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Splinters: a New Anthology of Modern Macabre Fiction
CONTENTS
Jane Gaskell – June
Michael Baldwin – The Ice Palace
Hugh Atkinson – The Language Of Flowers
Derwent May – Grace Note
William Trevor – Miss Smith
Anthony Burgess – An American Organ
John Brunner – The Biggest Game
Richard Nettell – The Way That Ladies Walk
Patrick Boyle – Home Again, Home Again, Jigetty-Jig
Montague Haltrecht – Indoor Life
John Burke – Don’t You Dare
J. A. Cuddon – Isabo
Peter Brent – Mewed Up
Alex Hamilton – Under The Eildon Tree
Jane Gaskell – June
Michael Baldwin – The Ice Palace
Hugh Atkinson – The Language Of Flowers
Derwent May – Grace Note
William Trevor – Miss Smith
Anthony Burgess – An American Organ
John Brunner – The Biggest Game
Richard Nettell – The Way That Ladies Walk
Patrick Boyle – Home Again, Home Again, Jigetty-Jig
Montague Haltrecht – Indoor Life
John Burke – Don’t You Dare
J. A. Cuddon – Isabo
Peter Brent – Mewed Up
Alex Hamilton – Under The Eildon Tree
237 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 2, 2024
"Jane" by Jane Gaskell. 5/5 stars. At least the editor had the sense to lead off with this one, which is by far the strongest story in the book. Gaskell's tale is the only reason this anthology gets two stars instead of one. Featuring an unreliable narrator, a monstrous sibling, and a weird, surreal ambience--what more could you want?
"The Ice Palace" by Michael Baldwin. 1/5 stars. I really didn't get this one. It's a story about dieting, and the authors seems to be going for a stream-of-consciousness effect, but without much success. If you want to read a horror story about dieting, try Stephen King's Thinner.
"The Language of Flowers" by Hugh Atkinson. 2/5 stars. Story of a retired bank manager becoming infatuated with an orchid; it doesn't end well. It occurs to me that H. G. Wells did this earlier and better in "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid" (1894).
"Grace Note" by Derwent May. 3/5 stars. I enjoyed this very brief fiction, but it doesn't actually seem to be a horror story.
"Miss Smith" by William Trevor. 2/5 stars. A horrific but implausible story of a middle-schooler taking revenge on his teacher.
"An American Organ" by Anthony Burgess. 1/5 stars. A man cruelly murders his wife for no apparent reason. He's crazy. Woo-hoo!
"The Biggest Game" by John Brunner. 1/5 stars. This one is just disingenuous. Brunner--a supremely talented writer--certainly knew better than this claptrap.
"The Way Ladies Walk" by Richard Nettell. 0/5 stars. A man combines necrophilia with a predilection for underage girls--offensive & creepy in all the wrong ways.
"Home Again, Home Again, Jigetty-Jig" by Patrick Boyle. 0/5 stars. I feel much the same about this one.
"Indoor Life" by Montague Haltrecht. 1/5 stars. A boring story about a henpecked husband. At least he doesn't kill anyone.
"Don't You Dare" by John Burke. 1/5 stars. But our reprieve is fleeting... Here the protagonist remarries after his first wife dies in a swimming accident, then murders his new wife because she is possessed by his ex.
"Isabo" by J. A. Cuddon. 2/5 stars. I didn't like this one, but it is well-done. A story about an exorcism, with lots of vomiting and profanity. Did William Peter Blatty read this before writing The Exorcist?
"Mewed Up" by Peter Brent. 2/5 stars. Again, well-done, but marred by its extreme implausibility. A man imprisons his literary hero; the prisoner does absolutely nothing.
"Under the Eildon Tree" by Alex Hamilton (the editor). 2/5 stars. I think he was going for humor here. This is at least readable, despite the adoption of an archaic dialect. The story meanders on to an apparently arbitrary ending, but at least keeps the pages turning.
"The Ice Palace" by Michael Baldwin. 1/5 stars. I really didn't get this one. It's a story about dieting, and the authors seems to be going for a stream-of-consciousness effect, but without much success. If you want to read a horror story about dieting, try Stephen King's Thinner.
"The Language of Flowers" by Hugh Atkinson. 2/5 stars. Story of a retired bank manager becoming infatuated with an orchid; it doesn't end well. It occurs to me that H. G. Wells did this earlier and better in "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid" (1894).
"Grace Note" by Derwent May. 3/5 stars. I enjoyed this very brief fiction, but it doesn't actually seem to be a horror story.
"Miss Smith" by William Trevor. 2/5 stars. A horrific but implausible story of a middle-schooler taking revenge on his teacher.
"An American Organ" by Anthony Burgess. 1/5 stars. A man cruelly murders his wife for no apparent reason. He's crazy. Woo-hoo!
"The Biggest Game" by John Brunner. 1/5 stars. This one is just disingenuous. Brunner--a supremely talented writer--certainly knew better than this claptrap.
"The Way Ladies Walk" by Richard Nettell. 0/5 stars. A man combines necrophilia with a predilection for underage girls--offensive & creepy in all the wrong ways.
"Home Again, Home Again, Jigetty-Jig" by Patrick Boyle. 0/5 stars. I feel much the same about this one.
"Indoor Life" by Montague Haltrecht. 1/5 stars. A boring story about a henpecked husband. At least he doesn't kill anyone.
"Don't You Dare" by John Burke. 1/5 stars. But our reprieve is fleeting... Here the protagonist remarries after his first wife dies in a swimming accident, then murders his new wife because she is possessed by his ex.
"Isabo" by J. A. Cuddon. 2/5 stars. I didn't like this one, but it is well-done. A story about an exorcism, with lots of vomiting and profanity. Did William Peter Blatty read this before writing The Exorcist?
"Mewed Up" by Peter Brent. 2/5 stars. Again, well-done, but marred by its extreme implausibility. A man imprisons his literary hero; the prisoner does absolutely nothing.
"Under the Eildon Tree" by Alex Hamilton (the editor). 2/5 stars. I think he was going for humor here. This is at least readable, despite the adoption of an archaic dialect. The story meanders on to an apparently arbitrary ending, but at least keeps the pages turning.
Displaying 1 of 1 review