The ultimate Halloween: edited by Marvin Kaye
Posted 1st November 2009 at 01:57 PM by Ezteq
This is a book of short stories all by various writers and based around Halloween, a few of them were a bit duff but most were good and a couple were great; I'll concentrate on the great ones
Auntie Elspeth's Halloween story or The Gourd the Bad and the Ugly: Esther Freisner
A cranky old woman in a retirement home gets her grandnieces and nephews dumped on her near to Halloween so decides to tell 'em a story. Its all in monologue and the writing is very witty and sharp, the story Auntie Elspeth tells the little ones is very funny but also has the moral 'be careful what you wish for' running strongly through it.
Uncle Evil Eye: Carole Bugge
This is actually a very sweet reminiscence of childhood memories and a morose, bitter father who adopted an alternate persona as Uncle Evil Eye and visited havoc upon the children in the form of tickling fits which the children relished but were all desperate to avoid, then one night they hatch a plot to launch a counter attack upon old Evil Eye.
This was a lovely story, I suppose you would call it bitter sweet, makes a nice change to have a heartwarming Halloween tale!
My final choice of all the stories is The Unnamable: HP Lovecraft
I've never actually read any of his stories but really enjoyed this one, its a good proper ghost story, taking place in a graveyard and involving a creature so vile it is unnamable! It is an old story but not dated, it actually works better as a result of the language and style rather than if the story were to be retold in modern format.
Auntie Elspeth's Halloween story or The Gourd the Bad and the Ugly: Esther Freisner
A cranky old woman in a retirement home gets her grandnieces and nephews dumped on her near to Halloween so decides to tell 'em a story. Its all in monologue and the writing is very witty and sharp, the story Auntie Elspeth tells the little ones is very funny but also has the moral 'be careful what you wish for' running strongly through it.
Uncle Evil Eye: Carole Bugge
This is actually a very sweet reminiscence of childhood memories and a morose, bitter father who adopted an alternate persona as Uncle Evil Eye and visited havoc upon the children in the form of tickling fits which the children relished but were all desperate to avoid, then one night they hatch a plot to launch a counter attack upon old Evil Eye.
This was a lovely story, I suppose you would call it bitter sweet, makes a nice change to have a heartwarming Halloween tale!
My final choice of all the stories is The Unnamable: HP Lovecraft
I've never actually read any of his stories but really enjoyed this one, its a good proper ghost story, taking place in a graveyard and involving a creature so vile it is unnamable! It is an old story but not dated, it actually works better as a result of the language and style rather than if the story were to be retold in modern format.
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