Customer Reviews

Voices From the Other Side: Dark Dreams II

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

VOICES FROM THE OTHER SIDE, edited by Brandon Massey, is a collection of short stories from many authors. In Eric Jerome Dickey's "Harlem," which is both scary and laugh-out-loud funny in places, an inmate in an asylum makes friends with one of his nurses and gets way too involved with her, seducing her and finally making a date with her. Brandon Massey's story, "Deadwoods," involves a huge tree that suddenly pops up in the yard of an unemployed suburbanite. What can he do to get rid of this evil smelling tree that harbors something frightening among its leaves? Brian Egeston's "Smoked Butt" is the story of a little girl delivering food to shut-ins. She has to travel through deep woods and her adventures are awesome and screamingly funny. In "Good 'Nough to Eat," Rickey Windell George, has an unemployed man seeking work wherever he can find it. Dancing in a male revue in a club is not his idea of a good job but it's all he can find. This tale has a shocking ending that will leave you gasping.

All the stories in the book were very good, each with its own shock value. Brandon Massey has put together a collection of stories - some funny, some horrifying - but all of them hold your interest and you find yourself wondering, as you read each one, how this particular one can possibly turn out. To the credit of the many writers, the end is always unexpected and sometimes downright zany. The writing style of Tananarive Due's "Upstairs" is reminiscent of Joplin's Ghost, while Terrence Taylor's "The Share" is heart wrenchingly realistic in a totally abnormal way. Maurice Broaddus, with his "Black Frontiers" brings us a taste of our lost history, along with Christopher Chambers' "Leviathan," a smooth reading but frightening story about the Middle Passage. It is a book worth reading if you like looking over your shoulder or peering into dark corners.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I was impressed with the first Dark Dreams by Massey & Co. It wasn't the best horror and suspense/sci fi collection but black writers haven't been showcased before. I thought Zane was out of place and just a way to get other fans into it. I figure Eric Jerome Dickey was the same thing for Voices from the Other Side but his story is very, very good. T Due, Banks and Chambers never disappoint, and the overall quality and depth of this collection is much better than Dark Dreams. I hope the third time will be a charm, and stand up there with anything Clive Barker, Stephen King & Co. come up with. This collection would make a great anthology on cable TV.

There were more "thrillers" than "scary" stories in here but that DOES NOT take away from the book at all. I must have looked up every author to write them a thank you note for contributing to this collection. GREAT book!!!

Voices From the Other Side: Dark Dreams II edited by Brandon Massey contains horror and science-fiction stories from some of today's hottest African-American writers. Harlem by Eric Jerome Dickey is the story of one woman's revenge on the man who killed her husband, Deadwoods by Brandon Massey is the story of one man who reclaims his identity after fighting mysterious beings that planted a deadly tree in his backyard, Natural Instinct by LA Banks is the story of two werewolves who find love and each other despite being part of an dying breed, Upstairs by Tananarive Due is the story of one girl who meets a mysterious man who may or may not be a killer. There are also stories by Michael Boatman, (an actor who has been on Arliss, Spin City etc etc), Maurice Broaddus, Terence Taylor, along with several others. Voices from The Other Side is more creepy than scary but whether you're an horror fan or not, you will enjoy some of the stories in this book. I give this book 3 1/2 stars. Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks.

If you like supernatrual stories, All of the short stories were great reads. La Banks' short story made me remember how much I am going to be waiting for her books. However By reading the short stories mix, I will continue reading on? I got this book at a great price from amonzon.com

received the product really fast and very impressed. would order again from the seller

I thought most of the stories were very good. The story that I liked the most and very memorable to me because it was so funny was Smoked Butt by Brian Egeston. The Frontiers and the Arrangment by Maurice Broddeous and Patricia Canterbury respectively were very good stories to me. There were a couple of stories I wasn't that fond of for various reasons. However, overall, this collection of stories is well worth reading.

I think this is a great book. I love the stories. They were masterfully written, and perfectly executed. It was a great combination of horror and suspense, with a few instances of comedic relief. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this anthology! I highly recommend it for anyone interested in horror and suspense. A great read!!

"Voices from the Other Side: Dark Dreams 2" is a brilliant collection of short horror/paranormal stories written by some of the most talented and phenomenal authors of our time. I absolutely loved each and every one for totally different reasons.

Harlem - A crazed killer (Harlem, and the name has meaning) falls in love and plans to right what he considers a wrong. All he needs to do is escape from the mental institution where he is doing time for crimes he has committed. And who better to help him escape than a sweet nurse named Daphne, who claims to not only love him, but be a victim of domestic violence. However, nothing is as it seems.

Breath of Life - What would you do if your entire village depended on you to protect them from a dijnn (not angel, not demon) who is determined to destroy/eradicate all you know and love?

The Share - What happens when you discover that you are sharing an apartment with someone you want more from, but who is unwilling or unable to give it?

Sucker - Imagine a "predator" who feeds on your memories and after a "little fun" leaves you a blank slate.

Wilson's Pawn & Loan - When a father's debt comes due is the price too high to pay?

Deadwoods - What would you do if (1) you were recently downsized on your job; (2) you feel inadequate when it comes to your relationship with your wife; and (3) you finally look into the yard of your new home to find a massive tree that seems to house a "spider looking alien" that kills?

The Light of Cree - What does it mean if a young girl gets her period and sees a dead man, all before her baptism?

Smoked Butt - what happens when a child's imagination causes her to see that appear to be supernatural. Again, everything is not as it seems.

Our Kind of People- A young, successful and attractive Attorney, with a passion for killing doesn't know what to expect when he meets someone, who his parents will not consider "acceptable". It compels him to "create something new".

Natural Instinct - What would you do or how would you feel if you were a police officer, and "a full moon" and a "beautiful woman" were your undoing? What would you do if your natural instinct was to be a "dog" until you found the perfect person to "tame" you?

Lord of all that Glitters - What if you wanted to be "memorialized" forever as a precious jewel? Isn't it only natural for passion to lead to beauty?

Leviathan - Sometimes those things you find in the sea are far more mysterious and deadly than those things you know about.

The Arrangements - You've been asked to prepare a will for some of the most breathtaking and vibrant women you've ever met. You are, shall we say, food for their garden....literally.

Good `Nough to Eat - What if you are an unemployed, yet well endowed man who hates his "gift" and feels cursed because everyone sees him for what he has, not who he is?

Milz to Go- Who could be behind an attempt to control precogs? Two cousins band together to protect their gifts from an unknown assailant.

Black Frontiers - What happens when you discover that something you're delivering seems harmless, until "she" is under the moon's wan?

Upstairs - Sweet 5-year-old Noelle wants to live in her attic. What would happen if she discovered, while playing up there one day, a mysterious stranger? Is he really Peter Pan or a crazed killer known as the "Mangler"?

Now, I have several favorites but will just highlight my favorite three, and briefly explain why. Believe it or not, it was the first, one in the middle and the last. These three stand out in my mind as three of the most provocative short stories that I have read recently.
Eric Jerome Dickey's portrayal of Harlem was brutally honesty and powerful. I found it to be both simply written and un-expectantly wonderful. What made LA Banks' Natural Instinct brilliant was that it was from the perspective of a man, who thinks he "can't be tame", and his undoing is classic. And finally, Dues' upstairs, for while I would have expected her to deliver a dreaded ending, she gave us just the opposite! A child's innocence soon disappears but for reasons she doesn't understand. In conclusion, these three alone are the reason that I give this book a 5.

Wonderful collection of short stories by some great authors. Some stories left me wondering How, why, for real? But all in all...good job