Mr. Cables - Short and Terrifying Meta Horror
This was my first foray into Ronald Malfi’s work, and he has reeled me in something fierce!
I consumed this wee novella in less than two hours, feeling like the main character who was similarly ensnared by a book he could not put down. The line “I realized I was reading a book about a man reading a book about a man reading a book” sums up the meta factor and I, the reader, added another dizzying layer to it.
The premise is that a famous author named Wilson Paventeau is presented with a book to sign that was not his own, although it bore his name and biography. The book was described as his scariest work by the fan, and he was able to persuade the woman to trade him for it so he could take it home and look into it. What he reads appears boring and mundane, but when anyone else gets their hands on it, the consensus is that it is a real nail-biter with negative mental side-effects. Like a gentler version of In the Mouth of Madness and the work of Sutter Cane. While Wilson attempts to figure out who wrote this book under his name and its origin, he is uncomfortably confronted by his past ethics and a being who seems both metaphorical and literal.
An incredible book. I loved the hell out of this. With its small size making it so easy to feed on, you will have no choice but to experience maximum horror satisfaction.
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