A few years ago, I read Bernardo Esquinca’s story, Señor Ligotti, in the fantastic Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories. I am not exaggerating when I say I think about this story at least once a month. This new collection gives Esquinca many more opportunities to imprint his brand of terror onto the brain of innocent readers.
“At first, Dragan didn’t connect what was happening with the baby chair.” I really loved this opening line from The Wizard’s Hour, an incredibly disturbing story about a father who falls into a trance whenever he hears the music from the aforementioned baby chair.
In Where I’m Going, It’s Always Night, a man picks up a hitchhiking mountain climber, who apparently attempts to rescue those who have died while spelunking. Again, things take an incredibly dark turn.
The ending to The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife literally made me say “oh my god!” out loud. An estranged couple, still living in the same house, start experiencing some erotic, aquatic weirdness.
Leprosy in the Walls was legitimately scary. Our narrator returns to the home of his youth, as it is about to be destroyed. Memories of tunnels, ghosts, and a flood.
Señor Ligotti appears in this collection too, and I enjoyed the re-read. A man desperate for a nice place to live makes a questionable agreement with a strange old man. Every millennial who will do anything to buy a house should read this cautionary tale before signing any documents.
I loved the story Demoness, about a reunion of Jesuit priests. There are references to an “event”, which is never fully revealed, but it is hinted that an exorcism was involved. One of my favorite aspects of short stories is when the reader is given just enough information to draw their own terrifying conclusions.
Dream of Me is a fantastic creepy doll story. A man collects cursed dolls (why would anyone do that?!), and receives one anonymously. He tracks down the sender and it obviously doesn’t end well. I loved the tiny doll stories interspersed throughout the tale.
The thing I love about Esquinca’s stories is that they have terrifying endings, which elevates the story into boundless areas of terror. This is such a great collection, and contains a great intro from Argentine horror writer Mariana Enriquez.
Thank you Valancourt for another fantastic horror collection!
California Reading 