A Retro-Honoring Spook Show

BUT FIRST THE DARK by Frank Chigas (2010 Medusa Press / 333 pp. / hc)
Before we get to the stories, I must mention how awesome of a job Medusa Press does with their books: the small, neat pages make this collection very conducive to reading, and the retro-looking dust jacket AND printed-on cloth cover are nifty touches book collectors live for.
As for the ten stories contained within: Frank Chigas' style feels like you're reading stories from the early 1900s: they're pulpy, at times spooky, and most importantly, completely entertaining.
Among my favorites were 'The Pocket Watch' and 'Indian Pipes,' 2 genuinely eerie tales dealing with a powerful object and a satanic cult (respectively). In 'The Visitation,' an old man's drying wife is taken from him by a stranger he has seen outside their window several times, while 'Strange Companion' relies on some grim atmosphere to spin the yarn of a Mr. Desmond Hall's encounter with a stranger on a snowy London evening.
While I enjoyed Chigas' retro-sounding prose (the stories take place shortly after 1900), a couple of tales were predictable and at times I felt like I was reading an old issue of CREEPY or EERIE. But, again, Chigas CAN write and is able to quickly develop sympathy for his characters (no easy feat in a short story) as well as bring the chills on.
BUT FIRST THE DARK comes in a handsome boxed set with another 10-story Chigas collection titled STRANGE CORRIDORS, which I'll be diving into next. (Visit MedusaPress.com for details. Each book can be purchases separately).