Fran Friel

Fran Friel has been carving her way into the horror genre for the past few years, and while she can get the chills going just fine, I was most impressed by her use of humor. The short back-to-back 'food'-themed entries, GRAVY PURSUITS and MASHED, are both fine examples of humorous horror done right (something this reviewer admires and is constantly on the lookout for).

While I enjoyed Friel's novella, MAMA'S BOY, I believe the highlight here is the nearly-as-lengthy FINE PRINT, which puts a show more surprisingly fresh spin on the old sell-your-soul story; although it deals with personal characters, there's an epic battle playing out in the background that gives this one a fantastic lift. Kudos also for THE SEA ORPHAN, a killer pirate story that deals with a young man who inherits his mother's witchcraft skills. Being a canine fan, I also loved UNDER THE DRYER, which is told from a dog's point of view (and also happens to be quite creepy).

Although I'm not a big poetry fan, there's some short, sweet, and SICK ones on display here. They'll easily keep your attention, and they act as nice little breaks in-between the tales.

Included in this 14-story/poem collection is a wonderful introduction by Gary A. Braunbeck and some interesting author notes. MAMA'S BOY shows off this rising author's goods and left me quite satisifed...hopefully we'll see a novel soon. show less

The loyal dog protecting the family from the evil dust bunnies. Only in this case, the dust bunnies are alive, and are bent on destroying the family. Told from the dogs point of view, this story is cute and simplistic, but still powerful. I enjoyed it very much.

This is a superb collection of short stories, flash fiction, and even poetry. It is ruthless and visceral. I loved it. I can't wait for more from Fran Friel.

Mama's Boy is a solid debut from a great new voice in dark genre fiction. The stories vary from a pirate adventure to a single, startling paragraph, showing a variety of possibilities for the reader and the versatility of the author. If you're looking for something new to read and you love darker, skewed tales this is a great place to start.