Blood and Water and Other Tales

Patrick McGrath is an oddity in literature. He is a literary horror writer, the very type that was nearly terminated by the mass-market horror matrons. His writing elegantly chilling, it evokes fear, rather then explaining it. That very thing, being able to hint at the deepest terror seems to be a very wanted commodity in the horror community. But even more impressively, McGrath is brilliant writer. He does not overdo the exposition in his stories, yet still elicits emotional response. Well, lets get to the book before the reader's die of hypo-praise-osis, lets get to the book. Blood Water and Other Tales is a collection of 13 short stories, macabre in tone. I don't want to ruin any of them for you, so I will just talk about one story. (the rest are of equal or better quality)"The Angel" is a story about telling stories, or at least I view it that way. In the process of the narrative, the reader learns about both the narrator, and about the mysterious man he befriends. The language reflects the feel of urban decay, as the story is set in a hot New York City summer, where all the apartments seem to be falling apart. But what distinguish this story is both the method of narrative and the final twist. "The Angel's" main plot is told through a combination of narration and the storytelling of the mysterious man, Harry Talboys. As for the final twist, I cannot reveal anything, for that would spoil it. So, buy the BOOK! Ben Shepard Patrick McGrath is an oddity in literature. He is a literary horror writer, the very type that was nearly terminated by the mass-market horror matrons. His writing elegantly chilling, it evokes fear, rather then explaining it. That very thing, being able to hint at the deepest terror seems to be a very wanted commodity in the horror community. But even more impressively, McGrath is brilliant writer. He does not overdo the exposition in his stories, yet still elicits emotional response. Well, lets get to the book before the reader's die of hypo-praise-osis, lets get to the book. Blood Water and Other Tales is a collection of 13 short stories, macabre in tone. I don't want to ruin any of them for you, so I will just talk about one story. (the rest are of equal or better quality) "The Angel" is a story about telling stories, or at least I view it that way. In the process of the narrative, the reader learns about both the narrator, and about the mysterious man he befriends. The language reflects the feel of urban decay, as the story is set in a hot New York City summer, where all the apartments seem to be falling apart. But what distinguish this story is both the method of narrative and the final twist. "The Angel's" main plot is told through a combination of narration and the storytelling of the mysterious man, Harry Talboys. As for the final twist, I cannot reveal anything, for that would spoil it. So, buy the BOOK! Ben Shepard