12-4-07 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill - Fiction

5 - Joe Hill is the next great horror author. I was impressed by 'Heart-Shaped Box' and this book proves it wasn't a fluke. A collection of short stories, '20th Century Ghosts' places Hill on the level of Richard Matheson and Stephen King. Not all the stories are strict horror, but they are all slightly or very disturbing and definitely gripping. From the first story, "Best New Horror" about an editor who finds a gem of a horror story, to the bonus story, "Scheherazade's Typewriter" (make sure to read the acknowledgements), Hill immediately pulls the reader into the story, forcing the reader to turn the pages faster and faster to see where he will go next. A fantastic book. I look forward to reading whatever he writes next.