What do you think?
Rate this book
Slices
From "a considerable storytelling talent" (Library Journal) and "one of the grandmasters of the horror genre" (The Midwest Book Review) comes SLICES.... A man discovers that blood is thicker than water and often stains the soul. A boy's fear of clowns bears deadly fruit when he catches the attention of Rufo the Clown. A defense attorney struggles with a most unusual ability - to see every sin committed by people around him. A man haunted by his deeds during wartime learns a lesson in fear from his grandfather. A vengeful demon seeks to feast on the souls of four high school chums, fifteen years after a fateful night. These nightmares and other slices of horror are included in this first paperback edition of SLICES - available for the first time in nearly ten years. Now with two bonus stories and an introduction by Tony Tremblay (author of The Moore House).
- GenresHorror
306 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
9 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
James A. Moore
231 books756 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 21, 2019
Slices is a collection of shorts which originally came out as a limited edition hardcover and has now found a new home for wide release, meaning everyone can now enjoy James A. Moore at his best.
Fourteen tales from a true master of horror.
Grease Painted Smile - After seeing a picture in the local paper of up-and-coming comic Cecil Phelps the protagonist in this story believes he's looking at a dead man, more importantly, a dead man known as Rufo the Clown. A dead man who once told him...
"I'm going to make you bleed, boy, I'm going to make you bleed and die., but first, I think I'll rape your sister and eat your brother's eyes."
If you weren't afraid of clowns before...
Shades of Grey - Loaded with mystery, murder, and plenty of twists. And terrific writing, too...
"Danny drank coffee with enough sugar to kill a diabetic and enough cream to guarantee clogged arteries."
War Stories - Grandpa, a veteran of WWII and Korea, and Eddie a Vietnam vet, trading war stories on the porch. An early appearance from one of my favorite Moore characters, John Crowley...
"...no man before or since has ever scared the hell out of me the way he did."
Skinwalker - "Have you ever heard of a skinwalker? According to the myths of my people, the skinwalkers are evil medicine men, or even the enchanted corpses of medicine men. Either way, they are supposed to be possessed by a demon. They have pale white skin and, according to some, a preference for human flesh. They also have great magical powers and can make others do their bidding."
Simon's Muse - Jerry gets stuck in an elevator at Screamicon with his idol, Simon Crawford. An unexpected friendship ensures and years later he learns all about Simon's dark muse.
A Place Where There is Peace - An interesting tale which is never quite about what you think. Moore's tribute to H P. Lovecraft.
In the Oubliette - A wonderfully inventive and layered story about love from afar. One of my favorites in a collection of great tales.
Hathburn Avenue - "Now, I bet most people could tell you that at one time or another in their lives that they thought like they were being followed...but this didn't feel like eyes were following me so much as it felt like eyes intent on killing me."- I loved this ghoulish little story.
The Dark Place - IMHO, this could just be the perfect story. This was so creepy, it actually made me shiver and that just doesn't happen anymore.
Harvest Gods - I got a kick out of the way Moore spends the first part of this story extolling the virtues of the quiet little town of Summitville and then tags it with the line...
"I wish I'd never seen the damned place."
They Fell from Space - *Note to authors everywhere. Once a meteor falls to Earth, it is a meteorite. That being said, this was a fun little telling of the familiar trope of something arriving with said meteorite and terrifying the natives.
Burden of Guilt I: Burden of Guilt - Howard R. Dowd, of Hinkle & Dowd, Attorneys at Law, has picked up a new skillset. He suddenly has the ability to see a person's darkest secrets. As a result, he begins to wonder if he's doing the right thing by getting his clients declared "Not Guilty."
Burden of Guilt II: My Brother's Keeper - Jake and John are twins who suffer from the Corsican Brothers Syndrome...
"I had to share the most intimate moments of my life with a man I hated and he had to do the same."
Burden of Guilt III: - Jack Covington and four other members of his HS football team did something their senior year they would all rather put behind them, but as so often is the case...
"The past has teeth. The past is unforgiving."
Wow. I'm so glad that John McIlveen at Twisted Publishing decided to resurrect this collection. There is not a bad story in the bunch. I am so happy to give Slices my highest recommendation.
Published by Twisted Publishing, an imprint of Haverhill House Publishing, Slices is now available in wide release in both paperback and for the Kindle. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
From the author's bio - James A. Moore is the author of over forty novels, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, Blood Harvest, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley). He has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and spent three years as an officer in the Horror Writers Association, first as Secretary and later as Vice President.
Fourteen tales from a true master of horror.
Grease Painted Smile - After seeing a picture in the local paper of up-and-coming comic Cecil Phelps the protagonist in this story believes he's looking at a dead man, more importantly, a dead man known as Rufo the Clown. A dead man who once told him...
"I'm going to make you bleed, boy, I'm going to make you bleed and die., but first, I think I'll rape your sister and eat your brother's eyes."
If you weren't afraid of clowns before...
Shades of Grey - Loaded with mystery, murder, and plenty of twists. And terrific writing, too...
"Danny drank coffee with enough sugar to kill a diabetic and enough cream to guarantee clogged arteries."
War Stories - Grandpa, a veteran of WWII and Korea, and Eddie a Vietnam vet, trading war stories on the porch. An early appearance from one of my favorite Moore characters, John Crowley...
"...no man before or since has ever scared the hell out of me the way he did."
Skinwalker - "Have you ever heard of a skinwalker? According to the myths of my people, the skinwalkers are evil medicine men, or even the enchanted corpses of medicine men. Either way, they are supposed to be possessed by a demon. They have pale white skin and, according to some, a preference for human flesh. They also have great magical powers and can make others do their bidding."
Simon's Muse - Jerry gets stuck in an elevator at Screamicon with his idol, Simon Crawford. An unexpected friendship ensures and years later he learns all about Simon's dark muse.
A Place Where There is Peace - An interesting tale which is never quite about what you think. Moore's tribute to H P. Lovecraft.
In the Oubliette - A wonderfully inventive and layered story about love from afar. One of my favorites in a collection of great tales.
Hathburn Avenue - "Now, I bet most people could tell you that at one time or another in their lives that they thought like they were being followed...but this didn't feel like eyes were following me so much as it felt like eyes intent on killing me."- I loved this ghoulish little story.
The Dark Place - IMHO, this could just be the perfect story. This was so creepy, it actually made me shiver and that just doesn't happen anymore.
Harvest Gods - I got a kick out of the way Moore spends the first part of this story extolling the virtues of the quiet little town of Summitville and then tags it with the line...
"I wish I'd never seen the damned place."
They Fell from Space - *Note to authors everywhere. Once a meteor falls to Earth, it is a meteorite. That being said, this was a fun little telling of the familiar trope of something arriving with said meteorite and terrifying the natives.
Burden of Guilt I: Burden of Guilt - Howard R. Dowd, of Hinkle & Dowd, Attorneys at Law, has picked up a new skillset. He suddenly has the ability to see a person's darkest secrets. As a result, he begins to wonder if he's doing the right thing by getting his clients declared "Not Guilty."
Burden of Guilt II: My Brother's Keeper - Jake and John are twins who suffer from the Corsican Brothers Syndrome...
"I had to share the most intimate moments of my life with a man I hated and he had to do the same."
Burden of Guilt III: - Jack Covington and four other members of his HS football team did something their senior year they would all rather put behind them, but as so often is the case...
"The past has teeth. The past is unforgiving."
Wow. I'm so glad that John McIlveen at Twisted Publishing decided to resurrect this collection. There is not a bad story in the bunch. I am so happy to give Slices my highest recommendation.
Published by Twisted Publishing, an imprint of Haverhill House Publishing, Slices is now available in wide release in both paperback and for the Kindle. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
From the author's bio - James A. Moore is the author of over forty novels, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, Blood Harvest, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley). He has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and spent three years as an officer in the Horror Writers Association, first as Secretary and later as Vice President.
August 15, 2018
Collections and anthologies are notoriously hard to review since each story contained therein must be judged on its own merits. When reviewing a collection of James A. Moore's work, the only difficulty is saying the right thing to tantalize without giving the story away. I will say, unequivocally, that all of the short works herein contained are well written and provide fascinating glimpses into a mind that is pragmatic, romantic, and terrifying.
As you read SLICES, keep in mind that this is not a novel to be read chapter after chapter, it is a collection of individual stories, all of which are standalone works that deserve to be savored before you move on to the next one.
I am a firm believer that a book is meant to be read from cover to cover. By that I mean you need to read the introductory bits and those that come at the end. At the end of this book, Moore has provided some glimpses into where each of the stories originates.
A final word. This is not a book for the faint of heart, nor is it for those with a delicate constitution. It is for anyone who is willing to tread fearlessly into the worlds of James A. Moore's imagination.
The Stories:
"Grease Painted Smile"
If you don't suffer from Coulrophobia, reading this story just might trigger it. Anyone who reads James A. Moore has come across Rufo the Clown. If you haven't, may I recommend ONE BAD WEEK, that features him on the cover. It is another collection designed to make you keep the lights on at night.
"Shades Of Gray"
In the grand scheme of life, there are always at least two ways to tackle a problem. In this case, two friends that have approached investigation in their own way, one a policeman, the other a private investigator, must work together and apart to solve a mystery.
"War Stories"
Over the years, I have read my share of Moore's work. His recurring character, Jonathan Crowley, is as memorable as are Dracula and Frankenstein, yet he stands unique in the realm of horror fiction. Whenever Crowley makes an appearance, you know that things will take a turn toward the unimaginable. Sit down with a World War II vet and his grandson, a veteran of Vietnam, as they share a war story.
"Skinwalker"
This is the tale of two brothers, twins, each on his own path. Their story is the stuff of legends.
"Simon’s Muse"
"Where do you get your ideas" is the ubiquitous question asked of all horror writers. The answer is as varied as are the personalities of the authors who are asked.
"A Place Where There Is Peace"
The earliest weird tales were far more subtle than those penned by most of today's writers of horror. Lovecraft used no profanity but used deformity to conjure dread. Many have distorted this early path to attract a modern audience. Moore embraces the mythos in soothing language before exposing the truth.
Oh yes, and do pay attention to the homage to the names that are not King.
"In The Oubliette"
In the introduction to this volume, Tony Tremblay asserts that "James A. Moore is America's greatest living horror author" followed by a challenge that disagreement will result in fisticuffs. (Yes, you should read the intro, you should always read the intro.) I would make a minor change to that statement by adding that Moore is the most romantic horror writer around. In almost all his stories, there is a sense of romance, even in the most terrifying. Sometimes the romance is fleeting and unrequited, and at other times it lasts over time into the darkest abyss.
"Hathburn Avenue"
Halloween is the night when the dead walk and pretty much anything can happen. As a group of neighborhood kids is shepherded from house to house, the ill-at-ease feeling borders on dread.
"The Dark Place"
Children are curious, often to their detriment. They stretch the boundaries on the road to learning right from wrong, good from evil.
"Harvest Gods"
Legends and urban myths develop for a reason. They explain the unexplainable. They give voice to the baseless fears of things that go bump in the night.
"They Fell From Space"
An obscure little town full of good ol' boys and a bit of space junk, what could possibly go wrong? I will confess that this brought to mind "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill." In my humble opinion, there are worse things than being compared to Stephen King.
"Burden of Guilt"
This is more a section within the collection. There are three stories here, each of which stands on its own. The theme for all three revolves around guilt and consequences. Where thematically they are very similar, each is a standalone tale of terror.
I. Burden of Guilt
II. My Brother’s Keeper
III. Growing Pains
As you read SLICES, keep in mind that this is not a novel to be read chapter after chapter, it is a collection of individual stories, all of which are standalone works that deserve to be savored before you move on to the next one.
I am a firm believer that a book is meant to be read from cover to cover. By that I mean you need to read the introductory bits and those that come at the end. At the end of this book, Moore has provided some glimpses into where each of the stories originates.
A final word. This is not a book for the faint of heart, nor is it for those with a delicate constitution. It is for anyone who is willing to tread fearlessly into the worlds of James A. Moore's imagination.
The Stories:
"Grease Painted Smile"
If you don't suffer from Coulrophobia, reading this story just might trigger it. Anyone who reads James A. Moore has come across Rufo the Clown. If you haven't, may I recommend ONE BAD WEEK, that features him on the cover. It is another collection designed to make you keep the lights on at night.
"Shades Of Gray"
In the grand scheme of life, there are always at least two ways to tackle a problem. In this case, two friends that have approached investigation in their own way, one a policeman, the other a private investigator, must work together and apart to solve a mystery.
"War Stories"
Over the years, I have read my share of Moore's work. His recurring character, Jonathan Crowley, is as memorable as are Dracula and Frankenstein, yet he stands unique in the realm of horror fiction. Whenever Crowley makes an appearance, you know that things will take a turn toward the unimaginable. Sit down with a World War II vet and his grandson, a veteran of Vietnam, as they share a war story.
"Skinwalker"
This is the tale of two brothers, twins, each on his own path. Their story is the stuff of legends.
"Simon’s Muse"
"Where do you get your ideas" is the ubiquitous question asked of all horror writers. The answer is as varied as are the personalities of the authors who are asked.
"A Place Where There Is Peace"
The earliest weird tales were far more subtle than those penned by most of today's writers of horror. Lovecraft used no profanity but used deformity to conjure dread. Many have distorted this early path to attract a modern audience. Moore embraces the mythos in soothing language before exposing the truth.
Oh yes, and do pay attention to the homage to the names that are not King.
"In The Oubliette"
In the introduction to this volume, Tony Tremblay asserts that "James A. Moore is America's greatest living horror author" followed by a challenge that disagreement will result in fisticuffs. (Yes, you should read the intro, you should always read the intro.) I would make a minor change to that statement by adding that Moore is the most romantic horror writer around. In almost all his stories, there is a sense of romance, even in the most terrifying. Sometimes the romance is fleeting and unrequited, and at other times it lasts over time into the darkest abyss.
"Hathburn Avenue"
Halloween is the night when the dead walk and pretty much anything can happen. As a group of neighborhood kids is shepherded from house to house, the ill-at-ease feeling borders on dread.
"The Dark Place"
Children are curious, often to their detriment. They stretch the boundaries on the road to learning right from wrong, good from evil.
"Harvest Gods"
Legends and urban myths develop for a reason. They explain the unexplainable. They give voice to the baseless fears of things that go bump in the night.
"They Fell From Space"
An obscure little town full of good ol' boys and a bit of space junk, what could possibly go wrong? I will confess that this brought to mind "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill." In my humble opinion, there are worse things than being compared to Stephen King.
"Burden of Guilt"
This is more a section within the collection. There are three stories here, each of which stands on its own. The theme for all three revolves around guilt and consequences. Where thematically they are very similar, each is a standalone tale of terror.
I. Burden of Guilt
II. My Brother’s Keeper
III. Growing Pains
January 1, 2014
Amazing collection of stories, this was my first Moore experience but it definitely won't be my last, I'm already looking for more of his books. Not much to say about Earthling (Paul Miller)'s edition aside from the usual, outstanding quality and design, really worth picking up.
June 2, 2021
Good
Good, but as it contains stories connected to previous series, I think it would be better to read them after those novels, as you'll connect more with the characters, which I didn't do... But those are stand alone, so your choice! ;)
Good, but as it contains stories connected to previous series, I think it would be better to read them after those novels, as you'll connect more with the characters, which I didn't do... But those are stand alone, so your choice! ;)
August 1, 2018
Excellent bunch of short stories - and starts with my favorite James A. Moore character, Rufo the Clown.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews