Broken Nightlights edition by Barry Napier Literature Fiction eBooks
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Broken Nightlights is a collection of thirteen short stories by Barry Napier, all published in print or online publications over the past four years. The stories included in the collection walk the fragile line between horror and supernatural fiction, often merging the two voids as one.
A young boy discovers a unique way to cope with the tragic loss of his father.
A trip home from the local bar on a wintry night quickly turns into a nightmare for a small group of men.
A twist on classic legends about musicians selling their souls to the Devil reveals the darker side to music.
A book written by the most sadistic people in history continues to grow in length with each new person that reads it.
And much more…
From the spectral fringes of hope to the jagged edges of damnation, 13 Broken Nightlights is a perfect fit for those that enjoy traditional ghost stories as well as those that are seeking something much darker.
Broken Nightlights edition by Barry Napier Literature Fiction eBooks
Overall: 3 1/2 starsAfter reading the first story, Firmament, (3 1/4 Stars) I had somewhat lowered expectations for how well this anthology would work for me. It dealt with a family, consisting of a mother and son, who'd just lost the man of the house. For largely subjective reasons, it didn't quite scratch my story itch. The main character and her son were in mourning, but I couldn't seem to care about her. Stories of grief often don't work for me because it seems to be that there are moments in mourning when we all do some pretty standard things, and those are touchstones in stories, but I think that if anything brings out the sense of individuality, the quirks in someone's nature, it's loss. Too often writers relate the universal stuff, hoping the reader will have experienced that same moment, when what rings truest for me are the unusual choices. This was why the mother didn't work for me. The character of the son was better drawn and his grief, alone in his understanding of what death means, was so much more effective. The general skill shown by the author and worthwhile ending didn't fully redeem the story for me.
However, every single issue I had with Firmament, every perceived weakness, was reversed later on in the anthology. I felt that, based on Firmament, Mr. Napier probably wasn't going to be able to present a portrait of loss that would move me, and then be proceeded to prove me wrong in multiple stories. I didn't think his words would sing for me, only to find that Mi Casa Es Su Casa (4 Stars) read like a poem and All The Little Secrets was a gem of a story (4 3/4 Stars). "Secrets" was a character piece that worked for me much like some of the better, more personal episodes of X-Files, such as Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose. (Yes, I just went full on geek.) Sci-Fi used as a mirror and as a character study. I'd actually love to read more stories related to this one.
Taking Quinn Home (3 3/4 Stars) was a classic horror tale. It was set in modern times, but we'll all recognize the timeless themes and source of the menace. The characters were almost all quite well done and most of them behaved completely logically and believably. There was genuine menace and a wonderfully slow build-up. Yes, I'd call most of the story masterful, particularly the events leading up to all hell breaking loose. It only failed for me based on a moment when I didn't buy a character's choice, another moment where a character does something convenient to prevent plot holes, and, some fridge logic. Fridge logic is when a while after the story, or during a break, you're going about your business and then a question or flaw pops into your head. (To use an example from a movie: How did Red know what Andy did on his last night in order to narrate it, when we only see them reuniting at the very end and his last line is about having hope for the reunion?) The story was well-written enough to work at the moment, but didn't hold up under too much scrutiny. Also, during THE most tense, intense, scary scene in the story, this line happens, "...I tilted the axe's handle upward it a harp jabbing motion." Until then, I was holding my breath, y'all.
A Collection of True Evils (3 3/4 Stars) was the second story and the tale of two men who seek out a legendarily evil book. Some really classic stuff here and some good moments, but it sputtered for me a little at the end. The characters weren't deep, but I don't think they needed to be in this case. The build-up was better than the pay-off. There is some real creepiness here though. And tattoos from hell.
The Mannerisms of Runners (3 3/4 Stars) reminded me of Stephen King's pet theme about hell being repetition as a runner repeatedly, among other things, spits out something you really don't want to spit out. Another story where character took a backseat to mood and story, but it was appropriate.
The Tour Don't Roll Through Seattle (3 Stars) was interesting but I was haunted too much by the ghost of similar stories such as Robert Bloch's That Hell Bound Train, or, even more appropriately an excellent story called Beluthahatchie by Andy Duncan. There may or may not be a cameo in it by Kurt Cobain, or a grunge guy who'd probably be flattered to be mistaken for him. Deals with the devil rarely work out well.
Riding in Trucks with Ghosts (4 1/2 Stars) is a story about loss and covers a small sliver of similar terror with Firmament, but - for my money - much more evocatively and successfully. In Firmament, the weakness was the mother character and the strength was the young boy. In "Riding" we again meet a young boy, but he becomes the main character and that makes all the difference.
Butt of The Joke (2 1/2 Stars) is perhaps the weakest selection for me. It's the story of a comedian with woman problems. There was some nice use of language and the author worked the theme like crazy, but it fell flat for me. Yes, like a joke. The strengths of the story didn't make up for the predictability. For some reason, this reminded me a little of updated Poe.
Lunatic Mile (4 Stars) is for me, hands down, the gross out story of the volume. (This family here makes The Addams Family look all snuggly.) The fact that I can say this makes for an interesting point. A lot of the stories are more along the lines of psychological horror, some are sci-fi, and some like Farewell, From The Eleventh Hole (4 stars) has a supernatural event, but was really more a piece on the nature of life and loneliness. There are some really blood-spattered moments throughout 13 Broken Nightlights, but it's not the norm.
Grave Seasons (4 Stars) had a little something in common with Lunatic Mile and a tiny bit to do with Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, maybe a little bit of Stephen King's Children of The Corn. Rather than these similarities detracting from the story, I believe Grave Seasons fit well into those traditions.
Editing: 4 Stars
As mentioned, one error took me out of the story, and there were a few mistakes here and there, but really not too bad. I'm still mighty bummed about that one sentence breaking up the drama!
(Please note that the author has contacted me to say he's corrected errors and my review refers to the original version.)
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Broken Nightlights edition by Barry Napier Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Short story collections are a great way to get to know an author, and 13 Broken Nightlights provides a glimpse at Barry Napier's varied approaches to writing dark fiction.
Barry's bibliography is evidence of his range as a writer. With publishing credits that cover fiction, poetry and comic books, 13 Broken Nightlights offers that same variety, providing something for everyone.
Mi Casa Es Su Casa reads like melodic prose, and in an interview with Macabre Republic, Napier shared that the story first started out as a lengthy poem titled "A Heart with Picket Fences."
The story finds an operating room full of doctors exploring the treasures revealed within a patient, and causes each one to wonder about the magic and mystery held within themselves.
The closing line is as powerful as the wonderfully imagery throughout, and sums up the melancholy tone perfectly.
End Credits had me intrigued from the very beginning. It tells the tale of Jason, whose film director father Val DeSade (now passed) left a series of clues in the end credits of his films for his son to discover and decipher.
My only complaint - I felt as though the story left me hanging. Just as we are allowed a peek into the clues and what happens when Jason begins to collect them, the story ends, only hinting at what is to come. I would like to have seen exactly where Barry intended to take the remainder of the tale.
Lunatic Mile is a creepy little story that is not for the squeamish. This story follows Rosetta, a 75-year grandmother and her task to keep a deal with a dark visitor in exchange for him mending her pains and keeping her family safe.
It offers a similar tone as another story in the collection called Grave Seasons.
While the former explores choices and how the reward may not always be worth the sacrifice, the latter, Grave Seasons, explores the dark history of a Louisiana farm and the local code that "what you take from the earth, you must return it with your own."
Each of these stories stays with you long after reading them, and were two that I enjoyed immensely.
This Tour Don't Roll Through Seattle has a bleak, gritty tone and was one of my favorites, if for the little tidbits hidden throughout.
Barry's love of music is common knowledge, and he uses this tale to explore the myth and history of rock `n roll.
The theme was familiar to me and after a little research, I realized I had seen a movie in the '80's (starring none other than the Karate Kid himself) that explored the same theme.
Blues musician Robert Johnson is the main character in this story. There is a legend that says Johnson made a deal with the devil to become a master of blues guitar. The legend says that Johnson went to the crossroads and was met by a large black man (The Devil, natch), who agreed to the deal in exchange for his soul.
Napier explores this idea, with Robert sitting on the side of the road playing his guitar and receiving a visit by a few passing musicians (one of whom is undoubtedly Nirvana's Kurt Cobain) while he waits for The Devil to collect him.
When the Devil makes himself known and the men go to board the bus, he utters the story's titular phrase to the grunge rocker, leaving Johnson to get on the bus alone and wish not only that he hadn't, but that he had never picked up a guitar in the first place.
This was a delightful little tale but it still has a darkness and melancholy of lost souls wandering the streets, searching perhaps for peace, for camaraderie, and for the magic that comes only from sitting alone and strumming a guitar. A great mixture of history, myth and atmosphere.
A Collection of True Evils tells the story of two friends who find a fabled book said to hold a collection of histories surrounding "serial killers, witches, members of satanic cults and other sorts of undesirables."
I liked the idea of this story, but I did feel that it took too long to get to the good stuff. The meat for me was at the end and I would have loved to have seen that as the focus instead of the build-up of the boys debating what to do with this book supposedly haunted by a dozen cursed souls.
While I found only a few of the stories fell short, this is a solid collection that shows Napier is a talent at conjuring a scare, but that he is also able to deftly hide horror in the everyday.
Whether on the greens of a country club (in Farewell, From the Eleventh Hole), in what goes on behind closed doors at the office (in All The Little Secrets) or a young boy poised to deal with the sadness of death and the question of whether ghosts truly exist (in Riding in Trucks With Ghosts), Napier's talents for exploring the deep corners of dark fiction are illustrated with skill in this 13-story collection.
Whether you are in the mood for quiet horror, something more poetic or prefer a bit of gore, this collection shows Barry's talent is far-reaching and tinged with darkness.
Overall 3 1/2 stars
After reading the first story, Firmament, (3 1/4 Stars) I had somewhat lowered expectations for how well this anthology would work for me. It dealt with a family, consisting of a mother and son, who'd just lost the man of the house. For largely subjective reasons, it didn't quite scratch my story itch. The main character and her son were in mourning, but I couldn't seem to care about her. Stories of grief often don't work for me because it seems to be that there are moments in mourning when we all do some pretty standard things, and those are touchstones in stories, but I think that if anything brings out the sense of individuality, the quirks in someone's nature, it's loss. Too often writers relate the universal stuff, hoping the reader will have experienced that same moment, when what rings truest for me are the unusual choices. This was why the mother didn't work for me. The character of the son was better drawn and his grief, alone in his understanding of what death means, was so much more effective. The general skill shown by the author and worthwhile ending didn't fully redeem the story for me.
However, every single issue I had with Firmament, every perceived weakness, was reversed later on in the anthology. I felt that, based on Firmament, Mr. Napier probably wasn't going to be able to present a portrait of loss that would move me, and then be proceeded to prove me wrong in multiple stories. I didn't think his words would sing for me, only to find that Mi Casa Es Su Casa (4 Stars) read like a poem and All The Little Secrets was a gem of a story (4 3/4 Stars). "Secrets" was a character piece that worked for me much like some of the better, more personal episodes of X-Files, such as Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose. (Yes, I just went full on geek.) Sci-Fi used as a mirror and as a character study. I'd actually love to read more stories related to this one.
Taking Quinn Home (3 3/4 Stars) was a classic horror tale. It was set in modern times, but we'll all recognize the timeless themes and source of the menace. The characters were almost all quite well done and most of them behaved completely logically and believably. There was genuine menace and a wonderfully slow build-up. Yes, I'd call most of the story masterful, particularly the events leading up to all hell breaking loose. It only failed for me based on a moment when I didn't buy a character's choice, another moment where a character does something convenient to prevent plot holes, and, some fridge logic. Fridge logic is when a while after the story, or during a break, you're going about your business and then a question or flaw pops into your head. (To use an example from a movie How did Red know what Andy did on his last night in order to narrate it, when we only see them reuniting at the very end and his last line is about having hope for the reunion?) The story was well-written enough to work at the moment, but didn't hold up under too much scrutiny. Also, during THE most tense, intense, scary scene in the story, this line happens, "...I tilted the axe's handle upward it a harp jabbing motion." Until then, I was holding my breath, y'all.
A Collection of True Evils (3 3/4 Stars) was the second story and the tale of two men who seek out a legendarily evil book. Some really classic stuff here and some good moments, but it sputtered for me a little at the end. The characters weren't deep, but I don't think they needed to be in this case. The build-up was better than the pay-off. There is some real creepiness here though. And tattoos from hell.
The Mannerisms of Runners (3 3/4 Stars) reminded me of Stephen King's pet theme about hell being repetition as a runner repeatedly, among other things, spits out something you really don't want to spit out. Another story where character took a backseat to mood and story, but it was appropriate.
The Tour Don't Roll Through Seattle (3 Stars) was interesting but I was haunted too much by the ghost of similar stories such as Robert Bloch's That Hell Bound Train, or, even more appropriately an excellent story called Beluthahatchie by Andy Duncan. There may or may not be a cameo in it by Kurt Cobain, or a grunge guy who'd probably be flattered to be mistaken for him. Deals with the devil rarely work out well.
Riding in Trucks with Ghosts (4 1/2 Stars) is a story about loss and covers a small sliver of similar terror with Firmament, but - for my money - much more evocatively and successfully. In Firmament, the weakness was the mother character and the strength was the young boy. In "Riding" we again meet a young boy, but he becomes the main character and that makes all the difference.
Butt of The Joke (2 1/2 Stars) is perhaps the weakest selection for me. It's the story of a comedian with woman problems. There was some nice use of language and the author worked the theme like crazy, but it fell flat for me. Yes, like a joke. The strengths of the story didn't make up for the predictability. For some reason, this reminded me a little of updated Poe.
Lunatic Mile (4 Stars) is for me, hands down, the gross out story of the volume. (This family here makes The Addams Family look all snuggly.) The fact that I can say this makes for an interesting point. A lot of the stories are more along the lines of psychological horror, some are sci-fi, and some like Farewell, From The Eleventh Hole (4 stars) has a supernatural event, but was really more a piece on the nature of life and loneliness. There are some really blood-spattered moments throughout 13 Broken Nightlights, but it's not the norm.
Grave Seasons (4 Stars) had a little something in common with Lunatic Mile and a tiny bit to do with Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, maybe a little bit of Stephen King's Children of The Corn. Rather than these similarities detracting from the story, I believe Grave Seasons fit well into those traditions.
Editing 4 Stars
As mentioned, one error took me out of the story, and there were a few mistakes here and there, but really not too bad. I'm still mighty bummed about that one sentence breaking up the drama!
(Please note that the author has contacted me to say he's corrected errors and my review refers to the original version.)
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