Halfway Down The Stairs Gary A Braunbeck 9781942712596 Books
Download As PDF : Halfway Down The Stairs Gary A Braunbeck 9781942712596 Books
Climb halfway down the stairs with Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Gary A. Braunbeck, into worlds that occupy the spaces between "here" and "there," where office workers become little more than scrolls of code and an ordinary man discovers that he has to help reassemble the missing face of God; from battle-scarred veterans who have to protect their village from encroaching spirits to a college experiment that may bring about the end of days, all of these stories feature Braunbeck's trademark element an unblinking eye for emotional detail that elevates the subject matter of each piece into the realm of the genuinely literary. The stories span Braunbeck's thirty-year career from some of the very first tales of Cedar Hill to all-new stories, including the never-before-published author's preferred version of the controversial, "The Sisterhood of Plain-Faced Women." Several stories herein are introduced by such luminaries in the horror/dark fantasy field Ramsey Campbell, Laird Barron, Elizabeth Massie, Graham Masterton, and Jonathan Maberry, to name only a few. Halfway Down the Stairs is a treasure chest of wonders for Braunbeck fans.
Halfway Down The Stairs Gary A Braunbeck 9781942712596 Books
I intended to read this book just like a novel: start at the beginning and then work your way towards the end. However, soon I found it was better to not read it in one piece. This may have been obvious considering the book is a collection of many little pieces, but I never before found such a straining collection. Each story was so demanding I felt I needed some time in between to really savor its meaning.Therefore, I started reading only 2 or 3 stories at a time and then have a break, maybe even put some different, lighter stuff in between. That way, the stories did not start blur into each other and belittle each other's impact. Of course, it took me much longer to finish the book, but I guess this way I got the most out of it.
I have only recently discovered this author (shame on me), but I've really come to admire his constantly high-level, mind-bending and totally unique work which defies any categorizing. It is a melting pot of genres where horror, fantasy and sci-fi are only the top of the list. I dare say you may find a story touching almost every genre, which makes this collection diversified and suprising with each new story. The writing, of course, is superb: each sentence, even each word has its purpose and you won't find any unnecessary filling. I guess the word condensed may also be a fitting description.
Of course, there were stories I loved more than others, depending on the subject or genre they were dealing with, but I can honestly say there was not one single story I disliked. My favorite story - which I already re-read once and will surely do so again - is titled "Attack of the Giant Deformed Mutant Cannibalistic Gnashing Slobberers from Planet Cygnus X-2.73: A Love Story".
Highly recommended.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
Product details
|
Tags : Halfway Down The Stairs [Gary A. Braunbeck] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Climb halfway down the stairs with Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Gary A. Braunbeck, into worlds that occupy the spaces between here and there,Gary A. Braunbeck,Halfway Down The Stairs,JournalStone,1942712596,Fantasy - Collections & Anthologies,Horror fiction,Short stories,Fantasy,Fiction,Fiction Fantasy Collections & Anthologies
People also read other books :
- God and my neighbour Robert Blatchford Books
- Sweet Strawberry [Forbidden Fruit #1] Written Expressions LLC edition by Ana Star Literature Fiction eBooks
- The Camellia Resistance Audrey Reid Williams 9780991261000 Books
- Joey the Jackie and the Missing Birthday Cake Jayloshni Deonarain 9780620542548 Books
- I Am Ben Tanzer 9781467579124 Books
Halfway Down The Stairs Gary A Braunbeck 9781942712596 Books Reviews
Halfway Down the Stairs is a massive short story collection by Gary A. Braunbeck. It contains both old and brand new stories and it manages to brilliantly showcase Braunbeck's talents, from subtle science-fiction to straight horror to suspenseful mystery.
This book contains so many memorable stories that it is hard to pick favorites, but "We now pause for Station Identification" remains very vivid due to its ingenious way of revealing the back-story.
I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fascinating short stories with darker themes.
Disclosure I received a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.
Gary Braunbeck has been writing since the late ‘90s, but somehow I’d never discovered him. I’m glad that I have now.
I have to admit that some of the stories were not to my taste. He mainly writes horror but the type is all over the map. Some of the stories in the collection were what I refer to as ‘human horror’- the terrible things that people do to one another, rather than supernatural terrors. Child abuse and sexual abuse feature in a couple of stories and I found them very difficult to read. I thought about putting the book aside, but I persisted and I’m happy I did. Not all the stories are about human brutality-although the ones that are, are amazingly, stomach turningly so. Some are like fairy tales. One, ‘Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway’, is a life-after-death story that is achingly beautiful. A tale of Charles Fort and Bram Stoker is darkly amusing. It’s all very dark; things and people rot and decay. It’s as much noir as horror. “We Now Pause for Station Identification” is a zombie apocalypse told in a unique manner. Some are horror overlaid on the human condition- love, sex, working one’s life away. It’s a pretty great collection, but you do have to have a strong stomach.
“Have you ever asked anyone. . . if anything you do or say or hope or strive for or dream or regret ultimately matters, or is it all just some protracted, contemptuous, obscene delusion?” – From Halfway Down the Stairs
This collection of short stories by Gary Braunbeck creates terror, rage, and disgust for sure, but many of the stories also cause us to examine what we believe we understand about the impact of words, action, thought, and observation. The stories create a hyperawareness of life, wretchedness, and joy, and whether any of it really matters. Specifically, these stories call upon us to consider how we create the world in which we live, knowingly and unknowingly. A witness feels rage against the evil characters but worries more about how her hair looks when the media crew arrives to film the latest news horror.
The book displays Braunbeck’s chameleon style—at times, you think you really are reading Stephen King, and at others, you find yourself in Victorian prose. The book is blocked in three sections, with the second section’s stories provided with introductions written by friends and authors. There are campfire ghost stories, modern cyber stories, and more. While not every story is of equal merit, there are some that are real stand-outs.
Be careful because many of these stories have graphic and disturbing imagery. I admit that I glossed some because they were too much for me. For those prone to seizing and grinding upon what is worst in society and humankind, don’t read this book because the subtle, embedded presence of agape, philia, and storge will be lost. But if you can handle graphic literature that stops you in your daily tracks, read Halfway Down the Stairs with care and consideration. And remember that what should worry us most are not the stories themselves but what they show about our world.
I intended to read this book just like a novel start at the beginning and then work your way towards the end. However, soon I found it was better to not read it in one piece. This may have been obvious considering the book is a collection of many little pieces, but I never before found such a straining collection. Each story was so demanding I felt I needed some time in between to really savor its meaning.
Therefore, I started reading only 2 or 3 stories at a time and then have a break, maybe even put some different, lighter stuff in between. That way, the stories did not start blur into each other and belittle each other's impact. Of course, it took me much longer to finish the book, but I guess this way I got the most out of it.
I have only recently discovered this author (shame on me), but I've really come to admire his constantly high-level, mind-bending and totally unique work which defies any categorizing. It is a melting pot of genres where horror, fantasy and sci-fi are only the top of the list. I dare say you may find a story touching almost every genre, which makes this collection diversified and suprising with each new story. The writing, of course, is superb each sentence, even each word has its purpose and you won't find any unnecessary filling. I guess the word condensed may also be a fitting description.
Of course, there were stories I loved more than others, depending on the subject or genre they were dealing with, but I can honestly say there was not one single story I disliked. My favorite story - which I already re-read once and will surely do so again - is titled "Attack of the Giant Deformed Mutant Cannibalistic Gnashing Slobberers from Planet Cygnus X-2.73 A Love Story".
Highly recommended.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
0 Response to "[QGV]⇒ [PDF] Halfway Down The Stairs Gary A Braunbeck 9781942712596 Books"
Post a Comment