I remember coming across old reruns of The Twilight Zone back in my middle/high school days. The Sci-Fi Channel (now the SyFy Channel – not sure the reasoning behind the change of spelling but whatever) used to run all day marathons of the Rod Serling classic every so often, and when they did I would snap them up. I remember being amazed at the time that an old black and white television show could tell stories that were not only good, but that could truly mess with your head. The effects may have been dated, but the sheer weirdness was timeless.
From the farther side of beyond (a collection of novellas to keep you up at night) by Peggy Randall-Martin exudes that same feeling of wonderful weirdness as those old episodes of The Twilight Zone that entertained me as a kid. This collection contains six fictional works and one true story of a very odd happening in the author’s life.
While said stories didn’t keep me up at night – being a horror author myself I’m pretty hardened to all but the spookiest of spook stories – I was impressed by both the strangeness and the execution of the stories contained in this collection. Peggy’s prose is crisp and her dialogue snappy. Her character’s are believable and likable, and they seem to spring to life from the pages. The only gripe I had about the writing was a very small one that didn’t detract much from the stories themselves – there were times it felt like I was head hopping. That is to say, there were times when it seemed that the point of view shifted abruptly from one person to another. However, most times when I thought that happened, I read a little further only to see there was a good reason for it, as it was either intended to reveal or conceal something about the story that couldn’t really have been expressed any other way.
And as for the whole concealment thing – often, when the big reveal came, I didn’t see it coming. This wasn’t due to any lack in the author’s ability – in fact, I would say it’s a testament to her skill. Her stories kept you guessing right up until the end, and when the reveal did come the utter strangeness of the scenario smacked you straight upside the head, much the same as the very best episodes of The Twilight Zone.
You might remember that I mentioned how one story in this collection was a recollection of a strange event in the author’s own life, called “For Whom the Phone Rings”. The event happened back in 1999, and in her description of the story she challenges “If it had happened to you, would you have answered the phone?” Now, despite the content of this blog, I tend to view myself as a skeptic when it comes to the paranormal. That isn’t to say I don’t believe – I want to believe, as Agent Mulder on The X-Files would say. That being said, I can’t think of any reasonable explanation for the occurrence that Peggy describes in her book. Would I have answered the phone? Having not had the experience, I can sit here and try to say I would, but I think I’d answer differently had I actually experienced what she did!
All in all, I found from the farther side of beyond an enjoyable read. It isn’t strictly a horror collection – more of a paranormal thriller – but I would recommend it for horror and non-horror fans alike.
Get in touch with Peggy Randall-Martin and check out more of her books here. And check out from the farther side of beyond (a collection of stories to keep you up at night) here.
Andrew Kincaid writes horror, blogs, and watches way too many scary movies.. He’s making the world a stranger place, one story at a time. Get in touch with him on Facebook and Twitter, and check out his debut horror anthology ON DARK PATHS, available on Kindle!
