Book Review: Pre-Approved for Haunting by Patrick Barb (2023)
Turner Publishing
When Turner Publishing reached out to me to review Pre-Approved for Haunting, describing it as a collection of dark stories based on millennial anxieties, I couldn't agree to do so quickly enough. I’m uncharacteristically interested in the very soft science of identifying and assigning generational attributes (especially so in the case of my own generation) and having the chance to mingle this curiosity with horror fiction sounds like a wonderful break from the awards-bait I had been spending my time with.
This was my first exposure to the fiction of Patrick Barb, and I came away from it with a steady respect for the smooth prose, vivid descriptions, and thematic variety found in his work. I especially applaud his ability to pace and finish a story well, though occasionally I felt he tried to put a bit too much into the individual stories and this left me, as a reader, wanting more page time with the narratives he had constructed. He has a well-developed, natural voice that is a nice panacea for the MFA-ification of genre fiction I so often bemoan.
The Book is Dark and Full of Terrors
Stepping away from the writing for a moment, the collection itself is foremost impressive for the broad spectrum of horror that it covers; Barb shows versatility in his topical selection, exploring psychological, existential and monster/paranormal notes foremost, while also touching elements of folk and body horror. His significant talents aren’t limited to a particular stripe, and that sort of range isn’t something we often think about in the context of evaluating horror writers. I love authors like Ursula Vernon, Ai Jiang, and Adam Nevill, but in each of those instances I have a pretty good idea of what I’m getting into before I open the book. I’m sure as Barb creates further works his content will follow a particular branch, but for now it’s very enjoyable to read a writer who can tackle the breadth of horror fiction with comfort.
By Demons be Driven
As I mentioned above, I was particularly impressed with Patrick Barb’s ability to pace a story, be it long or short, reflective or garish, he consistently showed a talent for smoothly guiding a narrative toward its conclusion. Midway through the collection, I recognized that many of these short stories were finding ways to squeeze out a uniquely interesting turn toward the end, and this is a particular skill that only a minority of writers have. Everyone knows about Stephen King’s supposed inability to finish a novel well (not entirely true) but few people seem to recognize that most authors hit their best notes early, often milk the originating idea for as long as they can before yadda yadda-ing through the final twenty percent of their novel. Not so with Barb, who in more than half of his entries here found a way to save the best moment in the narrative for the closing stretch. This is a rare talent, and should not go unnoticed.
The setups for each story are often big and grotesque, fast-paced tales that maintain their appeal all the way until the end. While I personally prefer a slowburn story with excessive backstory and world-building, I can still find a solid appreciation this for what Barb is doing well.
Minor Criticisms
For all the nice things I’ve said, there were a handful of things about this collection that I didn’t care for, and the foremost among them is probably more my shortcoming than the author’s: I felt small pangs of frustration when the Barb would hit on what I felt was a particularly good yarn, idea, or vibe, but not have the instincts to build out the larger story that was obviously there, and that I, as a reader, so desperately wanted to experience. In particular, “The Crack in the Ceiling,” “Return to Voodoo Village”, and “Putting Down Roots” all felt like strong concepts for lengthier works (coincidentally, these stories appear sequentially) and I felt a sharp disappointment as each narrative fizzled out when it seemed there were still shadows to explore.
Is that really a criticism? It’s clearly complimentary that I wanted more of what he had shown, but it ties in closely with the other occasional disappointment I found in that work, and that was that some stories often felt like they were trying to do 20% too much, either through backstory, excess characters, or trying very intentionally to open with a bang. On that last note in particular, I understand that the modern short fiction market often demands that you open with salvo to “keep the reader engaged” (I hate those words) but in each instance it felt a touch misplaced, as if Barb were doing that out of habit rather than writing as he really wants to. Perhaps I’m projecting, but there were a handful of stories where I though he needed to slow a bit, let the story breath, or trim some content to fit the scale and scope a bit better.
Key Pieces
The strong stories far outweigh the middling ones in this collection, and my favorites included “And Our Next Guest…” a harrowing tale of a recovering addict’s disjointed waltz with a gut-sinking relapse that he can’t actually remember. One of the best in this collection, and a great example of what an author can do when shooting for something outrageous and ultimately pulling it off. Another exceptional entry in the collection is the second story, “Casual,” wherein a pair of Gen Y murderers meetup for some mayhem and one unexpectedly wants to take the partnership more seriously. Essentially, it’s a Tinder hookup, but for murder. Brilliant. This one felt like a sparkling example of what the collection was about, and made me eager for what followed. Also worth mentioning is “I Will Not Read Your Haunted Script,” an effective first-person short story that really showcases Patrick Barb’s ability to quickly illustrate a backstory and write about a fictional fixture in the zeitgeist of horror films. One of my favorites, for certain.
Less impressive efforts included “There Is No Bunk #7,” a tropey short that felt very much like a first publication; “Shattered,” a wild feminist narrative that is built on good ideas and set up adequately well, but ultimately crashes too fast into a whimsical, disorienting mishmash of acute strangeness that is more intended style than substance; and “Melvin and the Murder Crayon,” a bizarre police + school shooting narrative that, at least for me, didn’t hit with either its plotline or real world resonance. I commend Barb for trying, and for his willingness to try things like this, but some of these efforts inevitably come away as grasping.
The single entry that best captures my feelings about the collection is “Return to Voodoo Village,” an eerie tale about a young man returning to local haunted spot years later to make peace with a memory. It has some real Clive Barker vibes and some great narrative scaffolding to build out the background, but suffers from having too many named characters and it really left me wanting to know more about what was presented, as it was genuinely haunting and impressively written. I’m a sucker for a mysterious proper noun, and wanted a lot more from this. Nonetheless, the entry has a wonderful Tales from the Crypt/Weird Tales vibe to it and if Mr. Barb ever gets a wild hair to turn this into a longer work, I will be first in line to buy a copy.
Epitaph
While there are some stylistic and depth choices I’m not a fan of, Pre-Approved for Haunting is a very good collection, and a wonderful introduction to the work of Patrick Barb. Most of the stories are mature, effective works that linger long in the memory, particularly when their real-world inspirations are familiar. Despite not loving the particular story, I’ll never look at a black crayon the same way again. Barb is an excellent writer with a strong editorial eye, and as a reader, I’m eager to see what he does next.
Pre-Approved for Haunting is a solid collection of short stories that are well-written and sharply creative, blending the new with the familiar to create a diverse, quality offering of speculative fiction. While I recognized a lot of millennial concerns in the book, I’m not sure every theme worked in short story form, and sometimes I had to reach to find a connection to the broader social note. Some of the meaning felt a bit opaque, and the sheer range of subjects (this collection has seventeen stories) means that there will invariably be some misses among the hits. That being said, I’m not going to fault a collection for missing a theme which may or may not have been the author’s idea, as the stories within are quite strong.
Verdict: 7.6/10
Strengths
Diverse set of stories that work as macabre reflections of our present-day
Sharp, fast-paced prose and some excellent descriptive writing
Genuinely a fun read
Tales tend to end well, often provoking increased engagement as the develop
Weaknesses
Generally favors style over substance, with many of these stories feeling foremost experimental. Some of them miss the target.
Some stories spend a lot on backstory without making much use of it (this is me pouting, probably. I just wanted longer works in some cases. Tell me about the tree people, Barb.)
You can preorder this book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, or preferably, at a bookstore in your community.
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