And Hell Followed with Them

And Hell Followed with Them, Cooper, Keene, Knight, Lebbon. Solitude Publications, 2006. Limited 500. My initial impression was disappointment, then I relaxed and actually enjoyed it. Truly. Not sure why I get so critical. Anyway, Cooper's story was my favorite. Unlike all the other stories, his was original and meaningful. I loved the protagonist and though the plot was predictable to a point, I still dug it. Of course, knowing that each story dealt with an apocolyptic horseman rather marked the stories for some degree of predictability, but Cooper played it the best, IMO. As for Knight, his plot was unoriginal, but his characters were developed very well, so much so, that I would recommend the story based on that (which I was pleased to see such strong characterization after reading the lack thereof in his King of Souls). Lebbon's story had a "myth" feel to it, which was nice because all the other stories focused on a "reality." But, as with his Berserk, Lebbon's protagonist is on the run, going going going. Of course, that was necessary to his plot, but I guess I have a pet peeve with always running away in stories. And, finally, Keene's novella was similar in tone to parts of The Rising, sans zombies. I enjoyed this, but I felt two things weighing on me: first, I felt like I was reading an excerpt from the first chapter of King's The Stand and, second, Pestilence -- his "horseman" -- was described just like that dude in the movie Jeepers Creepers, trench coat/duster included. Overall, a great book. The interior artwork is nice, too. I especially enjoyed the last two drawings.