Absolutely fantastic short story collection

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

I am becoming a huge fan of Richard Chizmar and Matt Godfrey. I’ve been a huge fan of Cemetery Dance Publishing for a while now. They release fantastic collector’s editions and never seem to disappoint. The Cemetery Dance magazine has been a favorite periodical for great short stories. I have read a few of Chizmar’s short stories and always enjoyed them, but Gwendy’s Button Box and Widow’s Point (contained in this collection) made me a big fan. This collection only solidifies that opinion. I loved everything about this collection. There is a wide variety of stories from outright horror to good ole mysteries and suspense, to even a western and a sci-fi/noir story. There should be something for everyone to enjoy, but my guess is that you will enjoy everything in here. If I have to pick some favorites, as reviewers are often want to do, these would stand out to me: Murder House, The Man behind the Mask, Nightmare on Elm Lane, Mischief, and Roses and Raindrops. I hesitate to pick favorites, because I hate to leave some out. Dirty Coppers was a blast. I had read Widow’s Point previously and loved it - still do. The Custer Files was great. Many of the stories in this collection were heartbreaking, but Long Way Home was especially so. I have some good friends who could easily have been the source material for this story - some who ended up with happy endings and some who did not.

The stories in and of themselves are fantastic, but when you add Matt Godfrey as the narrator on top of these great stories then you have a magical collection. I have listened to several novels that Godfrey has narrated and he is always stellar. One of the things I love about novels in the hands of a good narrator is that the characters come alive and it seems that you’re watching these stories unfold in your imagination. You see these characters and feel like you know them. He’s a master at creating empathy for each of these characters and you really end up caring what happens to them even if you are suspicious that what happens is not going to be good.

Buy this book. Listen and enjoy two masters at work. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. I listened to it over two days on the weekend and it was a weekend well spent. Enjoy.

6 people found this helpful

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Short stories are my favorite genre, and this was a delightful find. If you like Stephen King and Joe Hill’s short stories, you’ll enjoy this book. I would only give 4.5 stars because there were a couple stories where I thought the characters’ motivations were illogical for the story. No spoilers, and I think these issues were only in the first couple of stories - they just left me with a “why would they do that?” feeling. The audio performance was great. I love a male reader who can read females and it’s not a parody.

That said, really enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to Long December next.

3 people found this helpful

Loved it

You know the authors talented wen a short story satisfies like a full length novel
From serial killers to cannibals and haunted places this outstanding collection doesn’t disappoint
Matt’s narration was excellent and fit perfectly
I highly recommend making this your next listen
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

7 people found this helpful

If you need to pass the time...

There are a lot of rave reviews for this collection, but I don't understand why. I found the stories to be mediocre, repetitive, slow, and predictable. Many times the stories seemed to end not because of a natural conclusion, but because the author did not know how to carry on the story so he just stopped writing. The repeated use of character names in the various stories was confusing and had me wondering if the stories were meant to be connected. I now think it was just laziness or lack of imagination.
Narration was fine, no odd cadences or stutters. I found all the speaking voices used sounded weirdly weak and shaky, however, but it wasn't unbearable.
Overall, if you're looking to pass the time this will do, but if you're looking for something that draws you in or makes you say, "wow", this isn't it. Good enough to kill the hours but nothing special.

2 people found this helpful

Great Collection

Something here for everyone including the last special story. Chizmar is brilliant, whether I try to read or just listen. There is always horror,fun,terror and feeling.

2 people found this helpful

A journey worth taking.

The Long Way Home by Richard Chizmar is a journey worth taking. Story stories are a true art form, more so I'd say than novels. And with The Long Way Home, Mr. Chizmar shows he's a true artist. This volume features numerous short stories (some startlingly short!), two essays, and a film script. The story in the film script Murder House is interesting, though I will say listening to someone narrate a film script just felt a bit odd, perhaps because it as the first time I've ever heard it done. I also must say the story that Mr. Chizmar recounts about that script later in his author's note was quite interesting. Most of the stories in this collection were new to me, the excepting being Widow's Point., which I had read at some point last year, and all of them were entertaining, with some being fairly disturbing, which is what you want and hope for out of such a collection. While definitely an author with his own voice, you can clearly tell the authors who influenced his work. Included in the collection are two short essays, and I must say I found both of them quite touching in their own way. As I said at the start, The Long Way Home is a journey well worth taking and I look forward to taking more journeys with Mr. Chizmar in the future.

I believe this is the second or third time I've heard Matt Godfrey's work, and as always his line deliver and inflection are spot on, completely enhancing the mood of each piece as he brings the characters and story to life.

I was given a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

2 people found this helpful

Excellent Collection

THE LONG WAY HOME by Richard Chizmar is an excellent collection of short stories, not a bad story in the entire book. Stories range from sci-fi, horror, coming of age to heartfelt essays and I found all to be very entertaining. The narration by Matt Godfrey is top notch making this a fantastic audiobook experience.

1 person found this helpful

Simply Great

Richard Chizmar created Cemetery Dance Publications so you already know the pedigree he's got, he's written collaborations with Stephen King and (in this collection) Ray Garton and Ed Gorman. It shows. His stories are intense without being over the top, original, and they give the feeling of being very thoughtful and at the top of his game. Some scenes are devastating and they're only able to be that impactful because the setup and the skill and the development of characters and the knowledge of just when to pull the rug out from under the reader. My favorite stories in here (The Man Behind the Mask, The Long Way Home, among others) are among my favorite shorts ever. My least favorite story of the bunch is purely subjective and still very well done. And to make things better the narrator does a great job of giving these stories life. He does different voices but they're consistent and recognizable and aid the work without going into cartoony pitches or hyperbole. I 100% recommend this.

I received the review code for this audiobook at my request and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

1 person found this helpful

"... Just good story telling!"

I'm very partial to Stephen King, especially his early work, and have trouble adjusting to new authors and new genres. Limiting I know; I took a risk and explored Chizmar's writing with this collection of stories and am pleased I did. It wasn't remarkable but just good story telling! The narrator was a little passive for my taste.

2 people found this helpful

Wow

Great book. If you like Stephen King you will love this book. Great flow and great narrative