Customer Reviews

The Darker Side: Generations of Horror

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

 

 

I recognized the editor of this horror anthology, John Pelan, from his various associations with goremeister Edward Lee. I have never read any of his stories, however, until I cracked the cover of "The Darker Side," a gruesomely fascinating collection of stories from some of the best writers in horror working today. "The Darker Side" assembles a list of fresh stories from Edo Van Belkom, Simon Clark, Tom Piccirilli, Mehitobel Wilson, Charlee Jacob, Lucy Taylor, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Poppy Z. Brite, Tim Lebbon, and a host of other authors. Overall, there are twenty-seven meaty stories to sink your teeth into, and many of them are winners in every way. Sometimes, I think that horror anthologies are the best way to go for new horror fans that don't know many of the authors in the field. Heck, I read a ton of horror books and I am STILL discovering excellent writers in this genre. Anyway, this collection offers a smorgasbord of horror stories sure to entertain and sicken a reader.

THE BEST:

Maybe it's just me, but I think Charlee Jacob is one of the best writers in the business. Her novels are cathedrals of poetic language wrapped around unbelievable sequences of gory violence. The story Jacob contributed here, "The Plague Species," will stand out in my memory for some time to come. Residents of a Greek island are shocked to discover a shocking loss of various body parts. It turns out that an invasion launched by residents of this island against the neighboring island of Timnah resulted in a horrific curse with gory implications. The language is pristine and the conclusion surprising.

Mehitobel Wilson wrote "The Mannerly Man" to show us a world where political correctness has run amok. In this tale, people can kill anyone who offends them, for any reason, but can only do so once. A person who goes beyond their one freebie faces automatic execution at the hands of the police. The problem with this system is that a person never knows who has killed someone and who hasn't. It's amusing in the extreme to see how people bow and scrape at the slightest thought of stepping on another person's toes. In fact, even going outside presents a whole host of dangers.

Shikhar Dixit's "Asian Gothic" deserves special mention if for no other reason than for writing a tale that takes place in India. Something is seriously wrong with Suraj Mahal, a house in the town of Patna. This haunted house possesses the ability to wreak bloody havoc on its residents by causing the narrator's family members to commit suicide. There's more to it than that, of course, but I like the idea of unconventional horror stories that go outside the western world.

THE WORST:

David Niall Wilson's story about a painter, "The Whirling Man," bored me to tears with its descriptions of an artist and his encounters with a model. This guy creates some type of painting about colors squirting out of a woman's heart or some such thing. I read this a while ago and forgot about it the minute I finished it. "The Whirling Man" is just too nonsensical for my tastes.

"The Night City," a joint effort by Wilum Pugmire and Chad Hensley, isn't that long of a story, but it didn't make much sense. Some weird guy visits a nightmarish, polluted city in order to experience the dark delights such a place puts on display. The descriptive language succeeds in conveying a degenerate atmosphere, but I just never really caught on to what the characters were up to. This one is definitely a "pass" on subsequent readings of the book.

There are many other stories of varying degrees of quality in the collection. I wouldn't want to leave out Edo Von Belkom's story, "Do You See What I Fear," about a woman who, after undergoing an operation, rapidly comes to understand how death works in the real world. Poppy Z. Brite writes a story about the soul draining aspects of fame, and Tom Piccirilli strikes gold with his weird contribution about a guy that eats people's souls. I got a kick out of Pelan's entry, about the sinister implications of taking a hobby WAY too far. On the other hand, I didn't care much for Joel Lane's "After the Flood," a story about a basement full of water that holds people's memories. Ultimately, "The Darker Side" was a mixed bag for me, containing a few stories I didn't care for more than balanced out by great yarns of purest gold. If nothing else, I discovered a few names I think would be well worth pursuing in the future.

What a collection! With authors the likes of Charlee Jacob, John Pelan, Poppy Z. Brite, Tom Piccirilli, Mehitobel Wilson, Tim Lebbon, Richard Laymon, and Brian Keene, how can this anthology miss? I picked this up to read the short stories in-between my novel reads, and wound out unable to put it down until I had smacked my bloody lips over the very last putrid morsel.

Table Of Contents:
1. Do You See What I Fear by Edo van Belkom
2. Demon Me by Simon Clark
3. Spirits Of The Flesh by Seth Lindberg
4. The Misfit Child Grows Fat On Despair by Tom Piccirilli
5. Pull by Brian Hodge
6. Mamishka And The Sorcerer by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
7. Pets by James S. Dorr
8. The Lamb by Paul Finch
9. The Mannerly Man by Mehitobel Wilson
10. Just Someone Her Mother Might Know by Michelle Scalise
11. The Ocean by Poppy Z. Brite
12. The Origin by David B. Silva
13. After The Flood by Joel Lane
14. The Night City by Wilum Pugmire and Chad Hensley
15. The Plague Species by Charlee Jacob
16. Ten Bucks Says You Won't by Richard Laymon
17. Armies Of The Night by John Pelan
18. Unspeakable by Lucy Taylor
19. Standing Water by Caitlin R. Kiernan
20. Grave Song by Brian A. Hopkins and Richard Wright
21. Twenty Mile by Ann K. Schwader
22. All The World's A Stage by Brian Keene
23. What God Hath Wrought by Randy D. Ashburn
24. We're All Bozos On This Bus by Peter Crowther
25. The Whirling Man by David Niall Wilson
26. Asian Gothic by Shikhar Dixit
27. Hell Came Down by Tim Lebbon

The "standout" stories in this anthology would be 'Do You See What I Fear?', a tale of shadows lurking in the space of a brain left vacant by a tumor removal. 'The Misfit Child Grows Fat On Despair' shows us overweight can have a completely different meaning. 'Pull' reminds us of the languid yet unbreakable attachments to our upbringing. 'The Lamb' takes us into the ancient tombs underneath Rome and one priest's fight against the demon of $ex. 'The Mannerly Man' is one of the stars of this collection, showing the importance of good manners after each citizen is given clearance to kill one person legally. 'The Plague Species', another star, dwells on retribution for sins against both environment and flesh. 'Ten Bucks Says You Won't' brings us into the teenage horror scene of a graveyard at night. 'Armies Of The Night' animates mundane hobbies into deadly foes. 'Unspeakable' makes ordinary words into an insurmountable force. 'Twenty Mile' creeps across the grounds of a ranch, attacking the largest animals to reside there. 'Asian Gothic', a fantastic tale of haunting in northern India, and 'Hell Came Down', the end of the world from a Rainmaker who doesn't make rain, but atrocities.

The stories that, while not necessarily bad, but left me feeling clueless and confused, were 'Mamishka And The Sorcerer', 'After The Flood', 'The Night City', 'All The World's A Stage', 'We're All Bozos On This Bus', and 'The Whirling Man'.

With most of the stories being very good, and even the minority of bad ones written by authors I have read and respected in the past, I would say that this is definitely a collection worth picking up to add to your bookcase full of horror anthologies. The creepy feeling of dread I experienced while reading, that tingling of spinal column and extremities, the shivers from shadows in the corner of my room, was certainly worth more than the price of the book. Enjoy!

With all due respect for the previous poster's opinion, I'd like to point out that "The Ocean" (my story in THE DARKER SIDE) is not a vampire story - it's meant to be a modern-day retelling of the tale of Orpheus and the Maenads. Obscure? Perhaps. Vampiric? Maybe, but if you've read your mythology, you'll know there is a great deal more to them.

It wouldn't be appropriate for me to review the book, and I couldn't do so anyway since I haven't received my contributor's copy - hence the noncommittal three stars.

Some of the stories in this anthology are truly terrifying, such as "The Plague Species" and "Asian Gothic," while others are not as scary but truly wonderful stories, such as "Unspeakable" and "Hell Came Down." The stories seemed to get better as the book wore on, but there were so much mediocrity that I was disappointed. John Pelan's story was sub-par, relating a tale through mostly narration not my cup of tea for horror stories), and the first couple of stories should not have been included in the supposed "best of the best." If you're looking for a scary read, pick up the next book in this series, "A Walk on the Darkside," which has much better picks for horrifying horror.

As John Pelan's previous anthology DARKSIDE was one of the best collections of horror I've ever read, I couldn't have been more excited to see a second volume. Having finished it, I have to confess to being a little disappointed.

The book starts off with a handful of strong entries. Edo van Belkom's story concerns harbingers of death that only one woman can see. Simon Clark presents us with a woman with the ability to exact supernatural vengeance on those who have betrayed her, only now the betrayal comes a little too close to home. Brian Hodge, in a story of the quietest horror, shows us that not only can you go home again, but that you have no choice in the matter.

There is a lot of variety in the stories presented. Some are quite strange. Tom Piccirilli creates a character with most unusual appetite. Lucy Taylor explores an interesting psychological concept that I wish had been explored just a little further. Mehitobel Wilson's entry appears at first to be an agoraphobe's nightmare, but is soon revealed to be something much more sinister. Joel Lane provides us with a touching story of lost and found love, although the ending is a bit bewildering. There are also very good entries from Caitlin Kiernan and Ann Schwader, whose tale builds up a strong feeling of impending doom while leaving the mystery intact.

As probably should be expected, there are a number of weaker entries as well. Poppy Z. Brite once again tells of rock stars and vampires in a heavyhanded allegory (fans = bloodsuckers...get it?) David Silva recounts the genesis of a killer in a history that contains no surprises. Pelan's own story drags on far too long and is also predictable. Richard Laymon, as usual, caters to the lowest common denominator in a story that simply isn't very good. And Brian Keene's submission uses a concept that is so played out in the milieu of horror fiction that I can't believe it still finds its way to print.

As with most anthologies, you've got to be prepared to take the bad with the good. This one's previous installment, unfortunately, set my expectations to be quite high. I still recommend picking this one up, but it's just not as good as it could have been.

It's a well-known "fact" that anthologies sell poorly. It's even more widely known "fact" that readers won't buy an anthology that doesn't feature a name (think King, Koontz or Rice) author. No doubt this "logic" has kept many a decent anthology from even getting out of the planning stages.

It's fortunate then that The Darker Side avoided this sad fate. John Pelan has assembled a diverse, winning collection of stories from veterans and newcomers alike, an anthology that should appeal to a broad audience. And the book doesn't suffer at all from the lack of 600 pound gorillas among the ranks of it contributors.

Although there are several outright misfires (entries from Tom Piccirrilli, Charlie Jacob, Wilum Pugmire/Chad Hensley and Shikhar Dixit were will leave you scratching your head) and a couple of near misses (old dependables Richard Laymon and David B. Silva seem to be merely going through the motions), there's plenty here to merit your attention. The anthology is book ended by two excellent stories, opening strongly with Edo Van Belkom's "Do You See What I Fear?" a tale in the tradition of The Twilight Zone, and closing with Tim Lebbon's "Hell Came Down," the story of a mage on the trail of an apprentice whose magic threaten to bring about apocalypse. Other standouts include Brian Hodge's "Pull," a story that says you don't need to go home again, because home is always a part of you, James Dorr's "Pets," guaranteed to make you call an exterminator immediately after you finish, Mehitobel Wilson's tragicomedy of manners "The Mannerly Man," Lucy Taylor's "Unspeakable," about the long term effects of sexual abuse, and Pelan's own "Armies of the Night," a tale of obsession which recalls aspects of Stephen King's short story, "Battleground".

As good as, if not better than its predecessor, the well received Darkside, The Darker Side will likely generate its share of nominees for both the Stokers and International Horror Guild awards for short fiction, if not its own nomination for best anthology. Not every story will appeal to every reader, owing to the wide range of styles and subject matter, but most readers will find something to suit their tastes.

John Pelan (ed.), The Darker Side: Generations of Horror (Roc, 2002)

Pelan's second collection of "the new breed" of horror writers connects on most levels where the original failed. There's still a smattering of bad mixed in, but this time, most of the results are good.

I should get the bad out of the way first. I haven't yet tired of calling Edo van Belkom this generation's Saul Wernick, and he gives me another opportunity with the anthology's opening story. The usual van Belkom; simple, unscary, likely to be as obscure in twenty years as Saul Wernick is now. David Niall Wilson and Shikhar Dixit both come extremely close to having written great pieces of fiction (I'd be hard-pressed to call either a horror tale, but both have an appealing gothic quality to them), but fall somewhat short in the delivery. In both cases, continuity is the problem. Both authors paint a very lovely picture, but fail to connect enough dots to let us know what the picture is.

But enough of that. So many of these authors deserve such praise. Pelan rectifies the overlooking he did in the original anthology, including such names as Poppy Z. Brite, Cait Kiernan (whose story here is one of the most understated and effective she's written), Mehitobel Wilson, Charlee Jacob, Brian Keene, and the wonderful Jess Salmonson (who's been writing longer than most of these authors have been alive, thus lending some credence to the title this time), all of whom turn in good, and some great, stuff. (Charlee Jacob, in particular, rocks the house. As usual.) Returning are two of the finest authors from the original, Lucy Taylor and Brian Hodge. Taylor's story is luscious, erotic, and painful (nothing new from Taylor, but pulled off excellently here). Hodge's story, like the previous anthology's "Skinwriters," though, is the story for which you want to buy this book, and the story for which you will treasure it.

Hodge's story is told in a memoir style, and you will spend the vast majority of the time wondering what this story is doing in a horror anthology. (As Hodge's novels have turned to mystery, it's not an unreasonable thing to wonder.) At the end of the story, he pulls it off, but it's so deadpan and understated you're STILL left with the idea that this is a memoir, perhaps penned by Dennis Lehane or Dash Hammett or one of the other tough-guy mystery writers. It's concise, wonderful, and probably the best stuff I've seen from Hodge since Deathgrip, well over a decade ago.

Better than its predecessor The Dark Side. Check this one out first. *** ½

I thought this was pretty good, like so MANY it could of been a little stronger, but was definitely worth the read! I kept it in my huge collection, and I dont do that if they rate 3 stars or less.

I picked up The Darker Side with the hope of exploring new, young authors in the horror genre. Unfortunately, if these writers are representative of current horror trends, then the whole genre is on the verge of collapse. The anthology's first story was the best, and there were occasional authors who showed a flash of talent, but overall, the stories alternated between boring and horrible. There was nothing remotely frightening or disturbing in any story in the book. Instead, many of the authors seemed to devote their energy to creating "adult" (i.e. poorly written sexual) material or over-the-top and substandard descriptions of murder instead of creating a decent story. At times, I wondered how these stories could be a credit to an author's reputation. If you want chilling and effectively written horror, there's always Poe and Lovecraft. Unfortunately, no author in this compilation comes close to their abilities.

Amazon seems to have eaten my previous review, so here we go again:
I am a big fan of horror anthologies and can usually find a few stories that I enjoy but not here. The stories are an uneven mix and mostly sub-par with no real scares or originality.

Those looking for something a little more "on the dark side" are encouraged to look to the "Borderlands" series.