3 Comments

1. July 20th, 2011 / 12:44 am karl taro—

   I just read this. I think it’s average for Evenson, who is often so good.

   I’ve read and reread Windeye many times. That story still frightens me. 

2. July 20th, 2011 / 9:36 pm Russ Woods—

   Dope

3. July 21st, 2011 / 4:29 am Nathan Huffstutter—

   Agreed on both counts. Windeye is creepy, creeping, cool-as-hell, bangs your nervous system as you envision the sister groping up under the shingles while the brother peppers her with leading questions about the unseen forms at her fingertips. You swing for the fences, sooner or later you’re gonna whiff, but Anskan House struck me as low impact all the way around. In Windeye, mystery, inevitability, and a compelling relationship rise out of sharply-rendered events, whereas here you have the little brother eavesdropping while the sister tells an older brother an on-the-nose, hearsay account of the house’s exact potency. Anyone who gripes that “show don’t tell” is a tired cliche might consider reading these two stories back-to-back.