Review: Pale Blades of Moonlight by Joe Pawlowski

 

Genre: Short Story Collection/Horror

Description:

“In a dark alley in St. Paul, Minnesota, a pair of boys think they’re breaking into an abandoned secondhand store, but what they’re really entering is a nightmare from which they may never escape.

Meanwhile, in a nearby city, a caped figure appears as it does every night on the sidewalk outside the house of that old woman who neighbors believe is really a witch.

And in a rural woodland, ghouls unearth the residents of an ancient graveyard and carry off the rotting remnants for sinister purposes.

All by the silvery light of the moon.

The nine tales in this collection by award-winning writer Joe Pawlowski feature a hapless real-estate agent driven to extreme measures by his love of a severely deformed woman; a trio of farmers who discover a presence from beyond lurking in the corn; a paraplegic miss who rides the supernatural into realities far from the confines of her hospital bed; the American tourist in Mexico City who discovers the deeper meaning of the Day of the Dead; and the wise guy who learns it’s not OK to shortchange a sin eater.”

Author:

“Joe Pawlowski is a retired journalist living in the Twin Cities area with his wife, Debbie, and rescue dog, Lucy. He is a U.S. Army veteran, a secular Buddhist, a major Beatles fan, a vegan, and a lifelong student of classic horror and supernatural literature. Besides reading and writing, he enjoys music, movies and socializing with his many friends.”

For more, visit Mr Pawlowski’s website.

Appraisal:

I don’t typically read much in what could be classified as the horror genre which all of these stories are, but I like to mix things up and stretch myself sometimes by reading books that are outside my favorite genres. I decided to give this a shot and am glad I did. While a collection of short stories these are all long enough to draw the reader in, put them (at least figuratively) on the edge of their seat, and then hit the climax which is sometimes not what you thought was coming. All good reads. Most of them also take place in Minnesota, mostly in “The Cities” as the natives would say, the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Those familiar with this area and its culture will feel right at home while reading these stories, doncha know, but that’s just an added bonus. Fans of horror should like this collection, even if they claim they’ve never eaten hot dish at any point in their life.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words