Black Static

In the current issue of the magazine (#63) I review John Llewellyn Probert's short story collection Made for the Dark, which contained five stories I chose not to discuss as I'd already reviewed them previously.

For the sake of completeness, I've decided to post my reviews of those stories as they originally appeared.

From my Black Static #22 review of The End of the Line edited by Jonathan Oliver:-

John L. Probert's 'The Girl in the Glass' has a man stalked by the spirit of a girl he sees on the underground, and who appears to have his death on her mind, the story grabbing the attention and detouring down strange tunnels and into oblique sidings before ending up at an unusual twist that puts a different complexion on much of what has gone before.

From my Black Static #47 review of The Spectral Book of Horror Stories edited by Mark Morris:-

There's a Kafkaesque feel to 'The Life Inspector' by John Llewellyn Probert, as a man answers questions from a mysterious functionary by way of justifying his own existence, the protagonist's humour at the situation slowly giving way to terror, and underlying it all a warning to not waste time because time is all we have.

From my Black Static #39 review of The Tenth Black Book of Horror edited by Charles Black:-

'The Best Christmas Ever' by John Llewellyn Probert pulls some interesting characters out of the woodwork but wastes them in a pointless  piece in which a child turns into a monster when he is given tools for a Christmas present. Like the Johnstone and the Power, I felt it suffered from putting the atrocity show first and then using the plot to reach that point, instead of having the horror arise naturally out of the story. There's a fine line between shock and schlock, and it's one that Probert usually negotiates with ease, but here he comes down on the wrong side of that divide.

From my Black Static #47 review of Horror Uncut edited by Joel Lane & Tom Johnstone:-

John Llewellyn Probert steps into the world of television with 'The Lucky Ones' in which a producer rises to the challenge of creating a new game show by tapping into his S&M side. It's a simple piece, but one that deftly plugs into our worst fears as regards the power of the media and its desensitising aspect, with a neat final twist.

From my Black Static #19 review of The Sixth Black Book of Horror edited by Charles Black:-

Opening the score is the ever reliable John Llewellyn Probert with 'Six of the Best', in which the producer of a Most Haunted type TV show with a gory twist takes extraordinary steps to ensure the audience get what they want. It's a clever piece, well written and with Probert resisting the impulse to deliver a revenge from beyond the grave style ending.