Graveyard People: The Collected Cedar Hill Stories [Hardcover]

I just recently discovered the Gary A Braunbeck books and have enjoyed all of them that I have read. I was very surprised when I started reading the Cedar Hill series and realized that they were based in Licking County - Ohio. I lived in that area for 30 years and recognized all of the places that he wrote about in the stories.

After finally being brought into the mass-market light with Leisure books recent publication of both In Silent Graves and Keepers, Gary Braunbeck has started to make a stir among horror and dark literature fans. But the sad fact of the matter is that he's been publishing stories for over two decades now, but has been relegated to the outskirts of a sub-genre that has been bludgeoned to a bloody death by 'gore and grue' authors such as Brian Knight and Dean Koontz. The line between 'horror' and 'shock fare' has been entreated upon so many times that a well-developed plot and fleshed out characters is likened to that of a ghost in countless haunted house tales.

Fortunately Gary Braunbeck is no stranger to plot, and the depth he imbues into every character he creates never fails to move and inspire. This is his first anthology set in his hometown of Cedar Hill, Ohio, and is part of an ongoing series of vignettes that will likely extend to 4-5 volumes.The world he creates is one of desolation and despair that weaves the lives of its inhabitants into a web there is no escape from. The topics range from a comic book that foretells the future(Mordoc Rising), to the literal reincarnation of Vincent Van Gogh(At the Gates of Eternity), to the discrimination of being middle eastern descent after 9/11(Aisle of Plenty). While every story within is a gem(no fillers here), my favority is probably "Tessellations" a moving novella about family disentegration and trying to cope with putting the pieces back together. Set at halloween time, the characters Gary creates proves it is indeed possible to feel shivers down ones spine at the same time your heart bleeds for them. The use of a quilt passed down from generation to generation is a brilliant metaphor that is threaded(sorry about that) into the story like only a master craftsman can do.

Clearly the predominant theme in all the stories revolves around family life, and the unbearable sadness that comes with both closeness and seperation. Bleak for sure, but never stoops to pedantic melodrama, this is sentimentality that comes at a price to both writer and reader.

While I can't say this is one for everybody, those that are not turned off by a slow and involved read, or have enjoyed any of his alternate works, this collection is golden. My only complaint is the font size, which is much to small, and seems like a sinister attempt to weed out old folks, which fortunately I am not...yet. So although it is around 400 pages, it is really probably closer to 600. So please, do yourself a favor, preferably during cold winter months, and buy this book and soak up the world within. You won't regret it.

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