Praise for The Melting Man
The Melting Man is a short horror suspense story from screenwriter and filmmaker Stephen Wise, and it is brilliant. Just in time for Halloween, this story will give you the heebie jeebies. It is written in a noir style appropriate for a great Twilight Zone episode. It is a fun story that will take less than an hour to read and there is never a dull moment. Retired Detective Peale lies waiting for death and thinking about his life. He writes about a memory from his days as a young detective, a memory so disturbing, he's told no one about the events that have haunted him over his entire adult life. Hoping to find peace with himself, Peale writes about a couple he's had dealings with during his early days. The Harlins are a tumultuous couple who always seem to be down on their luck. Their lives together are filled with constant fights that often become physical. When Peale volunteers to check in on them, he expects to find them both dead in their ramshackle home. He finds the male, Todd, still alive, tells his story that amounts to a confession so macabre, it terrifies Peal to his core. Peale doesn't know if his own confession will be read but hopes for some small amount of comfort before he succumbs to his own disease. Speaking for myself, the best part of Melting Man is how Wise describes the settings in the story. As I read, I could see the shadowy black and white pictures clearly in my mind. That particular aspect greatly enhanced my enjoyment of a bizarre tale within a tale. The theme that stood out to me the most is how, even in the most dysfunctional relationship between two people, there can still be love and caring. You'll just have to read the story to see this, but for me, this element of Melting Man was like a flower growing in the middle of a busy sidewalk; it shouldn't be there, but nonetheless, it inspires a small token of hope. Brilliant! Melting Man is an excellent story. It is compelling, well written, and well edited.
Along the lines of early Stephen King mystery with a smattering of Clive Barker horror, The Melting Man is a fun read without being too graphic and just the right amount of suspense. A perfect short story to read or even remember to tell around a campfire.
This reminded me of an HP Lovecraft-type story with a lot of body horror and dread. A real page-turner worth checking out!
Praise for Portals of the Mind
It's a great read. Before leaving this review I read it cover to cover twice, just to be sure. The first read through was for the fun of the read. You know when you get a good book in your hands and you just want to keep turning pages, this did just that! The second read through, the little jokes, the small things that make you wonder about what goes bump in the dark, and the things that just make you think, come out. I know I will never look at blotches in pictures the same way. Each short story has enough detail to make you care about the characters, but short enough to say "THAT, that was a good read!". Out of all the stories, my favorite was the camping trip. Mr. Wise, thank you for keeping my attention and may all your camping trips be ones you will remember for a long time...with no leaves of three.