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The Devil's Coattails

by Jason V. Brock (Goodreads Author) (Editor), S.T. Joshi (Contributor), Ramsey Campbell (Contributor), William F. Nolan (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Vincent Chong (Illustrator), Richard Selzer (Contributor), Paul G. Bens Jr. (Goodreads Author) (Contributor)

4.83 of 5 stars 4.83 · rating details · 6 ratings · 4 reviews

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The amazing follow-up to the award-winning THE BLEEDING EDGE. Features all original material from a great group of writers, masters and new talents a like: Ramsey Campbell, Jason V Brock, Dan O'Bannon, John Shirley, William F. Nolan, Melan...more

Hardcover, First, 288 pages

Published February 15th 2012 by Cycatrix Press

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Feb 12, 2012 David Agranoff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic-horror, horror-anthology, modern-horror, surreal-horror

There are thousands upon thousands of horror fiction anthologies featuring over a bazillion horror stories. What separates one book from the masses, that is what editors should consider before starting one of these projects. During the 80's (the publishing glory days for horror) some of the best anthologies were classics like Doug Winter's Prime Evil, Kirk McCauley's Dark Forces and the Night Visions/Shadows series edited by Charles Grant were among the best.

The Grant anthologies come to mind h...more There are thousands upon thousands of horror fiction anthologies featuring over a bazillion horror stories. What separates one book from the masses, that is what editors should consider before starting one of these projects. During the 80's (the publishing glory days for horror) some of the best anthologies were classics like Doug Winter's Prime Evil, Kirk McCauley's Dark Forces and the Night Visions/Shadows series edited by Charles Grant were among the best.

The Grant anthologies come to mind here, when I was a young horror reader I got excited each time I went to horror section and saw the latest edition of Shadows or Night Vision ( which continued for a few editions after Grant's death). I couldn't wait to open the book and see who was in the table of contents. After reading the first anthology (the Bleeding Edge) edited by Brock and Nolan I was excited when they said they were already working on a second book.

That was great news to me, the Bleeding Edge was in many ways the most solid and ground breaking anthology in the genre of Dark and weird fiction in some time. First it was amazing quality of paper and production. It is the kinda of book you want to take care of, It looked the treasure that it was. Second, the authors represented spanned several generations ranging from 60's favorite Ray Bradbury to 80's fav John Shirley, but don't worry young hip-snappers like Cody Goodfellow and Lisa Morton are also represented. Last and probably more importantly was the bold decsion to include several formats from Screenplays, teleplays, poems, fragments and not slaving simply to the idea of a straight prose collection.

The second book by the duo is not as diverse in formats (it does have a poem by Nolan and teleplay by Twilight Zone expert Mark Zicree). Almost the entire book is filled masterpieces, and I can only say two stories didn't work for me, both by authors whose work I respect. I love Gary Braunbeck, and consider his horror novel Prodigal Blues to be a masterpiece, but his story in this book lost. I admit it probably went over my head, and that being at the end. The WH Pugmire appears to be set in his personal mythos and I felt a bit lost, I intend to go back and read it after I have explotred more of his work.

The three best stories in my opinion were “Best Firends” by Melanie Tem, "Invisible” by Nancy Kilpatrick and "If you Love Me" by Paul Bens Jr. Tem's “Best Friends” is a Stoker award worthy Ghost story about a woman haunted by the ghost of someone who is still very much alive. Kilpatrick's “Invisible” is a good story for people who complain about the service at restaurants might give them a lot to think about. “If you Love Me” is a deeply haunting tale about changing attitudes about AIDS in the gay community, it is a a brutal heart breaker and perfectly caps off the end of the book.

This is a beautiful, amazing and special book. The problem is this is a serious collectors item. It is a $150 dollar book and it looks like it. It ain't cheap. Not sure if Brock and team are planning Trade editions ever. I hope so because the masses should read this book.(less)

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Mar 16, 2012 Peter Schwotzer rated it 4 of 5 stars

TRADE HARDCOVER EDITION, signed by both editors! Trade Hardcover with dust jacket; cover art by Vincent Chong. Foreword by S. T. Joshi.

A unique anthology: contains original, never before published works by Ramsey Campbell, John Shirley, Jason V Brock, Marc Scott Zicree, Norman Corwin, Gary Braunbeck, Steve Rasnic Tem, Melanie Tem, Earl Hamner, Jenny Brundage, Nancy Kilpatrick, Jerry E. Airth, Sunni K Brock, Richard Christian Matheson, Paul J. Salamoff, Paul G. Bens, Jr., William F. Nolan, Dan O...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Morgana Phenix rated it 5 of 5 stars

Allow me to begin this review with some name dropping! One of the biggest names to drop (in my humble opinion) is that of Earl Hammer Jr.! Name doesn’t ring a bell? “The Waltons” and “Falcon’s Crest” were his creations with “The Walton’s” being one of the hottest shows in the mid to late 70’s. I was surprised to see he is still with us on this Earthly realm as I had lost track of him.

Moving on to the cover, and what impressive artwork I might add…..is the work of no other than the highly talent...more Allow me to begin this review with some name dropping! One of the biggest names to drop (in my humble opinion) is that of Earl Hammer Jr.! Name doesn’t ring a bell? “The Waltons” and “Falcon’s Crest” were his creations with “The Walton’s” being one of the hottest shows in the mid to late 70’s. I was surprised to see he is still with us on this Earthly realm as I had lost track of him.

Moving on to the cover, and what impressive artwork I might add…..is the work of no other than the highly talented and gifted Vincent Chong! His name doesn’t ring a bell either? Perhaps his associations with Stephen King and Ray Bradbury will jog your memory. You can find out more about Vincent at his blog: vincentchongart.wordpress.com

Other names include Six-time Bram Stoker winner Gary A Braunbeck, Jason V. Brock, Ramsay Campbell, Melanie Tam, John Shirley, and Marc Scott Zicree to name a few. Mixed in amongst the royalty of story telling are some phenomenal and highly talented newcomers. Blended together, all the contributing writers make the, “Devil’s Coattails” anthology a rich feast to be savored like fine wine. And, speaking of rich, don’t let the price scare you away! This collection of stories and art is worth every penny and more!

Jason V. Brock and his co-editor, William F. Nolan (Logan’s Run) , have designed a fresh and invigorating trend in the world of publishing. Kudos to Cycatrix Press for using vegetable based inks and are you ready for this? I’m totally blown away by their use of 100% wind power! That rocks and the world needs more environmental conscious publishers!

The artwork is impressive and really strikes a chord within one’s psyche. The artwork combined with the story gives the reader the total experience; it captures the essence of the story. Another nice touch is the short and sweet bio on each author after their story and then a short paragraph or two on what inspired them to write their tale. I’m one of those readers that loves to know where the writer’s head was at while writing, what they were thinking and feeling.

Devil’s Coattails consists of nineteen short stories, one poem, one teleplay and a select gallery of drawings/images all eloquently packed into 288 pages. This hardcover first edition does not disappoint and in fact has piqued my curiosity to seek out and read more from Jason V. Brock. S.T. Joshi introduces us to “Devil’s Coattails” in his impressive foreword. He contends that, “Weird fiction is not a genre of any concrete or meaningful sense, but a mode of writing to which authors of many different sorts can resort when they find actual genres (science fiction, fantasy, romance, the Western) or mainstream fiction cannot easily accommodate the ideas, moods, or imagery they are seeking to convey.” He aptly sums up the combination of different short tales, a poem, and the teleplay along with the artwork. Indeed “Devil’s Coattails” is different; it’s refreshing and breathes new life into the literary world that at times can seem so stymied.

Many of the stories in this book will cause you to wonder what we do or would consider doing in the name of love. To highlight a few…….There is something about “Object Lesson” by Jason Brock. His tale of love and struggle reaches out and caresses our hearts and at the same time causes one to question just how far one would go for love. The ending leaves me shivering still!

“Invocation,” written by Dan O’ Bannon is a treasure of a tale and prepares the reader to board, “Gunboat Whores” by John Shirley. Just how much can one endure for love? I have to say though that of all the stories it’s Melanie Tams’ tale, “Best Friends” that will resonate with anyone who has lost a best friend to betrayal. Melanie’s words capture the torment and anguish of loosing what is worse than losing a spouse, one’s best friend. I was nodding my head as I read and thinking how Michelle in the story could easily have been my Molly.

“The Woods Colt” left one wondering just what did happen in that stairway of that old farmhouse in Virginia and why the old neighbor lady made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love. Being a long time fan of Earl Hammer and, “The Walton’s” this story was a pleasant deviation from his usual stories on Virginia. I also happen to know that there exists in real life a pocket of true weirdness in that area of Virginia that seemed to be further exacerbated by the logging of the surrounding woods during the late 1990’s.

For anyone who loves folklore "Catiwampus" by Melanie Tam’s husband Steve Rasnic Tem, is a fascinating read, even down to the lingo! Sunni K. Brock explores death and the art of dying in, “Dying to Forget.” Sunni depiction of the last minutes before the moment that is final, the forever moment, will alter your perceptions.

I wish I could write on each and every story in this anthology but I would be writing a novella instead of a review. It’s the final story, Paul G. Bens Jr. story, “If You Love Me” that makes for a very powerful ending to this very power packed anthology! As much as I was impressed by the other stories in this collection it was Paul’s story that I feel was the strongest and most poignant.

Well worth the investment and an awesome read! “Devil’s Coattails” is a superb collection of tales, poems, and art that will touch your hearts and soul and will change your perceptions on love and life. I’m giving this a FIVE star rating!
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Jan 30, 2013 Jason Brock rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: featuring-my-work

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About Jason V. Brock

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“Jason V Brock… A bold new voice in American fiction. Watch this man! You may be in at the birth of a legend.”
--William F. Nolan (co-author of "Logan’s Run"; screenwriter for "Burnt Offerings")

“[Brock] makes the fantastic utterly believable… a fine writer, indeed.”
--George Clayton Johnson (writer for "Star Trek" and "The Twilight Zone"; co-author, "Logan’s Run")

“Bravo!”
--Ray Bradbury (autho...more

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