Title: 41 Strange
Author: Diane Doniol-Valcroze and Arthur K. Flam
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN: B00JMJ32Q4
Pages: 150 pages
Genre: Horror
Reviewed by: Kimberlee Hicks, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
What do you find terrifying? The mysterious noise outside of your car on lonely road? A serial killer tormented by his last victim? A tour off in search of the most terrible monsters of all? The best of the strange and horrific do not need to be long in order to captivate and frighten an audience, and the authors of 41 Strange give us a chilling sampling of their most terrifying and unusual to prove it. Whether read individually or all at once, this collection plunges the reader into one story after another, each intended to frighten and disturb. They certainly succeed, with a short, but evocative, style that leaves you wanting more.Although compilations like this seem to be in short supply these days, authors Diane Doniol-Valcroze and Arthur K. Flam are in good company. There are shades of fellow writers in their genre present in their work, such as Edgar Allan Poe, and Franz Kafka. Experientially, reading 41 Strange is akin to reading the repurposed folktales of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a child. Each tale takes you on a strange journey, best viewed from beneath the bed covers, and not one of them is the same, or even in the same voice. This keeps you in a state of perpetual anticipation, where it is impossible to guess what the next entry may have in store. There are no rules in these disjointed, mad worlds, so anything is possible.
A good horror story is one that pulls you in, creates clear images in your mind, and leaves you wondering what happens next when it’s all over. The medium of the short story is perfect for giving the reader just enough to excite him or her, and then ending at just the right moment. Throughout their stories, Doniol-Valcroze and Flam build scenes and create characters in limited space that are fully realized enough for the reader to grow attached to. Because of this, it is all too easy for the reader to get carried away and feel the chill of the characters’ fates, when they are met.
The tales themselves are delightfully diverse, with no two or so alike that there isn’t any feeling of repetition. Both Doniol-Valcroze and Flam have distinct enough voices to recognize the work of two people, but each has his and her own ideas, too, and neither runs the risk of treading into the other’s creative territory. Each story is unique, some dramatically different in overall tone. Some have a tinge of humor about them, such as the man whose old mattress takes on the aspect of a jealous lover, or the woman whose former boyfriend’s transplanted heart becomes unfaithful. Others are far more horrific, such as the man who dooms himself to a lifetime of solitude, the man whose nightmares literally appear before his eyes, or the girl who learns that monsters are real.
Though scary stories are best read in the dark, you may be tempted to keep the lights on for this one. 41 Strange has plenty of opportunities to give you nightmares, but it only takes one to keep you up all night, wondering who – or what – is crawling around under your bed. This book might just revive that old childhood fear. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and look.
I dare you.
