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Re-Vamp
Are you afraid that the monsters of old have become nothing more than a bedtime story? Do you long for a time when ghosts were truly spirited and vampires had bite? Then read on, dear friend, for we have just the thing for you. . . Re-Vamp is a collection of stories resurrecting the good old myths one monster at a time. Whether rediscovering or reimagining traditional themes, these twenty-seven twisted tales are guaranteed to terrify and entertain. Oh, and whatever you do - don't open that door!
- GenresHorror
220 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 30, 2012
I love this book. It should be required reading for horror fans. I've given copies for Christmas presents and link-spammed everyone I know because this is really special and there are forty-one reasons why: twenty-eight stories and poems, twelve artworks, and (most importantly, in a way) the feeling that this entire project is something that's been worked on with infinite love. There's no sense of any of these stories having been written just because it's somebody's job to write – they read like they've been written because somebody needed to tell them. There are surprises all the way through this thing, different points of view or strange little hooks that make you change the way you think about all these jaded boring old spooks that people seem to have forgotten how to write. Re-Vamp is vibrant and original and thought-provoking, and yes it's scary but it's the slow, creeping sort of scary that doesn't always get you at first. It waits until you're not expecting it, then sneaks back into your mind when it's dark and you're on your own. There are no cheap splatters of blood here. Seeing the monster is never the scary part. The scary part is the way the monster makes the floorboards creak.
Some of my favourite creaking floorboards in the collection:
The Tangled Thread by Die Booth: This is structured and written so convincingly that it's no stretch of the imagination to believe that it actually was written in 1909 (the first half, anyway). It's full of such beautiful and real little details ("a wall-mounted botanical print of a Portuguese Armeria Latifolia"!) that you really don't have any choice about believing it when you meet the creature in the attic. He feels as real as the staircase and furniture, that's why it's such a shock to see him. I like the twist as well, the way the narrator is cold and businesslike about the killing and it's so much easier to sympathise with the vampire and how pathetic and trusting he is – but we're never sure whether or not that's a bluff. The uncertainty makes the story, just like in the second half where the story ends with the new vampire promising that he's going to "be a better vampire". Who knows? Maybe he did become the same kind of non-threatening creature that his ancestor killed in London, or maybe he lost control and turned into a monster after all. There are loads of possibilities, the story is so open-ended without feeling unfinished. It actually feels like it comes in a full circle instead, with the second narrator trying to behave like the first vampire did. It's so satisfying when the storylines link back up. This is a masterpiece!
Ghostwalk by J.T. Wilson: Not really sure what to say about this one without massively spoiling the thing that makes this story SO GOOD, so I'll keep it vague. It's a sort of urban legend feel, like one of those campfire ghost stories that makes everyone go "...Ohh!" at the end when the penny drops. Such a deceptively simple structure – it's so clever.
Love Never Dies by Milla Galea: A warning to be careful what you wish for, but not for your own sake. This isn't scary, it's devastating. It's probably the story that's stuck in my head more than any of the others. It's short, but it's flawless. Cheap melodrama is easy, but there's more heart in this than a whole novel and that's why it's so desperately tragic. It's unforgettable, I'm going to think about this for years.
Escape by Tessa J. Brown: The first time I read this I went straight back to the beginning as soon as I'd finished just to get the joy of reading it again. Joy probably isn't the right word, considering the subject matter :P but it's a gorgeous story. It's such an original setting for zombies, a biodome instead of grim grey city streets, and for a story about the extinction of humanity, there's so much vivid colour and life. It's so easy to visualise. I love the ending, too. It's hopeless, but there's still a sort of resigned contentment in it. Beautiful writing.
The Fourth Ape by Die Booth: Ok, maybe there's just something about Die writing in an old-fashioned style that appeals to me. :P This could be from some dusty old antique book, not typed onto a screen in 2011. The period details and language are perfect, and I love LOVE how the chills come in two parts: first realising what Mr Dole is up to, and then realising what happened to him. Such a great story, it's proper traditional gutpunch horror and it's glorious. This is the kind of story that got me reading horror in the first place.
All Better by L.C. Hu: This is CHILLING. This one will lodge in your brain for weeks. It's another one where you're not sure who's the monster and who's the innocent, it could be either way and still be plausible – it doesn't even matter, really, because both options are horrific. So cleverly done.
I wish I could recommend this book more than I already have. The skill and love and dedication that's gone into crafting this collection is astounding. My favourite book of 2011, and one of the best horror anthologies I've ever read.
Some of my favourite creaking floorboards in the collection:
The Tangled Thread by Die Booth: This is structured and written so convincingly that it's no stretch of the imagination to believe that it actually was written in 1909 (the first half, anyway). It's full of such beautiful and real little details ("a wall-mounted botanical print of a Portuguese Armeria Latifolia"!) that you really don't have any choice about believing it when you meet the creature in the attic. He feels as real as the staircase and furniture, that's why it's such a shock to see him. I like the twist as well, the way the narrator is cold and businesslike about the killing and it's so much easier to sympathise with the vampire and how pathetic and trusting he is – but we're never sure whether or not that's a bluff. The uncertainty makes the story, just like in the second half where the story ends with the new vampire promising that he's going to "be a better vampire". Who knows? Maybe he did become the same kind of non-threatening creature that his ancestor killed in London, or maybe he lost control and turned into a monster after all. There are loads of possibilities, the story is so open-ended without feeling unfinished. It actually feels like it comes in a full circle instead, with the second narrator trying to behave like the first vampire did. It's so satisfying when the storylines link back up. This is a masterpiece!
Ghostwalk by J.T. Wilson: Not really sure what to say about this one without massively spoiling the thing that makes this story SO GOOD, so I'll keep it vague. It's a sort of urban legend feel, like one of those campfire ghost stories that makes everyone go "...Ohh!" at the end when the penny drops. Such a deceptively simple structure – it's so clever.
Love Never Dies by Milla Galea: A warning to be careful what you wish for, but not for your own sake. This isn't scary, it's devastating. It's probably the story that's stuck in my head more than any of the others. It's short, but it's flawless. Cheap melodrama is easy, but there's more heart in this than a whole novel and that's why it's so desperately tragic. It's unforgettable, I'm going to think about this for years.
Escape by Tessa J. Brown: The first time I read this I went straight back to the beginning as soon as I'd finished just to get the joy of reading it again. Joy probably isn't the right word, considering the subject matter :P but it's a gorgeous story. It's such an original setting for zombies, a biodome instead of grim grey city streets, and for a story about the extinction of humanity, there's so much vivid colour and life. It's so easy to visualise. I love the ending, too. It's hopeless, but there's still a sort of resigned contentment in it. Beautiful writing.
The Fourth Ape by Die Booth: Ok, maybe there's just something about Die writing in an old-fashioned style that appeals to me. :P This could be from some dusty old antique book, not typed onto a screen in 2011. The period details and language are perfect, and I love LOVE how the chills come in two parts: first realising what Mr Dole is up to, and then realising what happened to him. Such a great story, it's proper traditional gutpunch horror and it's glorious. This is the kind of story that got me reading horror in the first place.
All Better by L.C. Hu: This is CHILLING. This one will lodge in your brain for weeks. It's another one where you're not sure who's the monster and who's the innocent, it could be either way and still be plausible – it doesn't even matter, really, because both options are horrific. So cleverly done.
I wish I could recommend this book more than I already have. The skill and love and dedication that's gone into crafting this collection is astounding. My favourite book of 2011, and one of the best horror anthologies I've ever read.
January 22, 2012
Die Booth is a friend of a friend who I have met on a few occasions. I had previously looked at her website but had only really taken the time to read one of the stories there. I like supernatural stories so when she brought out this anthology I asked my friend to get me a copy. You can read about the project which resulted in this book here. http://diebooth.wordpress.com/re-vamp/
There are several authors featured in the collection but this works very well because they all have a similar writing style. The stories could all have been written by the same author, so there was a good flow from one story to the next. They are divided into sections featuring vampires, ghosts, werewolves, zombies and serial killers, but not in the glamourous Hollywood way. There are no sparkly vampires or angst ridden teenage girls here. These are quite old fashioned type horror stories but set in modern times.
I read the whole book in a couple of days and some of the stories did make me feel a little unsettled. Perhaps I should have taken longer and just read a couple a day.
The book is self-published but it is available on amazon and there is also a Kindle edition. If you like scary stories, give it a go.
There are several authors featured in the collection but this works very well because they all have a similar writing style. The stories could all have been written by the same author, so there was a good flow from one story to the next. They are divided into sections featuring vampires, ghosts, werewolves, zombies and serial killers, but not in the glamourous Hollywood way. There are no sparkly vampires or angst ridden teenage girls here. These are quite old fashioned type horror stories but set in modern times.
I read the whole book in a couple of days and some of the stories did make me feel a little unsettled. Perhaps I should have taken longer and just read a couple a day.
The book is self-published but it is available on amazon and there is also a Kindle edition. If you like scary stories, give it a go.
November 11, 2011
The night I started reading this collection, my home had severe thunderstorms and an earthquake. I did not sleep well. I suggest reading this when there's no gloom to speak of outside and the earth is being still under your feet (and you're pretty sure nothing from The Fourth Ape is living under your bed.) Chills aside, this is a super-fun read, with styles ranging from the beautifully classic to the modern and experimental. It's a must for people who'd actually like their monsters to be monstrous; I can tell you for certain that no one here sparkles.
August 29, 2013
I absolutely loved this collection. I enjoyed all the stories to varying degrees, but there are definite standouts. 'Lump' and 'All Better' were particular standouts, freshly creeping me out every time I think about them. 'The Fourth Ape' and 'Family' also struck me, both of them having vivid imagery and strongly envisioned characters. Delicious.
Read
March 2, 2014As the co-editor of this book, and with several of my stories in it, I may be a slightly biased reviewer, but I'm going to review it anyway!
Bias aside, when me and LC Hu came up with the idea for this book it was because of what we perceived to be a gap in the market. Horror these days has come to largely refer to swooning teenage vampires, or gore-soaked torturers and we really missed the creepy old myths and lamplight subtlety of older horror. What better to do then, than to try and bring the genre up to date with a new collection written (selfishly!) entirely to our specifications and tastes.
The stories in this anthology are a strong collection of original themed works from both established writers and complete unknowns. They range from the sweet (David Hill's 'Twelve O' Clock Man' and Tammy Lee's 'Ghost of a Smile') to the grim (Michele Rimmer's 'The Maggot' and Fallon Parker's 'Beyond the Grave') to the downright terrifying (LC Hu's 'Lump' and Tessa Brown's 'End of the Line') with plenty to satisfy even the most literary of palates thrown in for good measure (Adrian Benson's 'Apotropaic Proliferation' and M Harley's 'Grey and White and Red'). Without any bias I can say that all the stories (and poems) in this collection are very strong and there's not a dud among them. Add to that some fantastic artwork (including a rather grim photostory by Triska and Vivian) and you have a unique and unusual collection that could stand it's ground amongst any more traditionally published anthologies.
I'm very proud of Re-Vamp and I hope that people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed being a part of making it happen.
Bias aside, when me and LC Hu came up with the idea for this book it was because of what we perceived to be a gap in the market. Horror these days has come to largely refer to swooning teenage vampires, or gore-soaked torturers and we really missed the creepy old myths and lamplight subtlety of older horror. What better to do then, than to try and bring the genre up to date with a new collection written (selfishly!) entirely to our specifications and tastes.
The stories in this anthology are a strong collection of original themed works from both established writers and complete unknowns. They range from the sweet (David Hill's 'Twelve O' Clock Man' and Tammy Lee's 'Ghost of a Smile') to the grim (Michele Rimmer's 'The Maggot' and Fallon Parker's 'Beyond the Grave') to the downright terrifying (LC Hu's 'Lump' and Tessa Brown's 'End of the Line') with plenty to satisfy even the most literary of palates thrown in for good measure (Adrian Benson's 'Apotropaic Proliferation' and M Harley's 'Grey and White and Red'). Without any bias I can say that all the stories (and poems) in this collection are very strong and there's not a dud among them. Add to that some fantastic artwork (including a rather grim photostory by Triska and Vivian) and you have a unique and unusual collection that could stand it's ground amongst any more traditionally published anthologies.
I'm very proud of Re-Vamp and I hope that people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed being a part of making it happen.
March 11, 2013
For my full-length review, please visit Casual Debris.
The concept behind Re-Vamp is to challenge contemporary interpretations of traditional horror creatures by hearkening back to the tales of old. The stories in Re-Vamp feature classic approaches to creatures that go bump in the night, focusing in an orderly fashion on vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and serial killers (oh my!). The project was a labour of love for editors Die Booth and L. C. Hu, who first met by sharing their admiration of classic horror in an online chat room. Begun online, they posted their own tales and invited readers to submit theirs. This anthology collects a number of those submitted.
While I don't normally review self-published fiction I was intrigued by this project. I too enjoy classic suspense tales, horrific and otherwise. My own concern with contemporary horror is that the genre has become a marketable commodity, and anything too blatantly mainstream conforms to an unthinking pattern. Just look at how Hollywood represents the genre.
But I digress.
I must admit I am confused about the title since "revamp" essentially means to thoroughly recreate something, whereas this anthology is by its nature ignoring the genre's evolution over the last several decades, and I am wondering if the project should not have been titled "Pre-Vamp!"
The concept behind Re-Vamp is to challenge contemporary interpretations of traditional horror creatures by hearkening back to the tales of old. The stories in Re-Vamp feature classic approaches to creatures that go bump in the night, focusing in an orderly fashion on vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and serial killers (oh my!). The project was a labour of love for editors Die Booth and L. C. Hu, who first met by sharing their admiration of classic horror in an online chat room. Begun online, they posted their own tales and invited readers to submit theirs. This anthology collects a number of those submitted.
While I don't normally review self-published fiction I was intrigued by this project. I too enjoy classic suspense tales, horrific and otherwise. My own concern with contemporary horror is that the genre has become a marketable commodity, and anything too blatantly mainstream conforms to an unthinking pattern. Just look at how Hollywood represents the genre.
But I digress.
I must admit I am confused about the title since "revamp" essentially means to thoroughly recreate something, whereas this anthology is by its nature ignoring the genre's evolution over the last several decades, and I am wondering if the project should not have been titled "Pre-Vamp!"
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews