I am a huge fan of books written by this author and his famous dad. This is the second collection of short stories Joe Hill has produced, this offering giving us four novellas, each full of his trademark weird and wonderful storytelling.

Do I prefer his full length novels? Maybe, but even though these are short stories there is still plenty to enjoy, with characters and plots just as well developed as in Hill's full length novels.

Something to keep fans happy while we wait (im)patiently for the next full length epic from Mr. Hill.

I do not usually enjoy reading short stories I prefer to get stuck into a longer book but when I saw they were written by Joe Hill I made an exception, and I am glad I did.This guy wrote the longest book I think I have ever read in The Fireman, and now he has written a book of short book/stories, I think you have to be pretty talented to do that, and he is.In fact reading the first little book I thought what a master story teller he is, I felt like I was in safe hands, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.The guy has some imagination for sure.I have to confess I wasn't so taken with the second story, but enjoyed the others and overall found them all very entertaining and good to read. I think he is a cracking writer and I enjoy his writing style and imagination.

Joe Hill is an author I’ve enjoyed since first reading Heart Shaped Box year’s ago. This is a great collection of four novella shorts and fills a hole for now. The stories are brilliantly told, and it has that edge that Hill always brings to his fiction. Well worth the visit.

Great collection of short novels from Joe Hill. I find Hill has such an easy style and many of his characters are pretty much immediately likeable. Here's the lowdown on each story.

SNAPSHOT is about a camera that takes memories away. It's a fun, pulpy tale with a really engaging protagonist. I'm a sucker for scary inanimate objects!

LOADED represents both the best and worst on show here. I found it easily the most compelling of the four stories. However, Hill's anti-gun views (which I completely share FWIW) are presented in a rather heavy-handed fashion. I think he laboured the point somewhat and the conclusion of the story felt like it was servicing the political intention rather than the story itself. I still loved this - it was relevant, harrowing and emotive, with a great cast of characters and an intense climax (apart from the very end, which I commented on above).

ALOFT is about a sky-diver who has an extraterrestrial encounter. Having sky-dived myself, I know that's scary enough on it's own without the involvement of aliens. This one was a really nice idea but after a great start I found it a little slow. I was actually more invested in the flashback parts that fleshed out the relationships between the 3 band members who were the stars of the tale. Perhaps one that might have been better off as a short story but still an enjoyable read. Oh, and this was the first time I've ever read of a human-cloud sexual liaison.

RAIN is about...rain. But instead of water droplets falling from the sky, in this story we have razor-sharp nails. There's a kind of end-of-society feel about this one. I see many other reviewers have made it their favourite but I found it slightly throwaway. The main character, gloriously named Honeysuckle Speck, certainly had a lot of promise but the story mainly had her wandering around in somewhat aimless fashion before belatedly becoming some sort of modern-day Sherlock Holmes. Again, good fun but a bit of an odd one.

Overall a really enjoyable collection of short novels with memorable characters, cool ideas

It's worth noting that there's a lot of material in here which is not horror or sci-fi - LOADED has nothing supernatural that I recall and the best parts of ALOFT and RAIN for me were the non-fantastical elements. If anyone out there doesn't like "scary" books but fancies trying Joe Hill, this would be perfect.

Joe Hill's hit rate is pretty high for me. I wasn't so keen on the Fireman but other than that I've really liked everything he's done so far. At this point in time in time he's not only one of the best genre novelists in the world, he also may be the best horror writer in his family. :-)

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.

It's a shame to admit, but I haven't read a horror short story collection I've loved until Strange Weather. Wow! Perfect to pull out when it's chilly outside and pitch black out. You will be afraid to have a foot hanging off the bed or that thing that lives under there will certainly get you. This collections is four novellas that will creep you out beyond belief. It's impossible to not fly through the novel. My favorite is probably Loaded because it unsettled me to the core. If you're a horror fan, do yourself a favor and pick up Strange Weather!

I am not the biggest fan of the shorter length story-wise but I was so excited when I saw that Joe Hill had a new book out that I had a really big think as to whether it was something I was willing to give a go. I really loved The Fireman and Heart Shaped Box when I read them recently and I have NOS4R2 on my tbr ready to go. It's not that I don’t like shorts, I just don’t seem to get as much out of them as I want from a read and I reckon that as much to do with me as it has with the author, the characters or the story itself. In fact, the only ones I do enjoy are the ones that appear as half numbered books in series, filling in between the longer next in series proper. But then I got to thinking about the shorts I had enjoyed and was immediately reminded of the ones I had read by Mr Hill's own father. Not wanting to compare the two as authors as I think that goes on enough and, to be honest, is not necessary, but that was the tipping point that decided me to give this anthology a go. This was a round about way of making what turned out to be a very good decision as I really enjoyed them; some more than others obviously. What I am trying to say is that even if you usually shy away from this format of storytelling, please do not pass this by just on that fact alone.
So we have four stories included in this tome. Each of around 100 pages so they are quite substantial reads in themselves.
The first includes the story of a young boy who, through strange things that happen in his childhood, grows up to be a rather big cheese in technology. Getting there was an interesting journey though as we find out. This one started off slowly and was quite atmospherically chilling throughout.
Then we switch to a faster pace with a bit more action, mostly involving guns. We see an incident from the past where assumptions were made leading to very tragic circumstances and then, back in the present, we see similar mistakes being made leading to a whole different set of tragedies, some of which could have been avoided. I won’t go into more detail here but there was definitely a lot for me to think about after finishing this one.
Back we go to chilling mood with the third story. Bit of a weird one for me, this! It starts with a sky dive that goes a bit wrong for our main boy when he is stranded on some kind of weird cloud-type thing. He then starts to recount memories of his life, his work, his relationships; real and perceived. We follow as he slowly comes to some kind of decision. That's really all I can say without spoilers, but I found this one to be rather introspective in nature.
The last one was really my favourite, if I have to choose and, to be honest; it wasn't that hard to single out. It just grabbed me in all the right places and kept my attention solidly on what I was reading throughout. It's the story of a strange "rain" that fell as metal spikes killing all in its path and causing wide-spread destruction. Our main character her has suffered her own loss but still tries to do the right thing, even though it is dangerous. We see how this incident has brought out the best in some and the worst in others as it sweeps cross country. And then we find out the truth and it is rather shocking and compelling and, to me, the most scary thing of all; no spoilers!
All in all, these were thoroughly good, complete stories that were very well plotted, written and played out by interesting, well defined characters. Everything I would want from any book I choose to read; I am so glad I took the chance on it and my thanks must go to the Publisher and Netgalley for that chance.

This collection of Joe Hill’s shorts are a rather mixed bag and seems to be hobbled together with some very inferior stories to be tied together in this volume. To start off, I am a fan of Joe Hill though his ability to self edit seems to be going the way of his father where too many words hides the context of what the story is really about. At times, there are long winded narratives and an over flourish of description bogging down the stories to the point where one finds themselves skimming through the sentences to find something of interest.

I am not sure how this was put together as there seems to be a lot of good ideas being lost within the pages and never fully realised. The first story characterisations are well done but again, we have a story that does not really involve the reader. It felt like a story with a great headline but missing a great news article. ‘Loaded’ was another interesting tale that deals with an very now issue concerning gun control. Again, we have a tale that gets lost in the over description, wavering structure and what could have been a ripping story gets lost in the context.

Joe Hills’ 20th Century Ghosts, Heart Shaped Box and Horns were well written, precise stories that were almost masterpieces within the modern horror genre. I am finding with his later works such as NOS 4R2 and The Fireman, we have long winded stories that are terribly overwritten and lacks the punch that his earlier works portrayed. It also appears that like his father, we have an inability to be able to write a great ending and what we are left with is a build up with a story that has a weak ending.

There are some good things about the stories and Joe Hill does excel with his characterisations of the every man and this is really his trump card and which keeps him an interesting author to read. I just think that sometimes it is best to write with the less is more capacity to ensure a great story doesn’t become a long winded story.

If you are a fan of Joe Hill’s then you will find this book of interest. If you are a casual reader or not a fan of Hill’s, then this collection will probably not change your mind. Interesting though not an immersive read.

This is a really difficult review to write, I love Joe Hill but this collection of short stories was such a disappointing read that I only managed the first three.
They're well written but they're really not what I had hoped for and not indicative of his normal excellent style.
The first story was pretty good, but not great - a cool supernatural tale set in the 80s that was only let down by the ending.
The second story was really hard work and again I hated the ending.
The third story was the final nail for me and I quit reading.
I'm not sure what the whole point was, there was no link between the stories apart from a tenuous link to the weather.
Hill is usually a fantastic author, his sick sense of humour shines through and I think that he will always be one of my favourite horror writers. The Fireman is his best work to date and I recommend it to people regularly at work.

I found Joe Hill's collection of four novellas rather depressing, and I'm not sure I would have chosen to read them right now if I'd have known that. I've been spending time lately curating my social media in a way that I'm not exposed to so much anger and despair, and Loaded was exactly the kind of thing I've been trying to avoid.

Loaded is the second story, exploring a side of modern America we hear too much of in the news; gun violence and racism. Recent events have left people asking, would it have been better or worse for more people to have guns during a mass shooting. This explores what happens when a civilian with a gun reacts to a shooting in a mall.

For most the story it was an argument for stricter gun control, however the final sentence threw me off a bit. It is definitely one that can lead to further discussion. However, when it comes to stories where children are murdered, I need more compassion in the writing. I couldn't really cope with the kind of men who think it's OK to go round shooting people.

The first story was depressing in a different way. Snapshot is a bit more supernatural in nature, but is essentially about the effects of Alzheimer's, a disease I find distressing to read about. It's told from the perspective of a kid in 1980's Silicon Valley. The Phoenician has a Polaroid camera which steals memories and he's been targeting the protagonist's old babysitter. Of course, most people assume her memory loss is down to natural causes.

It's also a story about growing up, when you start to look at adults in a different way and appreciate what they did for you. And it's all the more heart-breaking when you realise that too late to let them know.

Aloft tells the story of Aubrey, who lands on a mysterious cloud when a skydiving attempt goes wrong. It was also about the loneliness of unrequited love and letting go. I didn't find Aubrey that likeable due to his possessiveness over his female friend, but the direction the story took made it a more worthwhile read.

I think Rain would probably have been my favourite of the stories had I been more in the mood. However, it's still not exactly cheery and I was craving some positivity by this point. One day instead of water, the rain falls as crystals, taking out thousands. The president, although not named, is clearly Trump and reacts to this as one would expect.

The story follows a woman who loses her girlfriend to the first rainfall. As she deals with personal loss she interacts with other survivors, some end of the world cultists, and others just plain prejudiced.

The stories are connected by the strange weather of the title but it's only in the final story where the weather feels like a crucial part. They are all quite topical and I'm sure this collection will be a hit with many readers.

I’m a huge fan of Joe Hill and have read and loved all of his books. Getting an ARC of his latest was like winning three numbers on the lottery. Seriously.

I loved the novellas in this collection. I do wonder why it’s called Strange Weather though as only two feature weird weather phenomena.

My favourite tale was Rain. It reminded me a lot of the story The Mist by hill’s father, Stephen King. The apocalyptic events in both are different by the reactions and behaviour of the survivors are chillingly similar. Rain is dark at times but brilliant.

My second favourite tale was Aloft. I loved the bizarre-ness of it. This tale is quite funny at times and a bit strange, even when things start to get dark and creepy. Aloft is a great tale.

My next favourite was Loaded. I thought this was an excellent piece of writing and loved the way it shines a light on the use of guns for self-defence and law enforcement. The story is chilling at times but great.

Joe Hill gives us four intelligent short stories of varied length that unsettle, disturb, and horrify. However, none is less than riveting reading, provoke thought and entertain. In Snapshot, a young boy faces his nightmares, the menace of dementia, and the challenge that is the tattooed Phoenician, a thug with a polaroid camera, a camera which snaps and erases memories. Loaded is a story with the capacity to emotionally tear you apart. Its focus is guns and gun violence as it explores the scenarios that lie behind the use of guns by cops. A reporter suspects all is not as it should be in a mall shooting and its apparent hero. Aloft moves us into more supernatural territory, as Aubrey Griffin's fear of parachuting has to be surmounted as circumstances change drastically. He finds himself landing on a weird cloud in the sky. Rain is a shift to a dystopian post-apocalyptic time with a terrifying and killer rain that penetrates skin and has devastating effects. Honeysuckle Speck undertakes a horrifying road trip from Boulder to Denver. A collection of odd stories that grip and capture the imagination. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

A quite simply brilliant collection of stories here from the pen of Joe Hill – peripherally linked by the “Strange Weather” of the title, we get four very different, utterly compelling, some downright scary tales, all beautifully written and all filled with a slow burn tension that really puts you right on edge.

In “Snapshot” we meet a terrifying construct and the young lad who faces down his demons during one heck of a storm – one I think fans of “Stranger Things” will most definitely adore, this was the closest in style to his famous father but with Joe Hill’s indomitably unique character growth. All delivered in a shorter, more concise short that I would also say was the story that perhaps stood apart from the rest in that loose connectivity. If you’ve ever had a relative with a certain illness that I won’t disclose so no spoilers you’ll get an emotional tug on the heartstrings along with a great big scare. I read this then slept with the lights on and that’s not even an exaggeration.

Then we get “Loaded” – a more apt title I have never seen, here there be guns, an allegorical and truly thought provoking story where you can see what is coming but are helpless to stop it – for some reason this one made me cry actual tears and the ending is one that will linger in your mind for hours, nay days afterwards. Cleverly insightful writing, understanding exactly how to push the readers buttons and make them consider things outside of themselves Loaded is probably the stand out in this collection.

Possibly to give us a slight break from the huge book trauma, next up is “Aloft” heading into the arena of fantasy in lots of ways wherein one man’s skydiving experience turns into something very different. I loved this one for its quirky styling and for it’s main protagonist who was engaging and fun to live with for a while, especially given his rather unusual circumstances for the majority of the telling.

Last but by no means least is “Rain” – although this rain is no type of rain you would like to be caught out in – the final story (I’m reading the UK edition I don’t know if these will be in the same order everywhere but for me this order worked so brilliantly) takes us down an apocalyptic path but with certain differences, for me a perfect finale because it’s like you’ve come full circle back to the type of thing you now expect and need from Joe Hill – characters thrown into an untenable situation and how they react and respond – with a hint of horror and a lot of human nature.

All in all a simply fabulous set of stories. I took different things from all of them, every one a perfect little gem – all are long enough to be fully fleshed out but short enough to read in an afternoon, I definitely won’t be the only reader coming out of this one hoping that we see, in the future, lots more short collections from this author over the years – as well, of course, as a whole lot more of his epics. A perfect introduction to the writing if you haven’t read him before and an utter delight for those who are already constant readers.

Highly Recommended.