What I'm Reading: Among the Lilies: Stories

Last week I gave away a copy of today's book on the Horror blog. You can go there to read more about that, but in general, this is an excellent reminder that I have been hosting a [mostly] weekly giveaway since April of 2020. Any library worker can enter, and once you are entered, you are entered in perpetuity, until you win. The rules and the archive of every giveaway can be found at this link.

The official review of this book appeared in the 9/15/21 issue of Booklist. Below is the longer draft review and bonus appeal and readalike content. 

Among the Lilies
by Daniel Mills
Sept. 2021. 260p. Undertow, paper, $17.99  (9781988964317). 
First published September 15, 2021 (Booklist).

Aptly opening his new collection of 12 immersivity creepy stories, light on gore but high on anxiety with the line, “Gentlemen, I am tired of ghost stories,” Mills is clearly ready to rethink Horror conventions. Each tale is marked by an expertly controlled sense of unease, beginning with unsettling format choices and settings that immediately trap the reader, emotionally and physically, in the story, its protagonists, and the heightened anxiety. Compellingly paced tales quickly close in on readers, as Mills keeps them dangling over a precipice where pure terror waits below, finally dropping them with his final line. “Lucilla Barton (1857-1880)," original to this collection, is a great example. It is the story of a woman around whom everyone dies, but it is told entirely through mundane newspaper accounts, census records, and court documents. And yet, it is clear from early on that this is not only bad luck at play, but what is it exactly? And how nefarious? One deep breath after each terrifying ending and readers will dive back in to experience the rush all over again. Fans of Alma Katsu [The Hunger] and Andy Davidson [The Boatman’s Daughter] will find a lot to like here.

Further Appeal:  I will begin with what I said in my giveaway post last week: 

In the upcoming 9/15/21 issue of Booklist I will have a glowing review of Among the Lillies by Daniel Mills. I was unfamiliar with Mills but Undertow Publications sent me this book unsolicited. I have been very impressed by their collections up to this point, so I agreed to squeeze it in. 

In the meantime, I am not the only one to give this press accolades. As I reported here, Undertow Publication won the This is Horror Award for Publisher of the Year.

Back to this book specifically, I was impressed because one, the stories were very enjoyable and well constructed, and two, I knew they would have wide appeal. 

They are light on gore but high on anxiety, and while mostly falling within the Horror umbrella, the stories definitely play with the genre confines in a satisfying way. I suggest this collection for fans of Alma Katsu or Andy Davidson-- who have wide appeal as well.

I had a few more notes from when I read the collection that I wanted to share. 

• These stories have amazing first and last lines. 
• While most of these are previously published, they were never collected and scattered throughout the speculative fiction landscape.
• There are 2 original stories [1 of which I highlighted above] but there is also a cult classic novella, "The Account of David Stonehouse, Exile." I had not heard of it, but I did some research after reading it [and enjoying it], and this truly is a novella that fans adore and it was only ever printed in super limited release by a small publisher. 
• With a majority of the stories set in the 19th Century and in New England, the world building is strong, but the sense of place is timeless. For example, another one of my favorites, "The Lake," [not sure if this is the full title or just what I wrote in notes and I sent the book off already] is set in 1997, but still feels timeless.
• Expertly controlled unease, crafts it consciously, holds back just enough, uses format to keep the pace compelling but the reader unsettled, dangles the reader over the precipice where they would tumble to outright terror. Only letting go with the final lines. Awesome feeling. Breathe and dive into another.

Three Words That Describe This Book: expertly controlled unease, strong narrative voice, unsettling format choices

Readalikes: If you have fans of Katsu or Davidson as mentioned above [and the thing is, all of you do], this is a great collection to pass off to those readers.

Other speculative story writers this collection reminded me of were Karen Russell, Elizabeth McCracken, and two Undertow writers I discovered this past year whose collections would make an excellent option, Steve Toase and Seán Padraic Birnie. Click on their names to read my reviews of their collections and get even more readalikes.

Buy this collection. It will be enjoyed by a wide range of readers. And the publisher is clearly one on the rise.