There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Unique and interesting. I really enjoyed reading it.

3.5 stars, rounded up (generously) to 4 stars

I always think I'm going to like Brian Evenson's short stories more than I actually do. As an author, Evenson ought to be one of my favorites: winner of the ALA Best Horror Novel and International Horror Guild awards, finalist for the Edgar and Shirley Jackson awards. It may be significant that all of these honors derived from his novels The Open Curtain and Last Days, as I tended to prefer the longer stories in this collection. In fact, my top five included the two longest stories: "The Dust," a classic science fiction tale, at 33 pages and "Click," the 21 pages of which could have made a terrific Twilight Zone episode.

Rounding out my top five were "The Punish," about revenge; "A Collapse of Horses," in which the reader is trapped inside a collapsing mind; and "Bearheart™," which would fit quite nicely on the creepy toy shelf with Stephen King's "The Monkey." Other influences include Franz Kafka, who could easily have been the author of "A Report." What made this collection only somewhat-better-than-average for me was the same thing that bothered Goodreads reviewer Figgy, whose words I have taken the liberty of borrowing: "These stories don't have a solid resolution, leaving it up to the reader to decide, but often to a point where this reader was left wondering what the point of many of them even was." Maybe this uncertainty was "the point," but I like my horror to rest on more solid ground.

This review was based on a free ARC provided by the publisher.

These stories really kept me on the edge of my seat. Each story was creepy and haunting and beautifully written. I even dreamt of some of them! I especially loved that the last story began retelling the first story! Genius!

What a wonderful collection of short stories. They manage to be thought-provoking, engaging and entertaining.

Overall they were quite disturbing, exploiting the darkest corners of the human mind, and really got under my skin. Some struck me as almost psychedelic and/or nightmarish. They were not only quite philosophical but also just plain insane and my oh my there were so many types of insanity.

As in all anthologies there were stories I liked better than others and there's always the feeling of disappointment when I finish a story that is just too short or unresolved, but if you are a fan of the genre and don't mind your mind being turned into jelly I am sure you will enjoy this.

<i>Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.</i>