This is an interesting book in that it is part blog, part fiction, and part WTF? Shane Ryan Staley has a very strong voice and a definite opinion about everything and is not afraid to voice that opinion. The thing is, he is always entertaining in his opinions that come across in the sections of this book that are more like blog entries or magazine articles and these can be enjoyed even if you don't agree. And the fiction here rocks as always. Not for the easily offended, but recommended...
Horror Mall's superior customer service has won a life time customer. Their shipping is quick and packaging is the best I've seen. If I can purchase it from Horror Mall, I will.
- Josh
Horror Mall is wonderful site. It functions like a well-run business should. The customer is obviously very important to Larry and Shane. They respond quickly to questions and the site is designed to easily discovery new items. Everything I've purchased here has arrived in a timely manner, well-packed, and in great condition. And, holy crap, they have layaway! I can finally pick up some books that have been out of reach for me. The selection is great. I'm always discovering new things that I wouldn't have otherwise found. I check in here at least 2-3 times a day. And the forums are a lot of fun, too...
Author: Bookie Another lovely production from White Noise, this single story chapbook is about a down-on-his-luck man who goes back to his hometown to reminisce about his boyhood...interesting things happen. A nice production with unique endpapers and beautifully illustrated. Grab this if you can snag a copy, highly recommended.
Author: geoff guthrie This is a chapbook produced by the artist Keith Minnion. So it has some lovely artwork to go along with the story. The story itself wasn't a great one by Braunbeck, although it was still entertaining. It tells of a broken man who has lost everything and he goes to the old tree house that was built with his best friends when they were children. Here he looks for help when he's at the end of his rope, and life. The story held some supernatural aspects that were used to recreate his friends, but other than that it is a story about a broken man, and what he is experiencing. Not a bad read, but Braunbeck has done better.
Author: William C. Rasmussen Gary Braunbeck's Smiling Faces Sometimes, is a strange but very well-written short story of love, loss and life's ups-and-downs. His prose can oftentimes be quite burdensome and deep, as is the case in this little tale of a man at the end of his rope, quite literally. It's very melancholic and poignant, with just a hint of the supernatural thrown in. I really liked it, but one drawnout passage toward the end in particular pulled it down from the five-star range. Again, though, it's a very good tale, enhanced all the more by the fantastic production values that Keith Minnion's White Noise Press put into this extremely inexpensive product. It's a shame that WNP is going on hiatus (hopefully, only temporary), because the overall package is almost better than Braunbeck's story. Highly recommended!
