Customer Reviews

Matinee at the Flame

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Matinee at the Flame from Overlook Connection Press was my first exposure to the work of Christopher Fahy and I certainly hope it will not be the last. It's been awhile since a collection of stories from a single writer has thrilled me as much as this book certainly did. I honestly believe that Christopher must have channeled the spirit of Rod Serling as many of these stories read like classic episodes of the Twilight Zone; Ordinary people experiencing extraordinary things, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad, but always entertaining.

The title story Matinee at the Flame is a perfect example. A story of redemption and second chances to make up for one's mistakes in life. An old man named Elmer Hutchins is hired to remove the junk from an old burlesque theatre called The Flame, that he frequented when he was a young man. Upon entering he is shocked to find the place still running but terrified when the stage managers thrusts him on stage before a packed house. As Elmer relates the bitter trials of his life, the crowd roars in amusement, laughing at him and then jeering him. What payment awaits Elmer for his humiliation? A chance to make amends. A truly heartfelt modern fantasy!

Blumberg Variations finds a Jewish man named Hymen attending an antique auction where he buys an old Ku Klux Klan robe with the intention of burning it. Yet, when he gets the robe home and tries it on, he finds it has a strange effect on a certain male organ...and organ that has been giving poor Hy and his wife trouble for some time.

The real Vlad Dracula shows up at a horror convention in Convention, intent on putting the bite on a group of female editors and their long-standing disrespect of Vlad and his kind. Hilarious!

Lucky Sunday doesn't seem so lucky for little Jimmy who's going to church with his Grandma. It's hot, and he's wearing a brand new suit that is bothering him. Jimmy wonders where all the other kids are...he is the only kid in church this Sunday. Jimmy's about to find out why...

Transformations was one of my favorite stories in the book. A struggling poet named Winston is making his last attempt to sell his poems. When he stops to make copies at a tiny bookstore, he finds that the copier has remarkably changed the title of his poems, and re-written them perfectly as he envisioned! A gold mine! Winston insists upon buying the copier from the owner and makes the arrangements. But back at his apartment, the owner of the copier company pays him a visit. A dark man, dressed in black...and he tells Winston a serious mistake has been made.

It's In the Cards is another fabulous story. A man stopping in a small store to buy a pack of cigarettes thinks he's hit the jackpot when the owner has a box full of unopened packs of baseball cards from 1952. The owner tries to talk him out of buying the cards but Cooper insists. Finally, the storeowner relents but will only sell him one pack for now. And Cooper is warned not to open the pack until he is inside his house. Cooper soon finds himself playing a game for his very life and the life of his family.
Finally, I will mention The Guardian which would have made a wonderful episode of Goosebumps. Ten Year old Danny is finally able to go trick-or-treating with his friends and without his mom tagging along. A new boy named Eddie Carter who is dressed as a ghost joins the group. Eddie rescues Danny from being nearly hit by a car and then stands up to the trio of bullies who try and steal t he group's candy. What Danny can't figure out though is how Eddie claimed to have known his mother a long time ago...

I was absolutely enchanted by the stories in the book. This mix of modern fantasy and ironic, EC Comic-style horror is a masterpiece. My highest recommendation! The book is scheduled for an October 2006 release.

I'm a big fan of Fahy's work. This is an excellent collection of 22 short stories.

They're very short. The 22 stories fill only 253 pages. (The limited edition hardcover has an extra story, bringing the total to 23 and adding an extra ten or so pages.)

Ten of the stories are reprints from other anthologies. The other twelve are exclusive to this collection.

The book was published by Overlook Connection. You may be able to read the title story at their website.

Also, check out the cover art by clicking on Amazon's thumbnail image at the top of this page.

There's a "Twilight Zone" or "Tales from the Crypt" feel in some of the stories. One or two of them have a touch of Harlan Ellison in them. (Fahy's "Dream Box", for me, had the feel of Ellison's "Djinn, No Chaser", though the storylines are not similar.)

Some standout stories: "Trolls", "Dream Box", "Night Watch", "The Real Thing" (from 'Santa Clues'), "Want" (from "The King is Dead: Tales of Elvis Post-mortem"), "Transformations" (from an anthology edited by Isaac Asimov), and "Randall Rodgers Reinvented" (about a man who involuntarily returns from the dead).

All of the stories are pretty good, but "Carnival", "The Man in Black", and "The Pharoah's Crown" are probably the stories I liked -least-.

I didn't fully understand "Pharoah's Crown"; "Carnival" seemed to be too long (it has an SF element but that didn't bother me); and in "The Man in Black" Fahy wrote in a style that's much different from his other writing. It's a first-person story told from the point of view of Mary Shelley, author of "Frankenstein."

If you like Fahy's collection of horror stories, you might want to try his story collections "Limerock" and "Greendgroundtown" (w/o horror stories), his horror novels "Dream House" and "Nightflyer", his thrillers "The Lyssa Syndrome" and "Breaking Point", and his mainstream novels "Chasing the Sun" and "Fever 42".