Reader's review - Ezra T. Gray (The Grove & Other Stories)

Night is closing in and a storm, the first one this winter, is building up from the west. Right now the rain is pouring down, while the wind is pounding the walls of my house, making it moan in a wired way, while I'm listening to Joe Satriani singing 'Big Bad Moon'.

The scene is set and this night will be perfect for me to write a review of 'The Grove & Other Stories' by Ezra T. Gray. This book contains ten horror stories. I'm not going to review each and every one, but I'm going to pick a few of my favorites in a moment.

Allow me to bring my personal opinion regarding horror stories. Some authors connects horror to blood and gore, thinking this might make the audience shiver and shake of fear. They are so wrong! Blood and gore can be used as shock effects, but giving your audience a shock is definitely not the same as expose them to the feeling of true horror. A brilliant horror writer makes his readers think. He don't need to tell the whole story down to every details. You see, it takes an intelligent author to write a good horror story. It's a balance between giving the necessary information to feed the imagination of the reader, but leave enough of the story untold forcing the reader to think. A skilled horror writer puts faith in his audience.

Why do I say that in a review? Because that's exactly what Ezra T. Gray does in 'The Grove & Other Stories'. In this book Ezra presents ten very different stories, which is quite an achievement. Writing ten different stories, without telling the same story over and over again in different ways, can be very difficult. You have to clear your mind before writing the next story, and thats exactly what I believe Ezra T. Gray did. Because the stories are so different, there will be something for every horror fan. I found three real gems in this collection.

First: 'An Old Tradition'. I think this story will be my favorite of them all. The world as we know it has come to an end, when someone breaks down a barrier between an unknown dimension. Now mankind are no longer in the top of the food chain. Men have hunted and killed to eat, but now we're the hunted ones. It's a classic horror story with all it's dark elements, well written right to the end.
Second: 'Just Believe'. A knife factory are being build upon an ancient Indian burial ground. Nothing good comes from disrespect the dead and desecrate their graves, and that's what Sam Priest is about to realize late in the evening, while he's all alone in the big building. It's a great story with a fine twist in the end.
Third: 'The Grove'. What I like most of the story is the description of the grove. It reminds me of Stephen King's description of Ackerman's Field in my all time favorite 'N', although the stories are very different in their style and storyline. While both places are just ordinary places, they hold a sinister secret beyond any imagination. In 'The Grove' a young man are lured by the evil dwelling in the grove. It's a very well written story that makes you think. I love it.

'The Grove & Other Stories' holds all the classic elements of horror, but Ezra T. Gray tells them in his own unique way and that's what makes them interesting to the reader. Read the book. You won't be disappointed. You'll experience the good old feeling of horror, while you read the short stories told in a different and unique way. Just don't expect a grim and terrible ending to every story. Unlike most horror writers, Ezra T. Gray seems to believe that the good will overcome evil in the end and that is kind of unusual for a writer of horror and suspense. That's not necessarily a disadvantage as long as the stories are written the way Ezra T. Gray does it. I'm certainly ready for more...