A so-so collection

THE MOTH SONG AND OTHER STORIES by Elliott Mabeuse (2008 eXcesscia Publishing / 131 pp / eBook)


I'm not a big fan of erotic horror, mainly because I often find the eroticism stamps out the horror and vice versa...although there's times the two can work well together.  Mabeuse's collection features some hit-or-miss offerings, beginning with 'Leaves,' a familiar and forgettable dark fantasy. But I decided to continue as the writing was quite good.


'Life in Deep Rock' is light on the erotica but heavy on the chills as a couple of scientists discover an unusual life form living within rocks; 'The Devil's Lesson' is a nice spin on the Crossroads thing, this time featuring a devil who's tired of souls and wants a pretty young guitair player's body; The title story, like 'Leaves,' seemed a bit too familiar, and 'Incubus' is basically an XXX version of the film 'The Entity.' Pass.


'The Donor' was a so-so vampire tale, as is 'Vampires on a Train.' The next to last tale, 'Hole,' is my favorite; it has great atmosphere and despite the graphic sex keeps the reader interested due to its thought provoking subtext.


I'm guessing fans of the erotic stuff may enjoy this more than I did, but Mabeuse writes well and works better for me when dealing with the less erotic pieces.