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ehhh, definitely not his best
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Wild Things: Four Tales
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WILD THINGS: FOUR TALES
From Douglas Clegg comes a special quartet of stories dealing with creatures of the wild - some are wolf, some bird, some the most terrifying of beasts: the human variety. Two of these tales - "The Wolf" and "The American" are previously unpublished.
"The Wolf" is the dark story of a wolf hunter who guides a younger man up a mountain to kill a wolf that has been slaughtering in the valley below.
"The American" takes place at a late-night cafe in Rome where foreigners gather. On this particular night a stranger steps out of the shadowy park to sit at the sidewalk tables and speak of love and murder.
In "A Madness of Starlings," a father, teaching his children about protection from the predators of life, takes in a fledgling bird. But when it's time for the bird to fly away, the forces of nature come undone and a secret wisdom and terror enter the mind of the one who understands the language of birds.
Finally, in "The Dark Game," a war hero and his men are captured and taken into a prison camp. There, tortures and torments await them, but the man named Gordon Raglan begins to use a childhood game of escape to help him discover a way to hunt the wolves surrounding him.
From Douglas Clegg comes a special quartet of stories dealing with creatures of the wild - some are wolf, some bird, some the most terrifying of beasts: the human variety. Two of these tales - "The Wolf" and "The American" are previously unpublished.
"The Wolf" is the dark story of a wolf hunter who guides a younger man up a mountain to kill a wolf that has been slaughtering in the valley below.
"The American" takes place at a late-night cafe in Rome where foreigners gather. On this particular night a stranger steps out of the shadowy park to sit at the sidewalk tables and speak of love and murder.
In "A Madness of Starlings," a father, teaching his children about protection from the predators of life, takes in a fledgling bird. But when it's time for the bird to fly away, the forces of nature come undone and a secret wisdom and terror enter the mind of the one who understands the language of birds.
Finally, in "The Dark Game," a war hero and his men are captured and taken into a prison camp. There, tortures and torments await them, but the man named Gordon Raglan begins to use a childhood game of escape to help him discover a way to hunt the wolves surrounding him.
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Genres
horrorshort storiesfiction
97 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1,2006
This edition
- Format
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97 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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October 1, 2006 by Cemetery Dance Publications
- ISBN
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9781587671562
- ASIN
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1587671565
- Language
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English
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Community Reviews
Rating(4.2 / 5.0, 13 votes)
5 stars
7(54%)
4 stars
2(15%)
3 stars
4(31%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
13 reviews All reviews
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I have yet to discern the subtle difference between literary and boring.
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4 short stories. Good but not real memorable.
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1. A hunter paid to kill a wolf attacking sheep goes out with a boy who likes to hunt. Truths come to the surface and there will be blood.
2. Finding and rescuing a small bird, feeding, nurturing, see it back to health, releasing it a man becomes obsessed with loss. A yearning to find the bird, the man takes time off work, goes for long walks in the forest, slowly losing connection with his wife and kids. The loss of his son. The realisation humans are monsters, the chirping of the birds driving him insane.
3. ???
4. A boy tied, beaten, whipped by his father. As a young adult he will visit a whore before going to war. He will awake still tied and the girl dead. Now he is a captured POW, tied and tortured. Other prisoners start losing limbs, organs and everyday he will eat food given to him. Loving the taste, he will start to grow fat as the other prisoners grow thin. This prison is a five star luxury to him. A devious plan rescues the camp and he is a hero. Signed copy
2. Finding and rescuing a small bird, feeding, nurturing, see it back to health, releasing it a man becomes obsessed with loss. A yearning to find the bird, the man takes time off work, goes for long walks in the forest, slowly losing connection with his wife and kids. The loss of his son. The realisation humans are monsters, the chirping of the birds driving him insane.
3. ???
4. A boy tied, beaten, whipped by his father. As a young adult he will visit a whore before going to war. He will awake still tied and the girl dead. Now he is a captured POW, tied and tortured. Other prisoners start losing limbs, organs and everyday he will eat food given to him. Loving the taste, he will start to grow fat as the other prisoners grow thin. This prison is a five star luxury to him. A devious plan rescues the camp and he is a hero. Signed copy
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Enjoyable collection. My favorites were The Wolf ( about a "wolf hunt"} and The Dark Game ( coping as a P.O.W.). Highly recommended.
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2.75 STARS It Was Okay/I Liked It
It is well worth the read for such a super cheap price. The Wolf was the only one of the collection that I just did not care for.
It is well worth the read for such a super cheap price. The Wolf was the only one of the collection that I just did not care for.
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I found the first three stories a bit predictable with very little atmosphere. I was expecting more than the one-note gimmick, and I realize they are short stories, but I was still a disappointed. The story, The American, was a little too similar to Bill Pronzini's story, Liar's Dice, for my taste.
However, the final story, The Dark Game really had some bite to it and was quite effective. It was an eye-popping, visceral, and wonderfully structured story. Fortunately, The Dark Game is the longest of the collection and I'm glad they saved the best for last. Here is the full rundown in my opinion...
THE WOLF - 2 stars
A MADNESS OF STARLINGS - 3 stars
THE AMERICAN - 2 stars
THE DARK GAME - 4 stars
However, the final story, The Dark Game really had some bite to it and was quite effective. It was an eye-popping, visceral, and wonderfully structured story. Fortunately, The Dark Game is the longest of the collection and I'm glad they saved the best for last. Here is the full rundown in my opinion...
THE WOLF - 2 stars
A MADNESS OF STARLINGS - 3 stars
THE AMERICAN - 2 stars
THE DARK GAME - 4 stars
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I love Douglas Cleggs books, so was surprised that these stories which were sold in a limited edition signed by the author at a 20 dollar price tag were soo meh. I know he has much better short stories out there. I'm still happy to own a signed book, but was hoping for a bit more, and I'm pretty sure I already read the wolf story somewhere.
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