Full Throttle by Joe Hill

Format: Downloadable audiobook
Obtained from: Library (support your public library people)
Listening time: 15 hours 45 minutes
Publisher: Harper Audio
ISBN: 9780062956644
Narrator: Zachary Quinto

I was thinking as I mulled over writing this that like his father, it had been a while since I’d read any Joe Hill (Horns a few years ago). Of course, seeing as I got hit in the head a lot growing up, I had somehow forgotten that I’ve read most of the stellar Welcome to Lovecraft series over the last year. So, moving swiftly on, when I finally had a gap in my audiobook section, I was more than happy to fill it with Full Throttle, a collection of short stories.

As I’ve (probably) said (a million times) before, not all short story collections are created equal, and this is no exception. However, this is as much a matter of personal taste as dips in quality, as there is something in here for everyone. Well, everyone who enjoys the macabre. From the pulse-pounding Throttle, a tale of Vietnam veterans-turned bikers being pursued by a trucker for no apparent reason, maybe a nod to the movie Duel (anyone remember Duel), to the brutal Faun, where trophy hunters enter a magical realm to hunt fairy-tale creatures, and Late Return, a story of a library mobile driver, haunted by the death of his parents, meets people who are posthumously returning books, The stories are great, wonderfully weird, and many of them will stick with you long after you’ve finished.

I must throw in a quick nod to the narrator Zachary Quinto, who added life to a vast array of characters while applying the necessary gravitas and/or humour to each and every story.

Verdict

If you’re going to check out one short story collection this year…