≡ Libro The Ones That Got Away Stephen Graham Jones 9781607012351 Books

The Ones That Got Away Stephen Graham Jones 9781607012351 Books

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The Ones That Got Away Stephen Graham Jones 9781607012351 Books

I've been hearing good things about Stephen Graham Jones for a while, but this is the first of his books I've actually bought and read. It won't be my last.

I've been reading for over fifty years. Taught myself to read at five (Green Eggs & Ham, of course). For reasons you might not expect, I became a bookworm. I read EVERYTHING. Even when I was homeless squatting in a burned out basement, I still had a stack of books to read by candle light. A eductaed myself on a combination of American Pulp and the Western Canon, without which I'd be a functional illiterate.

I digress into 'me me me' territory because I'm the kind of reader that no longer has patience with the mediocre. Time is a premium at my decrepit age. I've read the greatest words ever written, and if you don't get busy within the first paragraph -- well, I'll be catching a cab home with my mad monsy, so as not to walk all that way in my high heels.

Stephen brings the juice. His pacing is invariably spot on perfect, without a trace of artifice. His language is visceral, evocative, and unforced. He is fearless as a writer, and you'd better be as a reader if you intend to crack his pages.

He drags you down with him into the deep waters, further into the abyss than you'd ever counted on when you started. You end in stark places with him -- but there's alway a sense of deja vu when he lets go of your hand and you're standing alone in a place as familiar as it is hellish.

He's particularly good at conveying the surreal jumbling of reality a mind undergoes when under soul snapping stress -- the PIXELATION of mentation you experience under severe enough trauma. Stephen has obviously been to the edge in his life, and it indelibly stains his writing.

The man is good, and writes in a graceful, comfortable tone that comes across more like a good friend spinning a yarn rather than a writer per se. His craftsmanship, however, is impeccable despite its naturalness.

I'm glad I discovered him, and I recommend Mr. Jones to anyone who insists on good writing in their books.


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The Ones That Got Away Stephen Graham Jones 9781607012351 Books Reviews

Pretty good horror collection. I don't think every story completely worked--some things maybe made more sense in the author's head, some connections and casualties were not as surely made as the author may have assumed. But this is a modern work of horror, which rests on ambiguities, I concede.
The opening story, Father, Son, Holy Rabbit, is one of the most poignant tales I've read in a while. The writing in the the story Lonegan' s Luck is crisp and tight, and crackles with electricity.
One of the stronger single-author collections I've read in the last few years. Well-written, nice variety, engaging voice. I strongly recommend this and will have to pick up other books by Jones.

The book collects thirteen stories published in a variety of venues ranging from more obscure journals and anthologies to the more prominent such as Cemetary Dance. In his story notes at the end, Jones offers entertaining and casual insights into the conception and crafting of each story, and in some cases talks about different versions of the story that existed along the way before he found a way to tell what he wanted told. I love this kind of stuff! It reminds me of the story notes that were always part of Harlan Ellison's collections, which I looked forward to as much as the stories themselves. Jones seems to have such a humble attitude and likeable personality I imagine most readers will enjoy these bits, even those not looking for insight into the craft of writing.

I've always preferred horror fiction with a greater emphasis on character and story than on monsters and gore. Sometimes, though, horror fiction with literary aspirations takes this too far, and downplays the horrific aspect so much the end result is not horror at all, but a vague, low-key sort of ennui. This collection manages that balance perfectly, with plenty of gruesome details and chilling scenes that never become gratuitous or cause eye-rolls.

The first story, "Father, Son, Holy Rabbit" is exemplary. It's a beautiful, sensitive story of fatherly love for a son, yet it's also a tale so gruesome and disturbing as to cause nightmares. Despite its brevity, this story carries a serious payload.

Some stories are stronger than others, as in any collection, but not one is less than good. I suppose "The Meat Tree" is the one I feel could be removed without weakening the whole. In every other case, Jones combines a vivid conceptual imagination with convincing characters and conveys the whole in an engrossing voice. The final novella ("Crawlspace," original to this collection) is some of the most gripping and anxiety-producing fiction I've ever read. It's hard to imagine a reader making it from the first story to the last without being impressed.

The book was a finalist for a "Best Collection" Bram Stoker award, but was matched-up against the potent and masterful Occultation by Laird Barron (who wrote the introduction to Jones's collection), and the book that won the award, Full Dark, No Stars by the world's most popular author (doing some of his best work here) Stephen King.

Some writers exhibit a single strength, but Jones has all the bases covered. His writing has an edge without losing accessibility, his stories address familiar tropes and concepts in a way that seems fresh, and he seems in every case fully in control of his world, its mood, and the effect it has on the reader. I recommend this book, and it has definitely convinced me to seek out other works by Jones.
I've been hearing good things about Stephen Graham Jones for a while, but this is the first of his books I've actually bought and read. It won't be my last.

I've been reading for over fifty years. Taught myself to read at five (Green Eggs & Ham, of course). For reasons you might not expect, I became a bookworm. I read EVERYTHING. Even when I was homeless squatting in a burned out basement, I still had a stack of books to read by candle light. A eductaed myself on a combination of American Pulp and the Western Canon, without which I'd be a functional illiterate.

I digress into 'me me me' territory because I'm the kind of reader that no longer has patience with the mediocre. Time is a premium at my decrepit age. I've read the greatest words ever written, and if you don't get busy within the first paragraph -- well, I'll be catching a cab home with my mad monsy, so as not to walk all that way in my high heels.

Stephen brings the juice. His pacing is invariably spot on perfect, without a trace of artifice. His language is visceral, evocative, and unforced. He is fearless as a writer, and you'd better be as a reader if you intend to crack his pages.

He drags you down with him into the deep waters, further into the abyss than you'd ever counted on when you started. You end in stark places with him -- but there's alway a sense of deja vu when he lets go of your hand and you're standing alone in a place as familiar as it is hellish.

He's particularly good at conveying the surreal jumbling of reality a mind undergoes when under soul snapping stress -- the PIXELATION of mentation you experience under severe enough trauma. Stephen has obviously been to the edge in his life, and it indelibly stains his writing.

The man is good, and writes in a graceful, comfortable tone that comes across more like a good friend spinning a yarn rather than a writer per se. His craftsmanship, however, is impeccable despite its naturalness.

I'm glad I discovered him, and I recommend Mr. Jones to anyone who insists on good writing in their books.