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The Hunchback's Captive and Others: Stories and Poems of the Darkly Fantastic
Sentient bog bodies, living marionettes, deranged tramp clowns, fairies turned human, tooth fairies gone bad, shadowy figures on stilts... these and many other strange characters haunt the pages of this unique collection of fantasy and horror.
"Jay Sturner's collection of stories, poems, prose poems, vignettes, and fables has much to recommend it. Inspired by the work of Lord Dunsany and other classic writers, yet also exhibiting vibrant originality, the highly diverse works in this book will take you out of our frenetic contemporary era and into realms of ethereal fantasy and clutching terror. And yet, pathos and poignancy are not absent." —S. T. Joshi, literary critic and leading figure in the study of weird and fantastic fiction
"Jay Sturner has created a phantasmagorical assortment of surreal wonders, bone-chilling horrors, and intimate whimsies, each holding a mirror to our most hidden selves. I recommend this amazing collection of poetry and short fiction wholeheartedly." —David Lee Summers, author of Owl Dance and The Astronomer’s Crypt
"Jay Sturner's collection of stories, poems, prose poems, vignettes, and fables has much to recommend it. Inspired by the work of Lord Dunsany and other classic writers, yet also exhibiting vibrant originality, the highly diverse works in this book will take you out of our frenetic contemporary era and into realms of ethereal fantasy and clutching terror. And yet, pathos and poignancy are not absent." —S. T. Joshi, literary critic and leading figure in the study of weird and fantastic fiction
"Jay Sturner has created a phantasmagorical assortment of surreal wonders, bone-chilling horrors, and intimate whimsies, each holding a mirror to our most hidden selves. I recommend this amazing collection of poetry and short fiction wholeheartedly." —David Lee Summers, author of Owl Dance and The Astronomer’s Crypt
102 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2019
About the author
Jay Sturner
21 books4 followersJay Sturner is a poet, fiction writer, and naturalist from the Chicago suburbs. From 2010 to 2017 he lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the author of several books of poetry and a collection of short stories. His writing has appeared in such publications as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Space & Time, Spectral Realms, Not One of Us, and Lovecraftiana, among others. He mainly writes fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but occasionally writes in other genres. Sturner is also a professional birdwalk leader and former botanist.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 20, 2022
An evocative collection of phantasmagoric fiction & poetry, "The Hunchback's Captive & Others" by Jay Sturner takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of awe, wonder, & horror. I especially appreciate the author's devout nods to nature reverence; the book opens with a reflection on Pan, which moved me deeply. Sturner writes a rich cross-fertilization of "folk horror," Weird fiction, dark whimsy, & Dunsanian fantasy, illuminated by the author's unique vision & voice. Favorite pieces include "Sketch by Sketch," "Misery of He Who is Outside the Realm of Man," & "The Girl with the Crooked Spine." Highly recommended.
April 8, 2020
Jay Sturner’s collection—The Hunchback’s Captive and Others: Stories and Poems of the Darkly Fantastic (Fairy Thrush Press, 2019)—is comprised of 24 pieces. The cover art, by Amelia Joyce Leonards, features a cait sidhe (pronounced “caught shee”) from Irish folklore, which is a “fairy cat.” It perfectly captures the sentiment of the 96-page collection, which is accurately summarized by S. T. Joshi who says the work exhibits “vibrant originality” and will thrust you “into the realms of ethereal fantasy and clutching horror.” And of these “phantasmagorical assortment of surreal wonders, bone-chilling horrors, and intimate whimsies,” David Lee Summers says that each of these stories and poems is “like holding a mirror to our most hidden selves.”
I reviewed an earlier version of the manuscript and cataloged my comments/impressions on the then 18 pieces. Collectively, my impression of the collection is consistent with the two poet-writers mentioned above, who provided blurbs to which I was not privy to at the time of my review. Though all the stories and poems in collection were enjoyable, the ones marked with an asterisk (*) are among my favorites:
The opening prose poem, “Sketch by Sketch,” is a musing on Pan, and perhaps a metaphor, with the great line: Today you’ll find me in the green layers beyond the city, sidestepping the coiled corpses of men’s dreams. “Faerystruck Down” is rich with anapests and propels the reader into the fantasy realm. “What We Know of Goddesses” alludes to the key roles women have in society, even among the gods. “Strings,” a bizarro piece, originally closed the series. (‘Bizarro fiction is a contemporary literary genre, which often uses elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque, along with pop-surrealism and genre fiction staples, in order to create subversive, weird, and entertaining works.’ – Wikipedia.) “The Girl with the Crooked Spine” is simply spooky, spooky-good. In an excerpt from “Misery of He Who is Outside the Realm of Man,” notice the nihilism and the brilliant oxymoron at the core of man: But he who is outside the realm of man, and whose core is a diamond of misery, must endure his current destiny without fail, for always there is war and disease, starvation, murder, agedness . . . “Time to Grow Up Where There’s No Time at All” has poetic swaths like Guiding my dreams beyond the moonlight. “Intimate Universes” is enriched with surrealism and personification: A singularity popped off the tongue of a howling black hole. “Belch” is a prose poem that is non-flattering concerning the nature of man/mankind. “Charon Falls into the Styx” was the first story I read (having started at random) and seems to be a Dante-influenced piece but with an unexpected fate for the boatman. “The Hunchback’s Captive”*, the title story, begins with an intriguing image: I was facedown in swamp muck beneath a moss green moon, gasping for air… and continues into a relentless series of nightmarish dreamscapes symbolic of our socio-economic times. “The Politician’s New Heart” makes an environmental statement: free of pollution, and boldly green. (“Post Funeral Mission to Mars,” “Intimate Universes,” and “Penumbra” were not in the original manuscript.) “The Unfortunate Heartbreak of Faritook the Earwig” is a hoot and an insect metaphor for adolescent human sexuality. “Red Icicles” is a cute story of aviary revenge. “Ghoul of the Enamel”* is a story with a twist on the tooth fairy. “Deal Down at the Hospital”* has hints of Stephen King’s sinister clown, It, but actually has a sense of symbolic retribution—another Dante influence. “The Tramp Clown’s Secret”* is a short story full of twists. (“Not for Mortal Eyes” was not in the original manuscript.) “The Blackout Killer” is spooky, ghoulish and twisted, and originally was the penultimate piece ending this clever and imaginative series of stories and poems. “Making Amends” is another Dante-like poem. (Finally, the closing pieces, “Spiral of Flies” and “The Dark Island,” were also not in the original manuscript, and therefore not reviewed.)
I can recommend this collection to the aficionados of fantasy-horror genre.
—Wendy S. Delmater, editor & John C. Mannone, reviewer and poetry editor of Abyss & Apex
I reviewed an earlier version of the manuscript and cataloged my comments/impressions on the then 18 pieces. Collectively, my impression of the collection is consistent with the two poet-writers mentioned above, who provided blurbs to which I was not privy to at the time of my review. Though all the stories and poems in collection were enjoyable, the ones marked with an asterisk (*) are among my favorites:
The opening prose poem, “Sketch by Sketch,” is a musing on Pan, and perhaps a metaphor, with the great line: Today you’ll find me in the green layers beyond the city, sidestepping the coiled corpses of men’s dreams. “Faerystruck Down” is rich with anapests and propels the reader into the fantasy realm. “What We Know of Goddesses” alludes to the key roles women have in society, even among the gods. “Strings,” a bizarro piece, originally closed the series. (‘Bizarro fiction is a contemporary literary genre, which often uses elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque, along with pop-surrealism and genre fiction staples, in order to create subversive, weird, and entertaining works.’ – Wikipedia.) “The Girl with the Crooked Spine” is simply spooky, spooky-good. In an excerpt from “Misery of He Who is Outside the Realm of Man,” notice the nihilism and the brilliant oxymoron at the core of man: But he who is outside the realm of man, and whose core is a diamond of misery, must endure his current destiny without fail, for always there is war and disease, starvation, murder, agedness . . . “Time to Grow Up Where There’s No Time at All” has poetic swaths like Guiding my dreams beyond the moonlight. “Intimate Universes” is enriched with surrealism and personification: A singularity popped off the tongue of a howling black hole. “Belch” is a prose poem that is non-flattering concerning the nature of man/mankind. “Charon Falls into the Styx” was the first story I read (having started at random) and seems to be a Dante-influenced piece but with an unexpected fate for the boatman. “The Hunchback’s Captive”*, the title story, begins with an intriguing image: I was facedown in swamp muck beneath a moss green moon, gasping for air… and continues into a relentless series of nightmarish dreamscapes symbolic of our socio-economic times. “The Politician’s New Heart” makes an environmental statement: free of pollution, and boldly green. (“Post Funeral Mission to Mars,” “Intimate Universes,” and “Penumbra” were not in the original manuscript.) “The Unfortunate Heartbreak of Faritook the Earwig” is a hoot and an insect metaphor for adolescent human sexuality. “Red Icicles” is a cute story of aviary revenge. “Ghoul of the Enamel”* is a story with a twist on the tooth fairy. “Deal Down at the Hospital”* has hints of Stephen King’s sinister clown, It, but actually has a sense of symbolic retribution—another Dante influence. “The Tramp Clown’s Secret”* is a short story full of twists. (“Not for Mortal Eyes” was not in the original manuscript.) “The Blackout Killer” is spooky, ghoulish and twisted, and originally was the penultimate piece ending this clever and imaginative series of stories and poems. “Making Amends” is another Dante-like poem. (Finally, the closing pieces, “Spiral of Flies” and “The Dark Island,” were also not in the original manuscript, and therefore not reviewed.)
I can recommend this collection to the aficionados of fantasy-horror genre.
—Wendy S. Delmater, editor & John C. Mannone, reviewer and poetry editor of Abyss & Apex
February 26, 2022
Jay Sturner's THE HUNCHBACK'S CAPTIVE AND OTHERS [Fairy Thrush Press 2019, Cover Art by Amelia Royce Leonards] offers a cornucopia of inspired work of the high imagination and what the author/poet terms "the Darkly Fantastic." This collection of short and "micro-" fiction, poetry, and prose poems displays an adeptness with language and great skill in creative imagery throughout.
Sturner proves himself master of the short short story form with several tales in addition to the centerpiece, "The Hunchback's Captive." He demonstrates command of both the "norm" of 3rd person past tense narration and the immediate 1st person voice working in an easy-to-follow present. The capabilities in his use of a variety of diction levels for his characters—from colloquial to heightened style show the influences of such notable scribes as Lord Dunsany, Yeats, Bradbury—and shows great familiarity with Western mythological and folkloric sources.
Of course, Dunsany and Bradbury—as noted above—were true "prose poets." Sturner's use of language and vivid imagery qualify him as member of this camp and make the book worth the read well beyond the inventiveness and variety of his tales and poems of Dark Fantasy.
I highly recommend this book for lovers of speculative, dark, weird, or horrific literature.
Sturner proves himself master of the short short story form with several tales in addition to the centerpiece, "The Hunchback's Captive." He demonstrates command of both the "norm" of 3rd person past tense narration and the immediate 1st person voice working in an easy-to-follow present. The capabilities in his use of a variety of diction levels for his characters—from colloquial to heightened style show the influences of such notable scribes as Lord Dunsany, Yeats, Bradbury—and shows great familiarity with Western mythological and folkloric sources.
Of course, Dunsany and Bradbury—as noted above—were true "prose poets." Sturner's use of language and vivid imagery qualify him as member of this camp and make the book worth the read well beyond the inventiveness and variety of his tales and poems of Dark Fantasy.
I highly recommend this book for lovers of speculative, dark, weird, or horrific literature.
July 15, 2022
Jay and I recently engaged in a book swap, and I have to say, I think I got the better deal! This book, whilst slender, is packed to the rafters with imagination, ideas and great writing. It's like walking through a dandelion field - with every page, there's a new bloom sent off into the ether. Whilst I preferred the stories to the prose, this is a book I can recommend without hesitation.
May 30, 2023
This is an excellent collection with some really stirring stories. I found myself saying "this is my favorite story so far!" over and over until the very last one. Jay Sturner is a great writer, and he blends weird fiction, dark fantasy, and horror in a book that I enjoy revisiting even after completing it!
February 26, 2022
A fascinating collection of complex, dark, and - at times - oddly beautiful and whimsical prose and poems.
I read this collection on the kindle and loved it so much I had to upgrade to a physical copy for the shelf.
If you enjoy fiction by Lovecraft, Dunsany and Smith then you'll find much to enjoy in this collection. But don't think that's all you'll find - these stories are original and engaging, beautifully written, with a sprinkle of dark humour as well. They paint a very unique journey, and it's one that demands (and rewards) attention and time.
Highly recommended.
I read this collection on the kindle and loved it so much I had to upgrade to a physical copy for the shelf.
If you enjoy fiction by Lovecraft, Dunsany and Smith then you'll find much to enjoy in this collection. But don't think that's all you'll find - these stories are original and engaging, beautifully written, with a sprinkle of dark humour as well. They paint a very unique journey, and it's one that demands (and rewards) attention and time.
Highly recommended.
December 14, 2019
"Oh how I longed to dance and love and sketch wildly among them!" shouts the first piece in Jay Sturner's "The Hunchback's Captive and Others".
This is the kind of book I love, the kind of book you can grab when you aren't sure what you want to read - poetry? short stories? dreamy interstitial pieces? and get a little bit of everything. The first piece helps set that tone. In a lot of ways, books like this can feel like a series of sketches. But I think a better way to see this book is a series of windows - museum display cases, uzzy memories, abandoned cabins. Works tend to exist in a small space, and a small period of time.
In fact, some of the weakest parts of the book are the ones that buck this and read more like traditional couple-act short stories, with traditional conflict and clear resolution. The better parts of the book go all in on the Dunsany-esque dreamland.
For example, one of my favorite pieces is "The Girl With the Crooked Spine" - it's short, sincere, emotional, deals with childhood loneliness, the power of museums, and bog mummies(!!!) and instead of resolving clearly, it feels like the characters simply move past our window and into bigger worlds we cannot see. Worlds that, according to the rest of the pieces, are rich with goddesses, magic, and swarms of ghosts. Worlds slightly familiar and alien at the same time, where a cell phone can be vomited up and still ring, where organ transplants can change the core of a person.
Strong poetry and hard to classify flash make this book a worthwhile read.
This is the kind of book I love, the kind of book you can grab when you aren't sure what you want to read - poetry? short stories? dreamy interstitial pieces? and get a little bit of everything. The first piece helps set that tone. In a lot of ways, books like this can feel like a series of sketches. But I think a better way to see this book is a series of windows - museum display cases, uzzy memories, abandoned cabins. Works tend to exist in a small space, and a small period of time.
In fact, some of the weakest parts of the book are the ones that buck this and read more like traditional couple-act short stories, with traditional conflict and clear resolution. The better parts of the book go all in on the Dunsany-esque dreamland.
For example, one of my favorite pieces is "The Girl With the Crooked Spine" - it's short, sincere, emotional, deals with childhood loneliness, the power of museums, and bog mummies(!!!) and instead of resolving clearly, it feels like the characters simply move past our window and into bigger worlds we cannot see. Worlds that, according to the rest of the pieces, are rich with goddesses, magic, and swarms of ghosts. Worlds slightly familiar and alien at the same time, where a cell phone can be vomited up and still ring, where organ transplants can change the core of a person.
Strong poetry and hard to classify flash make this book a worthwhile read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews