Thank you Austin Macauley for this book in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
In Strange Stories, Wilson R. spins tales that run the gamut from stark Realism to all-out Fantasy, with a common thread running through them all: horror. Complete horror. In stories that go from a new look at classic fairy tales, through creation of myths and legendary beasts of Brazilian lore, all the way to missteps that any one of us might take, he explores fear and awe in every shade imaginable and some that I, at least, had not previously imagined. This book carries the mark of a masterful storyteller, one who can pull tales out of thin air or add an original spin to familiar storylines and get that spin to keep the reader awake at night.
Review
I am a huge fan of retellings. Huge! And Stranger Stories takes some of the old classic tales that we know and love and adds a spin onto them, giving them a darker, amplified twist that is guaranteed to wind their way into your memories.
Though not every single story is a flat out retelling, there are some stories that are unique of their own right, while others are laced with characteristics of classics reborn, darkened and lengthened.
I can’t tell you the ranking in which I found the short stories better than others, because in their own right they were unique and delightful.
I can tell you that Red Luna was my favourite in the way it twists round to repeat itself, bringing forth a feeling of the ‘circle of life.’
The illustrations that accompanied the stories were beautiful and aided when you began to read the story and wonder how the picture relates to the story and how it fits in.
Wilson’s writing was simplistic, sharp and gloomy, which is something that is rare and not often found among the writers of the world today. It had a very Edgar Poe contrast to it. Dark yet bright.
The only think that I would have liked to see a bit more of is description, I am a sucker for this. And though the book didn’t lack descriptions, I just felt that it would have added value to the overall story/stories.
Rating: 4/5
Publisher: Austin Macauley
ISBN: 9781788786614