The Two Sams : Ghost Stories

Rating:
Summary: Compelling storytelling.
Review: Exhibiting the same compelling, richly textured storytelling style displayed in Hirshberg's noteworthy debut novel, The Snowman's Children, The Two Sams features five novellas that work satisfying variations on familiar themes. All are told in the first person.

The two most intriguing stories in the collection are the bittersweet title story, "The Two Sams," and the surreal "Mr. Dark's Carnival." "The Two Sams" features a troubled husband reflecting on the two miscarriages his wife has suffered-the character's sense of loss is palpable, the climax is profoundly moving. "Mr. Dark's Carnival" which, while evocative of Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes is far, far darker, chronicles a college professor's disturbing Halloween encounter with a local legend.

Another tale set on Halloween night, "Struwwelpeter," is about a haunted house and the allure it holds for a troubled teenager. "Shipwreck Beach" is about the uneasy relationship between two cousins; as it's title indicates, it's about shipwrecks, both literal, and those some people make of their lives. Finally, "Dancing Men" provides a sensitive yet simultaneously harrowing look at some fallout from the central tragedy of our age, the Holocaust.

The enthusiasm Ramsey Campbell displays for Hirshberg's work in his introduction is justifiable-truly an "original and considerable talent," Hirshberg does indeed "bring enviable skills to his work," such as a "stylistic precision that comes of loving language, an unerring eye for character and the moments that define or reveal it," and "a keen sense not just of place but how light and the time of day transform his settings." As to Campbell's assertion that "history will hail him as a crucial contributor to the field," only time will tell. Based on the evidence in The Two Sams, the probability certainly seems high.

Rating:
Summary: Classic storytelling
Review: Pull up a chair, start the fire, listen as the tales are told, and see if you sleep tonight. Being a sucker for a ghost story, I thought I'd get a quick scare, have a bit of fun and then put the book down with only a vague recollection of the tales. I couldn't have been more wrong. What I found was so psychologically shattering, it left me with a chill for days.

Centering on education and childhood fears, the fours stories connect and ambush the reader with a combined strike of terror and awe. The title story is heartbreaking and may come to revisit the reader for months, even years after. Each individual plot is so beguiling and intellectually chilling, they leave you breathless. Comfortable and warm, the atmosphere quietly switches gears so fast it's paralyzing.

The characters are deeply portrayed, filled with a delicacy and a history that has damaged them in some way. They soon begin to not only resonate, but also demand to be heard. The pace set in the story is slow and gentle with a build up of a speed so intense it leaves you gasping for air. Hirshberg's style of writing is measured and ingenious, always leaving the reader with his or her own explanations.

Here are five tale that are nominal and unconventional. Classic storytelling with a decisive twist. Perfect!

I give this book a 5 . Buy this book today, but don't forget the No Dose...I wish i hadn't!

Rating:
Summary: Scary Food For Thought
Review: Some eerily good writing on both a micro and macro level will keep you thinking about these stories for days after you read them (Dancing Men, in particular, gave me a chill up the spine for about a week, with its incredibly vivid last image)--what more can I say, but this is a brilliant work by an up and coming young writer in this genre. I think that you'll enjoy it greatly.