Review: Get ready to put on your frightened face
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 16, 2014
I tend to read a lot of horror.  Although my tastes vary, I'm particularly fond of short stories. There's something unique about the thrill of  a quick, well crafted arrow of fear to the heart that's sublime. A good novel is a joy to experience, but a good short story..well, that has a staying power all its own. It haunts you.Not so long ago, Terry M. West redefined my expectations of how effective short fiction can be when he released the superb horror anthology What Price Gory?.  In my review of that collection, I stated that I considered it to be the best anthology I had read since Stephen King's classic Night Shift turned me on to the joys of the horror anthology in my youth. I stand by that critical appraisal..What Price Gory ? is the only collection aside from Night Shift where every single story had a powerful impact on me. Every ..single..story. And out of all of them, two in particular shone even brighter in their macabre brilliance than their twisted brethren:  The tale the collection took its name from and "Put on a Happy Face" .Of those two, while I thought "What Price Gory?" was the more profound tale, making a sharp and thought provoking statement on the psychology that drives those of us who pen tales of the macabre, there was no question that "Put on Happy Face" was the darker, more sinster story. This story sent shivers down my spine as it explored the mysterious relationship between little Susie and her guardian and older brother Billy, who live alone out in the mddle of nowhere, in a big, dark house. It's a place where visitors are not welcome, for reasons West vividly makes all too clear.This is a malevolent modern fairy tale, a nursery rhyme with verse etched in brimstone and slow roasted in the fires of hell itself. A clever, subversive essay on the dangers of deception, rage and lost humanity. To read "Put on a Happy Face" is to undertake a nightmare journey into madness and death. I loved it every step of the way.As is the case with all of Terry West's single shots - and he's released a few now- I can recommend going either way. If you purchase the collection What Price Gory?,  you'll pay a little more but you'll also have access to all of the other remarkable tales that compose that book.If you opt for this single shot, you pay less, get this story (which is worth every damned penny) and also have an opportunity to read  special author's notes West has been including exclusively with each of the stories in his single shot series. The notes for "Put on a Happy Face" in particular are really interesting and, after reading them, I have even more respect for what the author brought to the table here.The bottom Line: Either way, you get your money's worth.  Don't miss out, Every horror fan owes it to themselves to read the creepy, unsettling and undeniably horrifying short form masterpiece that is "Put on a Happy Face" at least once.