Book Review
Title: Devils You Know by Miles Watson
Genre: Anthology
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Since this is an anthology I will be separating the review into each individual story before summing up the collection as a whole. I was sure what to expect from the collection but I was hoping it ran a little darker as I seem to enjoy horror or thriller anthologies more than other types.
Roadtrip
In Roadtrip we are introduced to a group of friends consisting of Victor, Bobby, Natasha and Diabolique who are heading to Vista Verde on the recommendation of their friend, Roth. Along the way they are stopped by the police for speeding and Natasha ends up shooting the cop which was excited enough but then we learn that each one is supernatural in some way with Natasha being a vampire along with potentially Victor and Diabolique while Bobby is a werewolf. Roadtrip was short and definitely packed a hell of a surprise that I wasn’t expecting and it made me really excited for the rest of the collection.
Nosferatu
Obviously the word Nosferatu is often associated with vampires so I thought this story would centre around that and I was wrong it seems. We are introduced to Hannibal Raus, an SS officer in the Second World War who has been injured. He is taken to a hospital and put under the care of a doctor called Mingra, during this time Raus slips in and out of delirium where he dreams of Lucie, the woman he would have married but never had the chance. During his time at the hospital he learns that the doctors are murdering children in order to harvest things like blood and plasma from them which Raus doesn’t like at all but there is nothing he can do about it as he doesn’t hold a high enough rank. In the end they ship him out of the hospital and there he meets a vampire who bites him but it is impossible to tell whether it actually happened or whether he is imagining the whole thing so I didn’t really enjoy this story.
The Adversarial Process
The Adversarial Process was a heart-breaking look at grief and what it can do to a person. We are following a husband whose wife is killed when a driver runs a red light and he goes to church to speak with God. Here he explains why God was wrong is taking her and how he broke his own established patterns to do this, while we know he isn’t really talking to God he is just venting his pain and frustration at something intangible. After the man gets no response he decides to take drastic measures in order to make God notice him and hear what he wants and sets fire to the church which he promises is only the beginning. Again this was really short but packed a huge punch and I loved how the author wasn’t afraid to show that even in the most devout sometimes religion isn’t enough to fill the void a person leaves behind in our lives.
Pleas and Thank Yous
Pleas and Thank Yous is something straight out of Wrong Turn or Saw as we witness a group of men seemingly working for something like the mafia torturing a man. The men are Joe Gori, Tommy Reilly, Paddy and an unknown man who is the protagonist. They are torturing him purely because the man took the parking space of Joe’s wife, Angela and insulted her. However, the unknown man turns the tables on the other men when he brutally kills them and frees the captured man purely because he prefers to cheer on the underdog. This story was gory and dark and really appealed to me as a lover of horror, especially body horror.
D.S.A.
D.S.A. was a story that was interesting but it didn’t have enough information in it for me to really understand what was going on. We are following a group of soldiers paying close attention to Masterson and MacAfee. These are the remainder of one force after a war, although we don’t know why the war occurred or who it was between but this leaves the U.S.A. a desolate wasteland that they are navigating. The majority of the story is MacAfee looking for food in abandoned home and hitting the jackpot and in the house he finds the remains of a dead man and his diary, then the story ends. With a little more substance this could have been great but it just left me confused.
Shadows and Glory
Shadows and Glory was another story set around the Second World War, this time following Karl, the son of a German sailor during this time. Karl initially believes his father to be a hero referring to him only as The Captain and how his father inspired him to join the Hitler Youth as a boy and because it angered his mother. When the war begins his father is called upon and then the lives of Karl and his mother become a black hole, waiting for news. His father does become a hero and returns home with medals but watching his father falling apart and eventually weeping at his desk makes Karl realises what the price of war is and how it has to paid in blood. Karl as a man telling the tale understands now who is father was and how his role weighed heavily on him and how it made Karl change his life for the better.
A Fever in the Blood
A Fever in the Blood was an interesting story as it doesn’t appear to be doing anything at first until a young man breaks the cell phone of a woman annoying him with her gossip and this sparks riots. His actions sparks something in the people around him as they begin taking the law into the own hands starting with a lawyer who defends a man for the rape of a child and got him free. They cut of his hands and roast him alive in an oven which was brutal to read and he is only the beginning. The young man reflects on what his actions caused and seems very happy with the result.
A Story Never Told
A Story Never Told was another one centred around war but this time it is a war correspondent and a bunch of soldiers sharing drinks and stories in a bar. While everyone seems to be having a good time there is one soldier who doesn’t see the funny side of the tales having lived through them himself and he makes his displeasure known to the correspondent. When he does something interesting happens as the war correspondent takes note of his stories and listens in complete silence giving the men lost their respect rather than telling tales about them.
Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business was a great story and might have worked well as a longer novella or full length novel. We are following Johnny and an unnamed man who are both part of a gang known as The Family. The other man vouched for Johnny and got him in only for Johnny to rat them out to the police because he felt that destroying the Family might be a way for him to atone for his sins. Johnny realises however, it isn’t finished and he hurt his friend badly with his actions so he creates a plan. Johnny’s plan is to let everyone know he is back in town and coming for them but secretly to let his friend kill him so that he can reclaim his position within the family and Johnny is provided with a easy death at the hand of his friend.
The Action
The Action was one of the best stories in the collection so far as it centres around a group of German soldiers in the Warsaw Ghetto looking for move the people for “resettling”. These include an unnamed solider and his cousin, Fritz, the unnamed young man believe Fritz is too innocent for this kind of fighting and we see through his eyes as the fighting and the war begin to change the boy he grew up with. It was dark, haunting and more than a little heart-breaking and I wanted more.
Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis is the story Billy Verecker and the struggles he has had throughout his life trying to find a place he belonged. Throughout his school life and early working career he never found it until he met Kirsty and his identity became about her until she left him several years later putting him back to square one. Billy then finds the gym and for months he seems to be settling at last but it finally clicks when he meets Jennifer. Jennifer has a boyfriend but Billy doesn’t pay much attention to him until he beats Billy up for the gold bracelet he gave Jennifer for her birthday. Humiliated Billy decides he is going to go to the gym and shoot everyone inside making the necessary preparation using his military training but ends up shooting himself and dying the explosion he had rigged on his car leaving the authorities unable to identify him and he is now only known as John Doe.
The Shroud
This is another story about war but this time the American Civil War and we are following a man named Bonventre. The South is losing the war and they know it so Bonventre is heading for him despite being shot and when he gets near enough on his own doorstep he is cornered by the enemy. There he is shot again but he still hangs on thinking about everything that led him to where he is now and the cotton shroud awaiting him when he dies and his last act is the tell the men who shot him to make his shroud wool rather than cotton.
The Devil You Know
The Devil You Know was an interesting story about the human condition as we are following Luke who seems to be the Devil in human form. He is talking to man at a bar and tells him that humans can’t distinguish between want and need anymore so he doesn’t serve a purpose anymore. After the bar closes, Luke heads to the nearest church where he disappears leaving behind only his clothes and ring which the other man takes with him before heading out into the night.
Overall, The Devil You Know was an interesting collection, while it did have some horror stories most revolved around war and what it does to people. While this was interesting to read it wasn’t really my thing but I was definitely worth the read considering it is so short as well.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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