The Shapes of Midnight

Rating:
Summary: A box full of blood filled chocolates.
Review: Everybody who appreciates horror fiction should have a Joseph Payne Brennan collection on their nightstand. His short fiction is expertly designed for late night reading when the dark is peering in through the cracks in the blinds and something is scratching at the window that might or might not be a tree branch. Widely published in the late fifties up until the 70's, Brennan perfected the pulp horror tale with unmatched skill. In the introduction to this particular anthology, Stephen King describes Brennan as one of the masters of pulp horror fiction and he is right on the money. (And when I use the word "pulp", I use it with all the respect and reverence the classification deserves. Forget about the literary snobs who use the word as an insult.) THE SHAPES OF MIDNIGHT contains two of his classics "Slime" and "Canavan's Backyard" which King praises as the literary equal to Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily". Brennan's work is full of ancient Egyptian curses, things that crawl from the swamp, eyes under the bed, and the collision of reality and nightmare in the mundaness of every day life. Brennan is an author to seek out if you care about horror fiction and enjoy reading under the covers with a flashlight. His work is also great for reading out loud to your significant other late at night, shivering under the covers.