Review of Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night

[Carolin Metzger]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night" by G. Richard Evans.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night by G. Richard Evans is a collection of short stories with a horror and mostly dark humor aspect to them. They include the supernatural and the everyday. There are pacts with the devil, demons, goblins, ghosts, witches, magic, and a particular favorite that involves a gypsy curse. There's a man whose best friends are rats. A sci-fi like solution to radiation poisoning. The depravity and delusion of life as a drug addict. And a mommy-made psychopath that is a reminder that the pleasant guy you sit next to at work may be a serial killer. Evans magnates to add subtle explorations of friendship, romantic relationships, marriage, parenthood, the rigors of childhood, abuse and revenge. I was completely engrossed. As dark as the stories got, I was generally smiling at the end of each one.

The best parts are the twists at the end of each story. While some of them are a little predictable, they are still quite satisfying. Though much darker, Evans' stories remind me of James Thurber's writing. There is a definite reward at the end.

Overall, I rate this four (four and a half if possible) of five stars for the reasons listed above. The editing is well done with only one homophonic incorrect word choice. There was one formatting issue where there are blank pages between all the stories except one. It certainly didn't diminish my enjoyment, but it might want to be corrected in the future.

There are a lot of misogynistic characters which, sadly, seem endemic to the world at large. But, I would warn that it might trigger some people. Horror is meant to frighten, so this may be a completely unnecessary warning.

Also, if unequivocal profanity or graphic sex aren't your thing, you might want to pass on this, but if those don't bother you, then it's a great read. I would recommend it to people with a dark sense of humor, those who like karmic justice and fans of horror.

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Maniacs, Monsters and a Bump in the Night
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