Stranger Words by Jef Rouner

 With words that are really nowhere near as strange as the worlds they describe, this collection of short stories takes the reader to some dark, dark places and does it with style, imagination and originality you just have to admire.
I’ve never heard of the author, prior to finding his book on Netgalley. Now, having read it, foreword and afterword and all the things in-between, it seems that Rouner is a man who’s been to some dark places and emerged with stories to tell. Really, really good stories.
These short stories are on a longer side and read like compete and completely disturbing tales. The author appears to have a knack for setting up a perfectly normal seeming scenario and that twisting it into something terrifying or morbid or both. But more than that, there’s some genuinely good writing here, especially character writing, Enough to have you connect with the protagonists, engage with their narratives, and immerse in their stories.
That’s what a good scary story ought to do. Disturb its readers in a profound, even cathartic, way. Literature in general, and genre fiction specifically, is therapeutic by nature. Science fiction allows you to dream of a future. Fantasy takes you away from this world completely. And horror allows you to process your inner fears. Rouner seems to have a profound understanding of this fact and utilizes it perfectly. His tales are macabre in just the right way.
I enjoyed this collection tremendously and absolutely would recommend it for any genre fan. These tales are literary, engaging, terrifying and take abyss gazing to a new darker still level. Very good, indeed. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.