A welcome companion volume to 1992's Black Evening.
rating: 5
Except for the novels The Totem, Testament, and Long Lost, David Morrell has chosen the short story as his primary vehicle when exploring the horrific. Many of these outstanding shorter works were collected in 1992's Black Evening. Now, that volume has a welcome companion, Nightscape. Although the stories in each display Morrell's trademark "you are there" immediacy, each book has its own unique qualities. Black Evening is a collection of stories that initially saw print between 1972 and 1992, while most of the stories in Nightscape were published during the past decade. The stories in Black Evening tend toward the supernatural, whereas those in Nightscape are more realistic. Finally, whereas the stories in the former vary in length, running the gamut from short stories to novellas, the pieces in the latter are mostly very long. In fact, "If I Should Die Before I Wake" and "Rio Grande Gothic" are almost mini-novels. In his intimate introduction, Morrell explains that the stories in Nightscape consider the themes of obsession and determination. While those elements play varying roles in each tale, an even deeper theme, that of individual identity, ties these stories together. It's a prominent theme of "Remains To Be Seen," where the protagonist sees himself as a loyal servant, willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill his promise, "Nothing Will Hurt You," which focuses on a father who feels he has not met his responsibilities to his murdered daughter, and "Elvis .45," in which a rabid fan of "The King" loses himself in idol worship. This motif presents itself repeatedly in the remaining stories. In "Habitat" and "Front Man," the protagonists struggle merely to maintain their identities. In "Resurrection," the main characters redefine themselves to cope with radically changed circumstances. Finally, in "If I Die Before I Wake" and "Rio Grande Gothic," the characters' professions, physician and lawman, respectively, dictate their responses to extraordinary circumstances. Writing with clarity and intensity, Morrell uses these tales to explore a wide variety of emotions and behaviors, including devotion, betrayal, grief, joy, and, yes, obsession and determination. Unsettling but also moving, the stories in Nightscape are yet another reminder of Morrell's ability to peer deeply into his characters' psyches, a rare talent that makes his work essential reading for horror fans and general audiences alike.
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