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Rating: Summary: An honorable attempt but... Review: McMahan makes a valiant attempt in this collection of gay-themed horror stories, but the results are mixed. At times he turns phrases nicely and presents us with vivid images, but his insistence on using the present tense in all but two of the stories is irritating, distracting, and unnecessary. Reading fiction written in present tense always makes me feel like I'm on a tugboat on storm-tossed waters. I get confused and a bit dizzy."Johnny Two-Face", about a ghoulish Halloween party, is just silly, and "This Apartment Possessed" turns out to be a mess. Still the title tale is impressive, with its moral conundrum that must always be at the heart of successful horror fiction. Here Andrew, the protagonist, a young vampire, reflects on his ability to bestow immortality on his victims. Andrew returns in "Hell is for Children", but only a dolt would not be able to figure out who the decapitator is in the first few pages. "Fantasyland" is probably the best story in the collection. Its theme, of escape from adversity through imagination, is familiar enough, but McMahan shows some skill in demarcating reality and fantasy.
Rating: Summary: Somewhere in the Night Review: Well, if it bothers you - Andrew is a gay, 20 something vampire. If it doesn't, you'll find this book a lot of fun to read - I especially enjoyed the 2 Andrew stories and have also bought the other related books. Not all of the stories are as much fun - but all were worth reading. I have purchased more than one copy and have given a few to friends.
Rating: Summary: Not much more than a writing exercise... Review: While I appreciate the attempts to entertain, these were not much more than empty story lines and characters which failed to entice me into wanting to know more about them.
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