A Confederacy of Horrors
Hippocampus Press:
New York: 2015
Trade paperback, Fine,
233 pp.
Cover artwork by: Pete von Sholly
James Robert Smith’s first collection. “Several of his tales are set in the South, a region he knows well through long residence. Whether it be the alienated youths in ‘Toke Ghost,’ the ruthless plutocrat of ‘Moving,’ or the comic terror of ‘The Reliable Vacuum Company,’ Smith depicts a South where the lush, kudzu-choked landscape breeds horrors both earthly and unearthly. Monsters from the depths of space are the focus of ‘On the First Day,’ while rats of a more than usual malignancy are featured in ‘Dope.’ ‘Translator’ tells of mysteries emerging out of World War II, while in ‘Love & Magick’ a man battles occult creatures with magic of his own. The ecological horrors of ‘Symptom’ are matched by the existential horror of ‘Wet.’ The end of the world appears imminent in ‘One of Those Days,’ and a vampire of an unusual sort stalks through the pages of ‘Just a Gigolo.’ This is a print-on-demand title. #55291
Price: $15.00