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tmvallehoag's review against another edition
2.0
These stories didn’t really reach out to me. Fracassi uses a lot of mundane disasters for his horror, which I know a lot of people like, but it’s not my cup to tea at all. Give me ghosts an demons over a random plane crash any day.
The first story is really good, but the rest of them fail to follow up on the promise. A lot of people get randomly turned into pink mist in this collection. A real emphasis on the fragility of human life and the randomness of tragedy.
I believe I am uninterested in horror which examines random tragedy and favor metaphorical uses of terror. It’s also possible I read this during a really stressful week and entirely missed the point. In any case, I didn’t really like it.
The first story is really good, but the rest of them fail to follow up on the promise. A lot of people get randomly turned into pink mist in this collection. A real emphasis on the fragility of human life and the randomness of tragedy.
I believe I am uninterested in horror which examines random tragedy and favor metaphorical uses of terror. It’s also possible I read this during a really stressful week and entirely missed the point. In any case, I didn’t really like it.
dani_thebookdragon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jasmeaniethebookish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I’m slowly going through all of Philip Fracassi’s books, and I need to let you all know that every single last one is beautifully written. I don’t know that I’ve ever been brought to tears by short stories, but two in this book just hit some kind of way. I can’t recommend this collection of short stories enough.
I’m honestly sad it’s taken me this long to read this book. Lesson learned!
I’m honestly sad it’s taken me this long to read this book. Lesson learned!
defaultnamespace's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
knightofswords's review against another edition
3.0
These all read like they could be segments on an anthology horror series or movie - your mileage may vary with that
tabithathewitch's review against another edition
5.0
I find myself getting irritated at books of short stories. Believe me when I tell you, though, EVERY. SINGLE. STORY. in this book is stellar. And everyone ends with a twist.
charm_city_sinner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Spoiler Free
Beneath a Pale Sky by @pfracassi is one of those rare collections that doesn't disappoint or underdeliver in any way.
There's a lot of range here, with some stories grounded firmly in reality...the claustrophobic and psychological horror of being buried alive in the rubble of an earthquake, or riding a ferris wheel only to realize a small plane is headed straight towards you.
There are also some supernatural and cosmic elements here as well, with a university professor discovering alien life, and closing with a character who is friends with the physical embodiment of Death.
Gothic is still my favorite Fracassi read so far, but as far as single-author collections go, Beneath a Pale Sky is one of the best I've read.
Beneath a Pale Sky by @pfracassi is one of those rare collections that doesn't disappoint or underdeliver in any way.
There's a lot of range here, with some stories grounded firmly in reality...the claustrophobic and psychological horror of being buried alive in the rubble of an earthquake, or riding a ferris wheel only to realize a small plane is headed straight towards you.
There are also some supernatural and cosmic elements here as well, with a university professor discovering alien life, and closing with a character who is friends with the physical embodiment of Death.
Gothic is still my favorite Fracassi read so far, but as far as single-author collections go, Beneath a Pale Sky is one of the best I've read.
moncler's review against another edition
Rare that I drop something I'm reading since I tend to be pretty stubborn but I could not get through this. Out of the stories I managed to get through I enjoyed about two of them. 'Soda Jerk' and 'Ateuchus' were the highlights for me, the former leaning more on the side of mild enjoyment. The voice, the prose were the standout gripes for me. Too many run on sentences, big inconsistency in timelines in one of the stories. Odd descriptions that really took me out of the 'flow'.
I will admit I was oversold on the quality of this collection. Before going into this I saw numerous recommendations praising the book for one of the 'best' collections of horror stories even the leading introduction heralded it as "the best" but I felt utterly disappointed.
I will admit I was oversold on the quality of this collection. Before going into this I saw numerous recommendations praising the book for one of the 'best' collections of horror stories even the leading introduction heralded it as "the best" but I felt utterly disappointed.
blair_wolff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0