The Uncanny and the Dead is a horror anthology of bizarre and oftentimes lethal transformations. Many of the stories the collection presents have a Lovecraftian vibe with regular people encountering the weird or cosmic. Each eerie entry unfolds in a startling yet creative way.
Eight stories comprise the anthology of varying lengths. One of the longer offerings is “The Reluctant Husband” by C. M. Rosens. A collector of rare books is approached by a wealthy man interested in the arcane, and the wealthy man invites the collector back to his estate. A rare story where the narrative takes a sharp U-turn in the middle and changes from “Should I trust my employer?” to a tale of the macabre. I enjoyed the Lovecraftian tone, channeling said author closely. That’s praise, as this offering seems like a lost gem included in a Weird Tale magazine of yesteryear.
Another effective story was by L. J. Thomas’ “Gunslingers and Garlic.” This one stands out as different from the rest in the anthology. A reluctant librarian teams up with western sheriff to hunt down the vampire who turned him. More grounded in traditional creature horror than eldritch beings, this thriller is a small mystery, too.
“Hitchhiking” by Hester Steel is a fantastic use of second-person point-of-view. The reader is placed in the literal shoes of the main character hitchhiking up a hill when a vehicle arrives and picks “you” up. The twist is the character the reader is identifying with is the weird one. Effective and creepy, I’ll remember this one for a long time.
At the top of the list is the first story, “On Reflection” by Michelle Tang. Again, an effective use of point-of-view as a passenger on a cruise ship embarks on a pleasant holiday. But then why is everyone acting so oddly? And is it possible that the ship, and possibly his cabin, is haunted? This narrative unfolds masterfully with a truly gripping ending.
The anthology is worth a read. I preferred the first half of the book to the second, especially with respect to the variety. I appreciate the pains all the authors went through to make their particular story unusual and disturbing, inline with the theme. But “On Reflection” and “Hitchhiking,” in my opinion, really elevated the entire anthology.