Review: Blood They Brought and Other Stories- Ed Kurtz
Before we get into Blood They Brought and Other Stories by writer Ed Kurtz, you should know something about Ed:
Ed Kurtz is a monster. Look at that face. Zero regrets.
Now then; Blood They Brought and Other Stories. This fifteen story collection spans a wide spectrum of subjects: One star hotel body horror, mythical creatures of atrocity, the misery of the undead, small town murder clans, and supernatural terrors of the Old West, to name about a third of what lies within the collection. The Old West stories, "Wolves", "Laughing With the Gods", and "Red Animal" in particular, show Kurtz's affinity for Western aesthetic in storytelling. Whether it's a blizzard in the mountains or prairie desolation, Kurtz takes the environs and uses it as another oppressive, brutal weapon of an unforgiving time period.
Kurtz's story-crafting is engrossing throughout the book. "Angel and Grace" is a story of stomach-churning terror in both the explicit and implied subject matter. The title tale is one of the faerie folk that is practically Medieval French in its horror. "Mules" is a frikkin' Nick Cave song gone totally wrong. Each story has a world tailored just for it, and the resulting effect is one of immersive horror that is consistently disturbing.
If you are not familiar with Kurtz's work, Blood They Brought and Other Stories is an excellent intro. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Blood They Brought and Other Stories is available through Journalstone.