The only real problem I have with this enjoyable collection is the last story....Blue World. It is in fact more of a novella and in that respect is not a comfortable companion with the preceding 12 short stories, it upsets the complete rhythm of those that have gone before and whilst an interesting tale in its own way is totally out of context. It is the story of a priest John Lancaster who finds himself attracted to blue movie phenomenon Debra Rocks and the resulting moral dilemma that ensues. At some 200 pages long this one story although interesting and amusing soon runs out of ideas after the initial premise of "will he or won't he" loses its appeal. In contrast to this "Night Calls the Green Falcon" is a work of pure magic! Creighton Flint is an old retired movie star and in his prime the afternoon movie and in particular the black and white weekly adventure series (you know where the hero is attempting to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress who has been tied to the railway line with an express train fast approaching...the action stopped at an impossible moment/cliff-hanger and a whole week had to be waited until hopefully our hero rescues said damsel) An old and somewhat weary Green Falcon is called into service again when his neighbour and friend is murdered. The Green Falcon must don his outfit and go in search of The Fliptop Killer. The real genius of this story is the way Robert McCammon divides the action into chapters with nail biting dastardly misadventure concluding each akin to the old black and white movies of days gone by...."Hey, amigo the man said, and flame shot from the barrel of the small pistol he'd just drawn" (my goodness has our hero been shot!)....now read on to start of next chapter..."The Hispanic man lit his cigarette with the flame"....phew that was close! "Yellowjacket Summer" is not a story to read if you possess a bee phobia. The author uses both the desert heat and fear of yellowjacket bees to great effect in this "stinger" of a story. "Nightcrawlers" a tale of murder and intrigue that happens in Cheryl's diner and the mystery that unfolds with the arrival of a Vietnam veteran called Price. Nightmares, mental awareness, and the fear of the unknown are issues hidden within. "He'll come knocking at your door" A very clever tale in which Dan Burgess lives the ideal life with a beautiful wife and daughter. This family wants for nothing but when Dan is summoned to an urgent Halloween meeting with some town locals he learns that there is no such thing as a free ride. A wonderful story with spooky folk lore overtones. Virgil Sykes and his odd family move into their newly painted "The Red House" What is the significance of the colour red? and why does it so upset Bobby Deaken? How is Sykes able to work faster and smarter than all his colleagues....all will be revealed in this quirky, bubbly fun tale. A great collection which would have been even better if "Blue World" the final story had either been replaced or somewhat edited.

There's just something about worn Robert McCammon paperbacks that makes me feel happy inside. 

There are reliable storytellers, and then there are the likes of Robert McCammon. I have yet to come across a McCammon story or novel that I have not loved. "Nightcrawlers" is yet another one to add to the list.

 

Set inside an Alabama diner while a rainstorm pummels the land, this story begins with a sense of dread already established. Storm plus isolation multiplied by strange happenstance equals win. At least when I math it does. (Yes, math is now a verb...) McCammon, like King, has a way with characters. He allows the reader to get to know his cast before the badness goes down, and that serves to provide emotional investment once the fecal matter hits the fan.

 

Hidden within "Nightcrawlers" is deep insight into Vietnam, and the mental and physical stability of those who returned from that war. This isn't the first time McCammon tackles this subject. In fact, one of my favorite novels of all time, GONE SOUTH, is another piece where McCammon respectfully manages the tragedy and aftermath of war.

 

In summation: One of the best horror shorts I've ever read. This one is available in McCammon's collection BLUE WORLD, or by its lonesome as an Amazon single. Either way, if you haven't read it, you definitely should.

This short story made me feel like a kid again. Growing up, I was a huge fan of AMAZING STORIES, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE (both the old one and the updated version, as well as the movie). 

 

McCammon's MAKEUP is a child's dream come true, even though it doesn't feature any children. Imagine coming across an old makeup bag that was once owned by an actor who was famous for his monster makeup, like Lon Chaney and so forth. Well, what if the makeup gave you the powers of those same monsters? Wanna be a vamp? Slather on some greasepaint. Wanna play Jack the Ripper? Paint yourself up for a night on the town. Wanna run around as the wolfman? Somebody get me a mirror! This story is just uber cool, and my only criticism is that it's way too short. I don't say this often, but I wish I'd thought of this. Man, I'm jealous!

 

My dumbass already owns this story though, as it's part of McCammon's collection BLUE WORLD (thanks for bringing that to my attention, Char), and I have that one on ebook. Just haven't read it yet. I think I bought it when all his books were $1.99 for a limited time... but I can't be sure. Anyway, even though I have this one, I'm not returning it. That's how much I liked it.

 

In summation: So, so, so much fun. Brought back some awesome memories of falling in love with Universal Monsters and my adoration for films like MONSTER SQUAD. Highest possible recommendation.

Blue World by Robert McCammon is a collection of his early stories and one novella, Blue World.  The stories are excellent with a few:  Chico, PIN, Yellowjacket Summer, Nightcrawlers, Yellachile, are almost perfect horror stories.  Chico and PIN are my favorites.  The other stories are good too, just not as perfect.

 

However what lowered this from 5 to 4 stars was inclusion of the long novella Blue World itself.  I thought the plot was formulaic: black night, fallen white night, female fallen angel, white night reforms fallen angel and achieves his salvation in the process. Courtly love is all that is available in the end. 

One thing I have read somewhere is there are only 9 basic plots possible (Don't quote me on the number, it might be as many as 12.).  The article stated that part of great fiction is the author makes you think his novel/story is not one of those 9 plots. I didn't get that here.

 

Well worth a read for McCammon's early stories.