brigdh

imaginarybeasts is "a bi-monthly webzine dedicated to original fiction of the oneshot variety". The theme for this book was "ghost story", and I think it turned out some particularly excellent stories. My favorites:

The Haunting of the Hell House on the Hill by

hazard_us. OMG! So funny! I usually do not think of ghost stories as making me howl with laughter, but this one did. I'm always terribly impressed with people who can write humor well anyway, as I can't.

The Tiger's Name by

shirasakura. Also not a ghost story in the usual sense of the word, but a lovely and delicate story nonetheless, and one that really seems to get the details about grief and growing up just right.

Love and Hunting by

thornsmoke (an author who also has some wonderful Swordspoint stories, so I was glad to see her participating in this). A sci-fi ghost story, which may seem like a weird combination, but works brilliantly here. The characters are vivid and fully-detailed, and the relationship between them is so beleiveable and subtle and well-written. This story went places that I didn't expect it to go, but I like it all the better for that. This one wins my 'if you only read one story' for this issue.

The Silent City by

tarigwaemir. A story set in historical China, with the ghost of the city. I love the style of this one; it feels faint as watercolors and soft as distant music, which is really the perfect tone for its story.

That's the Way It Is by

rei_kurasaki. This one's set in historical Japan, and tells a fairly basic ghost story. It's very well-written, and incredibly enjoyable to read. But the real appeal of this one, is in how it makes the everyday the horror of the story, and the ghost the escape from it. That twist has really made it linger in my mind after I'd read it.

The art this time was also very good. I recommend:
Skulls by

vivaldi. Scary!
redredred by

rakugaking. Creepy!
The Park by

le_gris. Cute!

You can read all of the stories and look at all of the art here and, as always, my best recommendation is that you do so. The next book's theme will be Fairy Tales, and you can sign up at this post (locked to members of the community).