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[ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 112: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4668: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4670: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4671: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4672: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) Horror World • View topic - Some Thoughts On Gary Braubeck's - "Destination Unknow
This is an alternate review that I posted on "the place that will not be named". I still post there once in a while when I feel there is a book that people should know about and they may not be members here.
Destinations Unknown by Gary Braunbeck
Gary Bruanbeck in my opinion is the best contemporary horror writer this great country has to offer. The Cedar Hill novels, (especially Keepers and In Silent Graves) are wonderfully atmospheric novels that are spooky as hell and have earned Gary a huge following among readers who like their horror written with above average intelligence and an avoidance of cliches. His collections of Cedar Hill short stories (gorgeously packaged in two separate volumes) highlight Gary’s ability to plumb into the depths of our basest emotions and manage to make the reader cringe, squirm, and maybe even recognize themselves in these all “too true” to the human spirit horror tales.
His novel Prodigal Blues alone assures that Gary will forever be regarded as one of today’s best horror writers and it is destined to become a classic.
Which brings us to Destinations Unknown.
This book contains three stories written by Gary and was published in 2006 by Cemetery Dance. The longest and by far the most curious of the three for Bruanbeck fans would be the first story called “The Ballard of Road Mama and Daddy Bliss.”
Curious because it is amusing, one could honestly say that Gary is not known for his comical horror tales. I read the story with a smile on my face the whole time and found myself wishing that Gary would write more stories in this vein. It’s a straight-out horror story with no hidden messages and has no deeper meanings than what it’s plot suggests. And it’s a page turner.
The main character of the story has no name (it’s told in the first person) and we follow him on his court mandated Coroner assistance work as a dead person 'gather upper' which eventually leads to him becoming a hearse driver. From this point on in the story he is referred to as Driver.
After his theft of a map from a dead woman's room, Driver is forced to take the body of the dead woman to her home town for burial, but along the way he is detoured to a town where all of its citizens are dead…but somehow repaired. Oh, and this town also happens to house an entity that controls the safety of the roads and highways of earth. The Road, as this entity is called, needs sacrifices and obtains them through horrible traffic accidents. Driver’s fate depends on if he wins a race on a special road against a repaired person who is fused to a car.
You will love The Ballard of Road Mama and Daddy Bliss, there is no heavy lifting and it is a fun filled read littered with road movie references and a shout out to Charlton Heston’s “Omega Man” movie.
The second story, Congested, is about a man who may be having a heart attack and he decides to drive himself to the hospital. Bad move on his part because he runs straight into a traffic jam.
What I loved about this story is that Gary really captured what it’s like for someone to sit in traffic for long periods of time. After you've sat and not moved for a while, you begin to study other cars, you notice other people, you start to get angry, you have conversations with yourself or the radio, and eventually your stress levels go through the roof. I’ve been there so many times that I really felt bad for this character. But since this is a more typical Braunbeck story than Road Mama and Daddy Bliss...as the character waits for the traffic to ease up…things happen. Like a skate making it's way towards him on the highway while he is parked and waiting. The skate is just rolling along and following the white line until it gets up to and stops alongside his car. Looking down at it through his car door window, the character sees an amputated bloody foot attached to the skate. This story has a pretty gruesome and effective ending.
In the third and last story called Merge Right, Gary managed with his writing to make me feel the loneliest and coldest I have ever felt while reading a story. This is a subtle but powerful story of guilt and forgiveness concerning a man taking a trip to scatter his dead wife’s ashes. This very short story had a huge impact on me, and in my mind it further cement’s my belief that Gary is the best horror writer today.
If you’re a Braubeck fan, or have a love of good horror writing, I would highly recommend this book. It costs about $30.00 if you go on Amazon or other such places and it is signed by the author.
Whew, took me a while digging through The Cellar to find this thread, but alas, here it is.
I'm about to finish up Destinations Unknown, one of my many treasures I got at the library. I read Congestion and Merge Right, the two short stories in the book, and was floored by the feeling created by Gary. I've realized that when it comes to writing atmosphere in a story, Braunbeck is in a class by himself.
I'm currently about 30 pages from finishing The Ballad of Road Mama and Daddy Bliss, and as Ttzuma mentioned earlier, it surprised me by how funny it is. Make no mistake, it's still a horror novel(la) with plenty of nastiness, but unlike other Braunbeck stories, the humor in this one is well-timed and welcome.
My only complaint is that I'm going to have to return this autographed book back to the library.
Oh, and one more thing.....
SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! SOYLENT GREEN IS PEEEEEEEEEEEOPLE!!!!!
If you are looking for an inexpensive way via paperback to read some of Gary's work I would recommend Mr. Hands. That is a basic gore fest/horror tale told simply but very effective. For those that don't know Gary's work, that's a good place to start.
If you want to wade into his atmospheric and deeper thinking paperbacks I would recommend In Silent Graves. From there you could get into Keeper's, Coffin County and the like. They are all part of his Cedar Hill mythos (as is Mr. Hands) and is some really fantastic reading.
But if you have the money, get Prodigal Blues. It will not only blow your socks off, it will stay with you the rest of your life. A classic novel of inhumane horror.
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