| Title | : | The Worm In Every Heart |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1894815769 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781894815765 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 278 |
| Publication | : | First published June 1, 2004 |
The Worm In Every Heart Reviews
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A lot if this wasn't to my interests, but when Files scores she really knocks it out of the park.
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Like with so many other immensely talented writers, I always seem to be the last to know about them. Gemma Files is no exception--and that's a shame because she can craft a story like none other. Her writing takes the best of horrific and fantastic fiction and makes them uniquely hers.
Each gem in this collection takes a traditional story mode and does something new and interesting with it. And the sheer variety of settings, characters, themes and tones makes for always-exciting, unexpected reading.
Just her take on the Dracula and Frankenstein tales alone makes this book worth the cover price--breathing new and vibrant life into those too-often generic stories, something you rarely see in any novel or story. And she makes it all look so easy. As effortless to write as to read, from the way they fly off the page.
In a perfect (and sane) world, Gemma's work would be topping the bestseller lists, promoted as readily as the garbage that passes for good-writing in the mainstream and discussed as avidly among readers of the latest fiction as the undeserving dreck that inexplicably gets widely read and too-easily published.
If you like your fiction weird, dark, well-written and full of place and voice, Gemma Files's collection is the way to go. Time will see her talked about with the same reverence and enthusiasm as we talk about the likes of Peter Straub, Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell.
So check it. -
Reminiscent of Poppy Z Brite, Koja and Kiernan. A multi-sensory, lyrical writer of the grotesque and erotic and the terrible across many periods of history. Impressed.
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Not everything here worked for me, but what did, REALLY did. And “The Emperor’s Old Bones” is hands-down one of the best short stories I’ve ever read.
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This was very good
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Very good read.
Nigredo was good.
Ring of Fire was lovely.
The Guided Tour was also lovely and kind of unexpected.
Year Zero was very fancy and a bit much for me. Good, but a bit too much.
Flare was lovely and perfect.
Bottle of Smoke was good.
Fly-By-Night was good.
In the Poor Girl Taken by Surprise was good and I liked it a lot.
A Single Shadow Make was good.
Beyond the Forest was good.
Sent Down was ok? It didn't do much for me.
The Kindly Ones was fantastic and horrifying.
By the Mark was good, but I wanted more.
The Emperor's Old Bones was good. And pretty horrifying. .
THe Narrow World -
REVIEWED: The Worm in Every Heart
WRITTEN BY: Gemma Files
PUBLISHED: Nov., 2004 by Prime Books
Stellar second collection of fiction tales by a longtime champion of the weird and macabre. Including fifteen short stories, the subjects range from dark takes of the realms of cruel fairies, and crueler fairy tales; war-torn cannibalistic refugees; military experiments gone loose; mythology; obsession, and more, all written in an elegant and literary fortitude that is found in very few authors who can blend visceral horror and beauty of the world. -
GORGEOUS. If you can ever find it, buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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I picked this up because it includes The Emperor's Old Bones, which definitely deserves its awards. I recommend reading that story (I found it free online!) because it's a really good representation of the kind of horror you'll find in this collection. It's also my favorite story of the bunch, but there are several that are almost as good. You'll find classic monsters and retellings inside, but this is brutal supernatural horror, grotesque and erotic. If I was more a fan of the latter I might have given this 5 stars, so that's purely just my personal taste. If you like disturbing sex, this is the book for you.
Other than Old Bones, my favorite stories were: Ring of Fire, The Guided Tour, Flare, In The Poor Girl Taken By Surprise -
Although not all of the stories in this collection are my cup of tea, it is extremely well written. But even the stories that weren't my favourites had rich characters and disturbing moments of horror. Regardless of whether or not I liked a story, the audiobook was exceptionally well cast; each narrator was perfectly suited for the story they told. And I also appreciated the variety of monsters and points of view. My favourite stories in this collection are "Bottle of Smoke", "In the Poor Girl Taken by Surprise", "A Single Shadow Make", and "The Kindly Ones". Despite my mixed feelings on this collection, I'm looking forward to reading more of Files' work.
3.5 -
Many reviewers have praised and described Gemma Files's writing better than I ever could. Suffice to say she is a deity in the horror genre. There isn't much left of hers that I haven't read, and I did it in reverse, starting with her latest (Experimental FIlm) and working my way backwards, quite unintentionally.
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I almost abandoned this. A few interesting and creepy stories, but so much of the horror here relies on the shock of explicit content and gore. I can see why others might like this, but it's not my kind of horror.
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Strong language-based short stories in the horror and grotesque tradition.
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My full video review can be found here:
https://youtu.be/nEO-EavGSpo?si=GXcwB...
Like all collections and anthologies, you will find some that you really love, many that are just okay and maybe even some that you hate. I found that to be true here. I think “Bottle of Smoke” was my favorite of all the stories. But what you find in all of these stories is excellent writing. Worth your time. -
This collection just gets better and better, though I skimmed a couple, other stories like Bottle of Smoke, The Kindly Ones and By the Mark are outstanding and make me want to read more by Files.
