Genre Horror Publisher Lulu Press Date Published 2005 Review Posted on 8/11/2005 Reviewer Rating Reader Rating
# of Ratings: 5 Average Rating: 5 out of 10
September and Other Stories, by Julie Ann Dawson
Reviewed by Justin Chapman
If you've read this book, why not
I first discovered Julie Ann Dawson's work in the electronic magazine Demonground. I was floored by her strong use of dialogue to move a story, so when I found out she had released a collection of her work I had to check it out.
The collection certainly lived up to all expectations. Dawson's stories are powerfully character-driven, and her tone and word choice really gives the reader the feeling of being there with the characters. Occassionally, the stories are TOO dependent on the character, however, which is the case in the flash fiction piece "Bad Karma." The protagonist really doesn't have any redeeming qualities, so the ending leaves the reader with more of a "he got what was coming to him. Move on" feeling than a "that was scary" vibe. Fortunately, such lapses are few.
The best piece in the collection is also the longest. The novella "September" (along with the two 'prequel' stories "A Candle for Imbolc" and "The Horror in the Attic") is an interesting blend of Lovecraftian horror and the action/adventure stylings of an "Indiana Jones" or "The Mummy." Dawson deftly jumps back and forth between dark horror suspense and campy comedy to create an entertaining and occassionally heartpounding tale of ghosts, curses, murder, and tentacled monsters in the deserts around Cairo.
This collection includes 16 short stories and poems in all. The book would make a great addition to any horror/dark fiction library, and I am looking forward to the author's next work.
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Comments on September and Other Stories (new to old)
I really wanted to like this book. I have been a long time member of a certain rpg group that the author is a part of. The first story is titled "A Candle for Imbolc". The confusion begins on the first page of the story when the author doesn't bother to clarify who is speaking. Sifting back and forth between the first six pages, it's clear that the narrator is Natasha, but it is a source of confusion in the beginning. The scene where the detective who comes to their home to tell Natalie that her colleague has died is a hot mess. The detective states in front of the mother, Natalie, Natasha, and Nicolette that "I was hoping she (Natalie) could shed some light on the matter. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going".
Usually when the police (or detective) announce that they need information, they will stick around and ask a question or two. Instead, Detective Harper simply states that the colleague is dead, needs information, and then leaves.
Despite the fact that the detective has not given any additional information aside from the man dying at his desk and the detective finding an unfinished letter penned to Natalie, Natalie goes on to tell Natasha and Nicolette information that the detective didn't even mention (candlesticks were involved). Additionally, it's odd that Nicolette (who was present when the detective was there) bothers to ask Natalie what happened.
The holes keep getting bigger. It felt as though the author was rushing through a paper thin story with no regard for the reader. Spelling and grammar are issues throughout the book as well.
I'm surprised that it was as....terrible...as it was. I know this is a very critical review, and I hope that the author's writing skills have improved since this book was published (about five years ago). I also hope the author has integrated some rudimentary research into historical events before so as not to make massive gaffs such as this:
In one of the stories, a group of people FLY to Egypt. The year the story takes place in is 1923. If I recall high school history correctly (maybe I don't lol!) the first flight to cross the Atlantic was in the later 1920's.
I'm not terribly bothered by "little" things like that, but when added to spelling/grammar errors, plot holes, and wooden dialect--it adds up to a "big" thing.
To be fair, this was written about four or five years ago, so hopefully this was just a case of growing pains for the author.
