The Ignored
Many horror stories are about loners or misfits, butThe Ignoredis about a man who is so average, who fits into society so well, he disappears from view.  In a harrowing progression reminiscent of an episode fromTwilight Zone,Bob Jones drifts into a state where his co-workers can't see him, his friends don't recognize him, his parents die and he's not even invited to the funeral. Then he joins up with others of "the Ignored," a tiny minority in their own pocket of reality who validate each other in their mediocrity. The strength of this tale is in Bentley Little's willingness to explore all the possible fates open to Bob Jones, as if trying out alternative endings for the novel. This is horror of ideas--a chilling commentary on the blandness of a society that has a McDonald's on every corner and entertainment that is safe, boring, and middle-of-the-road.