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Title: Bedbugs by Rick Hautula, Rick Hautala ISBN: 0-8439-5074-9 Publisher: Dorchester Pub Co Pub. Date: March, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.92 (13 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: These Bedbugs have bite!
Comment: Those who only know Rick Hautala as a novelist might be surprised to learn that he's a talented short story writer as well. Ample proof is available in BEDBUGS, a collection of 26 tales of horror, suspense and the macabre.
One has to be impressed by Hautala's versatility. Many of his short stories capture the style, feeling, and, sometimes, the very intensity of writers as diverse as Edgar Allen Poe ("The Back of My Hands"), Robert Bloch ("Colt .24"), Joe R. Lansdale ("... from a Stone") and Gary Braunbeck ("Schoolhouse"), even as he puts his own spin on the material. Hautala's also proven that he can deliver even when constrained by narrow or quirky
themes, as in his stories originally written for theme anthologies. Tales such as "Winter Queen" (from Dark Destiny), "Surprise" (The Ultimate Zombie), and "Piss Eyes" (Frankenstein: The Monster Awakes) demonstrate his consummate professionalism and extensive range.
As Matt Costello notes in his afterward, Hautala brings "... a special freedom to his short fiction ... as though the short stories didn't have to fit in a certain niche of Rick Hautala books, and he could just wail." This assertion is proved repeatedly as Hautala takes readers on an oft-times bizarre tour of the human psyche. In "Crying Wolf," a tale dedicated to Richard Laymon, they're introduced to Billy Lewis, a sociopath
who'd give Todd Hunter of "Apt Pupil" fame a run for his money. In "Sources of the Nile," they meet a narrator who takes his eye fetish to extremes. Finally, there's "Rubies and Pearls," featuring a serial killer whose M.O. is sure to raise a few hackles.
Such is Hautala's craftsmanship that many readers won't even notice it. Take the opening paragraph of "Speedbump":
"I can't go swimmin' anymore, 'n all because Phil had to go and kill our son-of-a-b**** of a boss, Lester Croix. I suppose it was bound to happen, but I dunno. I think Phil coulda done a better job of it. Lucky thing for Phil, though, I work with him and was the first one to notice Lester's body -- his hand, anyway. That way, just as a favor to Phil, I could clean things up to make sure no one else ever found out about what he had done."
Hardly anyone reading lines like these is apt to stop. Openings like this are only one indication of Hautala's abundant literary gifts, all of which are on display in this estimable collection.
Rating: 5
Summary: A First-Rate Talent
Comment: Bedbugs is an excellent collection in every respect but then why wouldn't it be? Rick Hautala is a first-rate talent who deserves much more note and notice than he's received lately. In addition to being a great storyteller, Rick has a good deal to say about our time. His stories are often wry comments on life in the new century. Spooky and cautionary tales. Bedbugs has something for every taste, from a few that EC Comics would have published with delight, to some horrifying psychological suspense stories that Ruth rendell readers will appreciate. A fine introduction to Rick's work--and a guaranteed pleasure to read for readers of all kinds.
Rating: 5
Summary: A wildly imaginative collection
Comment: One of the things I like best about Mr. Hautala's stories is the range and diversity. From circus dancers to IRS agents, they all have a place in the crazy universe of BEDBUGS. My favorite story is "The Schoolhouse", which is a delightfully creepy trip back into the nightmare of grade school.
I read this book in two nights and loved every minute of it. Mr. Hautala's prose style is easy to read and he knows how to write a rocking good story. BEDBUGS is destined to become a classic!
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Title: The Longest Single Note by Peter Crowther ISBN: 0843950781 Publisher: Dorchester Pub Co Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Gathering the Bones by Ramsey Campbell, Jack Dann, Dennis Etchison ISBN: 0765301792 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 16 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Hour Before Dark by Douglas Clegg ISBN: 0843951427 Publisher: Dorchester Pub Co Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Speaks the Nightbird, Vol. 2: Evil Unveiled by Robert McCammon ISBN: 0743471393 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon ISBN: 0843948507 Publisher: Dorchester Pub Co Pub. Date: March, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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