Customer Reviews

+Horror Library+ Volume 2

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The first volume from the Horror Library was great as it featured a lot of variety as far as style, theme and atmosphere. Only it was inconsistant as far as quality; some stories being flat out brilliant, while others had no business being published.

This one takes it to the next level. The quality is excellent.

Out of the 29 stories, I found only 3 that I didn't care for, 16 that were good, solid reads and 10 that were fantastic:

The fantastic:

John Rector's "A Season of Sleep," was a beautifully written zombie tale. In its prose it weaved beautifully worded sentences only to create a story that wrenched the gut as well as the heart.

"I am Meat, I am in Daycare," by Cameron Pierce. From the opening sentence, "When Ted Branson called to ask the rate for Susan's daycare, she didn't realize that his son was a hunk of meat." this one never let up. A truly bizarre nightmare of a story that actually seemed to contain some greater meaning (or maybe I read too much into it, but either way, twas an entertaining read)

"Trapped Light Medium" by Sunil Sadanand was the tale of a narcissistic psychic who sees horrific events before they happen and capitalizes on them to make money as a photographer. Depressing and very well written, this one was among the most memorable and satisfying.

Ron McGillvray's "The Garbage Collectors," was probably the scariest of the bunch. A young family moves to a town in which there is not only no escape but in which every couple must decide which of their children will be fed to the Garbage Collectors.

"Bound," by Alan Smale was one of those that I cannot for the life of me figure out why I liked it so much. A man is bound in cloth and tossed in the air on a blanket continuously by a cult-ish group of mysterious people. Does he finally get a chance to see what lurks over the wall?

"Alien Fajitas," by Boyd E. Harris was one I'll have to go back and read again next year. An ambitious restaurant-chain corporate family man gets a chance to save his career by closing a deal to buy a restaurant concept in New Mexico centered around Roswell. Their popular alien fajitas feature chicken with a green marinade. The secret is appalling and the ending oh, so sweet...

"The Trauma Statement" by Stephen Bacon was another winner. A recent widower who reflects on the near dissolve of his marriage months before his wife's death uncovers a horrifying secret that consumes him. This was among the more terrifying stories.

My personal favorite of the bunch was Daniel L Naden's "Drawn." A young couple give birth to a beautiful little girl with super telekinetic powers. The ending will blow your mind.

Paul Walther's "We Fall on each Other," was another one of those subtle tales that crept up on me and left me wanting to know more. The mood created within builds up in creepiness and is expertly written.

"The Show Must Live on," by Matt Hults was probably the sickest of the lot. A clown chained up in a shack within a deserted amusement park is able to fulfill wishes for those willing to pay. This read like Bentley Little at his sickest and weirdest.


Also noteworthy was Clinton Green's "The Horror in the Bookstore," in which he nailed down Lovecraft's prose and created an enjoyable story. "Immortal Remains" by Tom Pendergrass was a twisted humdinger of a military yarn. Ian Rogers' "Charlotte's Frequency" was an original concept well executed as was "Apple," by Marc Paoletti and "H19N1" by M. Louis Dixon.

Most of the stories were shorter than what is typically found in mass market anthologies, but overall the product was sheer quality-- the editing professional, the stories well chosen, the styles varied the wide spectrum of horror fiction and I am sure you will walk away satisfied as this old jaded horror reader was.

I look forward to delving into volume 3!