BP #86 EDITORIAL,
WINTER 2019
By
Editor A.M.
Stickel
Game
of Groans/No
Mercy
We may be grownups,
but we’re never too old for certain scares we learned to love in childhood.
This time around, BP is taking a
look at a quality short story collection by Matt Spencer, STORY TIME WITH CRAZY
UNCLE MATT, “a tangle of yarns” which is definitely not for kids.
Set in haunted
Vermont or mythical sword-and-sorcery Deschemb, we are given glimpses into the
truly warped imagination of an author who builds his dark fiction of the odd
and evil upon his own life experiences. The flow of the stories and nearly
typo-free copy make for an easy read, revealing experience gained from his
having put out 7 other books. These include: THE NIGHT AND THE LAND, THE TRAIL
OF THE BEAST, CULT OF THE STARS, CHAPEL OF THE FALCON, SUMMER REAPING ON THE
FIELDS OF NOWHERE, SHADOW BALLADS, and THE DRIFTING SOUL.
In the hands of a
dedicated artist, tales woven on the loom of depravity, filth, and frailty
present a vivid contrast to but not a negation of the redemptive and uplifting
aspects of life. The language, even in the sword-and-sorcery tales, is modern
without any pretense at elegance. Sympathetic protagonists are drawn in the same
hard lines as villains/antagonists. The Story
Notes at the end of the collection explain the origins for the story ideas,
a unique addendum well worth the read. The 13 collected stories have been
published separately elsewhere first; here is a title sampling: “Have Some
Dragon’s Blood,” “Just Chew Your Way Out,” “Island of Skulls,” and “The
Reverend.”
Appropriately, the book,
copyright 2018, is published by Back Roads Carnival Books, Brattleboro,
Vermont. The ISBN is 978-0-692-15638-4, and the price is $10 (U.S.). Laura
Janisieski is the cover artist. If you want to experience genuine
professionalism, as well as being given a broad horror sampling, then BP highly
recommends this read: 5 out
of 5 Black Roses. See also mattspencerauthor.wordpress.com
