Lies and Ugliness

Rating:
Summary: Stories for the Intelligent Reader
Review: This is one of the best quality short story collections to be published in quite a while, as Hodge has once again delivered quality fiction for the intelligent reader.

This collection opens with the thought provoking "Madame Babylon", a story that immediately grabs the reader with a sexual taboo, yet reminds us that within everyone there is a bit of voyeur and exhibitionist. But Hodge doesn't stop there, like with every story in this collection, he takes the idea even further, explores a few deeper themes, themes that examine and question the very things we take for granted, and then wraps it all together in a way that leaves the reader fully identifying with the protagonist, which sometimes isn't a comfortable thought at all.

"Cancer Causes Rats" is another unique story in the collection. Part mystery, part thriller, part horror, this story will keep you guessing the outcome until then end, and that ending will leave you horrified. In this story, like many others, Hodge turns logic upside down and makes it still seem right, leaving the reader with thoughts and impressions afterwards that just can't be shaken.

Three stories in the middle of the book are set in the British Isles, and although he is a native of America, Hodge manages to capture the feel of Great Britain better than many British authors today. A line from the story "Cenotaph" sums it up best: "The thing about England was, you could scarcely throw a mossy stone without hitting something to remind you of how vastly _old_ the place was." "Far Flew the Boast of Him" is a story set in the shared-world setting of Hellboy, but Hodge tackles this in such a way that pre-knowledge of the shared-world is not required, yet he manages to contribute to the mythos in an insightful way not usually accomplished by other authors.

Leaving no genre untouched by his skills, Hodge includes a western in this collection. Not a fan of westerns myself, I expected this story to be my least favorite, and was pleasantly surprised. "Pages Stuck By a Bowie Knife to a Cheyenne Gallows" is one of the best stories of the collection. Offering more than just a typical western, Hodge pushes the boundaries of the genre in this story set in a splintered, anarchic Missouri during the Civil War.

The Endnotes offer the insatiable reader with wonderful little insights into the stories behind the stories. Where the fiction reveals Hodge's intelligence with small glimpses of his sense of humor, the Endnotes expose the author even more, leaving the reader with a warm sense of familiarity for Hodge.

Honestly, I don't know why this author isn't more widely recognized. Hodge has consistently published high quality fiction over the course of the past ten years or more, and yet remains absent from the average reader's vocabulary. With Lies and Ugliness, Hodge has delivered again. And although it has been said many times about many books, the fact remains true with this one: Those who do not read this collection will be missing out on wonderfully intelligent stories that leave long lasting impressions.