Customer Reviews

Moon on the Water

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the most amazing works I've ever read. Literary and haunting, this one stays with you long after its over. Each story is a taste of darkness, deep and black, yet humorous at times as well. There are stories in here that are magic and must be read while listening to Lady Day or Coltrane. One of those is "Moon on the Water", a beautiful, stirring tale of heroin shooting jazzmen and the woman who comes into their lives and changes it forever. The ending of this story is amazing and atmospheric. Let's just say I made a few people I know read the story and they are buying the book because I couldn't part with it.

"If you take my hand, son" is a horrifying look into a dying man being crossed over to the other side. And it doesn't end the way you think it will. "Buckeye Jim in Egypt" is another powerful story about racism, unions and a look at what might happen if someone supernatural came to earth. I won't give anything else away, but its wonderful. "Love, hate and the Junkyard Sea" is another favorite. However, all these stories are great in different ways and there isn't one bad story in the bunch. That is a rare achievement.

This book is one to pick up if you love literary horror that makes you think. As poetic as a Tom Waits song, these characters are real and you will never forget them. Beautiful!

MOON ON THE WATER is like a meal with a delicious first course, while the rest is bland and tasteless. The collection starts off with some very good stories: a dying robber thinks of his father during his last moments; a delusional man spends half his waking hours in a fantasy world; a child's jealousy of his newborn brother grows; a man entertains a little girl who may or may not be his own. Most of them are short, and they have a satisfying bite to them.

After these, the book takes a different track. There are a few gems buried in the remainder, but too much of it consists of confused, disconnected ramblings. Many of them, even the straightforward ones, simply left me shaking my head. In addition, a number of stories couldn't be classified as horror even under the broadest definition, though I wouldn't have minded if they'd been better. Overall, a disappointment.

One story in this collection alone is worth the price of admission. "The Running Horse, the High White Sound" is one of the best stories I've come across in years. I won't spoil it for you, so you'll have to trust me. But it really got to me. On the other hand, there are stories that simply left me scratching my head wondering why they were even included in the book. You could skip "With Father, at the Zoo, then Home" and "FDR: A Love Story" and not even feel bad for doint it. But don't you dare skip "A Someday Movie". Buy it. I don't think you'll be sorry.

These aren't really "horror stories" per se, but tales laced with dark humor and subtle psychological horror. Castle is indeed a master of the short story; this being my first time having read him. He is adept at describing real life in everytown USA.

"If you take my Hand, My son" is one of the better stories about a son thinking about his dead father in a coma and a terrifying conclusion. Kind of like G'n'R's hit song, "Coma."

"Buckeye Jim in Egypt" is another tale that is awesome. It talks of our society, racism, and the story about a wandering man with supernatural powers.

"Moon on the Water" is the title story and is an interesting read about jazz musicians who become entwined with a rich girl with an adrenaline rush-attitude. A good story.

"Altenmoor, Where the Dogs Dance" is also an interesting read about a boy and his grandfather who know about the afterlife.

A solid collection from a great writer!!!

Moon on the Water by Mort Castle is an interesting anthology, a mix of 22 stories. Though the book itself is labeled horror, and some of the stories are horror, some are just what they are without any real definition.

Out of the collection, If you take my hand, my son is one of the most brilliant short stories I have ever read. The images, the twist ending, the wording is magnificent. I question the wisdom of making this the lead story because against this perfection, the rest of the stories seem a bit flat. Only Love, Hate, and the Beautiful Junkyard Sea comes close to capturing this glory.

Most of the remaining 20 stories are ok, no better or worse than you would find elsewhere. Only a few of these are very poor. This makes up about the same ratio that you would find in any average anthology.

If you're a lover of the short story this might make a good book for you, but if you're looking for a HORROR anthology than this might not be the best bet since about half the stories are strait fiction.

Considering the number of good reviews his short stories have gotten, I expected a lot more from this book. For the most part, the stories do not live up to the hype-- the writing was undistinguished, and many of the plots were too obvious or just left me scratching my head in bewilderment. Some of them rambled on aimlessly or dwelt too heavily on basic racial conflicts. Of the 22 stories in this collection, the only ones I really enjoyed were "Pop is Real Smart", "The Call", and "Other Advantages".

This is a well written collection of short stories. There's very little supernatural content but the horror is firm. This writer's style is mainstream and as far as the writer's personal ability to write, I'd give him ten stars if possible. Though I found many of these stories very satisfying, I found the theme of some a bit thin. But five stars for style. Worth a read...........................

This is a book that you won't read in one sitting. The stories are short and the book is thin, but the writing in each story will grab you and hold on for a while.

I read the first story, "If You Take My Hand, My Son," in a half hour. In ten short pages Mr. Castle made me care about this young man, brought tears to my eyes and a shiver to my spine. There were moments I could almost hear the father's voice! I closed the book because I needed a moment to sit with the story.

Each story has its own personality and calls the reader into a different kind of relationship. I spent an enjoyable time with some heroin-shooting jazzmen, some thought-provoking time in Southern Illinois and several very disconcerting moments inside Henderson's head. This isn't just great horror writing, it's simply great storytelling! This is a book to own ... you're going to want to visit these stories several times. This is the first book by this author that I've read; it won't be the last!

I've read many of Mort Castle's works for years. Each one either terrifies, touches or invokes some other powerful emotion in me. The man can create an image that is so real you can smell it. A credit to the horror genre - just wait for the chills and goosebumps.

First off, on page 19 and 246, I read phrases that made me think Mort Castle had examined my soul (or at least read my mind.) He says certain things with his narrative voice that I really-I mean REALLY-related to.

The first two stories are tremendous. I think the author breaks just about every 'rule' (convention) there is in this collection and the first two stories were like a blast of icy cold water. "If You Take My Hand, My Son" and "Fear in Children" are the stories I'm referring to. I enjoyed the contrast of the subdued delivery of "The W.W.II Pistol". "Healers" scared me the way "Young Goodman Brown" by Hawthorne did, and I loved the three scenes in the story. A sort of counterpoint to "Healers" is the long story "Buckeye Jim in Egypt". If there is such a thing as "uplifting/spiritual horror", then "Buckeye Jim..." (and John Shirley's "Flaming Telepaths") are the best I've ever read. The absolute GUT PUNCH highlight of this collection is the devastating "A Someday Movie". There were also several other stories that I really enjoyed but those six stories are instant classics as far as I'm concerned.

I didn't like every story, and you probably won't either. But I can guarantee, if you're already interested enough to be here reading reviews of this collection, then you should find it, buy it and read it. One or more of these stories will simply knock you out of your chair.