Robert Boyczuk

A collection that calls itself Horror Story better have at least one damn good horror story, lest you think it a parody of the genre such as Scary Movie. Plus, it better be better than Scary Movie. No problem here: Robert Boyczuk (whose novels Nexus: Ascension and The Book of Thomas prove him a master of both the short and long form) has put together a collection that rivets you to your seat even as it pulls the rug out from under you. “Cure for Cancer” is a nightmare of twisted love, show more and “Query” is a masterpiece of literary insanity that anyone in the publishing industry will connect with. The story “Horror Story” would make such a terrific movie, I’m surprised no one has done it yet.

Find the full review at my website. show less

A friend bought this for me, I think because of the hours we devoted in our misspent youth to discussing horror films. Since having kids, I'm not as enthusiastic about horror as I once was (I seem to be more easily scared than I used to be), but I still enjoy the genre and the tingle of being frightened every once in a while. And I was pleased to find that Boyczuk isn't going for the easy scare with the stories in this collection. The stories touch on very basic and universal human issues show more (which is a good part of what makes them so scary), and they have literary merit to boot.

Boyczuk explores issues of love and the intricacies of relationships while giving his readers the willies. His characters find that issues in their subconscious with which they haven't dealt become manifest in the outside world. Love is portrayed as a kind of addiction, and sex as a way of taking something from another person (most literally in the story "Doing Time," which the notes at the back say was first published in the book Erotica Vampirica, which should give some sense of what sort of story it is).

I found it enjoyable (if disturbing) to see how Boyczuk makes the inner workings of his characters' psyches part of their external worlds. I found the last story in the collection, "Horror Story," to be the scariest. I read it after everyone else was in bed and it took a great deal of bravery on my part to turn out the lights all over the house before I turned in for the evening. I'm glad I didn't read it while my husband was out of town. show less

Book Info: Genre: Dark Speculative Fiction
Reading Level: While the characters are MG to YA, this book is definitely written for adults
Recommended for: Fans of dark speculative fiction, those who like having a riddle to solve, philosophy, comparative religions, etc.
Trigger Warnings: rape (m/m, m/f), pedophilia, violence, bullying, killing

My Thoughts: The last book I read by Robert Boyczuk was one of only three books in my entire life to give me nightmares. So I had high expectations. This show more book surpassed them. On its surface it appears to be about the boy, Thomas, and his attempts to survive after his father is killed as a heretic. But if you pay attention, the story is much deeper. I don't want to spoil things, but when I had my epiphany I was so excited I started babbling like a crazy person about this book.
“It is not those who are unashamedly evil that we need fear the most, for their intentions are plain; rather, our fear should be reserved for those equivocators who would allow evil to flourish, and name it good so they might sleep better at night.”
As is often the case in this sort of story, religious authorities are shown to be thoroughly human and fallible, despite the dogma that says otherwise. The idea of this... world? Planet?... that is made up of 14 level of spheres one inside the other, from Heaven down to Hell, is interesting. I spent a lot of time early on in the book trying to figure out when it was set, because mention is made of Napoleon, Shakespeare, and city names that currently exist, but the population is much less, and the technology medieval at best, except for a few “magical” artifacts. I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but I have my suspicions about when and where this is taking place, and I can not wait for the next book in this series. Unfortunately there is no word on when that might be. To Robert Boyczuk I say, “Write! Write like the wind!” That is two series by this author that are on my must-read list for the future.

If you like dark speculative fiction, stories that give you riddles to solve, philosophical thoughts and theories on religions, you should enjoy this story. It is not a pretty world, and some fairly awful things happen to some of the characters, but it's a really good story. Highly recommended.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel from ChiZine in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: "The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." — John Milton, Paradise Lost

In the beginning, the Church ruled all the Spheres of the Apostles. But that was millennia ago, before the origins of this massive, artificial realm were forgotten. Now, drought, plague and war afflict the Spheres that make up the world of Man, fragmenting society into antagonistic sects that carry out ruthless pogroms.

A young orphan, Thomas, is thrust into the midst of this upheaval and embarks on a journey to the highest of all Spheres, Heaven. As he struggles through his chaotic, crumbling world, Thomas witnesses cruelty and violence beyond measure—and chances upon unexpected moments of courage and self-sacrifice. In this turmoil, his belief becomes doubt as he is forced to make soul-rending choices between what his faith tells him he should do, and what he must do to survive. show less

Overall, this was a good collection of horror stories. Body horror, grotesque imagery, and psychological horror are a few of the types you will find in this book. Boyczuk's use of language is skillful - he says a lot in only a few words, just enough to give the reader an unsettling feeling. Gay and straight pairings are treated with the same approach; Boyczuk never meanders over his gay/bisexual characters or tokenizes them, which I appreciate. I gave this book three stars because I felt show more some of the stories weren't really as good as the others. show less