20th Century Ghost by Joe Hill

Modern horror is not often subtle. Most of those who practice the art of the unsettling far too often go for the jugular, forgetting that the best predators are stealthy. Nothing wrong with going for the jugular, of course, but writers of genuine skill and talent have more than one trick in their bags.

…Joe Hill is one stealthy bastard.

~Christopher Golden

This is my second book by Joe Hill, the son of my number one author Stephen King. His full name is Joe Hillstorm King. Joe wanted to succeed as a writer without carrying his father’s great name, hence he cut his name into Joe Hill.

20^th Century Ghost is a collection of his short stories, just like his father, he began his carrier from writing short stories for some magazines. 20^th Century Ghost received several awards, they were Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection (2005), World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Collection (2006), Audie Award (2008), Tähtifantasia Award Nominee (2010), British Fantasy Award for Best Collection (2006)

Don’t let the title tricks you!! 20^th Century Ghost is not merely about ghost and monster ready to scare you.

Joe Hill started his book with extra short story called Scheherazade’s Typewriter. It was about a typewriter that continued typing after the owner had died. The owner wanted to be a writer but his stories were never published. A week after he dies, the typewriter continued his stories. His daughter read all his stories and wanted them to be published because they were better than when his dead was still alive. I think this story is a good way to start a book.

Now, let’s summarize his 15 stories in this book.

Best New Horror is about the editor of American’s Best new Horror, a book filled with short stories from new horror writers. He was getting bored with his job because lately he hadn’t found good stories. One day, his friend sent him a story by Peter Kilrue called Buttonboy. The story was like fresh air to him. He wanted to publish the story and tried tracking peter Kilrue’s to ask his permission. Unfortunately, this first story is not as powerful as I expected it to be. I sort of guessed what will happen in the end…and a horror story that can be predicted is not going to be in my favorite list.

Indonesian Banget 15 – Kuntilanak, Indonesia’s Most Famous Ghost

Click the button to see more post on Indonesia Banget

It’s October, time for Westerner to celebrate Halloween. We, Indonesian, do not celebrate Halloween. But since October is famous for Halloween, I decided to share Indonesian ghosts every October of each year.

Westerner has Halloween as the day the spirits show up and Japanese has Bon day, for Indonesian, especially Javanese, we have Malam Jumat Kliwon. Malam means night, Jumat means Friday and Kliwon is the name of day in Javanese calendar. Malam Jumat Kliwon can be translated as the night before Jumat Kliwon. The Javanese mixed calendars, our daily calendar used by most people all over the world and their own calendar. It is said that that night is the scariest night of all, malam paling angker. The night where ghost could suddenly appears in front of you.

Click this letter to see her picture (this pictures is most likely fake but she does look like that)

That’s all I can share about the scariest night in Java Island. Now let’s get to the main topic of this month’s Indonesia Banget. The ghost I am going to share to you is the famous Kuntilanak. Since I and most Indonesian consider her as one of the scariest ghosts ever exist here, I don’t want to put her picture or image in my blog as something clearly visual. All her pictures or images can be seen by clicking that white image with kuntilanak letter. I just don’t want to answer comments to this post in the middle of the night with her picture looking straight at me. I posted this in day light, I searched her image in daylight…night time is not a good thing to do this. You might start thinking that I am afraid of her…well, the answer is simple enough…I am afraid of her!!!

The Wordsworth Collection of Irish Ghost stories

Blurb:

With a word of warning to those of nervous a disposition, Wordsworth presents this spellbinding collection of chilling Celtic tales of the macabre, all drawn from the rich and varied literary tradition of a culture long enchanted by things supernatural, ‘a land where ghosts and ghost-seers are so common’. Featuring the imaginative writing of such towering masters of the genre as Sheridan Le Fanu, Bram Stoker, Patrick Kennedy, Thomas Crofton Croker and George Moore, this volume of ghoulish masterpieces from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is an encapsulation of the arcane lore, magical landscape and fantastic creativity of the Irish. Don’t attempt to read these horrifying tales alone in an empty house. Your blood will run cold as the unreal becomes real and the impossible all too possible. Indelible images will possess your imagination and haunt your dreams. Make sure all the lights are on and the doors are bolted.

If I have reviewed it, I will link it to each title.