Status Updates From Poe's Children: The New Horror

21. Black Dust - 3.5 / 5

A moving short that exemplifies the importance of looking beyond superficiality in examining a person's character.

20. The Kiss - 2 / 5

Standard revenge tale, but with a heavy dose of melodrama; especially since it empathizes with people pursuing rather... taboo professions.

16. 20th Century Ghost - 3.5 / 5

There's no place like home, indeed ❤️

15. Gardener of Heart - 3.5 / 5

Love, life and loss through the most special pair of siblings ever - twins.

14. Unearthed - 1.5 / 5

Some points for touching on grief, but this really was much ado about nothing.

13. Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story - 2.5 / 5

Always loved stories that awaken the bibliophile in me, and this one does just that 🔥

11. Plot Twist - 3.5 / 5

Three personas battle it out on a scorching desert, with sufficient backstory to keep you hooked and engaged. What a short 🔥

10. In Praise of Folly - 2.5 / 5

Was going great... until the abrupt end ruined it all. What a terrific way to set up the characters, the town, the atmosphere and basically about everything else... only to have it all come crashing down in the finale.

9. Leda - 1.5 / 5

Satirical modern retelling of the "Leda and the Swan" Greek myth, with some commentary on the psychological effects of sexual assault on the victim and her spouse, the media's insensitive reaction etc. Though as a whole, felt too familiar for it to be effective at a deeper level.

7. The Sadness Of Detail - 2 / 5

Straightforward short, perhaps the most straightforward of the entire lot. Though, in my view, it's a little too straightforward with virtually no real value apart from examining the role of fate in our lives and the possibilities of subverting terrible destinies, and bringing God into the discussion for good measure.

7. Louise's Ghost - 2 / 5

A rather beautiful exploration of female friendship (and love?), though the whole journey was rather gimmicky and rough with virtually no plot progression. Especially liked how both Louises were characterized on opposite ends, and their conversations and banter.

6. Body - 0.5 / 5

Half a star for the disturbing prose, and that's all there is to it. Couldn't make head or tail of what was going on.

5. The Voice of the Beach - 3 / 5

Unique entry among the shorts thus far, especially with the focus on cosmic horror. Really liked the vivid descriptions, though the pacing could have been tighter as a whole. Perhaps the entire short is an allegory of mankind taking over nature, and nature's response?

4. The Great God Pan - 2 / 5

A serviceable, albeit dreary and dull, extension of Arthur Machen's groundbreaking 1894 novella of the same name. Would be a rather confusing read standalone; without the context of the original.

3. The Man on the Ceiling - 2.5 / 5

Beautifully written but ultimately rather confounding tribute to the art of writing. Loved how they brought about the transformation of a family as life progresses, with the gorgeous prose adding color and life to the places and people.

2. Cleopatra Brimstone - 3.5 / 5

Okay,, so what in the world did I just read 😂 A woman turning guys into... well I will keep the suspense then 😅

Seriously though, pretty engrossing short, especially when the focus was on Jane's childhood. After that, the pacing dips a bit.

I didn't understand the ending but regardless seems like a banger 🔥

First review in a long while. Will update this progressively as I finish the stories.

1. The Bees - 5/5

Traditional run-of-the-mill 'past comes back to haunt protagonist' short but two key points:

- That germ of an idea seems to always work.
- Positively surprised by how well the short makes us feel through minimal events to elucidate everyone's characters

Sucky! I listened to the great God pan thinking I was getting The original by Arthur Machen in 1894, the classic of horror literature and has influenced H.P. Lovecraft and SK. But i got the a modern adaptation by M. John Harrison. It sucked. You don't get to know who the first person protagonist is. You don't get to know what the horrible thing they did was. I hated it.

First story ok. Second story sucks - a girl is going to turn into a butterfly and kill her rapist or something. Why's it gotta be a rape in the story? Pick someone else to kill. A politician. Skipped that one.