As The Sun Goes Down , by Tim Lebbon **3/4

Lebbon has proven himself to be a good writer of short and medium-sized fiction, as I have enjoyed both this collection and his White and Other Tales Of Ruin. While that book has more novella-sized works, this one focuses on 8-20 pages stories, most of which are quite solid. His work is both visceral and cerebral, working on both emotional and intellectual levels. A pervasive sense of gloom permeates most of the work in this collection, and yet this is tempered by Lebbon's very clear sense of what makes life worth living. Unlike with other writers of somewhat disturbing horror, I don't have the sense that Lebbon is a particularly disturbed guy; on the contrary I imagine him to be well-adjusted and content with his life - the proverbial family man. I can't say exactly what gives me that impression, but I think it's because Lebbon doesn't seem to enjoy the horrors he presents in the book even as he must feel they are necessary to put on paper. Many of his characters have fleeting experiences with more contented lives before horrible experiences ruin it for them. I guess in this way Lebbon taps into fears that a lot of people might face, presented from the perspective of a seemingly good guy who shares in the challenges of day-to-day living.
(Fall 2006)

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