There's No Escape by Robin Knabel

There's No Escape Reviews

• 
  Deborah Sheldon

  I'm a fan of 1920s silent films - including The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Nosferatu, Metropolis, and He Who Gets Slapped - so this anthology, as an homage to that cinematic era, was entertaining! The stories are full of little Easter eggs, and range from noir to paranormal to cosmic horror to supernatural.
• 
  Milt Theo

  'There's No Escape' is the first in a six-volume anthology series on "the dark side of technology over the decades," all to be published within the year. I personally love the idea of technology going wrong and creating an opening into the weird, the bizarre, and the horrific, so the mere mention of "dark technology" gave me chills! I'm a fan of short stories as well, hugely appreciating both anthologies and collections, so this book seemed to be right up my alley. And indeed, I was not disappointed: the editing is superb; the variety of approaches is quite diverse, though all stories take 1920s films and cinema theatres as their inspiration; and both mood and setting felt genuine, all stories informed by a true grasp of that era, the "movie palaces," the "moving pictures," even the first "talkies."
  
  The anthology contains seven stories. All the authors were new to me. I'll say a few words about each tale:
  
  - "A Face For Pictures" by Rain Corbyn: one of my favorites stories, it's a very strong tale told in the second person, as a female narrator (an old film star) addresses a man in a bar, slowly chatting him up and telling him her life's story; at some point, the mood changes, the telling gets far darker, and by the time I realized where the story was going the ball dropped, along with my jaw! A very smart, well-written short story.
  
  - "Just Like Grandmother" by Jasmine De La Paz: this one felt a lot like watching a film in black and white, enjoying it in brief, short sequences ("scenes"), a story full of suspense and ever-increasing dread; a young woman who aspires to be in the cinema visits her rich grandmother, and realizes the cost of her aspirations - will she accept it?
  
  - "It Wore Warner Oland’s Face" by Derek Heath: a cosmic horror story, well-paced, employing the image of the 1920s movie actor Warner Oland (known for his Fu Manchu performance, among others) to convey an atmosphere of menace, as the story's protagonist comes face to face with an ungodly horror, from whose clutches he doesn't seem to be able to escape. I'm still unsure whether the ending is intended to be funny or sad.
  
  - "The Final Curtain" by Robin Knabel; this is the editor's own story, and it reminded me a lot of those modern "urban exploring" stories, though the setting is an old, abandoned movie palace, and the urban legend associated with its abandonment carries the rather telling name of "The Human Spider"; this story was great fun, but I wish it were a bit longer!
  
  - "He’s Watching Me" by Mark McCallum: this story reads like the journal entries of a poor man spiraling into insanity - some trauma in his past translates into a series of uncanny experiences while watching a "talkie"; some very creepy scenes follow, a few of which would make quite the nightmare! I remember myself as a child wondering if the movie actors can see me, and what might happen if they suddenly turned and spoke to me; I guess I have found my answer!
  
  - "The Fourth Wall" by J. L. Royce: another one of my favorite stories; the writing is terrific, the ideas original, the dialogue very well-done - but what will stick with me are the final scenes, which give meaning to the story's title - a really creepy tale I'd recommend to every lover of the horror genre!
  
  - "A Soup of Sin & Blessing" by Tyler J. Welch: witchcraft, demonic presences, murder, female empowerment, retribution - a complex tale about those directors who have trouble respecting the people who work for them. I enjoyed the ending quite a lot!
  
  All horror fans who appreciate a good horror story set in the 1920s, stories that blend horror with the first technological innovations that brought about today's film industry, ought to check this anthology out. I'm pretty sure everyone will find at least one story that will stick with them!
• 
  Russell Gray

  There's No Escape is the first release from Inky Bones Press and the first of six collections of technology-themed horror stories set within a specific decade. I'm not particularly into historical fiction set within the last few hundred years, but I'm always down for some interesting horror stories.
  
  The volume contains seven stories, each around 15~ pages long. This is a pretty good Goldilocks Zone, if I say so myself since it gives plenty of time for a great story to fully flesh out and not enough time for a story you don't vibe with to overstay its welcome.
  
  In no particular order, my favorites were:
  
  The Final Curtain by Robin Knabel
  This was the editor's contribution, and just like when she was part of Unsettling Reads, she tends to set the bar within her own collections. What I liked most was probably the juxtaposition of familiar with new. I was born in the 80s, so the 1920s-era theater wasn't the familiar part. But the act of transgression, where our teenage main characters explore the old abandoned theater at night, is a classic horror trope for a reason. Because many of us did the same thing during our high school/secondary school years. This is often a setup for a slasher, but here, the antagonist was delightfully unique and fitting to the setting.
  
  The Fourth Wall by J.L. Royce
  The story involves the production of a war movie using a new type of film. Some characters are more interested in producing a war movie on the cheap, while others are more focused on achieving something never seen before. I loved this story for a variety of reasons, one of which being that the main character reminded me a bit of Joan from Mad Men with the way she used gender stereotypes of the time to fit in with certain characters, but when those people weren't looking, she was running a lot of things behind the scenes and making additional contacts as well.
  
  I don't know whether the climactic scene was an intentional manipulation of the found footage trope or just a happy accident, but it captured a similar feeling to a cursed video story while also providing something new. The author's use of period technology as a cornerstone for the story was fantastic.
  
  A Face for Pictures by Rain Corbyn
  This was hands-down my favorite story of the collection, which surprised me since it's written from the second-person point of view. It's the least-used POV for a reason, but then again, one benefit of short-form storytelling is the ability to experiment with things.
  
  So I'll confess - I started lukewarm with this one. Contemporary movies (*cough, Marvel) have poisoned me a little toward overly chatty characters, and the second-person perspective often comes as a character giving a monologue.
  
  But, the character's personality won me over as she schmoozes a guy named Greg in a speakeasy. Over the course of the one-sided conversation, we follow the rise and fall of Mauve Dormandy's acting career and the steps she took to prolong and revitalize it.
  
  The author did a great job of implying the sordid details without relying on them for quick spectacle, as horror authors often do. What impressed me the most was the author's deft weaving of details into the story to give the reader subtext. They gave the perfect amount of information to let me see everything coming while still letting me feel clever for seeing it. This allowed me, the reader, to anticipate the ending, but still feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when it played out rather than the disappointment of predictability when the foreshadowing is too ham-fisted. So kudos to Rain Corbyn, and I hope to see more of their work in the future.
  
  Final thoughts:
  No two stories in this collection were similar, which may be a good thing for some readers and a drawback for others. If you enjoy the variety, then there's plenty to go around. Other readers might bounce off of certain stories despite loving others. That was my experience, though I can usually still appreciate stories from a clinical standpoint even when they aren't "my kind of story."
  
  I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys short story collections, especially if they are looking for some unique elements from the 1920s theme. At only 110 pages, it's an ideal read for a rainy weekend.
• 
  Jenny Coyne

  I simply don't think this subset of horror is for me. The stories were well written, they just didn't really engage me. They all take place in the 1920's. Maybe I simply don't have enough knowledge of the era to properly appreciate these tails. I enjoyed Just Like Grandmother by Jasmine De La Paz the most.
  
  I received an ARC copy of this book for my unbiased review. My opinions are my own.
• 
  Shannon Reviews

  The anthology offered a delightful reading experience, enhanced by the 1920s backdrop. I found each story engaging in its own right, making it challenging to single out a particular favorite.
• 
  Megan Diedericks

  The dedication reads: “... to those who find solace in the shadows.” and I felt SUMMONED.
  
  My thoughts on each story:
  • “A Face For Pictures” by Rain Corbyn
  This gave me chills, hair-standing-on-end, the whole shebang! I adore the fact that the entire story is a monologue – the voice of the main character is very unique and it felt like I was a fly on the wall (or a spectator) while reading it!
  • “Just Like Grandmother” by Jasmine De La Paz
  I am vampire-obsessed so this is easily one of the best stories I've ever read. The nostalgia and the gothic-feel are so prominent; I was reminded of many of my own vampire-media favorites! I also loved the fact that the story is sectioned into parts with "Scene 1, Scene 2," etc. – it's like I can see an old-timey film being broken up into parts right in front of my eyes. I also found the relationship between the main character and her grandmother very wholesome.
  • “It Wore Warner Oland's Face” by Derek Heath
  I am speechless!! This is as much psychological horror to me, as it is about a monster/demon. Incredible storytelling – I could definitely picture this as a movie!!
  • “The Final Curtain” by Robin Knabel
  It's giving the first couple you see in a horror movie, but much more in-depth (and a little heart-wrenching if you think too hard about what the main character had and wanted at the start) – loved this one! (and I'm still running in the other direction when I see a spider... No matter its size.)
  • “He's Watching Me” by Mark McCallum
  More psychological horror, and I LOVE it!! To me, this read like a parasocial relationship gone insanely wrong. I'm also a huge fan of the epistolary-style it was written in!
  • “The Fourth Wall” by J. L. Royce
  As implied by the title, this story is about the fourth wall breaking. The character, Kat, is someone you root for (all the characters are unique and are perfectly translated onto the page) but she was the one I felt the most for. As the horrors (or perhaps something just short of that...) came to life – I couldn't help but be saddened. The fourth wall break trope in this is definitely exquisitely and uniquely done!!
  • “A Soup of Sin & Blessing” by Tyler J. Welch
  The Demon in this story has my heart!! The main character and this story dances towards (and is maybe, definitely) morally gray – and I wouldn't have it any other way. Spooky and witchy – what more could you want?
  
  I absolutely loved every story in this collection, and it's the perfect set to kick off the ‘Dark Decades’-series of anthologies!