Hollow: 20 Tales of Terror - Blair Daniels - Book Review

 

        Recently, I was looking for some horror short stories. Then one day, I saw a new book by Blair Daniels. As a longtime reader of her work, I knew what to expect and jumped right in.

        Hollow is a collection of twenty-two horror short stories that mainly connect with social media and current trends. It mainly explores quick stories of entities in the attic, children behaving oddly, a sorority with odd rules, and even events surrounding social media platforms. 

        As with any other Blair Daniels short story collection, what worked well for me was the crazy ideas behind the stories. It always fills me with wonder as to how such scenarios can be brought about. The stories look straight out of creepypasta, with the speed complementing the reading. Most of the twenty-two stories were good and engaging enough, except for three or four. The language is simple and easy to follow.

        In short, a quick and engaging collection of short stories that can be enjoyed by horror lovers.

For other reviews of books by Blair Daniels, check the links below.

Let Me In : 30 Tales of Terror - Blair Daniels

Warning Sirens - Blair Daniels

What Hides in the Dark - Blair Daniels

Cabin: 17 Tales of Terror. 1 Cabin - Blair Daniels

The Homeowners Association - Blair Daniels

Random Ramblings #17 - Leaving Behind

 

I read a beautiful quote today. 
"When we finally reach the shore, we must leave the boat behind".

A boat helps you travel across a river, lake, or any body of water, safe and sound. Once you reach the other shore or destination, you leave the boat and proceed with your day. When we are in the doldrums of life, we tend to cling to something that might heal or help us cross it - a person, a book, a habit, a relationship, a pet, a belief, etc. This quote is all about transition and letting go. A wave or bad weather, but the boat keeps us afloat, like how we depend on them partly or even totally. It indeed helped us cross that situation or reach a destination in the journey of life.

But....

This is when this sentence can get controversial. People will start telling how we can leave them behind, like the boat, and forget them.

Do understand that letting go is not forgetting the thing that helped us and going on our way. It means letting go, clinging to it with gratitude in our hearts. Sometimes, when we reach a particular goal or get past a situation, clinging to it makes us stay put and redundant. It may hold you back. This letting go is not forgetting them. They always occupy a big part of your heart, and you will always be grateful to them. But you will proceed on your onward journey. In fact, that is the best gift you can give to what you had clung to. That you are going forward in your life.

Always remember, you have reached the shore. But the journey does not end there.

Also, the boat does not disappear. It is still there, tethered firmly at the shore. That is how things can be. It will always be there to support and guide you forward, knowingly or unknowingly.

The Ruins - Scott Smith - Book Review

 

        I have been in a reading slump in the horror genre. Nothing has interested me for some time. Then I came across this book, which Stephen King gave a positive note about. That was enough to make me try it.

        Four friends go on vacation to Mexico, during which they befriend a German and some Greeks. One day, the German sets out to find his brother, who had gone after an archaeologist girl he seemed to have a crush on. They follow a crude map, reach a Mayan village, and finally find the ruins. They proceed to the ruins despite the villagers' warnings. What starts as a search trip turns into something worse. The villagers won't let them return either. What awaits them in the ruins? Why did the villagers try to dissuade them initially? What happens to them forms the story.

        To start, I had expected a different storyline while reading the blurb. Once the story got going, it was different from what I expected. But the read was very interesting. The story takes its own sweet time to develop and is medium-paced. It is easy to get distracted, but the storyline kept me interested. As the story progresses, we get a solid idea of how the whole thing is going to end. But the author succeeds in keeping the engagement factor going. There are many squirmish moments with mentions of bodily fluids. This might discomfort some of the readers. The physical and mental breakdown of people with the passage of time is well portrayed. It tires us out at times, making me want the story to end. But the author takes his time in moving the story forward, and that was a clever move. The seven main characters were well written, and despite their shortcomings, we feel pity for them. The hill where they were stranded, along with the vines, set the perfect backdrop for this novel, and it shockingly breaks the grit and sanity of a human.

        In short, a good book that keeps us engaged even with a predictable storyline. It might not be everyone's cup of tea. Horror and thriller readers can surely give it a try. 

Note: There is a movie based on this book, which I have yet to watch. 

The Big Four - Agatha Christie - Book Review

 

        Recently, I was watching the 'Knives Out' movies when I realised that it had been a while since I had read a Hercule Poirot mystery. This book has been sitting on my Kindle for a long time, so why not!

        A stranger barges into Hercule's room and dies after giving ambiguous information scribbled on a piece of paper about an underworld organisation. From then on, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game as Hercule tries to uncover the organisation and risks his life to get the four top people arrested.

        This was an interesting book that was written in easy language. While I expected an outright murder investigation, the story quickly shifts into thriller mode. It combined the typical Poirot-style investigation along with his adventurous side. The Big Four was upping the game, making the read much more engaging. But the problem starts here. Suddenly, Poirot is fighting bad guys instead of finding clues to solve the crime. I would like Poirot to stick to his usual self. The book had a love-hate relationship with me due to this. The story seemed a toned-down version of the Sherlock-Moriarty relationship.

        In short, a fairly good book where the expectations play spoilt sport. If you read without a preset mindset, you might enjoy reading this.

The Trial - Franz Kafka - Book Review

 

        Roadside bookshops are an absolute treasure trove that a reader can come across. One that can surprise you. One such small shop had books by Kafka that I was looking for, and I went ahead and bought them. I had to read this after checking out the blurb.

        Joseph. K, a head clerk at a bank, is arrested for no reason. The constable, the court - no one is aware of the reason or what wrong he had committed. He is allowed to continue with his normal life and attend court on weekends. Joseph has a hard time trying to figure out what is happening to his life. What was he arrested for? Does he get convicted or acquitted?

        What piqued my interest in this read was the absurdity of the plot. This is my second read of Kafka after Metamorphosis. Every character in this book appears to have a say but is clueless at the same time. The mental state of Mr K is well reflected throughout, and it affected me in unspeakable ways. There are a couple of interesting characters: a businessman, a painter, a lady servant, and a church father who influences K's thinking and reasoning. Even though the book is under 200 pages, it was never an easy read for me. There were a lot of inner conversations that made me ponder several times and, at the same time, made me uncomfortable. An individual's struggle against the system is well brought out here. We can relate this to some of the systems that we see around us. 

        Kafka points out the web-like entanglement of the system wherein an individual can get tangled deeper and deeper, even as the person seems to find a way out. There is some tongue-in-cheek dry humour throughout the book. This book makes you snigger at the absurdity while becoming uncomfortable at the underlying reality. There was a particular scene where K compares himself to a fly stuck in flypaper. That stayed with me for a long time. The ending was very unexpected, and it shook me. 

        In short, an absurd yet powerful novel. This might not be everyone's cup of tea. But once you read this, you will have more thoughts to process and also wonder at how the author came up with such a powerful thought back then. No wonder Kafka is celebrated even now!