Bernardo Esquinca

I will admit at first that the first few stories simply failed to click with me. Often too ambiguous or lacking in a satisfying conclusion for my own personal tastes, I nearly put this down. However, when it hit its stride I became absorbed in this master class in short story telling.

There are some stand out stories including The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife; Demoness; and the centre piece story of Senor Ligotti, but almost all of them contain a breathtaking level of prose and a wonderful show more weaving of the mythological amongst the very real, as Esquinca builds his story, never wasting a word and revealing the brooding horror slowly until we reach the unavoidable conclusion that you suddenly realise has been looming all along.

It’s not just the stories themselves that are the stars here. The illustrations that adorn the title page of some of the initial chapters are gorgeous full page black and white spreads which capture each associated story in its entirety through a single grotesque image

The compilation is also expertly put together, with the early ones starting off lightly and building up to the more dramatic longer tales, before returning to the smaller stories once more.

Highly recommended and another example of exceptional world horror show less

Excellent collection of memorable and understated horror fiction. Some favorites were "Demoness," "Señor Ligotti," "Pan's Noontide," and "The Wizard's Hour."

No es precisamente terror, pero es casi una oda negra a la Ciudad de Mexico

-RTC-

Una premisa interesante que se pierde por las ramas y demasiados elementos. Es la primera vez que leo a Esquinca y no ha sido el mejor primer acercamiento.