This is an excellent collection of stories.

There isn't a single story in it that I didn't enjoy.

The title story is truly outstanding. It grabs your attention from the very beginning and keeps you engaged until the end.

However, it's important to note that it's far from the only excellent story in the collection.

Each story has its own unique charm and appeal.

Some are heartwarming, while others are thought-provoking.

They all offer different perspectives and experiences, making this collection a truly diverse and enjoyable read.

Whether you're a fan of short stories or just looking for something new to read, this collection is definitely worth checking out.

You're sure to find something that will capture your imagination and leave you wanting more.

If you haven't explored the remarkable works of Robert McCammon, I strongly urge you to do so. In the 1980s, overshadowed by literary giants like King and Koontz, McCammon still managed to produce an abundance of horror and dark fantasy masterpieces. The great news is that he continues to create today. Some of the works I've read and would highly suggest are: They Thirst, Boy's Life, and Swan Song.

However, Blue World is a collection that showcases a number of McCammon's brilliant short stories and an exciting novella (from which the title is derived). With these literary gems, McCammon demonstrates the breadth of his craftsmanship and his ability to craft incisive social commentary. One of my personal favorites, "Nightcrawlers," was even adapted into an episode of the 1980s reboot of The Twilight Zone. Some of these stories are touching, others are horrifying, but all of them are deeply thought-provoking. One of my absolute favorites is titled "Night Calls the Green Falcon" and features an elderly ex-actor who once embodied the super heroic persona of a Saturday matinee serial hero. The story is both nail-biting and simply wonderful. I wholeheartedly recommend this anthology with great enthusiasm and give it a well-deserved five-star rating.

A collection of short fiction presents a diverse range of stories. It starts with a slightly sentimental tale set within the walls of a prison. Then, it delves into the realms of extreme surreal dystopia and post-apocalypse fiction.

The main part of the book is occupied by a novella that seems to unbalance the collection. It tells the story of a Catholic priest who develops a passionate attraction towards a woman who is both a porn star and a cocaine addict. To make matters worse, she is being stalked by a psychotic killer who has a penchant for murdering porn stars. A certain character is introduced, and it is quite obvious that he is set up to be a victim, making the whole plot rather predictable and odd.

However, there are some better stories in the collection. 'Yellowjacket Summer'描绘了一个被黄蜂困扰的真正令人毛骨悚然的城镇。'Something Passed by'则讲述了物理定律变得疯狂颠倒的故事。'Doom City'就像是地狱中的土拨鼠日。'Night Calls the Green Falcon'是一个有些感伤但更细致入微的故事，讲述了一位老人重新穿上他的超级英雄服装——他在20世纪50年代初之前一直在电影院的连续剧中扮演超级英雄（这本书于1988年出版）——为朋友的杀手伸张正义。

Overall, on balance, this collection earns a 3-star rating.

The original article is not provided, so I can't rewrite and expand it specifically. However, I can give you a general example of how to expand an article to about 300 words.

Let's assume the original article is: "The cat is sitting on the mat. It is a black cat with green eyes."

Here is the expanded version:

The cat is sitting on the mat.

It is a beautiful black cat with bright green eyes that seem to sparkle in the light.

The black fur is sleek and shiny, and the cat looks very content as it lounges on the mat.

Perhaps it is enjoying the warmth of the sun that is streaming in through the window.

The cat's tail twitches slightly, as if it is thinking about something.

Maybe it is planning its next adventure or just relaxing and taking in the moment.

Whatever the case may be, the black cat with green eyes is a charming sight to behold.

It's truly a pity that this is McCammon's solitary short story collection, as it is outstanding overall!

It most definitely brings to mind my favorite Stephen King short story collections, which is among the highest accolades I can bestow upon it.

However, like any short story collection, it is uncommon for every single story to be a resounding success. With "Blue World," the highs are extremely high, while the lows are disappointingly low.

I would venture to say that approximately half of the stories in this collection are excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. It offers a wonderful blend of horror with a touch of 80s campiness thrown in.

Stories such as the one about an old TV actor donning his former TV costume and attempting to become a superhero, or a makeup kit that endows the user with the qualities of movie monsters - these were an absolute delight to peruse.

The other stories, on the other hand, were rather lackluster. My concerns originated solely from the subject matter of the stories; some of them were simply peculiar. At least McCammon's writing remains stellar from start to finish.

The most significant letdown was the titular story, "Blue World," which, due to its length, is closer to a novella. "Blue World," which features a Catholic priest as its protagonist who falls in love with an adult film actress, is rife with numerous issues regarding its portrayal of Catholicism. I would surmise that McCammon conducted zero research and simply wrote whatever came to his mind.

Besides that, the story is replete with the typical "progressivism is the future of the Church" ideologies that were so prevalent during the time the story was written.

I would recommend this collection to anyone who has a penchant for horror and short story collections, with the caveat of skipping "Blue World" due to its problematic nature and content.

Several of the short stories in this collection were truly outstanding. In particular, "Yellowjacket Summer" and "He’ll Come Knocking at Your Door" stood out for their engaging plots and well-developed characters. However, the titular story - which is really more of a novella as it takes up the final half of the book - was a total letdown.

The build-up to the titular story was promising, with the author creating an air of mystery and anticipation. But as the story unfolded, it became clear that the author had failed to deliver on the initial promise. The plot felt convoluted and the characters were one-dimensional, lacking the depth and complexity that had been present in the earlier stories.

Overall, while the collection had its亮点, the titular story was a disappointment that detracted from the overall quality of the book. It's a shame that the author couldn't maintain the same level of excellence throughout the entire collection.

I hadn't delved into the works of McCammon for decades. So, I decided to pick up this short story collection with the intention of reacquainting myself with his writing. And I must say, it turned out to be a very good collection indeed. Most of the stories within its pages landed in the good to great range, captivating my imagination and keeping me engaged from start to finish.

Unfortunately, there was one drawback. The titular novella took up half of the book. While it was somewhat interesting, it failed to evoke any sense of fear in me. It simply didn't have that spine-tingling factor that I had hoped for.

However, there were several highlights in the collection. Stories like "Makeup", "Doom City", "Yellachild's Cage", "I Scream Man", "Night Calls The Green Falcon", "The Red House" and "Something passed By" were truly outstanding. They showcased McCammon's talent for creating vivid characters and atmospheric settings.

Overall, despite the disappointment of the titular novella, I would still rate this collection 4.5/5. It's a great read for fans of short stories and those looking to explore the works of McCammon.

One of the few other horror collections that had a profound influence on my own writing, yet didn't bear King's name on the front cover, was truly remarkable. This collection was filled with great genre-defining stories that left a lasting impression on me. Each story within it had its own unique charm and ability to send shivers down my spine. The way the author crafted the plots and developed the characters was masterful. It made me realize the true potential of the horror genre and inspired me to push the boundaries in my own writing. I truly wish McCammon would write more short fiction. His talent for creating suspense and terror is undeniable, and I can't wait to see what other terrifying tales he has in store for us.

4/5 stars. I was truly tempted to rate it even higher. The reason being that some of the stories within this collection are simply outstanding - they are incredible, to say the least. However, just like most compilations of short works, there were also a few mediocre offerings in the mix.

Yellowjacket Summer - 3.5/5. This story had its moments, but it didn't quite reach the level of excellence that some of the others did.

Makeup - 3.5/5. It was an interesting read, but perhaps a bit lacking in depth.

Doom City - 2/5. Unfortunately, this one didn't really capture my attention.

Nightcrawlers - 4/5. I quite enjoyed this story. It had a unique premise and kept me engaged throughout.

Pin - 2/5. It was a bit of a disappointment.

Yellachile's Cage - 3/5. I had the feeling that this would have been better served as a full-length novel.

I Scream Man - 2.5/5. It was an okay read, but nothing特别remarkable.

He'll Come Knocking at Your Door - 3.5/5. This one had its strengths, but also some areas that could have been improved.

Chico - 3/5. It was a decent story, but not one that will stick with me for a long time.

Night Calls the Green Falcon - 5/5. This was by far one of the best stories in the collection. It was engaging, exciting, and had a great ending.

The Red House - 2.5/5. It was a bit forgettable.

Something Passed By - 1/5. This was the weakest story in the collection.

Blue World - 5/5. Another excellent story that I really enjoyed. Overall, this collection had its highs and lows, but the good definitely outweighed the bad.

Fantastic!

This is truly one of the best short story collections I've ever had the pleasure of reading. McCammon is an author who most definitely deserves to have as much shelf space dedicated to him as King does at the local bookstore. However, for some unknown reason, he doesn't. This is a real shame as his work is of such high quality.

If you're new to McCammon, I highly recommend that you go ahead and read this collection. It serves as a wonderful introduction to one of the greatest horror writers of our time. His stories have the ability to draw you in, keep you on the edge of your seat, and leave you with a sense of unease long after you've finished reading. So don't miss out on this opportunity to discover the genius of McCammon.

A collection of McCammon’s short fiction from the 1980’s, Blue World is truly a remarkable representation of his literary gifts. The stories within this collection are a diverse mix, at times scary, thrilling, sadly poetic, funny, and always deeply heartfelt. While perhaps none of the tales will completely blow your socks off in an overwhelming way, every single entry is most definitely worth reading. Each one showcases his remarkable strength as a storyteller.

The main tale, Blue World, is a novella that makes up roughly half of the book itself. It is a very well told story that explores the concepts of good and evil in a modern form. A priest and a pornstar engage in a deep questioning of faith. However, there are no supernatural elements present whatsoever. This, in a way, makes it somewhat boring as a significant amount of time is spent with Father John lamenting his horniness and questioning God's will. I can imagine that pornography was a red hot topic back then, but three or four decades have passed, and the subject matter has mellowed as it has become pretty mainstream now. It is a good read, but perhaps a bit overly long. Additionally, the cowboy killer is also under explored, leaving some logic gaps for the reader to fill.

Some of the real winners in the collection were: Makeup - a thief steals a makeup case that transforms him into classic movie monsters, with a fun and unexpected twist at the end. I Scream Man! - A fast-paced, off-kilter narrative of a nuclear family. Something Passed By - A bizarre sci-fi story with absurdist elements that brings you to an interesting end of the world. Night Calls The Green Falcon - My personal favorite of the collection, written in the cliffhanger serial style of the 40’s radio shows. An elderly ex-star dons his moth-eaten green uniform to fight actual crime for once, picking up a stripper sidekick and a stuntman driver. This one was just good-natured, well-written, and guaranteed to induce a smile and give you those good feels.

Blue World was a solid collection of McCammon’s short work and is highly recommended to any fans of good storytelling.

The Basics



Blue World is a compilation that consists of short stories and one novella. It appears that these works are from McCammon's early career. The majority of them fall into the horror/thriller genre and cover a wide range of subject matters.



My Thoughts



I truly despise books like this one. A collection of stories should offer a balanced reading experience, where each story is a captivating little gem that you enjoy to some extent. By the end of the reading journey, you should feel that the overall experience was worthwhile. However, this collection failed to meet these expectations. There were a couple of good stories, a great novella, but then there was a whole lot of mediocre stuff. As a result, by the end, you find yourself wondering if you even want to keep the book or not.



Many of these stories felt like ones I had heard before, but executed better by others. For example, "Nightcrawlers" and "Pin" seemed rather unoriginal. Some stories, like "He’ll Come Knocking At Your Door" and "I Scream Man!", were bleak in a way that was neither scary nor profound, just empty. Others, such as "Chico" and "Yellachile’s Cage", were trying to reach great heights but missed the mark by a significant margin. These stories had the potential to be good but unfortunately, they all fell short to varying degrees.



Were there any gems in the collection? Of course! But the question is, were they worth reading the entire book for? That's where I'm having difficulty. "Doom City" presented a really unique perspective on an apocalypse or perhaps even a hell setting. The fact that I couldn't quite figure out which one it was added to the story's allure. "Something Passed By" also had that apocalypse magic. "Night Calls the Green Falcon" was a strong story, especially for comic book fans, with an emphasis similar to that of Watchmen.



Finally, the novella for which the book is named, "Blue World", was, in my opinion, the strongest story of the bunch. The fact that it takes up half of the book gives it a greater sense of significance. Thankfully, because otherwise, this book would have been a two-star effort. It focused more on the characters than on being thrilling, and it gave me what the internet refers to as "feels". It wasn't entirely perfect, but after slogging through the rest of the collection, it felt like a breath of fresh air.



I can no longer determine if this is a book that I would recommend or not. Which is precisely why, I repeat, I hate books like this.



Final Rating



3/5