20th Century Ghosts

I was told this was an extraordinary collection of short stories. The reviews here and the appraisal on the cover and inside the book all say so. But this book was instead a huge dissapointment.

This isn't a collection of horror stories. Mostly... There are some at the beginning but it's more of a collection of weird stories. Period.

Most of them aren't even that much interesting. I'd compare this book to King's Skeleton Crew - mostly a collection of writing exercises that somehow got at least 20 pages long.

Of course, there are some good stories here but if I don't count the first one “Best New Horror” I had to wait for them till the end of the book.

“The Widow's Breakfast” “The Last Breath” and “Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead” are probably the best ones. But not because of their story but because of their characters. Joe Hill once again proves that if he wants to, he can create very relatable characters in both extraordinary and, as Bobby proves, also ordinary situations.

Most of the short stories weren't interesting and bored me, though.

P.S: If you're bigger insectophobic than me, feel free to skip “You Will Hear The Locusts Sing”. It's a horror version of Kafka's Metamorphosis and the toughest read I've ever experienced:)

Some of the stories didn't capture my attention like I hoped they would. I skipped quite a few because they didn't grip me in the first couple of pages. My favourite, and arguably the best of the collection, is the title story - 20th Century Ghosts, the second story in the collection - and I hoped for more like it. Hill is an amazing horror writer but some of these stories were not made to be read back to back, but more in a monthly publication. I'll stick to his longer novels in future.

I think this was Joe Hill's debut collection of short stories, and it shows. Some feel unfinished. You can see what he's working toward though, considering the depth and breadth of human experience he writes (Pop Art is an amazing story for instance). I would start with Full Throttle if you're just discovering Hill's stories though.

Expectations ARE everything... The first time I read this book I was stunned with the surprises the stories brought. Had no idea Hill was SK's son and enjoyed it immensely. Thus, chose it for this Horror month... And it dragged on and on! I liked some of the stories, such as the one at the Rosebud or the Black phone with the kidnapped child. But was bored and disgusted with many others, from the locust one to the movie dead guy. Sigh.

Joe Hill is one of my favorite authors and I have been wanting to read some of his shorter stories. With The Black Phone becoming a movie, my friend and I decided to snag 20th Century Ghosts and have a listen.

First, the narrator is fantastic which made for a hard to put down audiobook. I usually don't want to keep listening to books but David LeDoux is great.

I don't usually read short stories either, but there is something about the weird and scary that make them fun for me. Joe Hill is great. He can spin a tale whether it's creepy, eerie, spooky or just down right scary. This is a great mix of all that.

Out of all the stories, my favorite is The Button Boy. Just woah. Haha I did also enjoy The Black Phone and can't wait to see that on film.

If you're looking for a little strange and sometimes spooky, this is a great one. The music also keeps the eerie factor alive between chapters. Perfect one for Spooktober.