Customer Reviews

Alone on the Darkside: Echoes From Shadows of Horror (Darkside # 5)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a pansy, a wealking, a feeble-fibered piece of cowardness that cannot so much as watch the TV-version of the bathtub scene from the Shining without constantly checking my own bathtub 6-7 times a night. My mother once tried to trade me for a wooden garden Gnome, knowing it would provide more security for her home than I would.

That being noted, this book did not scare much at all. There were two or three moments when I garnered a chill from reading this book, but they were few and far between. Here's a synopsis of the standout stories and my star-rating (out of 5).....

'And Out Turn Will One Day Come', by Brian Hodge *** - While this story is original in plot and reads well, it isn't very scary. It deals with a family who's originated from Scotland and the strange customs they practice.

'Belinda's Coming Home!', by Eddy C. Bertin **** - I liked this story, not because it was frightening, but because it was hilarious. A mentally-challenged girl lets you in on her twisted world and by the end of the book, you'll find yourself peeing your pants at the hilarity. I don't think it was intended to be funny, but when you read the last page, I can guarantee you that you'll envision some 7th grade kid somewhere attempting a less-polished version of this same story.

'Devil's Smile', by Glen Hirshberg *** 1/2 - Plot settles on a coastal fishing town where a man is sent to shut down a light house that he remembers ominously from his childhood. Captivated me, but ultimately a let down in terms of horror.

'Inside the Labyrinth', by David Riley - **** - I really enjoyed this story. It deals with mythology and was just long enough to keep the reader form dying the slow death of boredom. The detail at one point is amazing.

'Shadows in the Sunrise', by Mark Dillon - *** - A short read that will cause you to think a great deal about your feeble place in the world.

'Sometimes I Think If I Stand By the Phone It May Ring - *** - an interesting take on the end of the world. A bit bizarre, but the bizarre and the horrible usually make good bedfellows.

'The Old North Road', by Paul Finch - *** 1/2 - fans of folklore will enjoy this modern take on a British fable.


In these 16 stories, you will certainly find something to fit your liking. Ghostly movie theatre killers; a caged Minotaur demon; seaside ghosts; ex-lovers with evil intentions; bosses with pet, flesh-eating beasts; subway systems filled with underground cannibals; the world ransacked by UFOs; handicapped devil-children; nerds with telekinetic ability; cities where past horrors still dwell; horrifying British folklore in the flesh; girlfriends who literally suck the life right out of you, and a few others in which I simply do not know how to describe. Truly, there is something here for everyone.

If you're looking for a scare, however, this book will probably not suffice to the level you might imagine. It's solid, just not very consistently frightening.

Alone on the Darkside is the 5th in John Pelan's brilliant horror series "Darkside". I look forward to the release of the new volume every year. After reading it, I found that some of the stories had a frightening edge, some were entertaining, a few thoughtful, and some were left half-formed and unresolved. I would say out of the 16 stories, only about 4 make you think "How the heck did this make it in the book- it's not that good." Four stories doesn't seem like a lot until you realize it represents 1/4th of the book. The good news is the rest of the stories make up for this deficit. "Sometimes I Think if I Stand by the Phone" is a chilling apocalyptic tale that makes your skin crawl. "Mugwumps" is my favorite story of the anthology by far. "Devil's Smile" starts slow, but builds into an ending fit for HP Lovecraft.

A complete list of the stories are: **And Our Turn Too Will One Day Come by Brian Hodge **Belinda's Coming Home! By Eddy C. Bertin **The Cheerleaders, the Geek, and the Lonesome Piney Woods by d.g.k. Goldberg **Sentinels by Mark Samuels **Reel People by Patricia Lee Macomber ** Devil's Smile by Glen Hirshberg ** Inside the Labyrinth by David Riley ** Skins by Gerard Houarner ** Desert Places by Matt Cardin ** Mugwumps by Hank Schwaeble ** Linkage by Lucy Taylor **Shadows in the Sunrise by Mark Dillon ** The Old North Road by Paul Finch **Warm, Wet Circles by Michael Kelly **Just Beyond the Middle of the Journey by Joseph A Ezzo **Sometimes I Think If I Stand by the Phone by Robert N. Lee

All things considered this book is a strong addition to the Darkside line, and well worth the purchase price.

Recommended to readers of both horror and dark fiction.

If you love horror anthologies the way I do, you won't be disappointed in 'Alone On The Darkside'. There's stories of tragedy, of creeping cinematic horrors, post 9-11 scares, dark revenge, decrepit undergrounds, psychotic diaries, and much much more install for you. Here's a quick preview:

Table Of Contents:
· And Our Turn Too Will One Day Come by Brian Hodge
· Belinda's Coming Home! by Eddy C. Bertin
· The Cheerleaders, The Geek, And The Lonesome Piney Woods by D.G.K. Goldberg
· Sentinels by Mark Samuels
· Reel People by Patricia Lee Macomber
· Devil's Smile by Glen Hirshberg
· Inside The Labyrinth by David Riley
· Skins by Gerard Houarner
· Desert Places by Matt Cardin
· Mugwumps by Hank Schwaeble
· Linkage by Lucy Taylor
· Shadows In The Sunrise by Mark Dillon
· The Old North Road by Paul Finch
· Warm, Wet Circles by Michael Kelly
· Just Beyond The Middle Of The Journey by Joseph A. Ezzo
· Sometimes I Think If I Stand By The Phone It May Ring by Robert N. Lee

My favorites would be 'Belinda's Coming Home' by Eddy C. Bertin, the psychotic diary of a deranged young girl. The best revenge is living well, is a quote best used to describe D.G.K. Goldberg's "The Cheerleaders, The Geek, And The Lonesome Piney Woods'. Venture into the depths of abandoned train stations and the creatures that haunt the underground tunnels and crevices in 'Sentinels' by Mark Samuels. Be afraid of the movie theaters, because of Patricia Lee Macomber's 'Reel People'. Be chased by Minotaur like creatures from the tombs in David Riley's 'Inside The Labyrinth'. Peel away the layers of yourself in Gerard Houarner's 'Skins'. Lucy Taylor's addictive 'Linkage' is a bloody, after rehab treat.

Although some of the stories seem to be not so much horror as tragedy, there's still enough blood, ghouls, and creatures for you to feast upon. 'Alone On The Darkside' is the fifth installment of the Darkside series, and definitely one not to miss out on. Pelan holds a true talent for gathering the best of the known and unknown authors into the erupting horror field, and packaging them up into satisfyingly crunchy anthologies. Tuck up your feet, curl around the hot cocoa, and cling to it for dear life hoping it doesn't turn to blood as you read this horrific anthology. Enjoy!

There's a nice variety of horror tales here, which is a refreshing change from themed anthologies. The best, in my view:

Sentinels: Probably the creepiest of the lot, nicely built up atmosphere of isolation and dread. I'm a sucker for stories dealing with the underground.

Desert Places: A well-thought out story dealing with spirituality and metaphysics in a satisfying manner, with some captivating imagery to boot.

Devil's Smile: The best-written entry, in my opinion, in the whole collection. Dripping with atmosphere, careful characterization, and a deliciously chilly ending. Setting it in the past was a nice break from all the rest of the stories set in the present day as well.

The Old North Road: As someone else mentioned, fun for folklorists and, I would venture, anyone who likes a nice, tightly-written drama along with their horror.

And Our Turn Too Will One Day Come: I was pleasantly surprised to realize the story was going in a much more interesting direction than I kept guessing it would. An excellent sins-of-the-fathers tale.

Inside the Labyrinth:

The rest of the stories are so so, and most either fizzle out before they really ought to have or end on a lackluster note. A few are just plain bad. After a few pages I had to skim "Belinda's Coming Home!" because, disturbed narrator or not, the diary entries were so gratingly, overly-precocious I couldn't go a sentence without rolling my eyes. "Reel People" is a string of gruff-old cop story cliches piled onto each other without any real polish to help charm us away from that fact.

Chances are you'll find something you like in Alone on the Darkside, although not quite enough for me to recommend this as a must-buy. Get it from the library instead if you see it lying around though.

The Darkside series is a reliable source of good horror stories. In this collection, I was particularly impressed by the story "Mugwumps" by Hank Schwaeble. Great Halloween reading.