Book Review: The Captivating Flames of Madness by Jeff Parsons

Usually when I read a short story, it is either an individual piece, or an anthology with stories by many authors. It was a fun change, then to see a collection of short horror stories by one author, as in The Captivating Flames of Madness by Jeff Parsons. (Though, I will admit that it took me two stories to figure out that it was a collection of short stories and not a full-length novel, because I was smart enough to not read the blurb. Whoops!)

1. Thoughts on the plot(s)

This collection of horror stories runs the gamut from general depravity of people to the paranormal and terrifying. I will say that most of the stories tended in the direction of the supernatural, but there was a wide range of options. With such a wide range of stories, it’s difficult to comment on the plot of each, but I will say that I liked the variety; they were each very inventive and intriguing. 

I will say, though, that each story did follow a particular pattern. The character was introduced, there was a sense that things were not quite right, the character stumbled upon the “problem” (or creature or situation or what have you) and then wham! The reveal, then the story ended. This is perfectly fine, as far as form goes, but reading the same structure each time did get a bit frustrating, especially as I was hoping to have a few where the character got to sit with the horror for a bit instead of having a jump-scare style ending. The ending was so sharp upon the climax that it always felt abrupt, like maybe there should have been more. Naturally, this is difficult to do in a short story, and like I said the form is actually fine in general. I was just hoping for some variation.

2. Thoughts on the character(s)

Again, with so many stories, it’s difficult to talk specifically about the characters. I will say that I liked the varied cast in this collection. There were people of all ages, races, cultures, and backgrounds. I found the different people really helped make each story unique and interesting; they didn’t feel like carbon copies of each other with different names thrown in. It was very well cast.

3. Favourite part

I liked the stories that had a bit of mystery to them, but then I’m a sucker for mystery, so what can I say?

4. Critique

My only real critique is the bit mentioned in part one, where the endings and form of the stories felt very similar in structure. I think varying the form would have suited this collection well, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.

Overall, I would say that this collection of short stories was entertaining, perfect for those who want bite sized horror stories to give you a bit of a spine tingle without requiring a whole novel. A good collection.