Review: Dark and creepy - another great collection!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 30, 2012
Head Cases, a collection of 9 short tales of Dark Fiction and Horror, is another star turn from the inestimable Mr Nicholson - with two of the tales written by fellow storytellers William Meikle and John Everson.The opener, `Fear Goggles' is a mind-bending chiller of what lies just beyond vision - and things which are not talked about. Just remember to wear the glasses and you'll be fine again.`Beggar's Velvet' is a horrifying reminder of the damage that family abuse can do - as Cynthia is tortured by the fear of what lies under her bed in the dust, waiting for her in the darkness.`The White House' (by John Everson) is very, very cold and disturbing. A young girl is taken in by kindness and given a tour of a very grisly past by a captive old lady with unfinished work.`Heal Thyself' is an interesting story that deals with Racism through the therapy of a troubled man and a violent past life. Senstively handled - whilst still having a sufficiently taut ending.`Metabolism' tells a relentless rhythm of the devouring, omniscient City, and the fear that drives Elise to escape its harsh and stultifying grasp. This is almost Beat Poetry in its cadence of breathless anxiety.`Letters & Lies'. Going Postal in all its glory as Charlie reads a long-dead letter and begins to hear the voices in the Mail and all their sordid, desperate secrets. It's just too much for a regular guy like Charlie to hear. Short but wry.`The Weight of Silence'. The sadness of losing a child returns to haunt a lonely, guilt-wracked mother. How far would someone go in a trade-off between happiness and money?`Wee Robbie' (by William Meikle) is another of this Author's famed Celtic-wreathed stories with a dark and frightening past. An impending birth leads to a horrifying end.`Do You Know Me Yet?' is an amusing twist - a lunatic with the certainty of having written every horror bestseller going. A clever tip of the hat to stories and films that have gone down in legend.Great collection - great value - don't miss out!