3.0 out of 5 stars
Moderately horrifying, February 7, 2012
Anthologies, whatever the genre, are often a risky venture for the reader. Even "Best of" sets are often mixes of the good and the bad. In a case like The Dark Delicacies anthologies, the risk is even greater: this is a collection of original short stories (therefore maybe "best of" quality, maybe not) by some authors you've heard of and many - especially if you're only a casual horror fan - that you haven't.
Dark Delicacies III is titled "Haunted", and all the stories fit into that very loose theme (after all, most fiction features characters who are haunted, even if not supernaturally). The Foreword is a brief two-pager by actor Steven Weber, an interesting choice as he's someone I don't really associate with writing or horror (yes, he's been in horror films, but if anything, I think he's more strongly linked to comedy).
After Weber are the stories. The biggest name authors (who are also the authors likeliest to attract the browser's eye) include Clive Barker, David Morrell, John Connolly and Chuck Palahniuk. Barker's contribution is a single page, utterly forgettable poem, which is no doubt a disappointment to anyone buying the book based on seeing his name. Connolly and Morrell as always, don't disappoint: Connolly has a nice ghost story and Morrell has a nonsupernatural tale about the quest for a reclusive author (in fact, good as it is, I'd be hard-pressed to call it horror). Palahniuk, as always, offers something bizarre, in this case involving a strange tennis ball.
The smaller (though possibly still recognizable names) similarly offer a combination of both the good and the bad. The best in the bunch may be John Little's "The Slow Haunting" which has a boy growing up with the ghost of his dead twin. Richard Christian Matheson, son of one of the greatest horror writers of them all, Richard Matheson, has a decent story with "How to Edit". On the other end, I found certain stories to be subpar, particularly, Heather Graham's "Mist on the Bayou" (which starts well and ends poorly).
As for the other stories, they are just average: not bad, but nothing memorable either. Overall, I'd rate this collection three-and-a-half stars. It'll pass the time, but there's better stuff out there.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Overall, Very Good, worth buying!, October 20, 2011
Alot of horror anthologies can be hit or miss; riding on a story by one or two big name writers with a lot of stories that are "eh."
Dark Delicacies 3 is a great collection of short stories. The diversity in this book is pretty broad so each story is fresh. Some of the stories contain violence/gore, sex, cursing, etc, so this isn't necessarily a book for the younger crowd or those who are offended by such material.
A few of the stories fall short, but others really shine through. I will say that I tend to skip stories that include political commentary as that's not why I read horror stories...if I want commentary or political opinions, I can turn on any number of 24 hour news channels.
If you are a fan of horror, especially horror short stories, this is a must-have and it will keep you entertained.
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another solid anthology, November 16, 2009
This review is from: Dark Delicacies III: Haunted (Paperback)
All three of the Dark Delicacies books have been great. Anthologies can be uneven, but this one, like numbers 1 and 2, is a great collection. Buy it!
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