"… a great little collection that I recommend
highly."
—Cemetery Dance #55 (August 2006). To read
the review, click here.
"Warner pulls no punches with his writing. … His
writing is taut and to the point, weaving the deeply disturbing with the
wholly personal aspect of each of his characters into a remarkable assemblage
of fear and dread."
—Dark Discoveries magazine (November 2005). To read
the review, click here.
"Death Sentences succeeds greatly on the author's
understated style and refusal to wallow in gore for its sake. … the
perfect sampler for those who have not yet made his acquaintance."
—Hellnotes Newsletter (November 24, 2005). To read
the review, click here.
"Overall, this is, in my estimation, an excellent
collection of well-told stories that use the darkness of humanity and
nature (or, in some, the supernatural) to help us see how much light there
really is in the world. … Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go
find some more of Matthew Warner's works."
—Feo Amante (September 2005). To read the review, click here.
"While he may still be a relative newcomer to the
world of horror lit, author Matthew Warner stakes a claim in the genre
with Death Sentences. Unlike most short fiction offerings, this
brief but darkly compelling collection hits all the right notes and hits
them hard."
—Rue Morgue Magazine #49 (September 2005). To
read the review, click here.
"Now this is how a chapbook should be done. … Death Sentences does not have one dull moment and is a fantastic
primer for an author I'm sure we are about to see much bigger things from."
—Horror Fiction Review #10 (August 2005). To
read the review, click here.
"He has marvelous skill for characterization and
a genuine talent … A harbinger of great things to come."
—Craig's Book Club (August 2005). To read the
review, click here. |
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"He doesn’t sugar-coat things and he doesn’t
soften blows—and though there are many writers out there who pull
no punches, Warner is not out for gore. He is out for truth in amazing
circumstances—and that is what truly makes a horror writer great."
—G-Pop Network (August 2005). To read the review,
click here.
"Prose shouldn’t be this eloquent when showing
you something this hideous. … This is a rock solid collection of
stories: two good, two great and one pushing brilliant."
—Really Scary (August 2005). To read the review, click here.
"[H]e proves he definitely has a solid grasp of storytelling
and a sure voice. … Featuring five stories … there isn't a weak
one in the bunch."
—Review by James
R. Beach, Horror World (July 2005). To read the review, click here.
"This tidy little collection of five stories accomplishes
in less than 150 pages what it takes some writers thrice that amount to
achieve."
—from the introduction by Gary Braunbeck
About "Middle
Passage":
"There's not a single supernatural creature or event in
Matthew Warner's superb, gripping 'Middle Passage,' but this tale of African
slaves on an ill-fated voyage should be required reading in any course
on that despicable institution. The catalog of daily horrors endured by
all, and especially a father and his daughter, is enough to shame any
human."
—Review by William D. Gagliani, Cemetery Dance magazine
(March 2002) |
