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Beyond the Porch Light and Other Tales
What lurks beyond the edge of porch light? From the dark influences that haunt the world to gnarled gnomes and ancient books and demonic creatures that lurk beneath carefully trimmed lawns, settle back beneath the covers and turn on the nightlight as Ferrel D. Moore shows you why you really should stay inside with the doors bolted on a red moon night.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 25, 2009
A really excellent collection. I reviewed this on Amazon, where I also gave it five stars. Several of the stories are truly classics, including "Beyond the Porch Light," "Electrocuting the Clowns," and "Pop-Up Killers," which reminded me a bit of some of Joe Lansdale's work. Highly recommended.
September 20, 2016
First and foremost, I want to mention that this book is not for kids. These stories are vicious, brutal, and deal with some situations involving kids that are, in my opinion, probably too intense for an immature reader.
I’ve read a couple of novels by Ferrel D. Moore, but this is the first time I’ve read his shorter work. Many of these stories read more like vignettes or single, extended scenes; but that doesn’t take away from the tension and terror. Moore crafts some downright evil tales in this collection. In addition to the usual suspects you would expect in horror stories—ghosts, monsters, even possessed clown dolls—Moore also includes deeper, darker types of evil in these tales. Contained in these pages, far enough away that we as readers are safe from them but close enough that their undeniably danger is present, are the more human evils of willful murder, abject greed, inappropriately invasive lust, and child abuse. The monsters are scary, but in many of these stories, the people are the true terrors.
Although these are stand-alone stories, there are a couple of themes that wind throughout. One is the concept of a Red Moon night, which is idea similar to the tried-and-true “witching hour” we’re probably all familiar with; but on steroids. The barriers thin between the rational world and a realm of nightmare, and Moore’s characters bear the brunt of it. In one particular scene, which is a bit meta, one of the characters mentions not to bother googling the term since nothing comes up. I got a kick out of that, and of course immediately had to google it.
There are also two characters who make repeat appearances in a couple of these stories (as well as in at least one of Moore’s novels), the exquisitely inhuman Emile Chirac and his violent but lovable bodyguard, Ricci. I could have read an entire collection of shorts about these two (hint hint, if you’re reading this, Ferrel). There are also some H.P. Lovecraft references, and one of the stories is a direct reference to the Mythos. But even in the stories that aren’t HPL-centric, the influence of madness and otherworldly monstrosity is there as an undercurrent.
As for the negatives, there are more than a few instances of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors, which I found distracting. I believe this book could have been polished more before hitting the bookshelves. It also doesn’t have a Table of Contents, which isn’t a huge problem but would have been nice, especially in the eBook version since it lets you easily jump to a particular story. The last thing I want to mention is that some of the stories had an ending that I saw coming a mile away. Again, not a huge deal since these aren’t mysteries; but it comes down to what you enjoy when you read a horror story. If you want to be kept guessing as to what’s going to happen, this might not be the book for you. If, however, you don’t mind already having a pretty good idea how it’s going to turn out and just want to enjoy reading how Moore gets you there, then I think you’ll like it.
Overall, this collection of short horror stories is a quick read, and well worth the price of admission.
*I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I’ve read a couple of novels by Ferrel D. Moore, but this is the first time I’ve read his shorter work. Many of these stories read more like vignettes or single, extended scenes; but that doesn’t take away from the tension and terror. Moore crafts some downright evil tales in this collection. In addition to the usual suspects you would expect in horror stories—ghosts, monsters, even possessed clown dolls—Moore also includes deeper, darker types of evil in these tales. Contained in these pages, far enough away that we as readers are safe from them but close enough that their undeniably danger is present, are the more human evils of willful murder, abject greed, inappropriately invasive lust, and child abuse. The monsters are scary, but in many of these stories, the people are the true terrors.
Although these are stand-alone stories, there are a couple of themes that wind throughout. One is the concept of a Red Moon night, which is idea similar to the tried-and-true “witching hour” we’re probably all familiar with; but on steroids. The barriers thin between the rational world and a realm of nightmare, and Moore’s characters bear the brunt of it. In one particular scene, which is a bit meta, one of the characters mentions not to bother googling the term since nothing comes up. I got a kick out of that, and of course immediately had to google it.
There are also two characters who make repeat appearances in a couple of these stories (as well as in at least one of Moore’s novels), the exquisitely inhuman Emile Chirac and his violent but lovable bodyguard, Ricci. I could have read an entire collection of shorts about these two (hint hint, if you’re reading this, Ferrel). There are also some H.P. Lovecraft references, and one of the stories is a direct reference to the Mythos. But even in the stories that aren’t HPL-centric, the influence of madness and otherworldly monstrosity is there as an undercurrent.
As for the negatives, there are more than a few instances of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors, which I found distracting. I believe this book could have been polished more before hitting the bookshelves. It also doesn’t have a Table of Contents, which isn’t a huge problem but would have been nice, especially in the eBook version since it lets you easily jump to a particular story. The last thing I want to mention is that some of the stories had an ending that I saw coming a mile away. Again, not a huge deal since these aren’t mysteries; but it comes down to what you enjoy when you read a horror story. If you want to be kept guessing as to what’s going to happen, this might not be the book for you. If, however, you don’t mind already having a pretty good idea how it’s going to turn out and just want to enjoy reading how Moore gets you there, then I think you’ll like it.
Overall, this collection of short horror stories is a quick read, and well worth the price of admission.
*I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews