Customer Reviews

Under Cover of Night

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MARY SANGIOVANNI combines shadowy places with sexy themes in UNDER COVER OF NIGHT. Each story is a little view into another world, whether it be physical or metaphysical. Some of these had me thinking about them way after I finished the book.

Mary SanGiovanni has a rare talent for writing in a variety of different genres -fantasy, SF, horror-- with the kind of smooth, accessible style you see more often in writers who have been at it a lot longer. She sets up each story quickly, draws you in, and then tells a great tale without wasting words or wasting the readers time with useless fluff. She's a true storyteller and this is a marvelous collection.

Short horror fiction is truly a "hit-or-miss" venture, in my opinion. Think about it for a second: the key point in horror is to trigger a specific emotional response in the reader, generally centered around fear or revulsion. One might argue that romance fiction does this as well, but I disagree. Love is not instinctual -- fear is. Revulsion is (and it can make us laugh as well as cringe). These are much more base an emotion in the human psyche. That's what horror hits on, and it can hit with blinding speed and great intensity.

Short fiction -- and I'm talking 10,000 words or less -- can be very difficult to pull off, even more so in the realm of speculative fiction. A writer has to establish plot, setting, and character quickly, so he doesn't have the luxury of pages on which to be elaborate. Add that emotional punch for horror, and you've got quite a task.

This collection of shorts has a good hit-ratio: 6 out of seven -- but that's my opinion. What's more important is what one can learn about horror by reading this book.

Of the seven stories only three could be considered contemporary: "The Amazing Morpheus," "Dust Shadows of the Dead" and "Who Wants to Be a Survivor?" Both are well written, with the latter having a bit of a "Blair Witch" element to it. "Morpheus" is more a modern Lovecraft archetype without descending into lengthy and elaborate prose -- it's clear, it's concise, and the film adaptation should have Cristopher Lee in the titular role. No one else would suffice. "Shadows" has all the elements of a classic nightmare/haunting scenario, with much more gruesome (and fearsome) results.

The remaining four stories are blends of horror with other genres. Two are science-fiction, one is fantasy, and the last "Skincatchers" is more a mystery/noir with Lovecraftian elements to it. "Skincatchers" is, in my mind, the only miss here, and that's because the ending seems a little too neat for me. "Three Days" -- the fantasy story -- has some epic elements and a decent sense of dread from the baleful army marching down on this one castle. What little we see of the actual battle is from a distant point of view and not detailed, but that's not the focus of the story, so it's understandable. "Ossibus" and "Mist of Wynth" are good SF blends that draw the basic elements into a horror tale. It also qualifies as SF because if you take the science out, the story doesn't work.

These stories serve as good examples of blending elements of one genre outside the one you primarily write in. The trick is to use the right pieces so the secondary genre doesn't become interchangable, and Mary's skills here make this book worth reading.

I actually liked this book alot. It is a welcome change from some horrible Lovecraft-wannabes as of late (most notably those out of Morris Illinois) but rather an omage, as in "The Skincatchers". She reminds you of HP without the blatent ripping off (From this that eludes me which I pen this...) and makes for a chilling story about a detective tracking down a murderer who preys on transients.

Anyone looking to write a story based on a REALITY show should CHECK out "Who Wants to Be a Survivor?". The premise alone is very chilling!

I recommend this to anyone who wants a series of short stories varied from sci-fi to detective stories that give you those goosebumps you know you want!