BOOK REVIEW: THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW MY FATHER KNEW, THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF PETER CROWTHER

I must confess that, due to his role as the  founder and the  boss of the famous PS Publishing imprint, I had almost forgotten that Peter Crowther is, first of all, an excellent, widely read writer and editor, whose books ( or at least, some of them) are also sitting on the shelves of my library. Thus, it was high time to return to reconsider  Crowther the AUTHOR, and praise to Cemetery Dance for giving us the opportunity to read ( or re-reader) a good amount of his countless short stories.

The present, huge collection includes twenty-seven tales ( plus some poetry), ranging from horror to dark fantasy, fom SF to dark comedy. Needless to say, the book is a veritable feast for good fiction lovers and commenting upon each single story is an impossible task.

I simply will point out to you my own favorite stories, hoping to give you a taste of the volume content.

“ Elmer” is a very enjoyable piece blending  a SF theme ( a tiny alien creature endowed with healing powers) with a sentimental portrait of family bonds, while “ Booking Day”  a gentle kind of “ crime story” full of humor and optimism.

By contrast, “ Bedfordshire” is a truly disturbing, dark but perceptive tale, portraying the troubled life of a man, from a molested child to a heartbroken widower.

The bittersweet “ The Musician of Bremen GA” features a group of musicians whose hopes for success are shattered by unexpected events ,while  the neat “ Sitting Pretty” ( written with Simon Conway) revolves around a peculiar chair and its effect on people’s  lives across the centuries.

“Eater” is an excellent chiller where horror, crime and paranormal combine to create an unforgettable, creepy mix.

The surrealistic, disquieting “ We’re All Bozos on This Bus”depicts a nightmarish bus ride, while

“ The Main Event” provides the punctual chronicle of a failed crime attempt.

In the moving and sad “ All We Know of Heaven” a young boy has to take care of his mother lying unconscious in an intensive care ward, and in  the superb, “quiet” “ Rustle”, horror is generated by simple objects such as a door and a bunch of clothes.

“ The Second Lady” is a wonderful dark tale featuring a First Lady ( president Wilson’s wife).

In short, this is a great, delightful, highly recommended short story collection.

According  to the PDF provided to me , the present collection apparently is just volume 1, which means that probably  we can look forward to a second volume ,hopefully in the near future.

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

​Things I Didn’t Know My Father Knew: The Best Short Stories of Peter Crowther
A COLLECTION by Peter Crowther
PUBLISHER Cemetery Dance Publications
CATEGORY SF/Horror
PUBLICATION DATE Spring 2021
COVER ENDPAPER & ALL INTERIOR  ART Tomislav Tikulin
PAGES 506

EDITIONS 
Unsigned Jacketed Hardcover — ISBN  978-1-58767-792-2  [£22]
500 Slipcased JHC signed by the contributors — ISBN 978-1-58767-796-0  [£48]



                            PURCHASE A COPY FROM PS PUBLICATIONS BY CLICKING HERE 

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CONTENTS

• Things I Didn't Know My Father Knew: An unusual visitor rolls into town one day under cover of a thick fog . . . just to touch base with someone he maybe once knew.
• All We Know of Heaven: A small boy finds the answer to his and his father's dilemma in the legend of King Arthur and his mystical sword, Excalibur.
• Tomorrow Eyes: A Runyonesque gambler discovers the strangest set of dice you ever saw being rolled on a cloth.
• Some Burial Place, Vast and Dry: The lonely survivor of a long-ago space mission receives a visit from a hauntingly familiar UFO.
• The Musician of Bremen, GA: Cal Williston, who can play the best version of 'Moonlight In Vermont' since Chet Baker teamed up with Gerry Mulligan.
• Boxing Day: A small-town crook about to fall under the spell of London rediscovers his wife.
• Keepsakes: PI. Koko Tate pays his mom a visit on Mother’s Day.
• Too Short A Death: A modern-day poet meets the long-deceased Weldon Kees's greatest literary creation.
• Eater: The cops at an off-the-beaten-track late-night precinct house have got more than they bargained for in one of the cells.
• Sitting Pretty: An armchair fashioned out of the wood from the original cross provides a comfort of sorts down the ages.
• Dark Times: Two old men tamper with the dark arts and open a gateway that threatens the destructions of the world.
• Jewels in the Dust: A couple jaded with their life together are visited by their collective histories.
• And, in Songs of Leaving, the imminent impact of a county-sized piece of space debris brings to the remnants of humanity a multitude of old friends to witness the fall of mankind.