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Uneven but occasionally brilliant collection from 1977, several years before the 'horror boom' took hold of the publishing world. Michael Bishop's 'Mory' is a standout, a disconcerting farce about bad luck personified, and the unusual embodiment of 'evil' comes across equally haunting and surreal. Also, I'm a sucker for stories taking place in an amusement park, so 'Mory' hit the right nerve. 'Where Spirits Gat Them Home' is John Crowley at his usually subversive, enchanted best. This one is a g...
The stories here seem to have been selected with an eye to style, but not really to the overall story. Not the strongest stories by the writers I recognized, and a lot of stories that come down with a two-by-four of theme like, "WOMEN WHO DON'T LIKE CHILDREN ARE MONSTERS" or "MEN ARE VIOLENT KILLERS WHO CAN'T CONTROL THEMSELVES" or "BLACK DUDE IS THE DEVIL WHO IS REALLY GOD HURRR HURRR HURRR IT'S A TWIST ON JOB, GET IT?" Not the most subtle stories in the world. Early literary horror? That hadn'...
There's not much horror here, by my estimation. This seemed to be mostly a collection of tales of the supernatural and occurrences of a strange nature.It's a mixed bag (as with any short story collection) and a little something for everyone. My favorites were "Dead Letters" by Ramsey Campbell, "The Nighthawk" by Dennis Etchison, and "Picture" by Robert Bloch (which was my favorite).And it was great to revisit "Nona" by Stephen King. I haven't read that one since it was collected in "Skeleton Cre...
Read only these:~ Nona novelette (1978) by Stephen King 1.5* (view spoiler)[ I guess that was an unreliable narrator, which I fucken hate. A troubled man (YA) and his female companion and their ridiculous, pointless, murder spree. The story is him telling his tale from a jail cell. (hide spoiler)]~ Where Spirits Gat Them Home (1978) short story by John Crowley DNF I read for a bit, then skipped about, then quit. There was some religion involved and I wasn't engaged.~ Where All the Songs Are Sad...
Reading out-of-print horror books from the '70s and '80s requires patience. For every standout there's ten others that are absolute garbage. Given the popularity of Shadows anthologies, however, I came in with higher expectations than typical. This collection won the World Fantasy Award (notably beating SK's collection Night Shift) and features heavy weights like Ramsey Campbell, Robert Bloch, and a story by Stephen King. Editor Charles L. Grant (1942 - 2006) himself was a prolific and notable n...
A great selection of writers, working at the top of their game, results in a brilliant collection. Highly recommended.
I Love Charles Grant! The best at subtle horror. I love every word he ever wrote, and wish he was still with us. If you haven't had the pleasure, grab anything he wrote and be enlightened into what is means to be a master.
Awesome, of course. The best stories were:The Little Voice, by Ramsey CampbellButcher's Thumb, by William Jon WatkinsWhere All the Songs Are Sad, by Thomas F. MonteleoneSplinters, by R. A. LaffertyPicture, by Robert BlochThe Nighthawk, by Dennis EtchisonDead Letters, by Ramsey CampbellMory, by Michael BishopWhere Spirits Gat Them Home, by John Crowley
A reasonably solid collection with some absolute gems.
Very good first volume in the long-running "quiet horror" anthology series.
Although I did not enjoy this one quite as much as its companion collection, Nightmares, I still found it absolutely delightful. As I said previously, I love these old collections because they still manage to hold such power even now. I was even introduced to a few old-timers I'd never heard of, which is always a pleasure. Nothing more needs to be said; I loved it and suggest it to anyone who can find a copy.
A so so collection of macabre stories. Some good ones and some not so good. I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading short stories of the macabre and strange.
I just sort of stumbled upon this volume, and it turned out to be a gem. The overarching theme of this short story anthology (save for one story) is that of "subtle" horror...violence and gore are downplayed, and the suspense and dread are born of the author's craftsmanship rather than overt, beat-you-over-the-head content. The best stories are Raylyn Moore's "A Certain Slant of Light," Ramsey Campbell's "The Little Voice," Robert Bloch's "Picture," and Dennis Etchison's "The Nighthawk."Ironical...
Pretty good collection of horror shorts. My favorites were by Ramsey Campbell. Both of his stories were good. Also, The Butcher's Thumb, by William Jon Watkins was good, old fashioned horror. Picture, by Robert Bloch was short and simple, but entertaining. A couple of the stories left me scratching my head.
Some of stories were quite good. Some did not resonate with me as much. The ones I enjoyed most were ”Butcher’s Thumb” by William Jon Watkins, “Picture” by Robert Bloch, and “The Nighthawk” by Dennis Etchison. And my favorite was “Where All The Songs Are Sad” by Thomas F. Monteleone.
The first in a long running series of short horror story anthologies. Grant was a wonderful editor. This series probably had a lot to do with me starting to submit my stories.
Read in 1985. The first in a series of horror anthologies.
