Book Review

Dark Distortions I

from Scotopia Press

This review was written by Mike Wever, the editor of Wanderings. The anthology is now available through Scotopia Press (www.scotopiapress.com).

Dark Distortions may be the most charming threat to your sanity that you will ever read. This anthology from the new Scotopia Press is not meant for the faint of heart or, in the case of one story entitled Pick, for the faint of stomach. Those who are brave enough to take this collection on, however, will be pleased with the fine selection of novellas, short stories and poetry contained within.

I was particularly impressed with the novella Thin Walls, which takes up a large chunk in the middle of this anthology. Trevor Price combines a strong, compelling character with a style that draws the reader irresistibly onward as a simple dispute between neighbors escalates into a full-scale assault on the narrator's sanity.

Dark Distortions is not limited to such deep, character-driven fare. With stories as varied as 18 Wheels of Hell—a comic-book style showdown between a gun-toting angel and big rig-piloting minion of Satan—and Gigging the Rawbox, in which a musical has-been is forced to resurrect her old band, this collection has something to offer readers with all kinds of tastes. Sudden twists abound, verboten practices are in plentiful supply, and reality as we know it is often put to one side. The only thing that is constant among these stories and poems, though, is a willingness to take on those parts of the human experience that are rarely discussed in polite company.

Reading this anthology put me in the mind of a hapless victim of that most evil of books, the Necronomicron. Like some Lovecraftian character, I found myself thoroughly revolted at some some of the things I read of in these pages. And yet, I was entranced by the words and never considered putting the book down. These stories hold a strange power to lead you forward into a flavor of entertainment you might never have imagined before you opened the book.

If you have a predilection for dark tales, and you think you are up to it, Dark Distortions I belongs in your collection.

© Copyright 2008 Mike Wever