Review: Jack o’ Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy

Raven Electrick Ink, 2011
ISBN: 9780981964331
Available: Trade paperback

The air has turned crisp and pumpkins are appearing all over. The trees are donning their fall colors and stores have been slinging fun-sized candies in purple and orange for a month now. It’s the perfect setting for some great Halloween-themed tales, and this book delivers. Jack O’ Spec is a delightful collection of poems and prose all centering on some of the themes of Halloween. Not the typical horror fare of monsters and killers, instead it studies magic, what Halloween would be like if we were no longer subjected to Earth’s season and the myths behind the celebrations and masks in the first place.

This isn’t a collection out to scare or turn reader away with blatant gore. It’s out to dazzle and does its job well. From Michael M. Jones’ holiday noir ″Who Killed the Pumpkin King?″ to Daniel R. Robichaud’s steampunk story ″Autumn Jitters″ and Samantha Henderson’s south-of-the-border ″Sugar Skulls″, Jack O’ Spec has a lot to offer. It’s an excellent choice for Halloween lovers, and for public collections. Highly recommended.

Contains: Pagan themes, language, adult situations

Reviewed by: Michele Lee