Occasional Demons [Hardcover]

Rick Hautala (Author), Glenn Chadbourne (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2010

Since his first novel, Moondeath, was published in 1980, Rick Hautala s novels and stories have entertained millions of readers around the world.

Now, as a companion volume to Bedbugs, his first career-spanning collection of short stories, Cemetery Dance is proud to present Occasional Demons.

And once again, like Bedbugs, award-winning artists and Cemetery Dance favorite Glenn Chadbourne has illustrated every one of the more than twenty-four stories, which include collaborations with Matthew Costello, Jim Connolly, his sons Jesse and Matti, and someone named A.J. Matthews.

In the midst of normal life, whether it s a tree house in a small Maine town, a fog-shrouded lighthouse, or a darkened tavern on a rain-swept night in October, there are demons. Some of them lurk in the darkest corners of a house. Some of them lurk in our hearts and minds. We might, on occasion, catch a glimpse of them, but all too often it s too late to save ourselves...

And they re all gathered here. In fact, within these pages, you ll find a demon for just about any occasion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

All the stories in Hautala's second horror collection (after 2000's Bedbugs) are competently told, though they lack the sense of discovery that accompanies great horror fiction. The mere jangle of a presumably nonexistent piano in "The Nephews" has the lobstermen at a Maine bar advising immediate flight. An insomniac, possibly a murderer, is unable to sleep without a newly committed act of horror in "Nightmare Transcript." A fussy bookstore employee who foolishly ordered a mysterious leather-covered book finds that it possesses vampirish tendencies that gradually consume a small rug, her cat, her lover and herself in "Non-returnable." Science fiction and horror mix a little uneasily in "The Man Who Looked Like Murphy," while "Toxic Shock" takes a distinctively unusual approach to the politics of abortion. Eight brief but potent Untcigahunk Indian stories and three collaborative efforts round out the volume. Glenn Chadbourne's illustrations perfectly complement the text. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Glenn Chadbourne's illustrations perfectly complement the text. --Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications; Limited edition (May 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158767095X
• ISBN-13: 978-1587670954
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,052,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Surprising, July 10, 2010

By 

Shroud Magazine's Book Reviews (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Occasional Demons (Hardcover)

From the fertile mind of one of horror's most prolific writers comes a wide array of diverse, fun tales. From haunted Maine lighthouses to vaguely Lovecraftian beings living in woodland lakes to dystopian visions of the future, Hautala consistently entertains. In an often folksy narrative he spins tales worthy of countless re-tellings around the campfire. Among the most memorable are:

"The Nephews", in which a writer too curious for his own good vanishes while investigating an abandoned lighthouse, leaving behind nothing but cassette tapes playing eerie dead-air; "Non-returnable", about a damned book with a taste for blood - and lives; "Dead Legends", a cautionary tale about the dangers in pursuing fame at any price; "I've Been Thinking About You", about that first love who holds on...forever; "Toxic Shock", a dystopian future where 'Right to Life' takes on new meaning; "The Call", a lightly Lovecraftian story about an ancient darkness that claims the rights to a father's heritage; "Every Mother's Son", about a hen-pecked, timid man haunted by ghosts that won't go away, even as the world falls apart around him and finally "The Compost Heap", a tale of biodegradable murder and proof that love and devotion can survive almost anything...even decomposition.

Perhaps the most satisfying section of "Demons" is Hautala's myth-telling of "Unticigahunk - Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers". Many authors have utilized myths to tell contemporary stories of fantasy and horror, and Hautala is at his sharpest with these. Beginning with a Micmac Indian creation myth of how the "Old One" was tricked into creating an inferior version of humanity and then how a jealous Brother Wolf tricked this creation into believing its role was to feed on all the Old One's creations, Hautala weaves several loosely connected stories detailing the movement of this creature through modern times.

"Chrysalis" begins with the discovery of a strange, leathery egg at a construction site which births something hungry; "Love on the Rocks" features an escaped convict and two archeologists who encounter something older than time itself, something that has spawned. Next is "To Deal with Devils", in which an awful pact has been made to protect livestock, followed by "The Birch Whistle", where a couple grieving over their recent miscarriage discover something that will end their woes - permanently. Ending this cycle is "Oilman", about a little girl who makes a last stand against the things that killed her daddy.

In many ways, a review doesn't do justice to the breadth and width of the stories contained in this collection. Whatever your tastes, Hautala satisfies - and surprises - with each turn of the page.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong horror-fantasy anthology, May 21, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Occasional Demons (Hardcover)

This anthology consists of eighteen horror tales with some being straight genre entries, others psychological terror and finally a few shorts also include science fiction elements. The middle section contains eight "Untcigahunk Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers" that derive from the author's novel LITTLE BROTHERS (published in the 1980s); and finally three collaborations with family and friends and "maybe" a pseudonym.

All twenty-nine entries are well written and fun to read. The opening segment of eighteen and closing of three tales will entertain the audience as the stories especially those with a twist such as a spin on abortion that rounds out the right to life before you are born position in a surprising final demise of women's rights or the tale that acts more like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors. The eight Untcigahunk Indian entries are the best of a solid anthology with their dark horror fantasy feel to them. As with Rick Hautala's previous compilation BEDBUGS, readers will enjoy this fine collection.

Harriet Klausner