[Review] - A Little Sorrowed Talk

A Little Sorrowed Talk
Brian Keene 
Published by Thunderstorm Books, 2019 Edition

Brian Keene bound these stories, spanning 2007 through 2019, with a couple of longer strands including one from Wasteworld, his weird science-fantasy. The others are short bungee cords with a little give and take on the horror intensity. The standout - given our current preoccupation with hand sanitizer - Intersectionality strangles you with the efficiency of a piano wire. Had he known what this year would bring he might have chosen it as the closing story. Instead he leaves you with a meta-fiction that’ll strip you down emotionally, especially after reading the story notes. Yes, you must read the notes. They are an important part of the whole.

 “The Guy from Nazareth”, his offering in The Big Book of Blasphemy, made me dig into A Little Sorrowed Talk, which had been sitting on my shelf since September. Delaying a Keene read won’t happen again. The book is shot through with regret, warning, and planning for the future (zombie preparedness in school and making sure your family collects that life insurance) with a little hope thrown in, and the wonderment of what happens after death. There’s even a lonely western with a bloody kinship and “Mr. Onion”, who knows it’s not a pleasure to burn. 

I enjoyed the majority of these stories, but I believe my reading would have benefited by being familiar with the larger stories that they (The Three Bears, The Sealing of Eden, The Telos of the Thirteen) are part of. “Through Mirrors Darkly” is another short story from a larger world but for me, this one stood alone perfectly. Will destruction be brought about by an ancient black glass that tells the future; are you reading this on a shiny black screen? 

Two of the stories were harrowing. “Semedi” makes you wonder how it would feel to know someone else is in control of your body and no one will ever believe you. “The Other” is a creeper. You know your family, their faces, and voices, don’t you?

My favorite story was “Halloween In Cayuga Creek” and to me it’s a second nod towards Clive Barker. The first, a wonderful short poem called “Because You Asked”. I’m a monster fan, you could even say I’ve had a couple monstrous crushes. Sure, there are some truly terrible beings found between the pages, but there are times that I’m certain the monster is in the mind of the conceptualist. With this story, “Mr. Onion”, and “Intersectionality” tipping my enjoyment scale, A Little Sorrowed Talk gets 4 stars.

Many of these stories were previously published on Brian Keene’s Patreon.

https://thunderstormbooks.com

Review by Michelle Enelen

Twitter: @falln468 

Instagram: readtornado

I purchased this book as a Night Worms exclusive.