| Title | : | Anoka |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 140 |
| Publication | : | First published October 26, 2020 |
Early copies of this book were 104 pages.
New copies of this book are 140 pages.
I increased font and line spacing to give the book enough space for spine text so people can enjoy it on their shelves.
Pages aren't important, though, what matters is word count:
This work has 21k~ words.
Anoka Reviews
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***FULL REVIEW COMING TO HORROR DNA***
Anoka is a small town in Minnesota also known as "the Halloween capital of the world." Werewolves, sinister children and pagan witches are just a few of the strange and abhorrent entities that prey on the town's most vulnerable residents. This debut collection includes six short stories and notes by Indigenous author, Shane Hawk.
𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘬𝘢 is a collection of shocking and disturbing short stories by an emerging author. Shane Hawk crafted the perfect blend of Indigenous folklore and supernatural horror for this delightfully terrifying collection. I'm going to be keeping an eye on Hawk as he delivers more, fresh literary frights to unsuspecting reader's. His style is subtle and gripping with a pace that steeps suspense like that of a seasoned horror veteran.
𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘬𝘢 by Shane Hawk
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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4.0 Stars
This was a fantastic collection of own voices indigenous horror stories written by an Native American author. These stories offered insight into the experience of being an indigenous person in the United States while exploring major themes of identity and family.
Yet, I want to clear that this collection was definitely a horror collection. These stories were consistently dark with some gruesome and terrifying imagery included throughout the collection. Horror fans will not be disappointed.
As I say with every collection I read, I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. Here are my thoughts on my favourites:
Soilborne - This story was quite ambiguous with an ending I ended up rereading several times. I ended up really loved this one after reading the author's notes at the end and understanding the full idea behind this one.
Imitate - This was my favourite of the stories. I loved reading from the father's perspective, which felt incredibly honest and relatable as a fellow parent. There were some fantastic scenes involving the son which I thought were wonderfully unsettling.
Transfigured - Set on Halloween, this was a wonderful queer take on werewolf & wendigo mythology that discussed traditional hunting practices. It was a fresh take on the classic monster story
I really appreciated the inclusion of the author's notes at the end which provided the inspiration behind each of the stories. Knowing the background made me appreciate each story even more. (I wish all authors were required to provide these!)
I had the opportunity to review the audiobook version which was a very enjoyable experience. Short stories don't always lend themselves well to the audio format, but these ones were easy to follow. Overall, I thought the narrator gave a strong performance. His inflection fit the tone of most of the stories quite well. If possible, I do also recommend checking out the ebook edition in order to see the illustrations included in the collection.
I would absolutely recommend this collection to any horror readers looking for a diverse set of stories. Shane Hawks is definitely an author to watch. I would recommend his work to anyone who is a fan of Stephen Graham Jones' work. -
“A muffled cackle permeated the earth and grew into maniacal laughter.”
It’s not very often that a book makes me physically grimace and set it aside for a while - but Shane Hawk managed to achieve this with Anoka, a collection of horror stories inspired by Indigenous legends and folklore.
The variety in this collection is OUTSTANDING. There’s werewolves, pagan witches, creepy cloned children and bone collectors. And all the stories are set within one town - Anoka, dubbed “The Halloween Capital of the World”. I love when a multitude of stories take place in one location, which makes sense given my love for King.
Hawk also gives a little background to each story, describing where he got his inspiration from, allowing me to appreciate them even more! I love when authors do this. There’s only six stories, but this works quite well because it’s easy to just immerse yourself in this collection over one or two evenings.
The collection opens with an absolute banger - Soilborne. It was literally TWO pages long yet it left an impression. My others favourites were Imitate, because HELLO creepy cloned kid, and Dead America... because it made me want to gag. In the best way possible!
I loved the themes that Hawk explored - identity, grief and loneliness etc. A small but mighty collection, I was thoroughly impressed and can’t wait to see what Hawk does next! 3.5 stars. -
this was fun. i liked some stories more than others for sure. “imitate” was definitely my fave and i’m not likely to ever forget it. a solid debut collection and i can’t wait to see what else shane hawk comes out with
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Shane Hawk has declared himself an author to watch with his debut collection of indigenous horror tales, all set in Anoka, Minnesota (dubbed ‘The Halloween Capital of the World’). Anoka contains six short stories in with Hawk blends supernatural horror and historical facts and social commentary, resulting in a memorable and unsettling collection.
Anoka opens with the flash fiction short ‘Soilborne’, which tells the tale of the lengths a couple will go to in order to conceive a child. It is a very effective opening statement. Creepy and able to build a lot of dread in just a few pages, and with a fantastic twist.
‘Wounded’ is a more grounded, melancholy affair, dealing with a young man’s guilt at the death of his young sister. This story is surreal and fractured, it’s telling mirroring the character’s struggles, and has some truly haunting imagery. The effectiveness of this short however is the horror that is implied, not shown.
‘Orange’ is a brief but striking story told almost as a stream of consciousness narrative of an alcoholic, quick to anger and suffering from depression. The less you know about this short going in the better.
Anoka often delves into the supernatural and ‘Imitate’ is perhaps the most effective story in this regard. The opening scene of a father putting his son to bed was genuinely terrifying, and there are some truly gruesome and horrifying set pieces that follow. As a story aiming to scare, it is effective enough, but there is so much more going on than a simple creature-based tale. It is a pitch-perfect blend of full-on horror, clever layering and a powerful metaphor about change and loss.
‘Dead America’ is another short that succeeds in getting under your skin. This story has a nightmarish feel throughout, as the main character vividly describes recurring bad dreams that slowly bleed over into reality, leaving us unsure whether what follows is real or imagined. The ick factor is through the roof, but the message is both poignant and enlightening.
The collection closes with ‘Transfigured’, a werewolf tale with a twist. The leads feelings regarding her transformations is a new and interesting take, making this a strong ending for an overall excellent collection.
Many of the stories contained within ‘Anoka’ are of the rare variety that are satisfying at first glance, but are so layered with symbolism and deeper meaning that they reward multiple re-reads. ‘Imitate’, in particular (which was possibly my favourite of the collection) has a lot to unpack once the ending is revealed, and the story is packed full of subtle nods at the direction that it is going that are easily missed the first time around.
Each story gets its own story note at the end and they make fascinating companion pieces, best read directly after reading each short. It was a joy to read the real history behind the ideas on display, and the work and research that has gone into this book is clearly evident.
Anoka is a perfect blend of effective horror, lingering on your mind long after you’ve finished reading, and a captivating dive into the culture and history of Native Americans, with each story offering multiple readings and meanings, coupled with insightful story notes once you’re done. A consistently excellent collection that I highly recommend to any horror fan looking for something to really engage the senses.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at
https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter - @RickReadsHorror -
3.5 stars!
A debut collection of indigenous, own voices, horror stories with strong, relatable themes of identity and familial relationships. There is an in-depth introduction explaining the origin story behind the title and some insight on the author's intentions behind this particular collection of tales.
Anoka, Minnesota is apparently known as the birthplace of Halloween and as soon as more details were disclosed, it all started sounding very familiar--as in an episode of Drunk History! Sure enough, after a quick Google search, they are one and the same.
The stories are loosely connected by way of location-"Halloween Town"-in a very Stephen King, Castle Rock, or Eerie Indiana sort of way.
This is a one-sitting read. In fact, I would recommend that these 6 short stories must be enjoyed back to back in order to have a fuller experience. As singular reads, they could feel a little thin but together-they lean into each other in a satisfying way.
I was able to read this book on Orcas Island, WA in a lonely cabin overlooking the Puget Sound. The perfect setting.
My favorite stories were: IMITATE (an unsettling, supernatural father/son tale), TRANSFIGURED (a unique creature-feature), and DEAD AMERICA (a man is plagued with reoccurring dreams. Not cool for arachnophobic folks-squirm!)
I am a huge fan of story notes. In the case of ANOKA, they were extremely helpful to me in times where a story felt a little unfinished or confusing--SOILBORNE, the first story, gets a big assist with the accompanying story notes. It's my recommendation readers take advantage of those after finishing each piece.
I'm looking forward to watching Shane Hawk perfect his craft and establish his name in the horror industry. I know he has some exciting projects on the horizon and I'll be standing in line for anything he puts his name to--a rising voice, no doubt about it. -
This is a 4.5 review from me, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads and Amazon.
Soilborne - A husband and wife find the child they’ve been desperately craving, but things are not as they seem, they’ve pulled the child from the soil, tainted soil... and from which it came it must return. It’s a great story, a short story and the fact that Hawk is able to get us to feel so much pain and heartache in so few words is quite stunning. Weird fiction at its finest and Hawk’s ability to render our expectations redundant in this story is a delight.
Wounded - with this story Shane manages to manifest addiction into a living breathing entity, it’s so well accomplished that one can’t help to be moved by the deeper messages that this story raises, alcoholism, missing and murdered indigenous women - I watched a documentary about this a short while ago, how these women from these communities just disappear and no one is helping to locate them. Hawk pulls all of that into the present with a story that shows the desperation and suffocation that addiction can bring and the quest to break free from the chains that bind.
Orange - is a gorgeous little piece of flash, it has it all and in so few words... a striking piece of fiction. Here we get a very honest and frank account of depression, despair and anger - we see the self-destructive nature of man when these three things sit at the drivers seat. I really enjoyed the voice of the protagonist in this one (in the author notes Shane talks about trimming the fat with a machete for this piece) and the trimmed down dialogue and thought process and with it being first person really hit home at the stories conclusion. Flash is a hard beast to tame and Hawk does it with aplomb.
Imitate - this is a dark story, one that delves into fatherhood and sonship and what happens when one starts to drift away from the other or when past hurts and addictions begin to rear their ugly heads again. The doppelgänger part of this story was creepy as hell and some phenomenal visuals from Hawk ensure that the eerie tone of the story hits home hard - and the ending, my word the ending! The clipped narration took a little time for me to get used to causing me to pause, as it read strange, but I guess that’s the narrators anxiety showing up through in his voice.
Dead America - a writer suffering from writers block is visited by a giant spider at night, an Ojibwe legend that is the protector of children - but Hawk repurposes that legend here and has her torment our protagonist for his stealing of stories from his own people’s past and passing them off as his, his steeling from his culture, his roots, his bloodline needs to be rectified and so it will be. The scenes with the spider freaked me the hell out, I don’t like spiders and Hawk does a brilliant and brutal job and bringing this scene into a disgusting and horror filled part of the story. Hawk’s depiction of writers block is astute and in the story notes at the end Hawk reveals that when he was writing this story, writers block hit hard, this comes across very well in the story in how he portrays this.
Transfigured - as Hawk says in his author notes, werewolves have become a vehicle to tell other stories now, since they’ve been butchered more times than not in popular culture and fiction. It might just be me, but I think others would also share my thoughts - they just aren’t scary anymore. Hawk does a superb job here bringing us a werewolf story that is more than just that, it has deep roots in a lost childhood, the wanting to belong, the fear of the future and trying to make up for past hurts or a life not lead to the fullest. The scene on the bridge was some great horror - visuals that worked really well and the bit about feasting on liquorice was awesome!
Story Notes - Shane Hawk gives us story notes that help to show the reader where the stories in this collection came from, the spark that made him write them and the things abs legends that inspired such stories. It’s a very cool thing indeed, to peer inside the mind of the writer to observe his creative process - after finishing each story I then popped to the story notes to gain a deeper understanding of the story I’d just read - and I’d recommend you do this yourself, it helps give you a full picture of the whole construction of this collection.
Anoka is a fabulous little collection of Indigenous Horror and one that I really enjoyed, I loved his ability to bring myth and lore that I was unaware of to his stories. The use of flash fiction and short stories works well in giving the reader time to absorb Hawk’s hard hitting prose - the hype is real and I look forward to reading more from Hawk in the future. -
Six tales by indigenous author, Shane Hawk, takes us to Anoka, a small midwest city known as The Halloween Capital of the World. I personally love the idea of several stories all happening in one location so this was a plus. Shane also brings forward some painful issues in the indigenous community specifically alcoholism and domestic violence. I found his approach to the topics respectful while also making his stance on the issues obvious.
At the end of the collection is a list of story notes. I love when writers include these! These gave an interesting perspective into the stories.Soilborne
This story is a frightful way to address infant loss.
Wounded
This story turned me into an emotional mess (Thanks Shane) and by addressing the painful topic of missing and murdered indigenous females this was one of my favorites of the collections.
Orange
Grief horror to punch you straight in the feels.
Imitate
Imi-TATE. This stroy includes another creepy kid and I am here for it. We get a boy clone under the bed that says the monster is the boy on the bed. WHATTT??? My favorite story of the collection.
Dead America
This story really fucked with me. Seriously, spiders laying eggs in your mouth 😩
Transfigured
One of the best werewolves stories I have read in a long time! I also adore the queer rep here with our nonbinary wolf.
I cried, was disgusted, and creeped out with this collection. In addition, the writing was well done! I felt for characters and feel more aware of indigenous issues. For these reasons, Anoka gets 5 stars! I look forward to reading more from Shane Hawk.
Thank you to Shane Hawk for gifting me a copy of Anoka in exchange for an honest review.
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This collection of short stories is absolutely PHENOMENAL! I picked it up on a whim because I saw it floating around on bookstagram and I’m so glad it caught my eye so that I could discover these stories. I didn’t know it was by an Indigenous author or based in a city dubbed the Halloween capital of the world when I picked it up. Both those facts absolutely thrilled me because I’m always looking for more work by Indigenous authors and um HELLO, Halloween capital of the world?! There were a few minor things that stopped it from being a full five stars but considering this is a debut it’s quite mind blowing how good it is! This collection really has it all when it comes to horror stories, from gruesome and gory to just downright bone chilling. Horror fans, you don’t want to miss out on this collection and you’ll definitely want to be keeping your eye on Hawk, I know I will!
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This little book of stories packs a serious punch! I really enjoyed it, and I'm so glad I reached out to the author to purchase a signed copy. Shane Hawk is a writer to watch, so I'm excited to own a personalized copy of his first book.
After creating my list of top reads for 2020, I realized that I am sorely lacking in reading more diverse fiction. As much as I love a good book by a white guy, I read way too many of them. This year I'm making a concerted effort to add more female writers, POC writers, LGBTQIA writers, and Indigenous writers. I already feel as if my view of the world is expanding as a result of adding these works to my ongoing TBR, and I can't wait to continue to discover fresh voices in fiction.
Hawk's writing is delightfully creepy and unsettling. I didn't realize that I have more of an aversion to spiders than I previously thought until I read Dead America. I really love that story. Body horror produces a visceral reaction in me, and nothing could possibly be worse than feeling an insect squirming around inside your body. That's actually a real fear of mine. But beyond that part of the story this is much to appreciate. The ending is so good.
Sincerely, I don't think there is weak story in this collection. I recommend this one as a nice single sitting read during a rainy day, with a cup of hot tea or coffee, and multiple blankets and pillows. Just go ahead and create a bedding fort. You'll need someplace to burrow into once you start these disturbing tales. -
There's something exciting about bearing witness to an artist early in their career, and that excitement simply permeates the six stories in Shane Hawk's debut collection. These tales are visceral and raw. Unafraid to take risks.
What I admire most about Shane's stories are their ability to turn on a dime from deep character introspection to demented terror
Even in my short time as a horror fan, I've encountered few authors so willing to step into the strange directions that litter these pages.
"Transfigured" was the highlight of the longer stories, though I have to admit a preference for the shorter, tighter tales: "Soilborne" and "Orange." Hell, "Orange" was so wtf-good that the moment I finished, I went back to its opening lines and reread the whole thing.
I fully plan to keep watching whatever Shane produces next. Like a Hawk. -
I love short stories. Especially in the Horror genre. I don’t read enough of them and that’s a shame.
These stories from Anoka were down right horrifying. They made my skin crawl. I find that stories dealing with children or addiction are what haunt me the most. I’ve spent most of my life battling addiction and I’ve been in some dark dark places. So, these stories definitely made me squirm.
After all the stories were told, the author took time to explain each story and the meaning behind them. That was actually my favorite part. Knowing how the author dug deep and did his research made me appreciate this book so much more.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Shane Hawk’s work. Anoka was the perfect introduction and I want more. -
Soilborne ★★★★★
Wounded ★★★★★
Orange ★★★★★
Imitate ★★★★★
Dead America ★★★★★
Transfigured ★★★★★
All of the stories in this book were five stars for me! Didn’t think this was possible but this book proved me wrong haha. Read this if you’re into horror! This book has its dark and gruesome moments, but also really dives into the characters‘ inner world and thoughts. It also deals with realities Indigenous people deal with in daily life. There’s a lot going on in this short book but it didn’t feel rushed or overwhelming, the balance was just right in my opinion.
It’s hard to choose a favorite story because I loved them all, but I think Imitate and Dead America might be the ones that will stick in my head the most. By the way, Dead America actually made me squirm while reading haha! Also Wounded has so many layers to it besides the horror plot. Transfigured has an incredible Halloween/Winter atmosphere. This was such a great book to read, and I can’t wait to read more from this author! -
3.5 stars
A debut short story collection set in the 'Halloween town' of Anoka.
I found this collection to be a bit of a mixed reading experience. A few stories didn't really work for me and I found a couple of the endings were somewhat abrupt and a bit underwhelming. But even reading the stories that didn't grab me, I can tell that Hawk is a talented writer. That came through throughout the whole collection. And there were a couple of stories that really jumped out to me:
Orange: a very short story that gets into the head of a character dealing with the effects of his past.
Dead America: this story deals with themes of identity and authenticity, and it also gets very gruesome which I thought was excellently written!
I liked and appreciated the information the author provided in the introduction and story notes to give the reader more detail on how the collection and each story came about.
I received a review copy of this book from the author. -
Each story in this creepy collection has its own style, mood and pace, and yet all come from the singular, strong voice of new writer Shane Hawk. It’s hard to pick a favourite from this collection but I’m going to pick ‘Imitate’, my new favourite doppelgänger story. Keep an eye on Shane Hawk. I for one look forward to reading more from this talented writer.
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Anoka is a collection of stories rooted from one common place, a place considered the Halloween capital of the world. Anoka is located in Minnesota. A town with a hotspot for weird phenomena. Stories with a folklore essence by an indigenous tongue. I really enjoyed the author's voice throughout these stories but I had 2 that were especially my favorite and I have those starred. I also really wish more authors would include their story notes and music they use to write with because I really love that!
The forward of how the author studied and searched within himself to make this collection of stories is beautifully written. My heart was filled with how much these stories may rip me apart. Then I read SOILBORNE, I don’t think I was fully prepared for what this collection of stories had to offer. The first story shocked me. It’s short and sharp with its folk and witchy lore. I can’t give away the details because it would definitely ruin it for those who would want to read this.
WOUNDED - Philp spirals down a dark path of drugs and alcohol and thoughts of suicide after he is guilt ridden from the death of this sister. One day visiting his grandparent’s shed, he finds a weird Spanish written leather bound book. This one is coursing with dark alluring mystery with a side of regret and pain. This could seriously be made into a whole novel.
ORANGE - This felt like the REAL thoughts going through a person's head after a loss of a loved one. It is beautifully written but that last line made me laugh a little.
IMITATE - There’s a monster under the child’s bed that is now taken to a whole new level of creepy. The ending really crushed me on this one. ⭐️
DEAD AMERICA - Oh My God! This is one of my biggest fears ever! I loved the meaning behind the story but I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. Instead I kept reading with my eyes wanting to pop out of my head. ⭐️
TRANSFIGURED - A Halloween costume party is always fun especially when you can come as you are. Loved the twist at the end but I would definitely want it more fleshed out. Give me more! Lol
Overall I’d give this collection 4 ⭐️ s. I can’t wait to read what this author comes out with next! He has a beautiful story telling voice.
***Adding that the author gifted me the audiobook but I read this on my kindle. The narrator seemed to be monotone to me with a slight echo. I couldn’t stop focusing on the echo so I had to switch over and read it from my kindle. This doesn’t seem to be a problem with most people so I’d still check it out if you’re interested in the audiobook. -
Shane Hawk knocks it out of the park with this one. Each short features complex characters and stories that unfold in ways that force your attention and beg you to reread. His experience with the Native-American identity is enlightening and compels me to learn more about these cultures that are too often erased or pushed aside. The prose is artful and intelligent, making the horror that much striking by contrast.
I can't wait to see what Shane does with a novel! -
A brief but interesting collection. The final story of the six, “Transfigured,” a werewolf tale set on Halloween night, was my favorite. My only real complaint with this one and a couple of others was that they felt a bit abbreviated, as if they were only telling part of the tale. I yearned for more time exploring the events and characters they contained.
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As a Minnesotan it was awesome to read stories set in my own backyard.
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Took a chance with this debut collection because it was getting some major hype online, and it did not disappoint! Allow me to add to the hype haha.
First of all, I desperately want to read more works by indigenous authors, so when I saw this was an indigenous horror collection I immediately locked in. Not saying that's the only reason to read it, but it is very cool how the author's research and insight into indigenous customs, beliefs, and current realities influences all six of the stories here. I also LOVE when authors include story notes on their inspiration/development of the various stories, and so I was excited when I saw Shane Hawk includes those at the back of the collection.
Anoka is a small Minnesotan city that has been called the "Halloween Capital of the World". All six of the stories are set in this city and focus mainly on members of the Dakota, Ojibwe, and Lakota nations. Despite all being set in the same location, I really enjoyed the variety of horror subgenres represented here (eco-terror, witchcraft, demonic changelings, ancestral ghosts, vicious werewolves, and so on).
Here is a brief look at each of the stories presented in this collection:
"Soilborne" - Extremely short and unsettling story told from the perspective of new parents; eco-horror and shocking twist ending.
"Wounded" - A man is haunted by the death of his sister and, in his descent into pills and booze, finds a strange book in his grandfather's shed; haunting look at loss and grief with a demonic/Necronomicon spin.
"Orange" - Narrator is suffering from loss and dealing with depression; great voice but more journal entry style and less of an actual story; cool line from the guy who keeps knocked out teeth from fights he wins "I earned those teeth".
"Imitate" - Something is wrong with Tate, and as his father begins to notice the changes things quickly spiral out of control; super creepy opening and a shocking ending; a demon possession/changeling tale.
"Dead America" - Chaska, an established memoir writer in the native community, is struggling with writer's block and terrifying spider-filled nightmares when he is suddenly visited by his long-dead grandfather; topics of heritage, identity, and spiritualism; super gross and frightening scenes with spiders infesting one's body (awful for someone who hates spiders); possibly my favorite from the whole collection though!
"Transfigured" - An intriguing werewolf story with underlying questions about gender and queer identity; also, vicious and violent.
As with pretty much all short story collections, some stories work better than others. I will say that all of them have left a strong impression in my mind though, and weeks later I'm still thinking about them. Author Shane Hawk has a strong and vivid writing voice, and he writes every story in a way that is easy to fall into and enjoy. This is such a great debut, and I cannot wait to read what Hawk writes next! -
Read the paperback. Incredible horror collection from new author Shane Hawk. Each story in this collection is incredibly strong, haunting, and just straight up creepy. `Imitate` and `Dead America` were personal favorites, but the entire collection was simply amazing. Highly recommend to all the horror fans out there!
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When you think this collection can't get any better, you read the next story and it gets even better.
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Anoka is a collection of short stories centered around the little town of Anoka, Minnesota.
The first important thing I want to point out to readers is the author includes a brief blurb regarding each of his stories in the back: the theme behind it and the reason he wrote it. I found this to be a fantastic addition to this collection. I enjoyed reading those after each story and it really helped me with a couple of the stories because it added to my enjoyment.
I also need to be transparent and admit that I did not finish one of the stories - Dead America. I read the first couple pages and it was about a dream concerning a certain 8-legged creature and it was insanely descriptive and....well....I couldn't make it through. I'm deathly afraid of spiders and Shane Hawk was too damn good at his craft for me to make it all the way through. LOL
I really enjoyed the stories, some more than others and I look forward to reading more works of Shane Hawk. I found his writing style enjoyable and easy to consume. I really try and break up short story collections so that I read one per day so that it can have its day for me to enjoy, but I just found myself continuing on through this one because I liked the author's style. (well, except for that ONE) -
Short stories have always been my favorite form of horror. “Imitate” was probably my favorite and as far as flash fiction goes, “Soilborne” was absolutely flawless. This was a perfect example of a short story collection done right. I also really appreciated Hawk’s notes at the end that provided some insight on what inspired each story. Loved it.
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[A disclaimer: The author reads the reviews, and has been known to mention them on his Twitter, as he did with the first one-star review for Anoka. While the author himself took the negative review graciously, some of his supporters were... not so gracious in the comments, on some occasions even resorting to personal comments about the reviewer. I say this only in the interest of transparency, as this knowledge has affected how I wrote this review.]
Well. I honestly struggled a lot with this review, both over the rating and what to say. It's rare that I feel so wretched about giving a one star review (generally by the point of reviewing, I'm so annoyed at the author that rating one star seems like the obvious course of action) but there's nothing annoying about this book; there's nothing offensive; nothing that made me angry. It's just not very good, and it's such a shame because the author's enthusiasm is abundantly clear, as is his potential. I just feel that these stories are premature. There's some real promise in them, some moments where I can see incredible potential, the framework of a distinct style, glimpses of some truly harrowing imagery. It was just let down by the fact that these stories weren't ready to be published yet.
The enthusiasm is there, as I've said, and so is the potential. However, when it comes to a published book, I can't rate solely on what the book could have been. I have to rate on what's there. While I could appreciate some of the concepts, I couldn't look past the fact that they were not well executed. The writing in many areas was juvenile. The dialogue -- what little there was -- was stilted and forced. There was the occasional line that stood out as well-written, but for the most part the sentences were choppy, simplistic, and more often than not did nothing to set an atmosphere or convey an emotion -- they just bluntly informed the reader. Some of the descriptions and epitaphs were simply bad. There were a couple of paragraphs here and there that had atmosphere and showed potential, but these were not common. The whole thing seemed very rushed.
I've read a lot of creepy stories, and I was lucky enough to see the creepypasta trend take off online back in the day. I love short horror, microfiction, all of the things I would find in the dead of night while browsing random forums. This collection reminded me of these stories, but not the good ones. Not the terrible ones, either, but rather the mediocre ones. The ones where the author clearly had a good idea but lacked the skill to do it justice. A little more time, a little more practise, and those stories could have been great. I feel the same way about this, though this background in internet horror microfiction did have me squinting at Imitate in particular. Of course, nobody really can say they own the copyright to urban legends, but the opening scene of this story was word-for-word a popular creepypasta that has been doing the rounds for well over a decade now, and was probably in existence far before that. It's not a bad thing, to take folklore and base your own story off of it, but I feel that to do something like that with such a staple, something new should be brought to the table. Similarly, I feel like it's fine to draw inspiration from other writers in your genre, but again, something new needs to be brought to the scene. The scene under the house, once more in Imitate, was very similar to a scene in Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones -- certainly not plagiarism, but similar enough that I feel if it was to be included, more care should have been taken in ensuring it didn't read like a scene collected by the author for its aesthetical value and slotted into a story purely for the imagery.
While not the stories themselves, the Story Notes at the end were, obviously, included in the book, and therefore I don't feel out of line for commenting on them. I did not think they were appropriate. There is a difference between an author making a note regarding their inspiration or writing process (as seen in the introduction of this book), and notes that are quite literally explaining the story and telling the reader what they should be thinking or feeling. If a story is written well enough, this should not be necessary. Regardless, an author should never lecture the reader on what to think. It seemed like the Story Notes were there because the author either lacked confidence that his writing would illicit the "correct" response (a problematic misconception to have in the first place), or he was worried about "incorrect" responses and wanted to pre-emptively clear everything up. I do not think there was anything negative in this -- the author strikes me as neither pretentious nor conceited, just very enthusiastic and eager to share his thoughts -- but I couldn't shake the feeling I was being told what to think and how to interpret the story, and I don't like authors doing that under any circumstances. Understanding the inevitable divide between what you write and what your readers take from it is entry level. It can be a frustrating thing, yes, because god knows some people out there utterly lack reading comprehension, but in my opinion there's never an excuse for an author to sit their readers down and tell them how to feel. If the writing is strong enough, enough people will take from it what an author intended.
I feel the need to conclude this by saying I wish the author well. There is potential here, and I truly think that with his drive and enthusiasm, he's capable of writing a great book. I really do hope that in a few years I'm on here giving it a glowing review. Unfortunately, the writing in this book was just not there. -
Knowing Shane from HOWLS, and knowing what a clever, witty, thoughtful person he is I was concerned I’d be biased and promised myself I’d give an honest rating and write an honest review. And honest this is - I LOVED THIS COLLECTION. I just straight up LOVED IT. Good reads is limiting and if it was possible I think I’d give it 4.5 stars - but only because it was so short, and I wanted to read more. I devoured this collection in one afternoon (taking short breaks between each story to fully let them sink in), which for me is a big deal as I have a shocking attention span. Spooky, unnerving, unexpected, heartfelt, and harrowing. An entertaining, informative, and impressive read. I feel like I learnt more about Native American culture in this book - than I ever learnt in school (or elsewhere). Please purchase yourself a copy of Anoka and make time to read it, it’s fantastic.
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What a fantastic collection of short fiction! These stories were disturbing in the best possible way. Every single one had me so intrigued and horrified, "flipping" the pages of my e-reader so freaking fast. If I had to pick favorites, it'd be Imitate and Dead America. Oh boy were those two just the pinnacle of creepy!
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Review to come...
