AROUND A DARK CORNER

(2009)

ISBN-10: 0615295487

ISBN-13: 978-0615295480

reviewed by David Guy

07.15.2009

Note to the reader: Formatting of the British VS American version greatly differs, and affects the reader’s experience. In our opinion, the recently released US edition is much more readable and acclimated to Western palates.

Around a Dark corner is a compilation of ten distinctly different stories, all in the vein of “Tales from the Darkside”, each its own unique dark, delightfully disturbing tale. “The Dead Man” explores a jaunt with Karma, and the many forms it may take in one’s life. “A Medieval tale of Plague” is a story about the importance of vector control… In this case, it follows the journey of a little bug called yersinia- pestis-pennantant-flagellants on the backs of fleas, cats and rats, the instrument of The Great Dying, and how in one young woman’s perception it came to be seen as a carrier of a well-overdue season of rest for humanity. Another yarn titled “The Golem”, describes a tenant of The Old Testament, “And the Lord God formed a man form the dust of the ground…”

All of Ms. Rector’s work shows the talents of a well versed writer, capturing many historical accuracies and expounding upon them to create dark fantastic realms that lure the reader into wanting more. She is a virtuoso in her own “write” and we all look forward to her future works.

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reviewed by Jordan M. Bobé

07.05.2010

Jeanie Rector has presented us with a gift worth celebrating. This collection of short stories is incredibly well written. Rector’s writing is eloquent to the point of bordering prose. The lavish details carry stories that typically would fall flat as well as excelling those with genuinely disturbing ideas.

With each story she’s building up to the climatic ending, a novella entitled “A Teenage Ghost Story”. While the title of the short novel may not be that original the writing is. You won’t be able to put it down until the end of the eleventh and final chapter.

I can’t think of a single story in this book that didn’t have a good hook. Gore hounds probably will want to pass on this book; it’s extremely high-brow for the horror genre. I look forward to future, longer works from Jeanie Rector.