on stage might be someone you least expect. Then there is "Pillow Talk," a short tale about pillows who want to share their lust. How about a story about a dwarf who is determined to collect a quarter? It's here and it's funny.

Then there are the straight horror stories, scary stories that make you look over your shoulder. Take a glance at "The Woods Be Dark," a gruesome tale set in the South. The final tale, "The Mumurous Haunt of Flies," is another shocker about a strange bathhouse on a farm that tells us more than we need (or want) to know about death.

There are other types of stories included in this collection, and a reader is sure to find something that tickles their fancy. I'm quickly discovering that Bentley Little is a brilliant author who can write any type of story. I'm looking forward to reading "The Mailman," and "The Association." Actually, I'm looking forward to reading all of his books, and I hope you will, too.

Bentley Little proves once again why he is the best horror writer working today. These 32 stories effectively showcase his incredible range, from quiet horror like "Monteith" to the hardcore splatter of the edgy "Llama" to the unclassifiable weirdness of "The Man in the Passenger Seat." This guy can do it all! Perhaps most of interest to his fans are the short introductions which precede each work and explain where the author got the idea for each piece. A must-read for all serious horror fans.

Bentley Little has an ability few other people writing today have: the ability to scare the socks off ANYONE! The stories he presents to us here, in a book apporpriately called "The Collection," are no less than his best. And that, my friends, is something worth checking out.

The stories here vary widely, and some aren't even horror at all. In fact, one deals with the possibility that the Revolutionary War had ended quite differently. Another, along similar lines, asks us the question, "How much do we really know about our founding fathers?"

Then, of course, you have the spine-tinglers. Ghost towns are brought up repeatedly, as Little knows how to wring out the best of those stereotypical settings. In one story, a man just says something, and it happens! In another, an anbandoned town's trash turns out to be more than just litter! And in yet another story guaranteed to frighten you half-to-death, Little brings back the bathhouse from his awesome novel "The Town." This time, it "flies" away into horror (you'll understand when you read it).

This is definitely a "Collection" that I am glad to have on my bookshelf. Though Little's imagination is sometimes extremely morbid (even more-so than mine!) he never fails to write a good story. As a bonous, along with each installment in this collection, Little includes a small passage of how the story came about, and why he likes it.

This is Bentley Little's latest gift to us. He brings us his fears of fanatics, voodoo witches, zombies, nightmares, paper, potatoes, and midgets, and gift-wraps them between two covers. So open up and enjoy. Just don't turn off the lights.

Being a person who loves short horror stories and is fond of some of Bentley Little's novels, I figured I couldn't go wrong with a collection of stories from the author of The Store and The House. But there was more to it than that. These are not just the good stories of a novelist who needed to make a few bucks in his starving artist days or wanted to be included in a collection. I think that horror fans should consider this collection the current decade's answer to Clive Barker's wonderful collections (Books of Blood, In the Flesh, Inhuman Condition) a generation back. These stories do not just entertain, they blow the reader's mind and expand into territories of transgressive imagination previously unmapped. They also have a great sense of twisted humor. Kind of a mix of Fellini (in his Satyricon mode) and Monty Python. I always thought that horror and humor were natural allies. Both involve surprise, loss of control, exaggeration to the point of the grotesque and a sense of an environment in which something is out of whack or unnatural. These tales, written at various stages of Mr. Little's career, run the spectrum of human and cosmic absurdity and weirdness. In "Roommates" a man in need of a roommate to share his apartment expenses puts an advert on a bulliten board and is instantly besieged by all manner of freaks and undesirables just clamoring to move right in and bring their delusions, violence, filth, wall-sized board games, pet monkeys and general creepiness with them. In "The Washingtonians" a man discovers that not only was George Washington his century's real life Hannibal Lecter crossed with Pol Pot (he wanted to found a nation based on cannibalism and dark occult practices, killed and ate Thomas Jefferson, and the story of his cutting down the cherry tree is an allegory for of his habit of sacrificing virgins), but that he is worshipped by a cult of equally crazy modern day elitists with a secret headquarters beneath Mount Vernon who wear powdered wigs and ivory dentures during their rituals. Yes, someone really wrote such a story! Even stranger is "Pillow Talk" in which the protaginist is menaced by talking sex-obsessed pillows who would probably feel right at home with the talking (and very bossy!) bowl of macaroni and cheese in "Blood." These are just a few of my favorites. Get the book and discover your own!

I've read numerous Bentley Little books, and this one is by far his best. The 32 stories in "The Collection" are all unique in their own way. Some will shock, some will disguist, others will amaze, and yes, a few might even make you yawn. Overall though, it's a very enjoyable read.

Ok, after the first story, "The Sanctuary", I was ready to put this away, not that it didn't entertain me, but because I found it to be immature, and I was beggining to take Little as another Deveroux. Well, I am sure glad that I continued.

There are some brilliant pieces in here. Short stories are not easy to write, but Little has truly mastered the art. "The Washingtonians", "Estoppel" and "Bob" to name just a few are exactly what I want from a short story- characters who seem real after one paragraph, a seductive plot, suspense, emotion, originality, well constructed sentences and entertainment.

My advice is to read at least the first five stories, if you still find it dispicable, then I'm a bonehead, and my reviews are to be avoided at all costs. If you find yourself drawn in and captivated, then you are in for a ride on one of the most twisted and macabre imaginations that was smart enough to put it's works down on paper and get published.

little writes my favorite kind of stories. The ones where the "what if" method of generating ideas seems to have been used. And like a good author, he not only asks, but explores the answer. Little fans have been waiting a long time for this collection. He probably knows that, hence the title "The Collection". At 32 stories it's a whopper since most collections only average about a dozen stories. His stories are like the way the critics describe Kings work. Not the style, but the fact that Little turns the mundane upside down. The difference is that little's imagination is far more fierce and little is more to the point, whereas King's aren't usually all that original and his prose seems to wander. It's difficult to discuss short stories without giving them away. Some of my favorites were "The Washingtonians", "The Man In The Passenger Seat", and "The Mailman"(I had never thought of dwarves as scary until I read this.). These 32 stories are scary, creepy, and filled with images and ideas that are going to be etched into my brain for a good long while. I can only hope Little doesn't wait this long to give us another helping.

I had actually read 3 of Little's novels previously - The Walking (pretty cool), The House (eh),and Dominion (Cheesy but readable). I was not a Little fan, but I could read him in a pinch. His style is mildly irritating (stilted, but readable), and his gratuitousness seems to know no bounds (Dominion, especially). But this collection has actually made me opposed to Little and his work on a cosmic level. I read this directly after reading "Everything's Eventual" and I can only compare the juxtaposition of experience to be like listening to a Britney Spears CD on the heals of listening to the Beatles. I have no idea why this man gets such high praise. It reminds me of horror written by someone who has seen Killer Klowns a thousand times, but has never read The Shining. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. The plots are not just ridiculous, but someone needs to tell him that every quirky idea that enters the brain is not necessarily a good idea for a story.

Bentley Little has the ability to take common day to day life situations and turn them into horrific nightmares. This book contains 32 short stories written in this unique style. Many stories remind me of episodes from The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone shows. So if you are into shows like these ones like me you will enjoy this book a lot.

Another thing that Bentley Little likes to include on his writing are sexual elements of the bondage type. He does it in a subtle way that is not up front but the element is there and the way he does it is very provocative. Bentley Little's writings are for the most part weird, disgusting and sometimes funny. I would not say scary but I am sure some might find some of the stories shocking. Overall this book is very entertaining to read, which to me, is the thing to look for in the horror genre. A good buy!

This collection is a class act and contains more than twenty of Bentley Little's most horrific, most twisted, most weirdest stories. They were all published from 1987 to most recently and when reading them you can see his growth as a writer. Little has an uncanny way of luring you in with his work, like Stephen King, so that the scenario he presents is totally believable.

Highlights for me include "The Washingtonians" in which it is suggested George Washington was a serial killer and a cannibal and this secret is being protect be a secret group called The Washingtonians, "The Show" which concerns two young men who stumble onto a live snuff show, "Comes the Bad Time" about a couple who take in a young woman and are cursed by their decision and "Roommates", a hilarious take on people who are essentially strangers who live together in rented apartments for financial reasons. All in all, this is a strong collection!