Review: Not a fan of horror, but ...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 18, 2011
Mr. Langhinrichs demonstrates his prowess as a writer with this collection of short stories. My favorite is "The Sea Witch's Daughter" (I can't resist a hero willing to die for love, or a good fairy tale, and this story delivered both.)My least favorite story was "If Not Mistaken." I considered docking one star from my rating, but it's not the author's fault that I don't like hard core horror. (It actually made me gag at one point.) That's when I realized this story was doing exactly what it was designed to do. if I were a horror fan, it would have delighted me. Any time a story gets a strong emotional reaction out of a reader, the author has done their job. So even though I did not "enjoy" this particular story, I can't help but admire Mr. Langhinrichs' skill.I loved the werewolf stories "Without Remorse" and  "Blood Feast." They still fall within the horror genre, but the violence wasn't quite as graphic as it was in "If Not Mistaken." (No gagging,)Another story that stands out is "Saving Grace." The details of the setting were so well crafted, I could smell the dust and mildew in the old house and feel the humidity of the Louisiana swamp. I felt as if I were there and found myself instantly aligned with Grace and at odds with her lazy, arrogant brother, Max.Stirring strong feelings for characters is hard to do in a short story, there just isn't enough time, but Ben Langhinrichs pulled it off repeatedly. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.