2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
These tales resonate in the heart, the mind, and the gut, April 25, 2007
This review is from: Eye (Hardcover)
Some stories resonate in the heart, some in the mind, others in the gut. Then, there are the stories of David Schow, which usually manage to touch all three. Nowhere is this more evident than in Eye, Schow's fifth short collection. Featuring thirteen entries (the lettered edition contains "Murder," a bonus tale inserted, according to Schow, "to make the breath taking price tag seem more justified"), this collection demonstrates why Schow is one of the premier short story writers working today, in- or outside horror.
The stories range over varied territory, including "Bagged," a vampire hunter tale with a wicked twist, "Petition," a story about prayers answered in a shocking manner, and "Blessed Event," which deals with the uncertainties every parent feels when expecting a child. Also included are a number of tales that explore the uneasy relationship between the sexes, including "Entr'acte," a classic "woman as other" story, "Holiday," in which a hapless protagonist deals with an unruly tattoo, "Calendar Girl," dealing with a youth stealing succubus, and "Why Rudy Can't Read," an unsettling tale of mutant powers and domestic violence.
Most intriguing, however, are the tales in which Schow, consciously or unconsciously, channels other masters of the form. Thus, one encounters "Unhasped," which evokes Harlan Ellison's "All the Birds Come Home to Roost," "Saturnalia," whose twist ending brings to mind Roald Dahl's "The Visitor," the brutal "Quebrador," reminiscent of Hemingway's bullfighting tales, plus the sobering "2¢ Worth" and the irreverent "Scoop Goes Rectosonic, " inspired by the works of Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch, respectively. No mere homages, and certainly not imitations, these tales can be truly said to have been "inspired by" those masters.
Schow grabs familiar concepts and molds them to his liking, in the end coming up with something totally fresh and unexpected. Robert Bloch touches on this talent in his introduction to Schow's last collection, Crypt Orchids:
"In offering gore as allegory, Schow transcends the trendy, but he makes expert use of contemporary pop culture. His frame of reference is that of a majority of his readers...But unlike many of those readers he also possesses a broad knowledge of the classics both within and beyond his personal genre. And he enriches that knowledge with personal assessments of the hallucinogenic hell we laughingly label the `real' world."
By far the most disturbing example of Schow's writing, however, is contained in the author's afterward, entitled "A Poke in the `I", detailing an accident in which Schow "scooped a divot out of" his cornea. Incredibly graphic, it makes for true edge of the seat reading, frightening and involving because it's true. Ones own eyes ache after finishing (Schow made a full recovery, by the way) and the story's catch phrase, "Flinching yet?" echoes in memory. It's the perfect capper to this compelling collection, leaving readers with the same sense of unease generated by Schow's fictional efforts.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some Good, Some Bad, Some ugly, January 23, 2009
This review is from: Eye (Hardcover)
David Schow certainly knows how to write, but this collection was just okay. The good stuff was Unhasped, Quebradora, Entr'acte, and Saturnalia. The bad was Watcher in the Sky, and the ugly was everything else - not bad, not good, just in between.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Collection, April 20, 2001
This review is from: Eye (Hardcover)
I first met Mr. Schow at a Fangoria convention in 1991, where he signed my copy of The Kill Riff. I had read his short stories for a few years before that, and always was impressed (and sometimes a little grossed out) by the writing. He is an extremely talented writer who is not afraid to let things get wet, as it were. This collection is very strong and varied, with many different kinds and lengths of stories. Like Joe Lansdale, another favorite writer of mine, I am amazed that Schow isn't more widely read. He delivers the goods and never cheats, and can convey extremely powerful images with just a few well-chosen words. Frankly, I dare anyone to read the afterword (involving rusty screws and soft eye tissue) without turning away from the page and catching his or her breath. Seriously. I dare you....
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
