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Voyeurs of Death

by Shaun Jeffrey (Goodreads Author)

4.53 of 5 stars 4.53 · rating details · 19 ratings · 9 reviews

In the macabre world of Shaun Jeffrey, things are not always what they seem. A young boy 'fixes' dead things. A fairy tale has a far from happy ending. Clothes bring out the best -- and worst -- in the wearer. True love mutates into hatred and violence. Heroes become villains in the blink of an eye. Scenic vacation spots hide ancient evils. And a date at a secluded parking...more

Paperback, 132 pages

Published August 1st 2007 by Doorways Publication

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Jan 14, 2009 Jason Pettus rated it 3 of 5 stars

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally here.)

It's always a crap-shoot here whenever a book of horror stories gets sent along for possible review; because although I'm a slobbering fan of certain types of genres (science-fiction, for example), and try to champion and defend good genre work here as much as possible, it's also true that I in parti...more (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally here.)

It's always a crap-shoot here whenever a book of horror stories gets sent along for possible review; because although I'm a slobbering fan of certain types of genres (science-fiction, for example), and try to champion and defend good genre work here as much as possible, it's also true that I in particular just don't happen to be much of a fan of horror specifically (nor romance, nor crime, nor westerns, nor a whole series of other popular genres). And that's always the problem with genre work, and why it's called that in the first place, and why people are always slagging on it versus so-called "mainstream fiction" -- because the majority of it appeals only to existing fans of that genre, and only by delivering in spades all the fetishistic details associated with that genre, not because of it being a good book in general that will appeal to a broad cross-section of the population.

Take for example Shaun Jeffrey's story collection Voyeurs of Death, put out by basement press Doorways Publications; because the fact is that as a non-fan of horror, I can't say I particularly cared for it, although acknowledge that genre fans are sure to like it a lot more than I did. And indeed, Jeffrey has certainly proven his chops within the horror community already; nearly every story found here has already been published in one various fanzine or another, and in fact I can easily picture most of these pieces providing exactly eight minutes of light entertainment while sitting on the toilet with the latest issue of Phantasmagoratroninomicon. (Ah, who can ever forget the '70s glory days of Phantasmagoratroninomicon?) But that's the precise problem with these stories too, is that they barely exist from a general literary standpoint, with many of them being essentially eight-minute experiments in yelling "BOO!," using sometimes a whole collection of the most hackneyed tropes found in the entire genre. A "haunted" Scottish tourist-trap island turns out to actually be haunted...a crazed serial killer thinks she's the Tooth Fairy...witch-like older women use their quilting club as a cover for nefarious supernatural deeds; none of them are exactly bad premises, and none of them are written particularly badly, but neither do any of them seem to exist much beyond their cliched premises either.

Take for a very typical example the story "The Watchers" (and yes, I'm about to reveal the end of this particular story, so skip to the next paragraph now if you don't want it spoiled), which starts with an intriguing idea that had me interested from the get-go, of a young British couple who decide one night to actually participate in the urban legend of "dogging" (that is, having sex in your car in rural public places like parks and highway rest-stops, while others gather around the car and watch through the windows, a source of fascination for many Brits but something much more often talked about than actually done); but then just barely a couple of pages into it, it's revealed that the woman is actually a Satanist and that this was all an elaborate ruse to get her new boyfriend out into the woods in the middle of the night, at which point he's kidnapped and presumably chopped up or eaten or burned alive or whatever it is that dumpy suburban British satanic dogging enthusiasts are into these days.

And...um, well, that's it, a story with an entire plotline of, "Dude goes into the woods and gets killed," not exactly a satisfying read for someone like me who doesn't naturally care for Satanists or dark woods or any of the other details seen here. And that's why such books are always so tricky to review here, because it's actually not that bad a story for those who do naturally love such details, who legitimately are looking for just a small well-done scare and nothing else. So in that sense, then, Voyeurs of Death very much earns the solidly middle-of-the-road score it's receiving today; it'll be a pleasant surprise for those into such writers as, say, Joe Hill, yet can be easily skipped guilt-free by those who aren't. It should be kept in mind before picking up a copy.

Out of 10: 7.5(less)

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Aug 13, 2011 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was looking for some short stories to read in between editing my debut novel. Shaun told me I could download this selection of his. Did so and don't regret it. This was my introduction to Shaun's writing and cannot wait to read a full length novel by him, even though I am not a fan of horror. Just love his style of writing and the choices of subject matter. I especially liked "The Flibbertigibbet." Well done, Shaun!Look forward to see the movie made from your novel "The Kult".
~Rebecca S. Scarb...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Lorraine Versini rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great collection of short stories full stop. OK, I am biased because I am a fan of Shaun's works, but actually I am not a real lover of short stories. Too often, they just leave me with a feeling of disappointment that somehow they're not "complete". Don't get me wrong, these are too short too! But they're not stories that are just a question of "read story -> move on to the next". The way they end usually works really well, there's no forgetting them as soon as you start the next,...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Gef rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books

I've had an electronic copy of Shaun Jeffrey's short story collection, Voyeurs of Death, sitting on my hard drive for nearly a year now. It kind of got lost in the shuffle, but it came to my attention again over the holidays when I found out that Dark Regions Press was releasing a limited edition hardcover of the collection. So, I guess that makes my review a timely one. Neat.

Jeffrey, who also has a couple of novels out there including The Kult, and most recently Deadfall, offers up fifteen shor...more I've had an electronic copy of Shaun Jeffrey's short story collection, Voyeurs of Death, sitting on my hard drive for nearly a year now. It kind of got lost in the shuffle, but it came to my attention again over the holidays when I found out that Dark Regions Press was releasing a limited edition hardcover of the collection. So, I guess that makes my review a timely one. Neat.

Jeffrey, who also has a couple of novels out there including The Kult, and most recently Deadfall, offers up fifteen short stories that run the gamut in some of the favored monsters and legends in horror. Vampires, zombies, and all sorts of things that go bump in the night make appearances in this book. The collection was originally published in 2007, with eleven of the fifteen stories are previously published, appearing elsewhere from as recent as 2006 and as far back as 1993.

Among my favorites is "The Watchers", a story of a young couple out to spruce up their love life by visiting a parking spot in the middle of the night so strangers can watch their lovemaking. The anxiety and wariness on the part of the boyfriend is easy to relate to. Voyeurs of Death proves an apt story to the collection with that story in mind, but the title story in this book, "Voyeurs of Death", is a very different--and very brief--story of a husband's horrifying vision of his wife's murder. "Sin Eater" is one of the more unsettling stories, as a family of four must contend with an imposing visitor they are regrettably familiar with, who has come to hear their confessions. Then there is "Venetian Kiss" and its reminiscence to the kinds of stories you would expect from an episode of The Twilight Zone.

A couple of the stories fell flat with me, like "The Flibbertigibbet" and "Life Cycle", but stories like "The Watchers" and "The Quilters of Thurmond" makes up for them, in my opinion. Like any collection or anthology, you're not going to like them all, but you're bound to find more than a few that you will.

I'm not sure I could reasonably recommend you shell out a heap of cash for that limited edition hardcover, but I'm the kind of guy who is thoroughly content with a well-worn paperback sitting on my bookshelf anyway--that means I'm cheap--and it is, after all, a deluxe signed limited hardcover. If you've read Jeffrey's work and enjoyed it, and you are a book collector, then you should check into it. Otherwise, I suggest sticking with an electronic copy from Amazon.com, or perhaps a trade paperback edition if it's available.(less)

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Aug 28, 2010 Vince Liaguno rated it 4 of 5 stars

Single-author short story collections are often hit or miss with readers. While some authors excel at the craft of the short story, others prove that the format isn’t everyone’s forte. Fortunately, Shaun Jeffrey falls firmly into the former category with this deliciously macabre collection of 15 twisted tales dealing with observations on death – often told from the viewpoint of the deceased or soon-to-be so.

Read the rest of the review here.

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Sep 13, 2011 Peter Schwotzer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shaun Jeffrey’s “Voyeurs of Death” really took my by surprise. I had just finished his novel “The Kult” a few weeks ago and really like it, but “Voyeurs Of Death” blew me away.

The stories are an eclectic mix of tales that range from the supernatural to the erotic with a few monsters and other creatures of the night thrown in.

Mr. Jeffrey shows a wide range of styles and imagination, leading his readers down a frightening path that will be sure to elicit a few goosebumps and sleepless nights along...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Kimberly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Always wonder what you'll get when you pick up a collection of single-author stories; Happy to say that this was one of those that I thoroughly enjoyed enough to recommend it to several friends. (even bought an additional copy for my mother...) Some really good ones, here!

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Oct 10, 2010 Lee Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my introduction to Shaun Jeffrey's work, and man was I glad I dug into it. This guy creeps me out in a good way. Every story in this collection shows the makings of a force to be reckoned with. Highly recommended!

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Dec 16, 2010 Jeannie Sloan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

Excellent read.

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About Shaun Jeffrey

Shaun Jeffrey was brought up in a house in a cemetery, so it was only natural for his prose to stray towards the dark side when he started writing. He has had five novels published, The Kult, Killers, Evilution, Fangtooth and Deadfall, and one collection of short stories, Voyeurs of Death. He has also had over 40 short stories published in places such as Dark Discoveries and Cemetery Dance. His no...more

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