3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding short story collection from a rising talent, June 28, 2008
This review is from: The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Others (Hardcover)
My only prior exposure to Burke's work before I received my copy of this from Cemetery Dance was having read "Underneath" in an anthology some time ago. I'd forgotten his name in the meantime (a mistake I won't make again), but when I started the story again, I remembered it instantly.
Assuming he keeps his quality near the point it's at now, Burke is going to be one of the leading forces in horror for years to come (or whichever genre he chooses to continue writing in). He has a strong authorial voice, and is willing to take chances by varying tones and styles. There are 13 stories and a screenplay in this collection. Burke also includes notes about the inspirations for the stories at the end of the book (something I always appreciate, but rarely see done). The stories are all horror, to some degree, but range in type from the darkly comedic, to psychological, to the full out scare tale. I'll do a quick once-over of the stories to give those interested a sense of the range of what's here. (Please note: I may mention other authors in the capsules below, but don't take that as meaning that I think Burke isn't his own talent. It's just a way to let readers of horror get a feeling for what's here).
The Grief Frequency: This is a beautiful ghost story. It's not often that a horror story evokes real sadness, but it's here.
The Number 121 to Pennsylvania: A story of a bargain with consequences. Well-tred ground in the genre, but Burke trods it well.
Mr. Goodnight: A straight-up monster scare story. But the monster is genuinely disturbing, and it stays with you.
Empathy: In an outstanding book, this is one of the standout stories. This is psychological horror at its best. In the notes, Burke says that it comes from a similar experience in his own life. I'm sorry that's he's seen what he did, and I'm definitely taking this as a cautionary tale. It reminds me a little of Jack Ketchum in tone, but it's not at all derivative.
Peekers: Another down and dirty scare story. This one feels like it would've made a great entry in one of the 80's horror anthology shows--maybe Tales from the Darkside.
High on the Vine: Dark comedy in the twisted fairy tale vein. It's a henpecked husband type of story. It's not the strongest in the collection, but it was an entertaining read.
Tonight the Moon is Ours: This is a story about outsiders and the questions of early relationships until it takes a turn near the end. The writing is strong and shows that Burke is a gifted all-around writer, not just a gifted horror writer. (And don't take me the wrong way here, as I am definitely not someone who ghettoizes the genre--a bigger horror fan you'll rarely find--it's just always a plus to see someone take their work into a variety areas).
Prohibited: Social commentary with a biting finish. The topic of smoking took my mind to Stephen King's "The Ten O'Clock People", but the similarity ends there. Burke has a take on the topic that is completely his own.
Underneath: In the Serling vein of humans being the greatest monsters of them all. This story is a little sexy (I might be outing myself as odd here), more harsh, and very good. This is another standout story with some brilliant turns.
Snowmen: A short and creepy monster story.
Will You Tell Them I Died Quietly?: This is probably the shining example of Burke's ability to invoke atmosphere.
The Last Laugh: I can't say that I've seen another horror story quite like this one. A little dark comedy, a little magic, and the vague feeling of a zombie story without being a zombie story. It feels closed in and intense by the end. Very good.
Saturday Night at Eddie's: With stories like Grief Frequency, Empathy, and Underneath in one collection, it's hard to pick just one favorite. But if forced, I think I'd have to choose this one. Having gone through twelve stories before it, I thought I had a pretty good handle on Burke's voice, even though the types of stories varied greatly. But he totally threw me for a loop here. The beginning, with its folksy character introductions, reads almost like a lost Joe R. Lansdale story. But partway through, it totally switches modes. Simply outstanding. I'm caught between wanting a novel here so I can get more backstory, and knowing that I got just enough. When I read the notes at the end and saw that part of Burke's inspiration was the series "American Gothic", I got the connection. I was a fan of the series, and agree with Burke that it died too soon. This is a worthy successor to the feel of the show.
Mr. Goodnight (Screenplay): Burke has an excellent sense of visual style, and I think this would make a solid date-night horror film. As a side note, if filmed as written, the opening credit sequence would be among the creepiest ever shot.
I recommend this book highly, and am definitely going to track down more of Burke's work. I'm looking forward to what's next.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All Aboard the Terror Train!, August 3, 2011
This review is from: The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Others (Hardcover)
Imagine that it's Thanksgiving and you're watching the Twilight Zone marathon with which some station near you will inevitably fill up its programming day. You watch them all -- from the drolly cute ones like "Time Enough at Last" to the somber morality fables like "In Praise of Pip" to the darkly gripping stuff like "It's a Good Life." And then when you've had your fill of both turkey and television, somebody tells you (erroneously) that one guy wrote every episode of TZ, across that whole range of styles.
Well, what's impossible for the tube is possible in print, and Kealan Patrick Burke, in his dandy of a collection, The Number 121 to Pennsylvania, proves it. Seemingly effortlessly (unless you read his story notes and find out what a difficult time he had crafting some of these tales), Burke takes us down the tracks to visit funny fantasies with just a hint of bile in the aftertaste, hard-hitting psychodramas that don't rely too heavily (if at all) on the supernatural to make their point and a few truly nasty creep-out sessions that will have you thinking twice about how fragile everyday reality might be.
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