All Hallows Eve: Story 2 Review

All Hallows Eve: Stories of Halloween and Other Festivals of the Dead edited by Ellen Datlow

On the Path, Bleeding, Lee Murray

Spoilers

What would you do to be a part of the group, a gang? Be accepted, be part of the inside jokes, be the one who is relied on and asked first to do a deed. And would you do it, the deed no matter how dirty or against your better judgement? Enter Travis, a young man desperate to be initiated into the Rats gang. His cousin, already a member, presents him with the opportunity. All Travis has to do is steal a mere (traditonal club) from the home of a dead man while his funeral is under way, on Halloween. What could go wrong….

Travis finds out in a rather gruesome way. Note: Always let your tattooist clean and cover up the fresh work.

This is my first encounter with New Zealand author Lee Murray and I quite like the writing. I appreciated the translation of some of the words as well.

So, how was the story? Nice build up to the theft, get a good sense of Travis and his desperation. He knows his culture’s traditions but chooses to disrespect the dead by stealing an artifact (cursed) to gain acceptance. I see him as overzealous, blinded by his need to be one of the gang. After he does the job and while the boss is clearly uninterested in him, he continues to seek acceptance, to force the boss to say yes, you are in. He is observant but those observations or rather warning signs, his cousin seems to know there is a curse, little tells are shared and yet Travis shrugs it off. There is a feeling in his gut something is not quite right but yeah, he wants to be a Rat more than anything. A case of be careful what you wish for, you might just get it and totally regret it.

Good, complete story with some gory imagery to close it out, think slimy zombie.

© 2026, Denise Pasutti