The Death Artist

by Dennis Etchison

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843949678
• ISBN13: 9780843949674
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

An artist at work

This is a collection of twelve stories of horror, suspense and dark fiction. Like Charles Grant, Etchison's strength lies on the quiet end of that spectrum. Events in the stories will often seem perfectly normal, even mundane, but bits creep in gradually until the reader realizes that things are not as they should be.Some highlights:"When They Gave Us Memory" - An actor returns to his hometown to find things have changed...but were they ever the same? "Deadtime Story" - A teenager receives a threatening phone call while at work. Will he make it home alive?"Call Home" - A man learns that being a Good Samaritan can be a very bad idea."A Wind From The South" - A woman has an unexpected visitor who seems harmless at first, until she begins to notice pieces of her life disappearing from her grasp."The Detailer" - A car wash attendant makes a startling discovery about one of his clients.These are tales that would have made Alfred Hitchcock or Rod Serling proud. I recommend this collection if you appreciate more subtle discomforts, and know that being unsettled can often touch deeper than outright shock.

Etchison is a master

These stories leave some very ominous things to the imagination.Not all of them are great-the protagonist of "Call Home" is acomplete idiot and deserves everything he gets-but stories like "The Dog Park" and "When They Gave Us Memory" make up for any weaknesses. You can get lost in the beauty of Etchison's prose and you should,if you love to read...

A superb collection

Dennis Etchison is one of horror's true unsung heroes (despite the fact that an anthology he just edited, The Museum of Horrors, won another World Fantasy Award for him). His writing is difficult to access, but like a true poet Mr. Etchison manages to weave together bizarre but beautiful stories that reach deep down into one's soul. That might sound like hyperbole, but it's not...certainly not for me, anyway. In "The Dead Cop" we find a man slowly losing himself as Los Angeles itself succumbs to rioting. As the city tears itself apart, so does our protagonist, who searches for meaning behind the death of his son. ...P>Yes, his writing is a bit vague for those who want easy answers, but if you're willing to give each of his tales the time they deserve, you'll find a great deal of power in this book.

DDodd should check his facts!

Dennis Etchison made his name writing short stories in the 70's and 80's. If you have never heard of or read his collections "The Dark Country," "Red Dreams," or "The Blood Kiss," it is your loss. All three titles were published in the 80's as hardcover Scream Press publications, illustrated by J.K. Potter.

Terrifying Horror at its best

I came across Dennis Etchison's 'The Death Artist' one day in my bookstore. I picked it up based on the title and editorial reviews becaus I had never read Etchison's work before. Now that I have read it, I am not sure I will ever be the same. Each tale takes reality and twists it in perverse and astounding ways. The author takes the simple everyday things and makes them terrifying. Each story deftly plays a psychological game with your mind and will change how you see things. He reminded me a lot of Stephen King in the short story form in that his ability to take daily life and turn it into one of the darkest things you will ever encounter. I only thought a couple of the stories in this anthology could be stronger...but by no means were any of them poor. If your a horror fan who wants to see how a master does it...pick up 'The Death Artist'.