5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read, April 12, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Queer Fear: Gay Horror Fiction (Paperback)
I really liked this book, even though I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. It's an elaborate, wide-ranging collection of stories, many of which use their "queerness" as a metaphor for their estrangement from mainstream society -- hence, the "fear." Even if you're not a horror fan per se, it's a great and often fascinating read.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's about time, January 14, 2001
This review is from: Queer Fear: Gay Horror Fiction (Paperback)
As another reviewer noted, I've been waiting for this sort of collection for years. With authors new and others familiar, this book, edited by Rowe, is a marvelous addition to any horror fan's shelf, gay or straight. I will admit that there are a few stories that seem out of place or are outright vapid, but overall I enjoyed this collection, especially since it introduced me to new writers whom I've not read. One story is about lesbians, but the majority contain gay men. From eroticism to terror to magical realism, this collection runs the gamut of horror fiction, offering up a smorgasbord of dark delights.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mostly good stories with a few clinkers, January 2, 2011
This review is from: Queer Fear: Gay Horror Fiction (Paperback)
A collection of stories that range from bearable to wonderful. All have some connection to homosexuality, most because the main character is gay, but those that are effective would have been equally so with straight characters.
My short synopsis and rating (* to ***** stars):
The Nightguard (C. Mark Umland) - a prisoner in a hellish lockup deals with a sadistically strange guard. ****
Piercing Men (Douglas Clegg) - outwardly normal and straight suburban men play S&M games that get out of control. ****
The Siege (Michael Marano) - not sure what this was about. *
Bear Shirt (Gemma Files) - modern day skinhead obsesses over bear powers **
Little Holocausts (Brian Hodge) - a man collects souls ***
The Sound of Weeping (Thomas S. Roche) - a morgue worker has a strange attraction to the corpse of a beautiful young man ****
Hey Fairy (Edo Van Belkom) - a gay man is attacked by some thugs but manages to get the best of them. *****
The Spark (William J. Mann) - deaths in a neighborhood seem connected with a strange boy. ****
Spindleshanks (Caitlin R. Kiernan) - use of a ouija board at a party seems to work too well for one of the hosts. ****
The Perpetual (David Quinn) - a screenwriter takes to his motorcycle after a spat with his lover and seems to meet characters he was writing about. **
Genius Loci (Becky N. Southwell) - An old man recounts an encounter with a ghost at a boys camp many years before. *****
Goodbye (Michael Thomas Ford) - a young boy collects butterflies as a way to remember -- and maybe communicate with -- his dead grandmother. *****
Tabula Rasa (Robert Boyczuk) - a group of gay men at a snowbound cabin in the woods play a cruel game with unexpected consequences. *****
You Can't Always Get What You Want (T.L. Bryers) - a young hustler sets his sights on a beautiful creature he thinks is a vampire. **
The Bird Feeders (David Nickle) - A homeless young gay man survives being passed around amongst old, wealthy men until he meets a Hungarian restauranteur who takes him away for a weekend. *****
No Silent Scream (Nancy Kilpatrick) - a man loses it after a string of events he feels confirms his view of humanity and its poor state. **
Nestle's Revenge (Ron Oliver) - after moving from West Hollywood to a small desert town with his lover and his lover's dog, a man finds nothing to do until a series of events involving the dog spiral out of control. *****
Second Shadow (Joseph O'Brien) - Following the death of his lover a man gives up all his possessions to find a legendary lost land. ****
Of the ***** stories, I most enjoyed Nestle's Revenge, due to the writing (as well as the unexpected twists.)
The Arsenal Pulp Press edition has an introduction by Michael Rowe and includes short bios on each author.
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