1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's lucky to find this book, June 18, 2010
This review is from: Those Things (Paperback)
I like to read horror novel. Usually I will assume only the story which scare you is sucessful, but Yang proves that there can be something else inspire u. He has the ability to discribe the subtle psych of the character, from adults to young girl. I'm a foreigner, my English is not so good, but I can tell his description is so accurate that when you indulge yourself in the story, you will really believe it's a little girl's talking and thinking. U can't believe it's his first book. However, my favorite one is the first one. It's exquisite. Till the last minute, I found what's happening. BTW, those stories are do scary, after reading it, I went to the laundromat and can't help looking back....
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Emergence of a Promising Young Author, June 10, 2009
This review is from: Those Things (Paperback)
Those Things is the first collection of stories from a promising young author named Joe Yang. In the days of graphic horror, Mr. Yang's story collection harkens back to the classic ghost stories of yesteryear. It doesn't try to make you wince with graphic details of the bloody atrocities committed by the characters within, but rather builds the scares around strong characters and intricately woven plot development. In terms of the more graphic descriptions, Yang uses those elements for comic relief rather than cheap scares. The protagonist of "Wrench," for example, Martin Ogden Lay, is stomach-turning enough in his daily habits to be reminiscent of something out of a Sam Raimi movie. In fact, he reminds me of a few roommates I had back in the day. Martin is but one of this collection's well-built, realistic creations. There's also the attractive, self-obsessed New York exec Malena in "Malena, Like the Song" and the curmudgeon Jim Cox of the titular tale, who tries to make sense of "Those Things" bumping and creaking in the night.
The novella, "At Gloria's Window," follows the four short stories and is the collection's most intricately developed tale. The protagonist, Gloria, returns with her husband Jose to the San Fernando house where she spent her youth. Although she briefly attempts to forget the home's past, she soon decides to confront the frightening spiritual encounter of her childhood by telling the story to Jose. The ghostly scares of "At Gloria's Window" are a slow build as Yang pulls you into the tale. You might even forget that this is a tale of horror, but that's just the way the author wants it. And when the scares do catch the reader off guard, so will the goosebumps as you eagerly turn pages to solve the mystery.
"Those Things" is strongly recommended for anyone who miss the quickened pulse of a good old fashioned camp side ghost story.
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