Slow Burn
Mike Allen

Ok, so ...

Upon reading my first story of Mike Allen's, a few years back, I knew immediately that I was in extremely capable hands ... Hands that are able to unsettle and unnerve ... Hands that are able to quickly spin a very dark yarn indeed ... and then undo everything, leaving you feeling like a jumpy, raw nerve.

There's an inhibition within his stories. Often we're dropped right into the center lane of the distress ... In situations where the the uncanny is normal ... In places where unpleasantries are commonplace.

This is the third collection I've read, following Unseaming and In the Shadows, Where the Boys Used To Play. (These collections are really a trilogy) I've enjoyed all three, but this one, Slow Burn, is definitely my favorite. He just keeps getting better. And in many ways, the book as a whole does have the effect of a slow burn ... the stories are brimming with a quiet terror that lingers after they end, and you carry that with you into the next ... until you reach it's final story and fully realize how unnerved you truly are. You're often trying to acclimate yourself in a world of discombobulation, disgusting body horrors, and cryptic poetry. What a combo, eh?!?

If you appreciate the short stories of authors like Laird Barron, (Swift to Chase) Kealan Patrick Burke, (We Live Inside Your Eyes) or anything by John Langan, you're definitely going to want to check this collection out.

Yet his style is very much his own.
And I very much dig it. 😊
My message to fellow horror lovers is to keep your eyes on this one; you're not going to regret entering the darkness Mike Allen is inviting us into; just make sure to bring your own light, cuz there's very little provided within ... and he likes to sneak up on you the second you lower your guard, like any good horror author should.

Abstract. Weird. Uncanny.
This might not work for everyone, but I really encourage you to give this collection (and the entire trilogy)

5 / 5 Stars
Highly recommended!

Publishing date:
Thank you to Netgalley, Mythic Delirium, and RDS Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: A bag of jellybeans with a load of different flavors, you never know what comes next
The book left me: Feeling empowered?

Negatives:
Felt somewhat disjointed at times
Some stories had unsatisfying endings

Positives:
Surprisingly feminine and feminist stories
Varying themes

Features:
Illustrations to introduce and close off stories (repeats a lot), switches between poems and stories

Why did I choose this one?
In my short story era clearly, and I once again trust RDS to give me the best of the best. The cover was eye-catching, and I originally read the blurb wrong and thought the first paragraph was the singular story in here. I was delighted to be proven wrong and get a buffet of stories instead.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
In between. Some stories were more compelling than others (as it should be), and some moved very slow or very fast. I think this book is best consumed in small bursts of stories instead of attempting to swallow it whole.

What was the vibe and mood?
Vibes and moods switch between stories, but there was an edginess to everything. It felt dark and dead/dying most of the time.

Final ranking and star rating?
3 Stars, C tier. Even when I praise the book, I can't give it higher than 3 stars. I did enjoy my time, but now after having read it, I don't really remember anything that happened or any of the stories. I am left with the feeling that I did enjoy it, but it hasn't stuck with me. An okay collection of stories, and I think a select few in my circle will be delighted by it.

Favorite stories:
Strange Wisdoms of the Dead
The Butcher, The Baker
Good to the Last Drop
Gherem (this one would have been stellar as a standalone, stunning, and probably my favorite out of all of them)

To be honest, I think this collection is better suited for experienced readers, for those with eclectic, delectable tastes; veterans of literary horror, dark fantasy, and weird fiction will appreciate it immensely. Unlike the author's previous horror collections (though Allen himself seems to exclude "The Spider Tapestries" from these, going for an Unseaming trilogy, I'd happily include it among them), 'Slow Burn' will inevitably encounter too many challenges in appealing to everyone. Be it the inclusion of a great amount of poetry, the similarly too poetic and somewhat abstract prose, the off-key, unrelenting and frighteningly immersive body horror imagery, or the subtle repetition of themes, characters, situations, and settings across the stories, the assemblage in this collection simply won't gel into a genre-specific unity; it just won't gel, period. The seemingly unified synopsis for the book is only scratching the surface; it's a huge mess underneath. Reading the stories, I felt like I was being thrown around from room to room in a dilapitated mansion, and when I'd find myself sitting in one place, the experience was similar to perusing manuals for the construction of purposeless machines. Now, this disorientation may appeal to some (it certainly appeals to me, for example - I enjoy reading manuals), but it's clearly not for everyone. The stories are certainly a compelling read, though: I even liked the poems, and I hate poetry! My only complaint would be the imbalance of cosmic horror versus dark fantasy; I'd much rather more of the first kind of stories were included.

Slow Burn is a fairly engaging collection. The author's poetic prose style is distinctive, blending rich imagery with narrative, which might appeal to some readers but not to others.

The collection offers a good range of stories, each exploring different aspects of human experience. While the lyrical writing adds a unique touch, it can sometimes feel overly ornate and detract from the plot.

Overall, this anthology has its strengths and weaknesses. It has moments of beauty and depth, but the poetic style may not resonate with everyone. It's an enjoyable read, 3.5 stars :) .

Exceptionally well written short stories and poetry! Stories range from mythical to downright strange and eerie.

Highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and Mythic Delirium for the ARC.

This is such an evocative collection of stories and poetry, Mike Allen really has a way with words. A few of the stories might have gotten lost in the wordy, poetic descriptions, but only 1 or 2 of them. All else really proved richer for the vivid and grotesque imagery.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6616572945

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0c9b6718-bdbd-4f22-a46b-5566096b13b7

Check out this review of Slow Burn on Fable. https://fable.co/review/23ccca42-9e8d-418d-a80b-47bd58807f39/share

4 star read from me. I liked this book. I was expecting more but it was really well written and the characters were super cool. I recommend everyone to read this book.

There were some pretty interesting ideas in the short stories in this anthology. But the extra-dimensional worm things infesting people in a bunch of the stories wound up feeling kind of same-y and repetitive, so they wound up seeming less interesting. Overall I felt that wound up detracting from the anthology a fair bit due to how much of was comprised of stories focusing on that subject.

I DNF'd this around 20%. I'm a big fan of the author's collection, Unseaming and was expecting the stories and poems to be more aligned with the style of that collection.

I was not prepared for this one. From medieval to futuristic horror, this collection has it all and all of it will gross you out while freaking you out. I loved every story and poem(!) in this collection but “Abhors”… I will not shake that one easily.