Neon Sabbath: Stories by Tim Murr

Neon Sabbath: Stories Reviews

• 
  Kathryn

  I'll be honest, this book really needs a better editor. For instance, the first, and longest, story was apparently originally written as a film treatment, and it hasn't been entirely successfully translated into short story form. There are a lot of places where it starts to read more like a script. Some of the other stories could have used an editor's hand in making them into smoother reads.
  
  I'm still giving this 4/5 stars though, because there's honestly nothing wrong with it that a couldn't be fixed with better editing. These stories are a lot of fun, and I read the entire book in one sitting. There's something cinematic about Murr's storytelling. He says in the introduction that the collection is meant to remind readers of raiding the horror section of a local video store, and that is exactly the kind of tale telling he delivers. I could picture most of these stories on the screen, whether as an anthology segment, an entire film itself, or occasionally the climax of something longer. These are fast paced tales with vivd imagery. And I had so much fun reading them.
  
  Stories include the Texas Chainsaw inspired "Hell is Empty," serial killer with a twist tale, "Wolf Spider," and killer mermaid quicky, "El Puerto de Santa Maria." I also loved "Black Cats" once I realized that all of the cats in the story make it to the end alive and in one piece, and "The Jennings Point Story" started off as one of the strongest, but the ending felt a bit rushed. I actually would love to see several of these turned into longer stories. "Shards of Stained Glass on Wet Pavement" and "Virgin Sacrifice of the Blood Gods on 35mm" beg to have longer versions or more stories written in their world, as does "Midnight Witch Dub," which has fascinating ideas, but I would have liked more time with the characters before the bloody climax.
  
  So, yeah, these stories need a better editor, but Murr is definitely a talented author with a flair for action and carnage. I will definitely be reading more by him and soon, and I recommend Neon Sabbath for fans of retro horror films and pulpy fiction.
• 
  Gab

  Tim Murr has to be a huge horror fan, because this is the kind of horror that only someone who grew up renting horror VHS could write.
  This is a collection of short stories that is very fast paced, quite gory and very often guns will make an appearance. I'll give you an idea about this book by making an example about music: there is music by Mozart and there is music by Discharge. This is Discharge. I liked it, but I understand it isn't for everybody. Still, if you're one of those who are into this kind of things, you'll really love it.