Personal Demons

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding feat of literature.
Review: I have a number of books that I haven't read and always keep them till the time is right. There are many that you just can't take on if you had a great deal of things to do. This book fell once into this category, and I regret it to this day.

I'm all for short stories. You can learn a great deal through reading them and you just can't beat the feeling that you can finish one every night before bed. These stories written by Fowler are more than that. You just can't get enough of one and you have to jump into the other. The book is not just an amazing read, but a feat altogether. This book was recommended through a review I had written for another book. I ignored the recommendation at first, but at a time I could not find anything to do, I thought I would give it a try. It's a very fast read and really entertaining. The horror touch, though there, is really set in thwe background, and the flavor of literary fiction is the one that takes control through the pages.

The last story sums up every other story and makes sense of everything that has gone through and through. Hearts in Atlantis by King, played on the same theme of intermixing characters, but it was Fowler who devise that role in this book taht was published before Hearts time, but some time.

In all, this is really an entertaining read that just grasps you and won't let go. Fowler is successful in bringing all his stories to life. It's just a shame that his books are not readily available in bookshops and you really have to dig deep to find what this underrated author has produced.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish and incisive, with an edge of urban unease...
Review: This collection is masterly! Lay aside all your preconceptions about the horror genre and just read these stories: they're intelligent, witty, wistful, genuinely unsettling and written with a wonderful eye for the small and horrifyingly day-to-day details which make life so much crueller than fiction. What a pity that this guy has been pigeonholed as a mainstream horror writer when in fact he's so much better than what I've come to expect from the genre nowadays. "Looking For Bolivar" is my favourite: a terrific story in any context. His novels are great, too. Try them!