Cat Tales 2: Fantastic Feline Fiction
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Price: $11.95
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Price: $11.95
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Cacek P D
Leavings
 List Price: $5.99 DescriptionCustomer ReviewsMost definitely morbidLeavings is a collection of short fiction by the author. From the intro. it appears that these are earlier writings in her career and aren't her best work. The intro. was a bit odd but maybe I need to read it again . . . "Leavings" tells the story of an old woman who believes that when one dies bits of their personality are passed on to whoever is near. As her mean spirited husband lay dying in a bed upstairs she does her best to keep her favorite grandchild away from the bed as he passes. What bothered me most about this story was the fact the she allowed her many other innocent grandchildren and her children to "inherit" his qualities and wasn't concerned in the least about them. "Baby Dolls" is a sad little tale about a lonely, childless man who works for a woman running a porcelain doll shop. She praises him for his gentleness with her babies and when one of the dolls is damaged in transit he learns that quirkiness isn't the reason she's so careful around the dolls. "Mime Games" tells the story of one woman's harrowing lunch hour run-in with a local mime. It says some disturbing things about human nature and isn't easily forgotten. "The Princess" is about a spoiled little girl left to her devices. It's one of those "whose the ghost" type stories and left my mind shortly after reading it. "Gilgamesh Recividus" tells the tale of immortal men and unicorns. It was another that just didn't stick with me. "Ancient One" is about a cursed family and the teddy bear passed down through the generations that is much more than it seems. I liked this one more than the previous two but thoughts of a Koontz book featuring a similar type thing kept popping into my head. The one where the juju doll comes alive and wreaks havoc on its hapless protagonist? I think its called Tick Tock. "Tomb with a View" Nice title but less than stellar story. This is about a New York city that is quickly being swallowed up by smog. One man decides to stick it out after nearly everyone else evacuates (or dies) and is slowly going mad. In this bizarre tale, the rats, the roaches and the underground dwellers move on up to his highrise. This story just never jelled for me. "Under the Haystack" is a sad vignette about lost dreams, death and a ghost who may or may not be real. "Heart of Stone" is about a heartless man who collects gargoyles. His hobby and callousness end up causing a whole lot of trouble! This would've made a good "Tales from the Darkside" episode. "Here There Be Dragons" is another that didn't work for me at all. It's about merlin in the modern world and his search for a man to assist him in locating the holy grail. I was bored and skimmed most of it. "Letting Go" is another tale of grief. More reality and just plain sad than horror or fantasy. "Yrena" is about a male predator in post revolution Russia who takes in a homeless waif to use and abuse but discovers she's some sort of vampire. Morbid and a bit scattered, this one didn't work for me either. The collection ends with "Just A Little Bug" that revisits the same theme as "Letting Go" and "Under the Haystack" but which is much more painful to read than either of them. It's about a little girl with terminal cancer and though extremely hard to read it makes one step back and think about the fragility of life. In the end I have mixed feelings about this collection. Some were ok, some deadly dull and several extremely emotional but I wouldn't reread any of them. Morbid fantasy, not horror "Leavings" won the 1997 Bram Stoker Award. Instead of producing horror of the ghost-ghoul-goblin variety (although there is one vampire who preys only on her own blood-relatives), P.D. Cacek has tapped into a morbid, 'magical reality' for her stories. Two of her characters are dying of cancer and their loved ones can't let them go. A boutique shop owner and her employee try to cope with the death of a beautiful doll. An old woman protects her favorite grandchild from her dying husband's 'leavings'. Merlin, a unicorn, and a gargoyle make an appearance in three of the stories, but for the most part, Cacek ignores the usual fantasy stereotypes and concentrates on twisting an ordinary life off-center, especially in the presence of death. The blurb on the back cover states, "Not since Rod Serling terrified an entire generation with his 'Twilight Zone' series has anyone tapped into the well of fear that exists inside the human soul the way P.D. Cacek does..." That's coming on a bit strong. Cacek didn't tap into my 'well of fear'. I don't think she meant to. 'Terrifying' is not the adjective I'd use to describe any of the stories in "Leavings". They are morbid, occasionally obsessive, sometimes humorous stories with dead-on characterizations (my favorite is the boyfriend from hell in "Heart of Stone"). "Ancient One" comes closest to terror, but the monster under the crib is telegraphed way in advance of its actual appearance. "Under the Haystack" may have a ghost, but it is really the story of a woman who loses her unborn child. "Leavings" has many good stories, misleadingly advertised. Stunning. One of the best short story collections by one author I have ever had the pleasure to read. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. It is refreshing to see a new writer who can scare without being a splatterpunk or having to throw in erotica and excessive foul language for effect. Cacek is the Jerry Seinfeld of horror. A wonderful Treasure! I bought this book because I love horror and the supernatural and it was priced right. I've never heard of Cacek, and I was totally stunned by her wonderful short stories. She is truly a treasure of a writer! My goodness, this woman should be right up there with the best of horror/supernatural authors. Her stories grab you and hold you in as each story unravels. I will have to agree with the previous review by Stephen King - this is some of the best short stories I have ever had the pleasure to read! As you can tell I can't say enough about this book - I only hope I can fine tune my craft as well as P.D. Cacek has done. The best book of short stories I've ever read! What a great writer p.d. cacek is! She's managed to scare the heck out of me with every story I read, and I usually scare the heck out of everyone else! I really loved this book and am looking forward to reading more from her. I recently read that both the short story "Leavings" and the whole collection of short stories in the book "Leavings" has made it to the final ballot of the 1997 Bram Stoker awards! Congratulations to the author! From: Guess Who!?!?!
Eros Interruptus
 List Price: Price: $29.00 DescriptionErotic, dark, and often satirical, this collection by multiple-award winning author P.D. Cacek showcases the talents of one of today's most highly regarded horror writers. Contains stories such as the World Fantasy Award-winning "Metalica".Customer ReviewsFourteen tales of $ex, horror, death, and a sprinkling of humorP.D. Cacek is a master of the short story, usually within the horror genre. Add a twist of eroticism and you have 'Eros Interruptus'. She's won the Bram Stoker award and the World Fantasy award for her short works of fiction. She's written other collections and some novels as well. Here is the Table Of Contents: · Salt · Manhandled · By A Silken Thread · Repeat Performance · Devil With A Blue Dress · In The Mean Time · Metalica · Seat Of Inspiration · Second Chance · Common Grounds · Tattoos · All Pucked Up · The Adventures Of Threadwell The Tailor · Fevered Dreams A few of my favorites are 'Salt', starting off the collection. Salt Harvesters run across a dehydrated body of a woman in the dense salt. Only young Indian Joseph knows the woman is a witch and should be "tossed into the deep", but Jenkins decides to take her for himself, not realizing the consequences of his actions. Next is 'Manhandled', the story of Abby, a mortician's assistant with a thing for hands, who's in the perfect position to harvest the goods that she craves. In 'Devil With A Blue Dress', Vietnam war vet Gil Thornton flashes back to his early days in the war, and the young prostitute he murders. 'Seat Of Inspiration' is one of Cacek's humorous stories, the tale of an elderly romance novelist and the washing machine that serves as her "inspiration". 'All Pucked Up', another humorous tale, brings us to Puck, a wood sprite and Queen Titania's emissary to the World Of Men. Puck lusts after Peaseblossom the fairy, but Peaseblossom dances to a different beat. When Puck attempts to fix Peaseblossom up with her desired human companion, his spell backfires onto himself. In 'The Adventures Of Threadwell The Tailor', is the story of an old tailor telling a story to a young monk about how, once upon a day, a tailor's apprentice and an old wizard single-handedly stopped the barbaric practice of feeding virgins to the dragons in order to protect the villages. You'll find lots of $exual humor in this. Lastly is 'Fevered Dreams', a Surrealistic tale of delirium, as Molly chases Karl through a nightmarish dreamland. Or is it reality? Cacek will take you wandering through perversions, fetishes, self-mutilation, necrophilia, and more. While the stories were all good, a major distraction was that the book is dotted with a large amount of misspellings, evidently not caught by an editor. Even so, if you're a fan of the erotic side of horror, pick up a copy of 'Eros Interrupted', even though its not as gross or explicit as Ed Lee can be with his blendings of $ex and horror. Enjoy! Unique and sharp PD Cacek is a writer's writer. She doesn't seem satisfied with a staid old ghost or a scary-yet-predictable werewolf. Instead, she stretches her imagination wide and lets out strange things and events that are incredibly fresh and unique. Eros Interruptus is a fine collection of sharp, well-written stories. All of them concern erotic love at some point, occasionally quite graphically, but these are not the sort of stories you are likely to find anywhere else. Cacek is best-known for her horror work, and that is represented here. "Salt" and her Stoker award-winning "Metalica" are decidedly, wonderfully creepy. And yet she also shows another side of her writing in this anthology, that of a consummate humorist. "All Pucked Up" is probably the most unique tribute to Shakespeare I have ever read, and the wickedly funny "Adventures of Threadwell the Tailor" is delicious fun. There is nothing rehashed or old about these stories, each one is a fresh and tasty delight. Scary and funny at the same time Though such stories as "Metalica" in this collection have won big awards in fantasy and horror, it's the lesser known gems that are most rewarding!
The Wind Caller
 List Price: Price: $6.99 DescriptionCustomer ReviewsSky, Fear and PrideAt its heart, this book is about the relationship between three characters, really. Others show up, but these three are the main focus. It is a story about a halfbreed woman named Sky, and her two grandfathers (Joseph, an Indian wise man; Gideon, a racist white man). Now right there, we have an interesting dynamic, and the book really plays with the sense of heritage and family. However, now we throw into the mix the supernatural: Gideon is a wind caller, he can draw on the wind itself to do his bidding (it even kills for him). Joseph was intended to be the sole recipient of this responsibility, but the mistakes of youth left it with his Spirit Brother. But wait, there's more. Add to this the developing company seeking to turn these characters' homes into the next Computer Geek community, who will stop at nothing to acquire property and you have a rather engaging story. The characters were well drawn, the pace was good and the ideas were quite invigorating. An excellent read. Different and flawed, but fun too The Wind Caller has an interesting idea. The Wind…as a killer. At first when I began reading the book I couldn’t figure out how it could be done without looking hokey or cheesy. Thankfully Cacek did inject some intelligence into her story. Characters were convincing, some easier to latch on to than others. The pace was pretty even - things kept up once they started going. Cacek’s style is simple but also written well. It makes easy, light reading with some great play on words. While The Wind Caller may not stand out in my mind a year from now, it was still an entertaining book to go through. The idea was original, the characters worthy, and the ending shocking. Go ahead and pick it up - not the most memorable thing but you’ve never read anything quite like it, either. It's Only the Wind What I especially liked about THE WIND CALLER was its use of Native Americana without resorting to the standard "white family threatened by ancient Indian curse" trope. In fact, the majority of the characters were American Indians, which is something I rarely see in horror fiction (or most kinds of fiction, for that matter). The characters were fully drawn and sympathetic (even the villain!), and the basic idea of using wind as a weapon struck me as gratifyingly original. Cacek manages to make scary that old horror cliche of "it's only the wind".
Once upon a Slime
 List Price: Price: $18.00 DescriptionBlubbering Blasphemies and Aberrant Abominations Each year, hundreds of horror authors gather for a four-day weekend at the World Horror Convention-and on Saturday night, when the clock strikes twelve, the Gross-Out Story-Reading Contest begins. Mark McLaughlin's readings have always placed high in the contest, and he has won first place twice. McLaughlin's stories always combined hilarious plotlines with clever wordplay and outrageous characters. He is now one of the official judges of the contest. ONCE UPON A SLIME gathers all of McLaughlin's entries in the contest in one volume. It also includes many more extreme-and extremely funny-stories, many new to the collection. There are some serious stories, too, like the previously unpublished science-fiction adventure, Tell Your Secrets to the Slime. This volume also features some of Mark's collaborations with horror talents Rain Graves, Michael Arnzen and Michael McCarty. Here are just a few of the thrilling stories in this volume: When We Was Flab Old Lady Cat-Trash Dracula Has Risen From The Sofa Vulture Soup For The Soulless A Beauty Treatment For Mrs. Hamogeorgakis Throb Deck The Halls With Guacamole Notes Concerning The Death And/Or Decomposition of Reality The Agony Of Claude Bawls City Of Two-Thousand Sins Dr. Jekyll Hydes The Sausage The Embrace Of Kugappa The Odour Out Of The Terrible Old Man So strap yourself in for a wild ride, complete with murderous North Pole elves, an evil rock group, self-help zombies, a disturbing pink meteorite and a soul-stealing octopus demon. And it all happened ONCE UPON A SLIME.
Bell, Book & Beyond
 List Price: $15.95 DescriptionThey turn people into toads, ride on brooms, wear long pointy hats and keep black cats. Evil hags casting wicked spells? Benign pagans carrying on ancient Wiccan traditions? Sitcom suburban teens and moms snapping their fingers for witchy whimsy? Perhaps the real 'magic' in witchcraft may be our own continuing belief that some little bit of sorcery is at work around us. Stoker Award winner P.D. Cacek and The Horror Writers Association -- the global professional organization of horror and dark fiction writers -- proudly present these New Voices In Terror: twenty-one exciting new talents weaving their own spells over you with their finest all-new tales of witchcraft sometimes dark and malevolent, sometimes saucy and wryly witty but each one a chillingly provocative peek into the secret world of witches from history and today.Customer ReviewsWitchy tales at their very best!Don't consider this book to be just another collection of Wicca lore or black-hatted crones, there's much more on the menu than your typical witch tales. Ranging from the fantasy genre 'The Child's Tale' to a modern mom in 'As Promised', to the creeping tingles of 'Le Bete Est Morte' to the comedy of 'That Old Black Magic', this book offers up some of the best, most witchy tales on the market today. Table Of Contents: · The Child's Tale by Carole Nomarhas · The Power Lunch by Janet L. Hetherington · Six Guns & Six Spells by Paul Victor Wargelin · A Dichotomy Of Belief by Michael Oliveri · Spiders Grace All Of Me by Michelle Scalise · As Promised by Walt Jarvis · Madly, Deeply by Greg Kishbaugh · Le Bete Est Morte by Nicholas Kaufmann · That Old Black Magic by John R. Platt · Stadium Square by Eric Gregg · Elena by David A. DeFalco · Hattie's Head by Kelli Campbell · Her Place by Joel Ross · Endemoniada by William O'Donnell · The Nice House by L.H. Maynard & M.P.N. Sims · Heavy Sybil by Bob Beideman · Harm None by Dean H. Wild · The Island by Whitt Pond · Trailertrash Annie by Peter N. Dudar · The Power Doctor by Ward Parker · Celia by R. Michael Burns At the end of the book are brief biographies of each writer. All (at the time) were affiliate members of HWA, though many had previous publications and many have gone on to grace us with further proof of their writing skills in other anthologies, novels, and edited collections. My favorites would be 'The Child's Tale', a fantasy type story of bitter revenge; 'As Promised', the story of how far a witchy mom will go for the daughter she loves; 'Le Bete Est Morte', a creeping story of the witch next door and "it's" ticklish, old time habits; 'That Old Black Magic' which brings a tone of comic relief to witchcraft; 'Heavy Sybil', another semi-comedic tale of an idea that turns on a young heavy metal fan when he drops his girlfriend; and 'The Power Doctor', which will surprise you with its grisly ending. Ancient and new witchcraft, spiders, spells, love potions, westerns, fantasy, modern, unbearable beauty and hideous ugliness - it's all here in this fantastic collection. If you love witchy tales, don't miss out on this excellent anthology! Enjoy! Wicked Little Wicans!!!! Whether your just dabbling in the lore of witchcraft, looking for a great read, or trying to find some great authors; this book is sure to please! It contains a bountiful collection of some of the most talented non-mainstream horror story writers to date. This anthology contains enough laughs, gasps, and feelings of dread to accomidate even the toughest of critics. I've found myself running into work late from lunch on more than one occasion due to my unrelenting need to fit in a couple of extra pages despite my tardiness. The characters and settings are quite colorful (if not vibrant) in each tale, making you an invisible bystander to these events..........even if you wish you weren't! Debuts over twenty new talents Bell, Book & Beyond debuts over twenty new talents who feature tales of witchcraft, from comic scenes to witches dark and brooding. Readers interested in fiction stories of witches will find this an involving, revealing guides which will prove hard to put down. S.P. Somertow provides an foreword. Hattie's Head Hattie's Head was very crafty, weaving suspense with humor, and the present with the past. The last sentence tied it all up in a neat little package and left me dumbfounded! I felt as though I were beside the boys on their hunt for Hattie. Kelli Campbell told the story so cleverly that I could see everything clearly and isn't that what a good writer does? They let you "see" what you read. I'm anxiously looking forward to more of this writers' stories in the future. She's on her way to success as a well known Horror Writer. Hattie's Head Hattie's Head was very crafty, weaving suspense with humor, and the present with the past. The last sentence tied it all up in a neat little package and left me dumbfounded! I felt as though I were beside the boys on their hunt for Hattie. Kelli Campbell told the story so cleverly that I could see everything clearly and isn't that what a good writer does? They let you "see" what you read. I'm anxiously looking forward to more of this writers' stories in the future. She's on her way to success as a well known Horror Writer. 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