Rating: 
Summary: 4 tales of the apocalypse
Review: A book like "Fears Unnamed" was a real treat for me, an avid lover of apocalyptic tales. I must have read over a hundred horror novels in my lifetime and when I'm asked which were my favourites I'm always coming back to books like "Swan Song", "The Stand", "I am Legend". Whether it be sci-fi or horror, I find that end-of-the-world stories always seem to breed the most imaginative concepts from the best authors out there. Tim Lebbon in particular has a reputation as a writer of such apocalyptic tales and in "Fears Unnamed" he presents to us 4 short novels with end-of-the-world scenarios.
The first story, "Remnants" is about an archaeologist and his childhood pal who travel in an isolated part of Africa and discover an underground "City of the dead". The archaeologist is obsessed with the idea of locating his dead son but before, he must wade his way through all of the horrors that lurk in this seemingly interminable underground hell. A great opener, although I wish Lebbon had developed his idea more fully and had more of the story take place in the city of the dead. Still, I loved the philosophical paintings throughout the story about growing up without selling out your values and living life to the fullest. I give Remnants a 4/5.
In "White", six young vacationing adults find themselves trapped in their cabin due to a seemingly unending snow-storm. The nearest village is ten miles away and walking that distance in the storm seems unfathomable but staying in the cabin could be worse as there are murderous white "shapes" outside, trying to make their way onto the cabin and feast on them. Lebbon really hits his stride here delivering a story that is creepy, claustrophobic and very suspenseful. As a Canadian to whom 3 feet of snow is often a reality, this one really hit home for me. White gets a 4/5.
In "The Unfortunate", a man escapes death when he is the sole survivor of a plane crash. But soon he will discover that escaping death has a huge price as family and friends close to him start dying and getting into horrible accidents. The weakest of the 4 tales, "The Unfortunate" is written in a highly experimental and should I say it, pretentious writing style. I almost quit on it 10 pages in, but it those get better. Still, there is something eerily familiar about it (Final Destination anyone?). This story I would rate a 3/5.
The last story, "Naming of parts" is the best one. In a world gone mad, a boy and his parents set off on an adventure to locate Mandy, their teenaged girl who ran away a few weeks ago. Much of the population (including the animals) has been infested with a strange disease that is making them kill and eat the remains of everything they come in contact with. This tale was an absolute blast, a gory and fun ride. Fans of Brian Keene's "The Rising" especially will get a kick out of this. This one is a definite 5/5.
Overall a fine collection that I recommend to all horror fans. While some stories are better than others and there are a few rough patches here and there there is no doubt that Lebbon has what it takes to be a major force in horror literature for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: First-rate imaginative horror!
Review: Each of the 4 novellas that comprise Tim Lebbon's, 'Fears Unnamed,' pack such a whallop of high-concept plotlines that one can't help but think what excellent films they would be should they make the leap to the big screen. With that being said, fans of horror-fiction will revel at Lebbon's ability to conjure up highly imaginative storylines, in the vein of Koontz, with a stronger post-apocalyptic bent. Briskly plotted and at times - elegantly written, this is a hard paperback to put down and will have you completely absorbed from the first several pages. As for bringing these stories to life up on the silverscreen, just found out that screenwriter Stephen Susco has optioned the rights to the second story in this book - 'White.'
Rating:
Summary: Small Package Greatness
Review: Fears unnamed collects four novellas by Tim Lebbon, an author who no longer needs an introduction for anyone who has followed the small press industry. These four novellas - one new and three previously published - demonstrate the skills and talent of an author who is bound for greatness.Lebbon loves to write post-apocalyptic tale, and this collection features one of his most popular end-of-the-world stories, Naming of the Parts. Here, a young boy and his parents try to escape a civilisation that has gone mad. The dead are walking and there is nowhere to hide. In The Unfortunate, Lebbon gives us the very, very original tale of a man who, after being the sole survivor of a plane crash, is forever changed. But his survival isn't a mere coincidence or a stroke of good luck. Soon enough, he finds himself in the middle of a very dark game that will leave him scarred for the rest of his life. The ending will haunt your for a very long time. Since the stories in this collection were written in the earlier parts of Lebbon's career, it's somewhat of a disappointment to realize that the newest and previously unpublished tale in this collection is also the lesser of the four. In Remnant, a man meets his archologist friend in a deserted land to uncover a forgotten civilisation that has been laying dormant for thousands of years. The story is a bit slow, and the finale anticlimactic. But the real reason to read this collection is for the magnificent, terrifying and brilliantly written White. In this tale, the world is dying and becoming a sea of white snow. A group of people trapped inside a mansion soon realize that this new whiteness also hides something dark and violent, something that his destroying them one by one. This is one story you won't be able to put down. I read White quite a while back when it was first published and, upon numerous readings, it now stands as one of my all-time horror faves. This is a great collection that should not be missed. Lebbon is bound to become a very important voice in genre fiction. Fears Unnamed is sure to give your lots of thrills, chills and a load of good times.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Riveting! Spellbinding! Horrific!
Review: For those of you who still haven't picked up this book, what are you waiting for? This book contains 4 of the most amazing novellas I've ever read! The combination of Mr. Lebbon's poetic descriptions and terrifying horrors make this a collection that any horror fan will treasure.
Rating:
Summary: 3 out of 4 Great Stories
Review: From what I have read of Tim Lebbon (The Nature of Balance, Face), I believe his strength is writing short stories and novellas. I was quickly worried when I started reading, because "Remnants" wasn't very special. However, everything got much better after that. The last three stories (especially "White" and "Naming of Parts") were very exciting and original. I definitely recommend this book if you interested in Tim Lebbon. He shows a lot of promise. Here are my ratings of the stories (1-10).
REMNANTS (5)
WHITE (8)
THE UNFORTUNATE (7)
NAMING OF PARTS (8)
Rating:
Summary: Lebbon is one of the best new faces in horror!
Review: The first bloody star goes to Style. Competent, flowing, natural, with just a touch of flair for those geeky enough to catch it, Lebbon uses language like an Iron Chef uses rice. It's a staple for the dish, but it can become the center of attention if garnished correctly. I grabbed a pen and started jotting down lines after a while:
...leaving me with my own weak, insipid, perception of things.
The living could never make friends with the dead.
Ecstasy and thoughtless agony often sounded the same.
If I remember your book after I'm done you've done your job - if I remember specific lines... well, keep writing!
The second bloody star goes out to story and pace, and in some sick way I appreciate that Lebbon doesn't give you a chance to catch your breath. Incredible stories that take you to four different levels of fear and back again. And true to the title, each of those fears really is unnamed! You have a 'ghost town'... maybe. A twist in evolution... maybe. Gods or fairies, angels or demons... yeah, thanks for clearing that up! And finally what can only be the 'z' word - but it's never used, so I won't tarnish it by using it here.
The third bloody star goes to characters. I knew them, personally. I knew their histories, their motives, their twitches, and their fears. Strong females with tender cores, heroic men with low or no self-esteem, and children that aren't afraid to grow up, even if it's only on the inside - Lebbon covered his bases well.
And the final bloody star goes to atmosphere - because nothing says leave a light on better than every day life gone amuck! Of course I have to admit, I'm a sucker for apocalyptic situations, but Lebbon does them right. It's not necessary to tell you everything going on everywhere to scare you - just let you know that your neighborhood has gone to hell and you've been invited!
Did I like the book? Hell yeah! Should you own it? Why don't you already?!
Rating:
Summary: Four Riveting Novellas
Review: What is interesting about this excellent quartet of novellas is though they are all quite distinctive, they are all united by an atmosphere of ominousness and loss. Of particular interest are "White" and "Naming of Parts," both which deal with survivors of a worldwide cataclysm but with completely different settings and supernatural forces that lurk more in the shadows than in the foreground. By using this method, Mr. Lebbon relies more on character developement than cliched devices making the stories more interesting and the plight of the characters more real...certainly an even more difficult task considering these are novellas. When is the last time you read a zombie story where the zombies are rarely visible, but their presence is always frighteningly near?
Once begun, these tales will hold you spellbound until you reach their disturbing conclusions.
Quite an impressive achievement all around for this imaginative young writer who has already put out a number of interesting and original works. I look forward to what will certainly be an extraordinary career. Also recommended: "Four Dark Nights" Four Original Novellas by Bentley Little, Douglas Clegg, Christopher Golden, and Tom Piccirilli
Rating:
Summary: Four Riveting Novellas
Review: What is interesting about this excellent quartet of novellas is though they are all quite distinctive, they are all united by an atmosphere of ominousness and loss. Of particular interest are "White" and "Naming of Parts," both which deal with survivors of a worldwide cataclysm but with completely different settings and supernatural forces that lurk more in the shadows than in the foreground. By using this method, Mr. Lebbon relies more on character developement than cliched devices making the stories more interesting and the plight of the characters more real...certainly an even more difficult task considering these are novellas. When is the last time you read a zombie story where the zombies are rarely visible, but their presence is always frighteningly near?
Once begun, these tales will hold you spellbound until you reach their disturbing conclusions.
Quite an impressive achievement all around for this imaginative young writer who has already put out a number of interesting and original works. I look forward to what will certainly be an extraordinary career. Also recommended: "Four Dark Nights" Four Original Novellas by Bentley Little, Douglas Clegg, Christopher Golden, and Tom Piccirilli
Rating:
Summary: Horror at its most frightening.
Review: When I picked this up, I had no idea that I would still be thinking about some of the stories in here a week after I put the book down. Usually when you pick up a book like this, you find at least one disappointing novella but Lebbon writes four frightening tales to curdle your blood. That said, the last story was one of the best I have read in a very long time. From the opening of the little boy hearing something at his window, I couldn't put this story down. Since I was little, the thought of zombies has always scared me witless and centering the story around a child made it more real to me. Each part of the story works at those little fears unnamed and their chase through a dying nightmare world stays with you long after the book is closed. The characters were well written and the story was also very touching at times. The other stories were also nightmarish and fantastic enough to keep me glued to the book. My second favorite was the first one about an archaelogist finding a lost city of the dead. Still, the other two stories were chilling and you won't find a bad one in the bunch. Smart, terrifying and never boring, I will wait to read more of Lebbon's work. The best!
Rating:
Summary: Horror at its most frightening.
Review: When I picked this up, I had no idea that I would still be thinking about some of the stories in here a week after I put the book down. Usually when you pick up a book like this, you find at least one disappointing novella but Lebbon writes four frightening tales to curdle your blood. That said, the last story was one of the best I have read in a very long time. From the opening of the little boy hearing something at his window, I couldn't put this story down. Since I was little, the thought of zombies has always scared me witless and centering the story around a child made it more real to me. Each part of the story works at those little fears unnamed and their chase through a dying nightmare world stays with you long after the book is closed. The characters were well written and the story was also very touching at times. The other stories were also nightmarish and fantastic enough to keep me glued to the book. My second favorite was the first one about an archaelogist finding a lost city of the dead. Still, the other two stories were chilling and you won't find a bad one in the bunch. Smart, terrifying and never boring, I will wait to read more of Lebbon's work. The best!
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