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Still Life: Nine Stories

by Nicholas Kaufmann (Goodreads Author)

4.5 of 5 stars 4.50 · rating details · 6 ratings · 2 reviews

"(These tales) are told with a masterful skill. They are composed with a rhythm that is unique to Nicholas Kaufmann. Listen carefully as you read, and you’ll hear that rhythm, catch the tempo written in notes of human suffering and a careful examination of the darkness that hides inside the tales Kaufmann has written. To me that rhythm is almost perfectly in sync with a he...more

185 pages

Published 2012 by NECon E-Books

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Sep 28, 2012 Nick Cato rated it 5 of 5 stars

Author James A. Moore gives one of those introductions that seems to good to be true. But by the time I finished the third of these nine tales, I was in complete agreement with him: these stories are absolutely masterful.

Collecting tales that go back eleven years, this is an excellent primer for those looking for a taste of a truly underrated writer. Opening story 'Under the Skin' is one of a couple of tales that blends the author's Jewish background with horror, this time to gruesome effect in...more Author James A. Moore gives one of those introductions that seems to good to be true. But by the time I finished the third of these nine tales, I was in complete agreement with him: these stories are absolutely masterful.

Collecting tales that go back eleven years, this is an excellent primer for those looking for a taste of a truly underrated writer. Opening story 'Under the Skin' is one of a couple of tales that blends the author's Jewish background with horror, this time to gruesome effect in a disturbing piece about a goth-chick and her twin sister. Kaufmann weaves a tale of kid looking for acceptance as her father attempts to hold the family together around a Seder. 'Mysteries of the Cure' centers around a man who meets a strange woman who helps him deal with his cheating wife. Picture an old EC horror comic with better story-telling.

'Street Cred' gets major kudos here, mainly because I'm beyond sick of zombie stories and this urban street-gang tale gives the subgenre a truly unique spin. The one piece that impressed me the most is 'The Beat of Her Wings,' not only due to it's intracacies, but that a tale featuring a prehistoric creature can actually be scary is nothing short of amazing. This one's worth the price of the book alone.

At first, 'Toad Lily' seems like a standard ghost story, about a mother thinking she sees her dead child everywhere she looks. But Kaufmann turns it into a parent's revenge tale that's second to none. 'The Jew of Prague' is the author's take on the noir thing, yet it still manages to get the goosebumps going as well as bring a classic Jewish folklore creature into the mix.

Former porn starlet Amber Fox is the subject of Kaufmann's erotica entry, 'Comeback,' and while I'm not a big fan of the erotica genre, this one ends on a supernatural note that gives meaning to the sex that proceeds it. Brilliant stuff. 'Go' tells the tale of an intelligent lab baboon who manages to teach the others to escape from their cages. Kaufmann brings the claustrophobic chills on and makes us cheer for the protagonist as he attempts to save his son and the other children stuck in the lab's daycare center. The author notes most of his readers hated the ending, but I thought it worked just fine.

STILL LIFE ends with a tribute to Asian horror titled '(F)earless,' about an author concerned the film version of his best-selling manga will ruin not only his book, but a historic Japanese folk tale. Fans of 'J-Horror' won't be able to get enough of this one.

Having only read Kaurmann's novella CHASING THE DRAGON, this was my first look at his short stories, and I have to say I haven't enjoyed a collection this much since Joe Hill's phenomenal 20th CENTURY GHOSTS (2005), and that, my friends, is truly saying something.

Don't miss this.(less)

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Nov 01, 2012 Gef rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, arc, short-stories, horror

It's a good year for short story collections, at least in my estimation, because of books like this. Bringing together seven previously published short stories and two brand new ones, Nicholas Kaufmann's myriad approaches to the macabre are put on display.

In James Moore's introduction, he says, "You can read a story by Kaufmann and you can hear the rhythm he's writing to." I kind of get what he's talking about there, because Kaufmann's stories are written in a way that immediately evokes the cha...more It's a good year for short story collections, at least in my estimation, because of books like this. Bringing together seven previously published short stories and two brand new ones, Nicholas Kaufmann's myriad approaches to the macabre are put on display.

In James Moore's introduction, he says, "You can read a story by Kaufmann and you can hear the rhythm he's writing to." I kind of get what he's talking about there, because Kaufmann's stories are written in a way that immediately evokes the characters, the emotions, and the stakes they face. I really hadn't read his work prior to this collection, though I certainly read and heard plenty of praise from readers and writers alike. With Still Life, I think I have a better handle on just how good a storyteller this guy is.

My favorite story might be "The Jew of Prague," a noir-ish supernatural tale that has a man named David flying into Prague in search of a diamond. Plenty of people on the black market would love to get their hands on it, but David's benefactor's have the inside scoop on where it's hidden. The fusion of hard-boiled intrigue with the supernatural elements of Jewish folklore felt almost seamless, and I'm a sucker for this blend of crime and horror these days, anyway.

If I have to pick one of these stories to be the runt of the litter, I'd go with "The Beat of Her Wings." I love monster stories, and this one has a lot of excitement and suspense to it, but it's a story that shifts back and forth between two timelines. Margaret, the main character, was great. Having to endure a lecherous husband, then come to terms with her own indiscretions with her husband's rival, as each man is on the hunt for an ancient relic from the days of the dinosaurs. I liked it, but I think I would have liked it a whole lot more if the story was told in a more linear fashion.

Each story comes with a very brief introduction from Kaufmann, giving a glimpse as to where his head was at or what he wanted to accomplish. It's the kind of little extra that a reader like me appreciates. Stories like "Mysteries of the Cure," with their grim and relentless portraits of humanity, just jab at your ribcage, then stories like "Go" offer a heart-pounding assault on your inner optimist. You're never promised a happy ending with Kaufmann's stories, but you definitely get an engaging one. And for any J-horror fans out there, you will need to skip to the end of the book and read the final story, "(F)earless." It's a treat.(less)

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About Nicholas Kaufmann

Nicholas Kaufmann is the Bram Stoker Award-, Thriller Award-, and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of numerous books and stories. He has also written extensively in non-fiction, including monthly pop culture columns on horror and dark fantasy for the popular websites Fear Zone and The Internet Review of Science Fiction, and a chapter on plotting short stories in the Writers Digest book ON WR...more

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