Are You Watching? by Robin Knabel

Are You Watching? Reviews

• 
  Milt Theo

  'Are You Watching?' is the third entry in the Inky Bones Press Dark Decades Anthology Series of dark media, covering the 1960s. It contains six stories, principally about television. The anthology this time is short, though horribly creepy - as any anthology with this theme should be!
  
  All of the stories, except for the first one, could be easily expanded into short novelettes; the one opening the anthology, though -“It's Always Saturday” by Megan Diedericks- I especially liked for its stylish presentation of the older family shows, and it really hits hard at the precise (short) length it is! It shows that sometimes wishes made in front of the television console should not be literally fulfilled, and were the story to go into the premise in more depth it would have messed up the disturbing twist in the end (not to mention the pervasive sense of claustrophobia in the second half). Another story I liked was the one by the editor, Robin Knabel. “Idiot Box” reminded me of my childhood fear of things living in the very old TV set of my grandparents: the huge old device made strange noises and would never turn off properly. Similarly, Knabel's story revolves around an old mysterious TV whose lid has been glued shut. Why? Read and find out! Cherie Mitchell's “We're Gonna Make You A Star” is to be recommended for taking some very familiar ideas about old television sets and children shows and making a proper horror tale out of them: people inside the television talking back to the viewer and making promises better left unfulfilled! The last story was a huge surprise! “An Unexpected Audience” by Matthew Wignall is sci-fi horror with... lizards! This story is brilliant and could easily stand as a prequel of an entire novel.
  
  This anthology is perfect for readers who enjoy well-crafted short fiction whose horror elements lie very close to the surface. The stories are straightforward, easy reads, to be enjoyed by horror fans of all kinds, but especially those who wonder about analog media and television horror! Recommended!
• 
  Jenny Coyne

  This book contains 6 short horror stories regarding the subject of 1960's television. "It's Always Saturday" was probably my favorite. I really liked "In the Glass Eye", but it left me with too many questions. I would have liked to see it expanded into a novelette or novella.
  
  This is the third book I've read in the Dark Decades Anthologies collection. So far I've liked Who's Listening best, but I haven't gotten to read the other two anthologies yet.
  
  Thank you to Robin Knabel and Inky Bones Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
  
  Release date August 6, 2024
• 
  Megan Diedericks

  The flow of this collection is impeccable. I'm always in awe when an editor manages to bring together multiple stories from multiple authors and make it seem like they were all sitting around a table together to create the book (when they actually weren't!) – and Robin Knabel excels in that department!
  
  My thoughts on each story:
  • The first story in this collection is actually mine so we will be ignoring that one (🤫)
  • “Irregularly Scheduled Programming” by Harrison Foreman
  This one had me on the edge of my seat. There was a constant back and forth between (what I felt was) reality and fiction – and that ending was just bone-chilling. Sometimes there really is no difference between the two, huh?
  • “Idiot Box” by Robin Knabel
  Outerspace meets childlike curiosity. The first-person narration of this story made me feel like I was right there. My jaw hit the floor when that full circle moment formulated with the final paragraph!
  • “We're Gonna Make You A Star” by Cherie Mitchell
  This is actually one of my favorite stories! The main character's love for what he sees on the screen turns into a nightmare, and that's a concept I very much enjoyed. It was heartbreaking and horrifying (the perfect blend!)
  • “In the Glass Eye” by Kathy Sherwood
  This story is filled with spooky imagery and deep emotions. I found the ending incredibly heartwarming!
  • “An Unexpected Audience” by Matthew Wignall
  Who would've thought aliens don't take kindly to impersonation? This story is perfect blend of sci-fi and horror – and the questions that remain leave a lasting impression!
  
  I'm a big fan of all of these stories, and I'm so honoured to have “It's Always Saturday” featured among them!