Out of Tune – All New Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy
Edited by Jonathan Maberry
JournalStone
2014
Reviewed by David Goudsward
Out of Tune is collection of new dark tales inspired by traditional folk ballads. Ballads, much like pre-Disney fairy tales, range from the unpleasant to the gruesome. It’s a perfect match to the modern masters of horror. Jonathan Maberry has pulled out all the stops and assembled a choir of the macabre, each reimagining an archetypal ballad and yet keeping the distinctive voice that makes each author memorable.
This is a stunning array of 14 authors, each reveling in the material. Christopher Golden returns to his beloved Peter Pan motif, using it to tell a disquieting tale based on the infanticide ballad of the Cruel Mother. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jeff Strand, the master of gallows humor and his version of John Henry’s determination to win a race against a steam engine, even if it kills him a few times. In between are a variety of stories by best-selling and award winning authors such as Nancy Holder and her take on Edgar Allan Poe in Lovecraft’s Arkham, Jack Ketchum’s tale of a relationship gone bad, and Gary Braunbeck’s modern version of The Streets of Laredo. Each story is followed by commentary about the original ballad by folklorist Nancy Keim-Comley.
This is simply one of the most elegant and brilliant concepts for a themed anthology to come around in years. My major complaint is that no one thought of it before now.
Disclaimer: Hellnotes is part of the JournalStone Network which is owned by the publisher of this collection.
