Gristle & Bone
Duncan Ralston
A collection of seven tales which could easily have come from the pen of Stephen King. As I read Ralston’s Gristle & Bone I was mentally transported back to when I first read Kings’ Night Shift and Skeleton Crew.
These are seven diverse stories. From a woman longing for a child of her own, to a century-old cult, to unexplained technological eeriness, to good old-fashioned creepiness with ghosts, revenge, and monsters, each of the stories stands on its own. The prose is descriptive without being overdone. The myriad settings come alive, as do the characters and their relative issues and dilemmas.
The collection begins with “Baby Teeth”, a disturbing short of a depressed woman who longs for motherhood. While unsettling, it does set the tone for what follows, leaving the reader on edge as to what other ghoulish twists and turns lay waiting. The next tale, “Fat of the Land.” does nothing to ease the tension, with its sinister old cult. Nor does “Beware of Dog” and its take on bullying, the scars which result, and the lives effected while young. Oh, and there is a dog involved.
Not until “//End User” is the reader given a brief reprieve, as this tale is of technology gone awry. The ending to this one is far and away my favorite. I’ve commented on it a couple of times elsewhere, but I will refrain from elaborating here. Let’s just say it ends with a pleasant mental image.
“Viral” follows. And this is another modern tale, combining the paranormal with technology. Creepy in its ambiguity, and perhaps a warning as to what the future may have in store.
“Artifact #37” is a good old tale of ghostly revenge.
And that brings us to final tale: “Scavengers.” With its folksy, connected-to-the-events, but-still-an-outsider narrator, this, even more so than the others, could have come straight from King. A fascinating story of creepies living amongst us, and what two people decided to do about these covert ghouls. Being the longest, this is by far the most in-depth of the seven. It raises an interesting moral point, if the actions of the two main characters were actually justified. I see this as a fable with a very strong message, which isn’t didactically shoved down the reader’s throat. Such is the mark of a great storyteller, of which Duncan Ralston unquestionably is.
I highly recommend this book for any fan of well-written horror. With its range of subjects and settings I was not once bored or felt I was rereading the same story, merely with a different title. This is a truly great collection from a very talented, funny, diverse, macabre, and witty writer. And he’s not afraid of throwing in a few shocks from time to time.
Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gristle-Bone-Duncan-Ralston-ebook/dp/B011HOABNS/ myBook.to/GristleAndBone
Website: http://duncanralston.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/userbits
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