A Treasury of Modern Fantasy (Cont.): The Platypus Reads Part CCXLIX

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Yesterday Was Monday by Theodore Sturgeon

I've already reviewed Theodore Sturgeon's Yesterday Was Monday, so I'll post the link to those thoughts here.

They Bite by Anthony Boucher

Every now and then I come across a story that really scares me.  This was one of those stories.  What starts out as a spy thriller takes a turn towards folk lore, then urban legend, and finally into outright horror.  The pace is slow and leisurely, allowing the horror to grow without alerting the reader to its presence at any given point.  Then the end comes and wallops you in a literary master-stroke that leaves no room for mercy.  The authorial restraint such a move takes must be phenomenal.  If you have an interest in literary horror, this is one to pick up.  If you have any interest in writing horror, pay close attention to how Boucher manages the ending.  If you scare easily, take a pass.

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