Nocturne

I've just finished a collection of horror stories by John Connolly, contained in an anthology titled Nocturne. They were all fairly good stories but the one that stands out most in my mind is the story titled "Cancer Cowboy Rides." While we all should know today that cancer is not contagious, this story feeds on that lingering fear that sometimes makes friends and loved ones shy away from a person with cancer. The Cowboy isn't even a Typhoid Mary, immune in himself while infecting others with death. He's suffering himself, and the only way he can alleviate his suffering for a short while is to infect other people. It's pretty gruesome and I won't describe his symptoms here, but they go far beyond anything that really exists. Certainly, his "misery loves company" attitude is taken to an extreme in this story.

Though he is apparently vanquished, in the end we learn that he is indestructible and rises again like a contaminated and deadly phoenix. What a great metaphor for diseases that can recur, like cancer or better yet, AIDS, which continues to mutate and makes itself so hard to outpace with vaccines or medications.

The other story that sticks in my mind is "The Furnace Room." In this one, the classic horror story morality comes into play. The main character murdered his wife years ago, and finally gets his comeuppance when he is dragged into the furnace by the shade of his wife and three ghostly creatures that are similar to the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys. In this case, one has no ears, so he cannot hear his victims' pleas. Another has no eyes, so she won't have to see their sufferings, and the third has no mouth, so he cannot speak out on their behalf. Yet, since this victim is a murderer, it's hard to feel much sympathy, and as he is dragged to his fate I mentally agreed that justice was served.

For those who don't mind a little revulsion along with a good plot and vivid writing, I do recommend Nocturne.