Book Review – A Nest of Nightmares by Lisa Tuttle
First published, 1986
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
This collection of thirteen scary stories is amazing. From start to finish, Ms Tuttle writes clearly and concisely, she creates wonderful characters and vivid, believable storylines and the scares are genuine.
It’s not unknown, when it comes to collections of short stories, for there to be one or two stories that just don’t resonate. It may be down to the reader’s mood or changes in the writer’s ability across the years. This collection did not, in my opinion, contain any duds. Every character was crafted with care and each story concluded with a chill across the back of my neck.
My favourite story was ‘A Friend In Need’ – about a woman who remembers a childhood friend who, as she’s looking back through an album, doesn’t feature in any of the family photos. When she runs into a woman, about the right age, at the airport, they strike up a conversation and have coffee together only to discover that they might, in fact, know each other. I won’t spoil it for you, but I loved that story.
I’ll point out, the collection could do with trigger warnings. Both ‘Bug House’ and ‘Sun City’ feature scenes of rape. That said, the stories were well-crafted and the difficult scenes were disturbing, but in no way gratuitous.
Petrina Binney - Author 