If you like short stories that feature a whole new kind of horror, a blend of madness and terror, satiric and scary all at the same time, then this is the collection for you.
Reworking old themes like how voyeurism, greed and corruption, lust and obsession, fear and abandonment - sometimes even ignorance - and tackling some new themes like how searching on the Internet for a lover can have all have nasty, nightmarish results. Randall Brooks invites you to take a tour. A tour of the twisted, the macabre, the psychologically deranged, erotic and perverse. Just put on your party faces and come along...
Professional Reviews
Stories With That Hitchcock Touch.
This review is from: Conversations at the Party (Paperback)
By Roy Martin (March 17, 2012)
After reading Randall Brooks' novel, the awesome psychological mystery thriller "The Two Worlds of the Mind", I thought I'd check out something else written by him, so I gave his short story collection "Conversations At The Party" a try. And, boy am I ever so glad I did! This is one of the best short story collections I've ever read.
Starting with "The Stargazer", an obvious homage to Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (and even Brian De Palma's "Body Double"), this story kicks off the bunch with a heck of a walloping punch. Extremely funny and intense all at the same time, this is one little gem of a story that I look forward to reading a couple of more times in the future. Loved it!!
Next up was a story called "The Diary", in which the author so effectively makes the reader feel as if they are reading one diary, then switching to another diary, just to be fooled with unique twist after twist, mysteries so well layered within each other, unraveling slowly as the story moves along, until the final big "reveal" blows you away. Awesome!
The next story, "Dreamer's Ball", is like a great mix of humor and horror that will have you screaming with laughter one minute, then screaming in terror the next. I especially loved how the author took his time in the build-up of this one. Terrific!
Oh, wow, how to describe the next story, "Whammy!"? Hmmm? One of the most shockingly frightening dark comedies in a very long time? Yes! That's exactly how I would describe it! And talk about an absolute chilling twist ending! Wow! Loved it!!
"The Electric Funeral" and "Man Alive!" are kind of like 'sequels' to each other, in that they both deal with someone being buried alive (or were they?), and both extremely effective in creating a very claustrophobic, intense inviroment. Awesome writing!
"The Wizard" is something that kind of made me think of Peter Straub's awesome novel "Shadowland". Told in a first person perspective, this one is exuberant in its play on youthfulness gone south, and always keeps a neat playful tone througout. And, again, had a very unique and twisted twist ending. Loved it!!
"Psychophobia" is also a neat little treat for readers everywhere. Kind of like "The Diary" in the way the narrative switches on you, and perspectives are interchanging, just to throw the reader into yet another great twist ending. Great!
Ok, I've heard the next story, "DILEMMA" is one of the author's favorites. I can easily say it is one of mine! Told from a first person perspective, this little monster of a very extremely dark comedy is viciously, and ferociously funny and scary all at the same time. And features one of the best twist endings I think I've ever read. Awesome!!
The last story here, "Ignorance Is Bliss" isn't as much a "story" in the conventional way, but an expose on how Brooks feels about how ignorance is a horrifying threat that is eating away at our society. One of the finest ways to warn us against this threat I've read yet. Humorus and scary all at once, just maybe not scary in the way most people are used to in a horror collection. Great story, and great way to end the collection!
I can not recommend this book highly enough! I know I'll be wearing it out reading these stories again and again over the years to come! Thank you for reading my review, now go get yourself a copy of this terrific book!
Very Intoxicating Collection Of Short Fiction!
This review is from: Conversations at the Party (Paperback)
By BadBoyBrett (March 28, 2012)
Like another reviewer on here, after reading Randall Brooks's great novel "The Two Worlds of the Mind", I too wanted to find something else written by him, so I checked this short story collection out. And, OMG it is GREAT! Every story is unique and twisted, very mysterious and intense, and some are humorus as h*ll! And every one of them has a wonderful twist ending that will shock the reader.
I know this is priced a little high, especially for such a short book with only ten stories in it, but trust me it is well worth it! It's almost worth the price for only one of the stories in here, and that goes for everyone of them, because they are all that good.
Take Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha Christie, and Alfred Hitchcock, and if they had a child who grew up and became a writer, then that would be Randall Brooks. Oh, and toss in a dash of Stephen King and Peter Straub as well.
While Brooks may not be as "literary" with his writing as some authors, like Straub, he more than makes up for in other ways, especially good old fashioned story telling.
Filled with moments that will have you screaming with laughter one moment, then screaming in terror the next, or in some cases, even feeling a bit sad because of the tragic predicament that some of the characters in these stories find themselves in, this is most definitely one of the most intoxicating collection of short fiction I've read in a long long time.
Bravo, Mr. Brooks! Excellent job! And I HIGHLY recommend this to everybody!
Thank you.
A stunning short story collection!
This review is from: Conversations at the Party (Paperback)
By Victor Holocaust (November 22, 2011)
Wow, I can't praise this short story collection enough! Filled with suspense, mystery, and scathing humor, every story in this is just flat out awesome!
I was so enthralled, I couldn't put the book down for long periods of time.
For people who loved stories with the style of Alfred Hitchcock, but brought into a more modern time frame, well then this is the book for you! Every story in this is intense, inventive, shocking, and even hilarious at times; and will leave you utterly breathless - and with a very unique twist at the end!
Highly recommended!
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