Cutting Edge [Hardcover]

Dennis Etchison (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This ambitious volume of horror storiesin the words of the publisher "an anthology that explores new directions in speculative literature"is marred by several pretentious or deliberately cryptic entries; there are, however, many that are excellent. The book does not break new ground, despite its aspirations, but it's well worth a look. Among the best stories: Peter Straub's "Blue Rose," about a disturbed youth whose violence finds its inevitable expression in the insanity of Vietnam; Joe Haldeman's account of another Viet vet, "The Monster," whose ability to adopt different personalities gets out of control in a spectacular manner; George Clayton Johnson's "The Man with a Hoe," a tale of the worm turning, with a vengeance; Ramsey Campbell's almost unbearably claustrophobic chiller of a traveling book salesman who wanders into a particularly loathsome Hell; Charles L. Grant's "Out There," which tells of a man who has drawn the web of his life so tightly it cuts him when he tries to break free; and Clive Barker's horror-detective story, "Lost Souls," an unusually restrained tale for this author. Literary Guild, Mystery Guild, Doubleday Book Club and Science Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In reaction to the morbid direction horror fiction and films have taken recently, sf and fantasy writer Etchison has compiled a remarkable collection of horror and fantasy stories for the 1980s. The list of contributors is formidable: Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell, Charles L. Grant, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and others. The focus is not on possessed children, demonic mass murderers, or terrors from beyond the grave, but instead on the breakdown of the mind or soul, the darker side of sexuality, and other internal horrors. The stories range from the traditional to the avant-garde; some are sexually explicit; all are noteworthy. An exciting and satisfying collection that could well mark a turning point for the genre, this is recommended for all contemporary fiction collections. Alternate selection of the Literary Guild, Mystery Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and Science Fiction Book Club. Eric W. Johnson, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., Ct. De Vries, Peter. Peckham's Marbles.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (October 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385234309
• ISBN-13: 978-0385234306
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,021,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too few stories have any edge, August 15, 2005

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Rottenberg's rotten book review (nyc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cutting Edge (Hardcover)

I don't know why I seldom enjoy anthologies - there's no rule that says that slim stories must evince slim talent, but most of these comprise a mixed grill of a book. The best story is not "Blue Rose" by Straub, but the haunting and heartbreaking "Little Cruelties" by Steve Rasnic Tem. Unlike most stories that save an obvious twist for the end, "Cruelties" makes the end obvious by the middle, and ruthlessly underlines it by the end of the story. "Blue Rose", probably one of the first stories (and the one that got the cover) is just manipulative - one of two stories (and not even the better one) linking horror with Vietnam. In '86, When "Rose" was written, Vietnam was grist for everybody's mill - TV shows, movies and even comic books relentlessly sipped from the well of Vietnam-as-metaphor - and "Rose" callously exploits cultural prejudices of the war as a breeding ground for the darkest of American monstrosity. Bloch alters the mood with a middling-to-fun tale about a man who tries to work out a deal with the Grim Reaper, and learns just what Death's favorite weapon really is. Few of the stories here (including a high-concept film-noir style horror story by Barker) stand out. Virtually all the stories are plagued by association - in a book full of horror stories, you've no doubts that you'll see only the stuff that has to happen in horror stories (serial killers with psychotic mothers; dank corners of hell; demons to name a few). Not even "Jack the Ripper" can add much bite to this story - he appears in an extended, yet painfully underwritten story that has all the hallmarks of a work-in-progress.