Pressure Points [Paperback]

Craig Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2004

How thick is your skin? Think your nerve endings are safe? This baker's dozen of dark delicacies from a rising voice in fantastic literature begs to differ. Meet the strange, wonderful and truly frightening in a music pirate's worst nightmare, a god whose vengeance knows the patience of ages, a woman with a fearsome weapon in her mind that wants out, a school bus of children that may be bound for a terrible fate, a man returned from the grave to confront his killer - his own dead father, and more. From divine madness to desire unchecked, these stories aim for your soft spots with an intensity and fury that will both shiver and simmer by your side when you turn out the light.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sometimes subtle, sometimes wild, but the storytelling is always outstanding. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!" -- Gary jones, author of One Way Ticket to Midnight

"Wolf has tapped into the human psyche and delivered stories that will refuse to go for the easy out." -- William Campbell, author of To Beat a Dead Horse

"like a carnival funhouse ride...when you think you know what's in the dark, Wolf shows something much, much worse." -- Steven E. Wedel, author of Shara and Darkscapes

From the Author

I don't know about you, but I'm a story junkie. Long, short, high-brow, pulp, you name it. I love it all. I'll cheerfully read Stephen King followed by Eudora Welty topped off with a light dose of Ray Bradbury. I love it all. Stories are my smack. All I ever ask is that the writer find the vein. I hope I've done that with these stories. I hope they find your soft spots and slip into your bloodstream. I hope they scare you, piss you off, make you laugh, or make you think, as the case may be. I hope they take you out of your own skull for a little while, which is what stories are for. I hope, at the end, you feel you've gotten your money's worth.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: Fine Tooth Press L.L.C. (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097533882X
• ISBN-13: 978-0975338827
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,486,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A promising author -- Say you knew him when..., October 31, 2004

By 

W. D. Neumann (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pressure Points (Paperback)

I first became familiar with Craig Wolf's writing a few years ago when Deadbolt Magazine published a delightfully dark story of his called "Need". So when I heard that a collection of his stories was being published, I eagerly bought a copy. I started the collection with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed.

I'm guessing this collection is going to be described as horror more often than not, and I suppose that's true to en extent. However, if your idea of horror is based around demons, monsters, and the occasional unstoppable axe-murderer, this collection might not be for you. While these stories do feature a beastie and supernatural entity or two, they are more focused on the horror of the human condition (in fact, a couple of the stories aren't horror at all), and that's what gives them a higher quality than most. Scaring us with rats, zombies, and soul-devouring demons is easy, scaring us with ourselves is a much harder task.

So, what are the stories like? They actually remind me a lot of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/artist/glance/-/123517/ref=pd_ap_sr/002-4318973-7130465">The Handsome Family</a>'s music; sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, sometimes about the wrongness that surrounds us... and often a thoughtful mix of the three. I particularly enjoyed the power of "Dripping Water Carves the Stone", the horror of "Mrs. Grady", the tension of "Pressure Points", the oddity of "The Louse Of Mirth", and "A Life, Vanilla, No Topping" (which really leaves me hoping Wolf revisits the characters), and the touching spirit of "Visiting Hour". But for me the best of the bunch (and worth the cost of admission itself) is the festival of quirks, "A Tryptich". Mr. Wolf, if you're reading this, just say the word and I'll FedEx you a couple pounds of French Roast and a handful of CDs if it means I get more stories like this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intellectual horror, October 20, 2004

By 

A. D. Jensen (Grand Forks, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pressure Points (Paperback)

Although I'm not a big fan of the horror genre, I was exposed to some of Mr. Wolf's shorter prose pieces over the Internet and happily picked up a copy of this book. Most of the tales are short, with only the closing piece "Lazarus Descended" running over 15 pages. However, each piece is well thought out and detailed, sometimes encapsulating in a paragraph what lesser writers might drag out for three pages.

Standout stories include the aforementioned "Lazarus Descending", a creepy little number titled "Mrs. Grady," the title piece, and a most fascinating discourse on historical retribution, "Dripping Water Carves the Stone."

The last story magnifies what I enjoy the most about Mr. Wolf's work -- although there are one or two stories that, to me, typify the horror genre, "Dripping Water" confronts the reader with a very unique thought concept and provides both an entertaining and thought provoking telling. To me, it's traditional story telling at its best.

I particularly enjoyed Mr. Wolf's introductions to each piece, which served to give further insight into the story and his creative process. Negative points would include some bad language and one or two philosophical points on which Mr. Wolf and I differ.

But, for the raw force of the written word, that's really not all that important, is it? Agree or disagree, you will be entertained, and likely come out the other end of the book with some thought concepts of your own.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Promising Start, July 17, 2004

By 

Evan Hatch (Pearl, Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pressure Points (Paperback)

This collection of stories falls short of greatness. As a first collection, it's still worth the money. Some of the longer stories, such as "Lazarus Descended" don't pack the punch they should, but there are gems here. "Dripping Water Carves The Stone" is very effective. "Sketches in the Sun" recalls a young Richard Matheson. "Mrs. Grady" is a chilling, if unusually told, horror story. Mr. Wolf is no Stephen King. Yet. But this collection indicates a fair amount of promise. There's something here to offend everyone. I submit to you that's a plus. For those who like their speculative fiction with teeth, as with the works of Harlan Ellison or Dan Simmons, may find much to their taste here. Worth the money.