Customer Reviews

Fearful Symmetries

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This is a terrific compilation of many of Thomas F. Monteleone's horror-dark fantasy tales published mostly in the 1980s (nine) and 1990s (fifteen) with two from this decade. Each entry includes a newly written "introduction" (more like background information/commentary) that enhances the reading and footnotes that though insightful and interesting can prove distracting. The stories run the gamut of horror and dark fantasy from obsession and revenge suspense to black magic and lethal monsters. Every contribution is gripping but especially thrilling is those (most of them) in which Mr. Monteleone avoids overindulging his morality gene such as "The Roadside Scalpel" and "Rehearsals". Some eerie scary illustrations by Matt Eames augment this fine anthology that fans of the author or the horror genre will want to read.

Harriet Klausner

I read a lot of short stories and many of those stories have the same or similar ideas. Monteleone has created fresh themes or put a new twist on familiar ones. There are many stories about the Devil, but the author combines that with the strong love between a grandfather and his grandson in "The Night is Freezing Fast." Other tales have been told about going back in time to change one's life, but "Rehearsals" puts a man's life on a stage with him as the participating audience. Most of my favorites are about children. "The Mechanical Boy" gives us a disturbed child finding his place in the world. "The Cutty Black Sow" chillingly describes a child's fear of an old legend. The one I liked best, "Yesterday's Child," is rather Bradbury-esque in telling how a suicidal man is saved by an unlikely encounter on Halloween. "Spare the Child," "No Pain, No Gain" and "Love Letters" are new and different. "The Wager" made me feel claustrophobic and "Between Floors" made me laugh. I wasn't terrified by any of the stories, but I don't think that was Monteleone's intent. What he has done is written a diverse group of stories with something for everyone. He also has written an introduction to each story, telling what inspired its creation.