Short stories really have a chance to shine in the horror genre, and the gems in Billie Sue Mosimanās The Subway Collection do not disappointāthe four tales are atmospheric, surprising, and pack a visceral punch!
In āDark Reality,ā Mosiman immediately sets the small-town scene with both description and the narratorās memorable, unique voice. Right from the start, the narrator notes that something strange is happeningāthat his world was changing. Subtle details like a missing beer to larger shocks like a mysterious new cabinet in his house all lead up to a reality-bending truth that both intrigues and shocks.
āMcMurdo Sound,ā the second story, takes the traditional horror tale of the murderous man with a hook for a hand and gives it new life on a military base in Antarctica, where storytelling and human nature take a very dark turn.
āSparkleā tells the story of Abe Abbadon and his supernatural bed and breakfast, which draws evil to it for a specific and sinister purpose, while āInterview with a Psychoā turns to evil in human form and its ability to deceive and destroy.
The stories in The Subway Collection are short reads but leave a lasting impressionāMosiman expertly mixes true horror with suspense and even a touch of sci-fi to create characters I will remember for a long time. Mosiman explores the different sides and aspects of evil in her latter three stories, and she does so in an intelligent and compelling way. Ms. Mosiman has been nominated for Edgar and Bram Stoker prizes for horror, and itās easy to see why with these creative, thoughtfully crafted horror stories!
