Review
Ever wondered what inspires your favourite authors? Or what they read in their spare time? Just in time for Halloween, Baker and Greenberg have given us an authoritative answer in the horror genre: the fifteen tales of suspense and terror in My Favorite Horror Story.
There's a wide range of authors represented in this volume. Perennial favourites Edgar Allen Poe ("The Tell-Tale Heart," chosen by Oates), H. P. Lovecraft ("The Rats in the Walls," chosen by Michael Slade), and "The Colour out of Space," (chosen by Richard Laymon) are here. So too are lesser known (to modern audiences) authors M. R. James ("A Warning to the Curious," chosen by Ramsey Campbell), Welshman Arthur Machen ("Opening the Door," chosen by Peter Atkins), and Edogawa Rampo ("The Human Chair," chosen by Harlan Ellison). I was utterly delighted to see the inclusion of Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." It's as wonderful now as when I first read it in high school. An excellent choice by Dennis Etchison.
This collection underscores what I think is all too often forgotten in today's horror: less is more. Don't show us the hideous monster under the bed. Don't describe deaths in -- literally -- gory detail. Let the readers use their imagination to fill in the gaps and wonder just what happened, or what might happen next. It's far scarier that way. Baker and Greenberg's offering is a must for any horror reader, filled to the brim with the best, chosen by the best.
--This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
