Title: Dusk: Stories

Author: Eddie Generous

Release date: November 30th, 2020

Big thanks to Eddie for sending me a digital ARC to give this a read. If you’ve followed along, you’ll know I’m a fan of Eddie and his writing. A lot of people say I write and release at an impressive volume, but I can’t hold a candle to Eddie and his work.

For those unfamiliar with Eddie, not only is he a writer, but he’s also the man behind Unnerving – Unnerving books, magazine and podcast and also hosts the Books North podcast.

He is a busy man, but also finds the time to churn out amazing stories.

Eddie opens the collection off with an introspective piece where he shares how he got into writing and how writing saved him. Within the piece he described his discovery of Stephen King (which he also expanded on recently in the Stephen King-inspired edition of Unnerving Magazine) and how King’s gift with prose had him look at his own writing.

Recently, I’ve also seen Eddie tweet frequently about ‘writing for America’ and ‘American-izing’ the adjectives and locations. Personally, I just want to state here that I love Eddie’s Canadiana that seeps into the stories.

What I liked: ‘Dusk: Stories’ opens with one of my all-time favorite stories ‘Flying the Mercury.’ I very sweet story of two young boys attempting to jump the family vehicle. I loved this story when I first read it in a prior collection and found I loved it just as much when I re-read it here.

From that starting point, Generous takes us on a weaving adventure where we get his takes on pretty much ever horror/dark fiction trope out there. There are numerous highlights throughout and when I was all said and done, it hit me as to why I love Generous’ writing so much. It is that familiar voice. The Canadian shared voice. The reason why Andrew Pyper’s ‘Kiss Me’ is a collection that every author should read.

Up here (and some of my friends around the world may have seen it) we had a show that ran for a number of seasons, called Corner Gas. A show about a small town Gas Station and the inhabitants in the community. This show worked on so many levels because of the shared experiences. We all knew neighbors like the folks who popped in and out of each episode. We all had experienced the various story lines at one time or another.

Generous has the ability to capture that emotion and atmosphere and share it with the readers. Just stunning work.

What I didn’t like: This collection had almost 30 short stories of varying lengths (28 to be exact), which can be a slog for some readers. This would be a collection I’d suggest you dive in and out of between longer reads, even as it attempts to suck you in and keep you wanting to read the next one.

Why you should buy this: Eddie has long been an author to showcase some stunning talent. Just look at Unnerving’s ‘Rewind or Die’ series. His work has been featured in a number of publications and he has written some truly stunning longer reads. Just look at ‘Plantation Pan.’ With this collection, Eddie has gathered the best of his best and this will be a perfect place for new fans to discover his work and old fans to dive back in.

I’ve read a lot of collections and anthologies this year, but this was easily one of the best.

5/5

You can preorder this now – out November 30, 2020!