Allison M. DicksonReseñas

Wrapped in White is an excellent showcase of the diverse range of short stories that may be encapsulated under the classification of ghost story. To be honest, I had no idea that the genre had such potential for variegation.

“The Curse of Kirby” by Patrick Greene is darkly twisted in way that left me vacillating between gales of laughter and horrified disgust. Joshua Rex left me feeling gently moved by “The White Boy.” “You’ll Thank Me by Tomorrow” had the elegant surrealism I associate with the best episodes of The Twilight Zone. I was delightfully surprised by the intriguing twist in “His Shrines to Santa Muerte” by Michael G. Williams. Patrick O’Neal’s “The Other One” had a lovely, classic feel somehow reminiscent of both Dickens and Lovecraft. Regarding “Ain’t They Bright” by Cecilia Dockins, all I can say is intense – I’m talking eyes-wide, breath-held, slight-wail-causing-husband-to-ask-if-you’re-okay intense.

For both the beauty of the prose and the unique deviation from the traditional expectations of ghost stories, “His Shrines to Santa Muerte” is my absolute favorite. Though “The White Boy” and “Ain’t They Bright” were close runners-up.

This is one of the best short stories I've ever read. Brilliant, moving, thoughtful, and compelling. It drew me in and left me a little breathless. It could hold its own in a Bradbury collection.

UPDATE: I just read the revised edition. I must confessed I was a bit worried about it since I loved the original so much. My only complaint is that since I've already given it 5 stars, I've got no way to reflect how much I love the updated version.

I love me some AMD. She has produced another strong anthology. This one consisting of mainly horror with a nice seasoning of sci-fi and a non-genre story for garnish. As much as I like her novels, she is one of those true rare masters of the short form, able to create characters of emotional depth in just a few pen strokes. At times she is reminiscent of Stephen King in having that ability to create genuine-feeling characters who walk the lines between good and evil, foolish and wise. It is this in-betweenness, this greyness that makes them feel like friends, co-workers, neighbors - people we know and see everyday.

Grim and beautiful, At the End of Things is an amazing collection of Allison M. Dickson's most moving shorts all tied together with an elegant theme expressed in nine very different ways. The stories within are full of characters whom you know and understand even when you don't care for them much. Time and again, I found myself saying "Yes. That. That is exactly what I feel but cannot say."

Seriously beyond any thriller you want to read, this is straight up sadistic, and torture. It is deeply disturbing that this author wrote such evil. SAVE your time and money on this garbage!

A great short story, from start to finish. The author communicated so much in just a few pages, about life and death and grief.

This was a free download for my Kindle. It is a very short story, only taking 10-15 minutes to read. It is a love story written by a computer to the woman of his dreams. The tone becomes increasingly stalkerish as the story goes on. The creep factor comes from the belief that computers can achieve sentience, and what would they do when they realize how much power they have over humans. I felt it was a good story, but not a great one.

For 16 pages, this story got me going! It had me jumping at everything I heard and it was pretty funny. Dude really wanted to kill his wife over a game of cards funny thing is 4 pages in I wanted to kill her too. Great story and I would love to read more from this author.

Gross! The funny thing is I remember my grandma telling me the same thing about Lie Bumps. This short story
was creepy and just plain gross. I did not like the story at all. What I did like was Allison Dickson's ability to tell a story.
Whether I liked the book or I did not it does not change the fact that she is a hell of an author.

This was a post-apocalyptic short story that begins with moon dust being brought back to earth. The story was very predictable and nothing new. This was a free Kindle E-Book. I had the original version, not the new expanded version.

To start with, Insects and bugs are just plain creepy. Sure, we can be logical and know that they are smaller than us and easy to step on and kill. Or to rescue and lead outside depending on how "nature loving" you are. And we know that most of the time they can't truly hurt us, focusing on "safe" bugs and ignoring the black widow spiders and other similar poisonous small creatures. But at the same time, bugs creep us out. Whether it is the single cockroach that runs over your bare foot while you are retrieving some in the darkened garage or it is the 100s of ants that swarm the dog food bowl for the uneaten portion of the morning meal, they can give us the heebie jeebies.

So reading a short story about two exterminators who have to deal with an abandoned house that is overrun with bugs is a great way to freak readers out. Dickson does an awesome job of doing exactly that. The steps the exterminators take and their professionalism when they start out firmly root the book in reality. This just means that all the insect-centric moments are that much creepier.

My only negative was that the "big bad" seemed a bit of a cliche. Of course there are only so many things that you can do to your protagonist when they run into a ton of bugs and most of those things will seem like a cliche. However, it was only a minor negative to a solid story.

I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program for an honest review. This book started with a BANG! It was one of those that pull you in and keep you there until you finish it. I don't want to get into the book too much because I don't want to accidentally spoil anything, but it's about a young woman working in a brothel to pay off a debt, and has an opportunity to pay it off a little early by going to a "unique" client. It was a horror story start to finish without letting me go. Allison is a wonderful horror-suspense author and I can't wait until she is more well known and has more books out.

This was an amazing writing and this author is on my "to always read list" The story line, characters and all was mind blowing, fresh, surprising and wish it would be taken to a longer novel format! One of my favorite this year. A short story but the words reach out and pull you in and you don't even want to escape. When it's over.... you still don't want to return to your normal world... Loved this book.

Interesting short story that pretty much drew me in from the first few paragraphs. You meet Dr. Barnes who is coming up with a new drug, Perpetua, and has taken it himself to test it. What follows is a tumble through insanity, and an accomplice/delusion named Elvis.

EASY and very short read for those of you who haven't read it, and free on Kindle.

Aside from some annoying typos, this is a well written, memorable short story about (perhaps) the last man on Earth waiting out the end in his home shelter after lunar dust appears to have blotted out (or perhaps I should say "consumed") everyone else. Dickson sets just the right tone in the first person narrative and doesn't overdo her idea, which would ruin the effect. I'll definitely read more by this author.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Get it off get it OFF!

This was a straightforward but spectacularly EWWW horror short story. A couple of exterminators have to clean up a house that's rumored to be haunted and discover more than they bargained for: it's either going to be a retread or it's going to be a classic, depending on the way it's pulled off, right? It's a classic. YUCK. I hate bugs.