Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories
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Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories
Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories is the latest short story collection to be checked off my list. I haven’t read a short story in a while, so this one seemed like a great one to get me started again. I’ve read The Crows That Ate Sunday from author Daz Eek, so I wanted to read Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories as well.
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About Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories
Dare you delve deeply into the macabre terrors of these unfortunate people’s lives? What will you see? What will you experience in this short story collection by British horror author Daz Eek?
In Samuel Scarecrow, can one boy’s creation be saved from its shocking fate at the reading of the Annual Scarecrow Report…?
In She’s Jackie O’Leary, it’s the appalling last resort of a competitive eater trying to save her dying daughter…
In Hard Times in —s, the Great Scarer is a blessed saviour across the land—though not for the people of this town…
In For Alymer, a record collector lets an LP—and a woman—into his life that he really shouldn’t have…
In Painted Tin Soldiers, a child enlists willing little helpers to free themselves from the middle of their parents’ constant fighting…
In Back at the Old House, there’s only ever been one kind of company to end this person’s desperate loneliness…
In Sacrifices, everything is priced to go at this garage sale, and not just the usual stuff…
In Ottilie’s Obituary, they once said ‘til death do us part to each other, but when needs must—why can’t that particular marriage clause be hurried along…?
Daz Eek’s Ottilie’sObituary & Other Horror Stories is a short story collection to unsettle and rattle your otherwise pleasant day.
Thoughts on Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories
I’ve read The Crows that Ate Sunday a while ago, and enjoyed it. I went back to see how I rated that one, and I called it four stars. Because of that, I had high expectations going into Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories. Here are my thoughts on each story.
Samuel Scarecrow
Well, this one definitely qualifies as a horror story. I’m still not sure what I think of it or how to articulate it.
She’s Jackie O’Leary
I dislike this story, I’m just going to flat out say it. It wasn’t a horror story, it was more frantic rambling of someone either crazy and suffering from mental illness, or just overthinking.
It was one of those random stories that don’t really have a point. There is no good ending to it, and that kind of disappointed me here. With a good short story, it should feel like it could be expanded into a full novel, yet feel complete at the same time. This one didn’t feel complete.
Hard Times in —s
Again, I’m struggling to find the horror in this story. It is just a weird introduction to a town, and nothing more. Which didn’t even make a ton of sense.
It worked in the sense that I read it before going to bed, and didn’t play the “just one more chapter” game because I was done with the story in just a few minutes, so it worked in that sense.
In the sense of being a cohesive story that felt complete, not so much.
For Alymer
This story was the longest so far, and I found myself skipping over parts just to skim and get through it, because it made no sense to me. It was rambling and tedious.
The ending was the part that made the most sense, but the journey to get there was like following a squirrel on crack, in the dark, who hadn’t slept in three days. It was all over the place, and just kind of random. I’m not sure what half the story had to do with the bottom line.
Painted Tin Soldiers
This one is by far the most cohesive story, and it really tugs at the heartstrings. If you’ve ever heard your parents fight and wondered what was going to happen, this story will resonate with you.
I was sad after reading this one, because it brought back far too many dark memories from my own childhood, and I wasn’t expecting that. But that is part of what makes this particular story excellent. So many people can relate to it and feel exactly what the kid was feeling in it.
Back at the Old House
This one hit one of my biggest pet peeves in any story, and that is being repetitive. It irritated me to no end, and I found myself angry when I was done with this one. Thankfully it was short, but wow, I was glad when it was done.
This story alone makes this a one star read for me, simply because I was angry when it was over. Not only did it make absolutely no sense, but it was repetitive. I feel like the author was drunk when he wrote this one, as it wasn’t a horror story, it was just rambling.
Sacrifices
Again, I found myself angry when I finished this story. It was dark, at least I’ll give the author that part. But not dark in a good way. Dark in a gross, disgusting, and nauseating way.
It reminded me of the Reba McEntire song “Fancy” and I really wanted to throw up.
Ottilie’s Obituary
I’ve never read a story about a man who is gleeful about murdering his wife after 50 years of marriage, and then complaining that she had to be cremated on a specific day because it is interfering with him sleeping in.
This entire story collection just goes from bad to worse, and this has to be the worst. It is one of the most cohesive, at least. But the subject matter is just gross. For me, it goes well beyond dark. I can’t imagine being married to someone for that long, planning out their murder, and then being gleeful about a Saturday without them. Or the number of ways he tried to get rid of her ashes after she was cremated.
Final Thoughts on Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories
The biggest thing that kills me about Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories is that they are incomplete. Every. Single. Time. They are incomplete and lack cohesion.
A short story should leave the reader wanting more, like it could turn into a full blown novel. Yet it should also feel complete with the length that it is. That is the beauty of a good quality short story. It makes you want more, yet it makes complete sense where it is.
That aspect of a short story is how I judge all short stories. That standard for a short story was severely missed by Daz Eek here, and I find that really disappointing.
The other thing that irritates me about it is how much I enjoyed The Crows that Ate Sunday in comparison. It was a 3-4 star read. I’d vote 3.5 and round it to 4. It’s kind of mind blowing to me how much I dislike this in comparison. I was expecting another great short story read here, and I didn’t get it. Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories is a 1 star read for me, because the only reason it is memorable is because it was horrible, and I’m actually mad about the time I spent (or wasted) reading it.
Discussion
As with any book, no matter what my personal opinion is, I encourage you to read the book and form your own opinions, because it may be something you end up loving. That is the beauty of reading and books in general. Opinions are subjective, and you may find something you love simply because I talked about it here in my blog. This just wasn’t the short story collection for me, but I hope it is for you.
Have you read Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories or any other writing from author Daz Eek? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
Daz Eek was born in Birmingham, England, and is now living in Maine, the United States. ‘The Crows That Ate Sunday’ is his debut horror novella.
Purchasing Ottilie’s Obituary and Other Horror Stories
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