Mrs. Rahlo's Closet and Other Mad Tales

Rating:
Summary: Very good stuff.
Review: R. E. Klein, Mrs. Rahlo's Closet and Other Mad Tales (iPublish, 2001)

Well, it was rather inevitable, wasn't it? It took H. P. Lovecraft almost sixty years to spawn a worthwhile descendant in Thomas Ligotti; Ligotti, on the other hand, took less than ten until the first writer of worth to wear the influence on his sleeve came along. That writer is R. E. Klein.

Don't get me wrong; a lot of other authors have been influenced by Ligotti, but none this obviously. Where other authors balance the Ligotti influence with various other things (Kiernan's gothic twist, for example), Klein seems to balance Ligotti against Lovecraft, and focuses on those parts of Ligotti that are most obvious when translated into an author's own voice. Klein also brings back in the science fiction vibe of Lovecraft's that has seem to have been bred out of most other horror writers, and it's refreshing. This isn't bad B-grade alien horror flicks (though one can imagine a number of these stories being turned into bad B-grade alien horror flicks), but manages to keep the tone and content above the drowning level, just as Lovecraft did and Ligotti does.

Klein is more, for lack of a better term, earthy than either of his predecessors, however. Lovecraft's diction (and Ligotti's distillations of Lovecraft's diction) are very much of a piece with nineteenth-century literature; one can imagine all of their heroes enunciating, with cultured Oxford accents. Not so Klein, whose protagonists are just as easily imagined with the flat Beantown delivery one should get from folks in that part of the country.

Put simply, this is fun stuff. The title story is straight out of Lovecraft's fake book. Other stories include tales of a private investigator who solves crimes that have not yet been committed, what happens when the artifact of a celestial war lands on the doorstep of your average Joe, and various other amusing little tidbits.

Fun stuff. Definitely worth a look-see. *** ½

Rating:
Summary: A must-read collection of entertaining stories
Review: R.E. Klein has done it again - after his fantasy-sci-fi novel, "The History of the World Beyond the Wave," this reader was thrilled to be treated to the marvelous variety of stories in this new collection. Klein treats us to an intelligent mix of stories ranging from horror to sci-fi, detective to mystery, written with much thought and a touch of humor.

The title story dazzles with excitment as a poor student boarder tries to keep from opening a mysterious closet which may hold some fantastic mystery. Other stories deal with a mortuary apprentice who learns his craft all too well, a town taken over by the elements, and creatures from another world. A wonderful story about an eccentirc detective who investigates a crime that hasn't yet been committed, is told by his Korean sidekick. This is just a sample of the variety and fun in Klein's stories, which twist and turn in ways that the reader will find fascinating and rewarding.

I highly recommend this book for the lover of good, thoughtful reading, who enjoys immersion into a great story, over and over again!

Rating:
Summary: A must-read collection of entertaining stories
Review: R.E. Klein has done it again - after his fantasy-sci-fi novel, "The History of the World Beyond the Wave," this reader was thrilled to be treated to the marvelous variety of stories in this new collection. Klein treats us to an intelligent mix of stories ranging from horror to sci-fi, detective to mystery, written with much thought and a touch of humor.

The title story dazzles with excitment as a poor student boarder tries to keep from opening a mysterious closet which may hold some fantastic mystery. Other stories deal with a mortuary apprentice who learns his craft all too well, a town taken over by the elements, and creatures from another world. A wonderful story about an eccentirc detective who investigates a crime that hasn't yet been committed, is told by his Korean sidekick. This is just a sample of the variety and fun in Klein's stories, which twist and turn in ways that the reader will find fascinating and rewarding.

I highly recommend this book for the lover of good, thoughtful reading, who enjoys immersion into a great story, over and over again!

Rating:
Summary: Horror and hope, beauty and black magic
Review: This enjoyable book is a fine and sublime tribute to eternal values and ideals. It is a captivating reading composed of thrilling magical tales with many unexpected twists and humorous turns. It also explores many angles of subtle insight into the human soul and intellect. R. E. Klein gently leads the reader to rediscover goodness, courage, hope and many other human virtues, desires and qualities. While enjoying the breathtaking account of an incredible episode, in an undercurrent, the reader encounters the noblest human principles and motivations under the fresh view of the author's microscope. Each of the tales tells a different but equally exciting story and exhibits a different but equally enjoyable writing style. R. E. Klein's fascinating imagination and enthralling storytelling provides unique nourishment to the reader's intellect. The book has a refined, graceful and distinctive style that comes through each story and appeals to the human soul starving for beauty, truth and goodness in the current ugly and brutal world. The book is both entertaining and edifying. It is a well-balanced composition of horror and hope, excitement and enlightening, dark powers and deep thinking, imagination and insight, gentleness and guile. It is an elegant and outstanding product of R. E. Klein's ingenuity. Are there any more tales from this remarkable author?

Rating:
Summary: Horror and hope, beauty and black magic
Review: This enjoyable book is a fine and sublime tribute to eternal values and ideals. It is a captivating reading composed of thrilling magical tales with many unexpected twists and humorous turns. It also explores many angles of subtle insight into the human soul and intellect. R. E. Klein gently leads the reader to rediscover goodness, courage, hope and many other human virtues, desires and qualities. While enjoying the breathtaking account of an incredible episode, in an undercurrent, the reader encounters the noblest human principles and motivations under the fresh view of the author's microscope. Each of the tales tells a different but equally exciting story and exhibits a different but equally enjoyable writing style. R. E. Klein's fascinating imagination and enthralling storytelling provides unique nourishment to the reader's intellect. The book has a refined, graceful and distinctive style that comes through each story and appeals to the human soul starving for beauty, truth and goodness in the current ugly and brutal world. The book is both entertaining and edifying. It is a well-balanced composition of horror and hope, excitement and enlightening, dark powers and deep thinking, imagination and insight, gentleness and guile. It is an elegant and outstanding product of R. E. Klein's ingenuity. Are there any more tales from this remarkable author?