Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An Exceptional Collection Of Short Horror Fiction, September 1, 2009
On the Verge of Madness by author George Wilhite is like a perfectly cooked steak...dark on the outside and a little bloody in the middle. This collection of fiction features eight very different stories, each showcasing Wilhite's considerable talent and vast knowledge of the horror genre. His work has already drawn comparison to Poe and Lovecraft. But let me tell you, Wilhite's own twisted style and warped voice is evident on every page.
The opening novella, Victor Chaldean and the Portal is worth the price of admission. Victor is desperate to solve the disappearance of his wife. After he begins to have strange visions, he seeks help from a psychologist studying the paranormal. An experimental drug takes Victor into a fractured realm, into a place trapped between life and death where he struggles to find his lost wife and each day is more convinced he is insane.
Next up is Murmurers. I settled in for a great read as Wilhite hooked me quickly with a story of an Earth all but stripped of human life. A former combat soldier and a teenage girl find a special bond after he saves her life. To survive they must trust each other and keep moving to avoid the mysterious Murmurers. The only problem for me was how quickly this one ended.
In Checks and Balances, alcoholic John breezes through the first of the twelve steps to recovery. It is step Eight - making amends with those he has hurt - with which he struggles the most. If only he could make a trade, a deal, to skip this step. But who or what would make such a bargain?
Lars kills for money. He is very good at what he does. When it comes to clothes, only the very best will do for Lars. In The Gangster's New Clothes, Wilhite attempts a short in the style of the old Twilight Zone TV show. The result is a fun, frightening tale. A second after Lars puts on his handmade suit, he finds himself facing his checkered past and, step by step, is pushed closer to insanity.
Wilhite then gives us two amazing examples of the old adage: less is more. A Plea From the Cradle and Cast of Characters are "flash fiction" at its finest. Not a word is wasted - both of these tales will quickly put a shiver up your spine if not a smile on your face.
All good things must end, and I believe Wilhite saved the best for last. A Tale of Two Moons is a Werewolf classic and could possibly explain the origin of these legendary monsters.
Masque Profane takes us beyond the "Verge of Madness," delving straight into full blown insanity. Rhonda and Jeff are happy newlyweds...or are they? Rhonda becomes obsessed with the fact that Jeff has never spent a Halloween night with her in their time together. This fixation takes Rhonda to the gathering place of a strange ritual one Halloween night. Her experience there, and later the birth of her child would one day take her to madness and a horrific murder.
In all eight of these stories, whether novella or short, the author's skill at character development, crisp dialogue and page turning suspense is forefront. He captivates the reader with intriguing characters and fine plotting without the pointless brutal violence and gratuitous sex that has become so common in horror today. I highly recommend On the Verge of Madness and I look forward to the follow up, Silhouette of Darkness. I doubt that it will be long before a major publisher signs Wilhite, as his work deserves to be on shelves next to the likes of Peter Straub and Thomas F. Monteleone.
Highly Recommended by William Potter for Reader's Choice Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Runner Up in Spinetinglers Book of the Year 2008, March 26, 2009
"I wake up in a world of utter silence..."
All of us are haunted by something--our pasts, fear of our futures, even the memory of a departed loved one. The questions remain: Do we let these demons that haunt us destroy us? Do we let them make us obsess? Do we surrender to them? Do we let them to take us to the brink? Do we fight them or do we stay on the knife's edge? And how long can you stay On the Verge of Madness...?
George Wilhite is an author with which Spinetinglers is well acquainted. His stories have been published on our site several times and have received some rave reviews from our members. So, of course we were delighted to review his first compilation of short stories.
All of the stories have the same resounding theme: each main protagonist is, in some way, obsessed or haunted by someone or something. In short, all of the characters are On the Verge of Madness.
The first two stories, Victor Chaldean and the Portal and Murmurers, are terrifically tantalising teasers as to what this author has to offer. Both stories are fractured tales of another world beyond our own, where the souls of the dead have tales to tell and vengeance to seek. The reader can clearly see the influence of Poe and Lovecraft, and this horror author has obviously read the classics. I can't wait for the continuation of both of these stories in his next book.
The rest of Wilhite's tales stand on their own, and apart from the On the Verge of Madness theme, they have few similarities. This, of course, is a very good thing, because when trying to stick to a common theme, a lot of authors can fall into a trap and tell you ten or so versions of the same story. The result is a reading experience that can be quite boring for the audience. On the contrary, Wilhite's stories are original, dark and devilishly distinctive.
Apart from great gothic literature, the author also gives you an insight into his process. He tells you in some detail what inspired him to write such a first-rate anthology. This may offer some burgeoning authors tips and inspiration to spark their imagination.
George Wilhite's On the Verge of Madness is a commendable selection of short stories. Our only criticism, if you can call it that, is that some of the stories are too short. There is definitely room to expand on these wonderfully crafted tales.
Spinetinglers wants to see more from this author!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
More please from Victor Chaldean!, February 24, 2009
The tale of Victor Chaldean leaves one longing for more. With the feel of a Poe set in modern times this tale is thought provoking and grips one's imagination. We can only hunger for more adventures as Victor continues his tale of a personal perplexing journey just this side of madness.
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