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Nukes: Four Horror Writers on the Ultimate Horror : Stories
Introduction / John Maclay -- The house of life / J.N. Williamson -- Tight little stitches in a dead man's back / Joe R. Lansdale -- The view from Mount Futuba / Jessica Amanda Salmonson -- And of Gideon / Mort Castle -- Afterword / John Maclay.
An unknown number of copies were issued with a tipped in signature sheet signed by all 4 contributors.
An unknown number of copies were issued with a tipped in signature sheet signed by all 4 contributors.
92 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 30, 2013
Excellent stories with different takes on the concept of nuclear war. The first story is a by JN Williamson and is the story of a few survivors of a nuclear war- a woman delivering a baby in the midst of world destruction, a lost dog, and an elderly couple. Joe R. Landsdale wrote one about a team who helped build atomic weapons and survive the nuclear war that follows, only to be eaten up by guilt...and eventually, other things. Lots of cool, mutated creatures. Another was about a feudal Buddhist Nun- Warrier who finds herself magically transported to Hiroshima (I think that's where she was) Another is about a mass murderer who finally finds his destiny and true calling after a nuclear war (as a survivor)
Very powerful
Very powerful
November 19, 2025
These four short stories were just okay: Joe R. Lansdale’s story is the only one that had any staying power for me. Just based on this short story from ‘86, you could tell he was going to be able to break through into popular fiction, which he has. The other three stories were much less successful, although Mort Castle’s story was at least attempting to say something about religion, politics and violence, even if I found it a bit too nihilistic for my taste.
August 14, 2012
I'm not sure what to think about this collection. Was '86 really that long ago? The stories all feel very immature, but more than that, they have more of a sense of imagination as to the effects and horrors of a nuclear strike (and aftermath) than anything based in reality. Maybe that was the point, but at no point was I sensing the horror.
Williamson's "The House of Life" felt like it was a spec-script for an anthology show (where one of the characters would have needed POV scenes until the very end) and very much of the mid-1980s. But in fumbling in multiple stories, he failed to give it any sense of plot or flow.
Lansdale's "Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back" may or may not have been the inspiration for Scott Smith's The Ruins, but I found it both odd and a little disturbing. The father secretly (subconsciously) lusting after his dead daughter is an angle that probably plays out better in a longer story. Actually, almost everything in this one would have. It feels like the outline for a novel he just didn't want to spend the time writing. Then there are the walking whales and other creatures that insta-mutated as a result of nuclear war, and this felt more like Sci-Fi fantasy than any kind of horror.
Salmonson's "The View from Mount Futaba"...I was just frustrated with it. I don't know how accurate her take on Japanese period Buddhism is, but it felt like it was just an excuse to throw in some names and have the protagonist have a fancy sword. I wholly owe that I may be showcasing my ignorance to the highest possible degree, but I don't think Salmonson did anything to show me that her character made sense. Then, it is just page after page of wandering around the aftermath of the Hiroshima attack with it being abundantly clear that none of this really matters in the development and history of the protagonist.
Castle's "And of Gideon" was more compelling, but also more like a writing exercise than a fully conceived story. Like Lansdale's offering, it was full of too much 'tell' and not nearly enough 'show'. As both authors have advised me (in book form, not in person) to do the exact opposite in my efforts to write, I was disappointed.
But none of the stories had any real emotional impact, nor do they seem to have aged well.
Williamson's "The House of Life" felt like it was a spec-script for an anthology show (where one of the characters would have needed POV scenes until the very end) and very much of the mid-1980s. But in fumbling in multiple stories, he failed to give it any sense of plot or flow.
Lansdale's "Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back" may or may not have been the inspiration for Scott Smith's The Ruins, but I found it both odd and a little disturbing. The father secretly (subconsciously) lusting after his dead daughter is an angle that probably plays out better in a longer story. Actually, almost everything in this one would have. It feels like the outline for a novel he just didn't want to spend the time writing. Then there are the walking whales and other creatures that insta-mutated as a result of nuclear war, and this felt more like Sci-Fi fantasy than any kind of horror.
Salmonson's "The View from Mount Futaba"...I was just frustrated with it. I don't know how accurate her take on Japanese period Buddhism is, but it felt like it was just an excuse to throw in some names and have the protagonist have a fancy sword. I wholly owe that I may be showcasing my ignorance to the highest possible degree, but I don't think Salmonson did anything to show me that her character made sense. Then, it is just page after page of wandering around the aftermath of the Hiroshima attack with it being abundantly clear that none of this really matters in the development and history of the protagonist.
Castle's "And of Gideon" was more compelling, but also more like a writing exercise than a fully conceived story. Like Lansdale's offering, it was full of too much 'tell' and not nearly enough 'show'. As both authors have advised me (in book form, not in person) to do the exact opposite in my efforts to write, I was disappointed.
But none of the stories had any real emotional impact, nor do they seem to have aged well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews