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HORROR / THRILLER |
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This standout collection contains a story R.C. Matheson once dubbed his favorite horror tale, 1993's "The Dog Park." It riffs on a theme that is one Dennis Etchison returns to frequently; the hideous abuse heaped upon those who try to make their fortune in Hollywood. In fact, the next story ("The Last Reel") is a different take on the same concept. This guy loathes tinsel town; he trashes it like you badmouth an old girlfriend you're still obsessed with. But Etchison is good. Really good. In fact, he reminds me of the early Richard Matheson Sr., who was so unbelievably precise in his psychological attack that you could hardly catch your breath. The problem with reviewing this kind of work is the risk of blowing the subtle twists, turns and surprises contained in the individual pieces. This was my introduction to Etchison's work, and let me just say I swiftly came to agree with Publisher's Weekly that this book is "exquisitely well written and stunningly original." What the author does so effectively is establish what seems a relatively ordinary world, and then subtly distort that world until it suddenly becomes something hatched from the consciousness of a paranoid schizophrenic. He does this time and time again. The blunt, disturbing "When They Gave Us Memory" comes to mind. I cannot summarize and do it justice. Let's just say that a man walking by the seashore gradually loses his grip on reality, and so does the reader. "Call Home" takes what we believe to be a touching situation involving a man and a cute little girl, flips it around and in a few short pages stands up all your short hairs. "Inside The Cackle Factory" is yet another assault on the viciousness of the entertainment business; specifically television. "Deadtime Story" gives us a Faustian pact that ends in a California hot tub with a couple of underage girls…But not the way you'd think. I got the impression Dennis may be a wounded and cynical guy. That's too bad for him, but damned cool for us. THE DEATH ARTIST is downright dazzling. Four BookWyrms.
This review copyright 2002 E.C.McMullen Jr. |
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