Customer Reviews

Dark Doorways: The Best of Post Mortem Press 2012

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For the seasoned horror-phile, those names in blood-red on the cover (Ketchum, McKee, Maberry, Wilson) are a powerful draw. But those marquee names are really just the icing on the cake here, as editor Eric Beebe has put together one hell of a highlight reel from the anthologies of PostMortem Press.

When the economy falters, the entertainment industry gets conservative, and in recent years Hollywood, the recording industry, and major publishers have been terrified of risk-taking, and their output has suffered for the most part. Too much of what should be art seems to be assembled with focus groups in mind first and genuine creative expression second. But the majors' loss is the gain of the independent label, the independent film studio, and the small press. Assembled within these pages are a new batch of risk takers and brash voices, all of them a breath of fresh air.

And lest the phrase "horror anthology" frighten you off, know that "Dark Doorways" has plenty of variety. There are zombie stories that wouldn't have been out of place in those classic "Book of the Dead" anthologies (Paul Anderson's "Powerless," Andrew Risch's "Waking Dead," and Matt Ashcraft's "Gracie"). There are suspenseful pieces that play on the fear of tight spaces, both aquatic and subterranean (Kenneth W. Cain's "Warm Within Thy Depths" and C. Bryan Brown's "Sewer Rats). And there are some good old fashioned ghost stories as well (Patrick Scalisi's "Carousel Gardens"). There are no sparkly vampires here.

Of course, Jonathan Maberry's "Like a Part of the Family" and F. Paul Wilson's apocalyptic classic "Soft" are pretty damn good too.

The authors within these pages are working writers who produce these words with a real love and passion for their craft. Read these stories. Read every damn word. You'll thank me later.