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 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. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )