- Name: We are where the nightmares go
- Author: C. Robert Cargill
- Genre: Fiction/Horror
- Book Post No. : 53
- What is it about? : This is a compilation of 10 horror short stories by the writer of horror movies like Sinister and The Black Phone. Most of the stories are set in the modern times. This is not specifically stated in the stories themselves but can be ascertained by the usage of contemporary language and objects.
- How I came to read it? : Recently I found out, much to my delight, that one of my office colleagues is an avid horror fan. Like myself, she loves to read as well as watch horror movies. I do not usually read modern horror as my favorite genre is Victorian era gothic horror and I stick to it. My colleague, on the other hand, reads all kinds of horror and she recommended this book to me. She was also kind enough to lend me her copy of this book.
- Did I like it?: I was reading Fiction after a long time. My last Fiction read, At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft was almost 4 years ago. So this was definitely a breath of fresh air, a break in my current routine of Non Fiction books but having said that I am not a fan of horror stories of this type. The writing is impeccable with amazing imagery and world building which I enjoyed but beyond that I did not enjoy the more fantastical elements of the story. Now, cynics might scoff at me questioning what’s the difference between fantasy and supernatural? Well, I like my horror to be rooted in reality in a fundamental sense and then build the horror elements on top of that. This way the supernatural elements have more weight and elicit a feeling of dread and tension. As opposed to entire worlds or places existing somewhere in the universe with uncertain connections to the real living world.
This forms one of the common themes in the stories which is the existence of spaces where certain beings are sent or kept. Sometimes its the story of someone who is tasked with selecting who to send to these places and sometimes its about this someone looking for a replacement to carry on its work. The stories are deeper than they appear with many thought provoking lines. It made me think at times what if those places and beings existed. But, not surprisingly the one story I liked the most was the one with some connection to Earth. This is the story of two friends making a last stand together against a supernatural foe. The dialogues are entertaining with the kind of banter that only friends can have. Reminded me of Tarantino movies. The next one that I liked the most was ‘we are where the nighmares go’. First of all that is one hell of a title. The story itself is like Wizard of Oz but with a heavy dose of the supernatural. Overall this collection of short stories was a decent read, a major digression from my usual horror preference. - Positives: Amazing world building, thought provoking lines, super action.
- Negatives: Going for negatives in a fiction book seems a bit pointless as a lot of it depends on personal preference so Ill skip it.
- Any other personal notes, observations, fun facts etc.: I loved the following paragraph from one of the stories.
