Monday, January 28, 2008

"20th Century Ghosts," by Joe Hill



This motley crew of short stories in Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts will have you hooked from the very first page, almost without a break. Despite its name, not all of the stories have to do with ghosts or the supernatural, though each is unique. By far the best story, "Pop Art" is more beautiful and strange than any writer has the right to come up with. Not that I'm bitter. "Best New Horror" takes a formulaic plot and leaves the reader anxious and ready for more.

Just as much humor as horror, 20th Century Ghosts is well worth the read, with only one story I felt was out of place: a father-son story that features baseball. It was a B story in a sea of A's.

4.5 stars

2 comments:

i i eee said...

I love how the story with sports docks it down a full half a star.

You're my kind of woman.

April said...

lol It's true! But more than that, it just didn't fit with the rest. And it was kinda boring.