Skip to main content

Riding the Nightmare by Lisa Tuttle

 

Title: Riding the Nightmare

Author: Lisa Tuttle

Genre: Horror Short Story Collection

Published: 8/22/23 by Valancourt Books

I received a copy for review through NetGalley. 


This new collection from a Lisa Tuttle collects stories previously published between 1986 and 2017 with a new expanded version of 'The Dragon's Bride'. The stories seem to fit together in that they all explore unconventional types of relationships from the female prospective. The plots themselves are varied. Some worked better for me than others. This is a great release from Valancourt Books from this great author of Nest of Nightmares and Familiar Spirit.

Ride the Nightmare:  Being second to a man in an open marriage isn't easy. For Tess it brings on a prophetic nightmare.The nightmare imagery is great. 4 stars

Bits and Pieces: A woman realizes the men that leave her life leave parts of themselves behind. In the pursuit of creating a perfect man she goes to great lengths to get what she wants.  3 stars

The Mezzotint: A woman finds a picture in her partner's office that reminds her of the messotint in the M. R. James story. 3 stars

After the End: This story tells that last case of C. Auguste Dupin. A very gothic feeling story. 3 stars

The Third Person: A woman asks her best friend to use her apartment once a week to have an affair which leads to unforeseen circumstances. 3 stars

The Wound: Two male teachers become friends over a love of opera that can become more complicated that you would think. 3 stars

The Man in the Ditch: A woman sees a man in the ditch on the drive to see their new home. She keeps having visions of this same man over her time in the house. This one has a great ending. 4 stars

The Last Dare: Two friends pass on the story of their experience in The Tower House, a creepy house in the neighborhood, to their grandchildren. Those grandchildren decide to explore the house as well. 4 stars

A Home in the Sky: A woman who has dreams of owning her own house has a strange experience in a miniature version of house being built in the area. 4 stars

The Hungry Hotel: A woman has a fling with a traveling musician while her fiance is out of town. 4 stars

The Dragon's Bride: A woman has repressed her visit to her aunt's house in England. When she returns after the death of her aunt she begins to remember. 4 stars

Average Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs by Rebecca Gransden Book Review

  Title: Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs Author: Rebecca Gransden Genre: Weird Fiction/ Horror Published: 10/30/24 by the author I received a copy for review from the author.  This collection of 14 short stories that are full of imaginative scenarios. The ideas are truly unique which helps to draw you in.  Imagine taking a friend's pigeon to the vet leads to an underground cult. Imagine a sentient turducken escaping its packaging to explore the world. These are just of a couple of the outrageously weird concepts explored in this collection. A couple of the stories are written a very fever dream kind of way that makes following the plot difficult. I don't fault the experimental writing, but I personally do not enjoy the confusion they left me feeling. The rest of the stories I enjoyed. The standout stories for me were SparrowEyes, with its creepy setting and creature, and Happy Bunny, with a person in a bunny costume getting teleported to various television and movie s...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Unbreakable World by Ren Hutchings Book Review

  Title: An Unbreakable World      Author: Ren Hutchings Genre: Science Fiction Published: 09/09/25 by Solaris I received a copy for review through Netgalley.    Page Found is a petty thief who has lost her memory who is kidnapped to take part in a heist with Maelle. Dalya is being trained to be her uncle's successor in his government leadership role on Teyr. This space opera is told from multiple perspectives. It is full of political intrigue, unlikely friendships, and revenge. There is also a alien threat to the human race and an epic heist. There is a lot going on in this book, and it is all a lot of fun to read about. I wish there was more of distinctive connection between Page Found's story and Dalya's, but I also like being able to make my own conclusions. I would recommend this book to fans of space operas who think they would enjoy the elements I mentioned above.  My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 
Post a Comment
Read more

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell Book Review

  Title: One Dark Night Author: Hannah Richell Genre: Mystery/Thriller Published: 08/19/25 by Atria Books Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy for review.     Tragedy strikes at a Halloween party in the woods, steeped in local lore, by a small English town when a teenage girl dies. Rachel, a local school guidance counselor, deals with the fallout of the tragedy.  Meanwhile her ex-husband, a local police officer, works to find a murderer in this small community before anyone else gets hurt.  This is a great book for thriller fans that want the perfect read for spooky season. It is a well crafted twisty murder mystery with wonderful atmosphere. A thriller with a Halloween party gone wrong, spooky woods, a local legend, and very strange happenings. I highly recommend this read for fall for thriller fans that don't want to read horror for Halloween. My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars 
Post a Comment
Read more