Mimes Review

12:28 am 21 July 2015
Mimes - Paul E Cooley

"Mimes" is a fun little story. The best part for me was the first mime Joseph encounters. I don't think any of the occurrences after that match its level of creepitude.

I will say I didn't see the ending coming.

This isn't necessarily a good thing though. The crowds of mimes chasing Joseph at the end (Mime apocalypse? Mime invasion?) really teleported this tale from horrific to silly in a nanosecond. It was all very Killer Klowns From Outer Space sans the terrifically horrible b-rated comedy. I did appreciate that we got to "hear" at the end what it was like to be a mime. That was cool.

(show spoiler)



Now for the bullshit disclaimer: I know Paul Cooley. I consider him a friend. I've been a guest on the podcast he co-hosts, Dead Robots' Society, twice now. He's a great guy and a terrific writer. I highly recommend checking out his novel The Black, especially if you like deep-sea horror. All that being said, I bought this story with my very own 99 pennies. He did not gift me a copy. He did not ask me to read it. I read it because I wanted to and not because Paul and I know each other. If I'd seen that cover on an unknown author's work, I still would have read it.

In summation: "Mimes" is worth every cent of its price tag, even if the ending wasn't everything I hoped for. Three stars for a well-rounded tale of mimic carnage.

Final Judgment: Better than being trapped in an invisible box.