Customer Reviews

A Walk on the Darkside: Visions of Horror

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Now this is good horror. The stories are several steps (maybe FLIGHTS) up from Generations of Horror. More mature, scary stories. Once again, though, the stories get better as you get further in the book. My personal favorites are "Fairy Fort," "Shoes," and "The Abandoned." I still didn't like Pelan's heavy dialogue, but the story was much better than the previous one in Generations. In journal entry form, it read much smoother. Pick this one instead of Generations.

John Pelan is known for enjoying the bloodier side of horror, not only with the Darkside series of anthologies but also his Splatterpunk books. A Walk on the Darkside fits right in with this gorey tradition. Over 21 stories written by some of the industries best, we see all the dark, twisted sides of humanity.

Like so many anthologies, many of the stories are average, with about five of them being spectacular, and about four that were really poorly done. Even the worst story still isn't that bad, though, and the rest keep the pages turning quickly.

" Something in the Air" by Michael Laimo is my far and away favorite, and well worth checking out. Eerie and haunting, this story stuck with me well after I was done reading it. " Fairy Fort" by Peadar O' Guilin is a dark and disturbing look at the wee folk and being careful for what you wish for. It's also well worth reading.

Over all, this is a good solid anthology and a worthy addition to any horror and/or anthology collection. Recommended.

John Pelan's third "Dark" anthology proves as well conceived and orchestrated as his first two related efforts, 1998's The Dark Side: Horror For The Next Millennium, and 2002's The Darker Side: Generations of Horror. In fact, in terms of overall quality, it betters its predecessors.

Once again, he's included a number of tales from many lesser known, but quality authors. In this category are folks like Don Tumasonis ("Crossroads"), Joseph A. Ezzo ("Jikininki"), and Mark Samuels ("The Vanishing Point"), whose works open the volume. Of course, Pelan isn't one to ignore a good story just because it comes from a more seasoned author, proven by his inclusion of stories from Michael Shea ("Incident Report"), Brian Keene ("`The King' in YELLOW"), Caitlin Kiernan ("La Mer Des Reves") and the always dependable Steve Rasnic Tem, whose "An Ending" provides a strong finish to the anthology. Not to take away from the earlier entries, but it seems as if Pelan was acutely aware of the strength of his stable of stories, as each successive tale proved just a bit stronger than the one it followed.

If anything's missing from this volume, it's editorial content. Perhaps choosing to err on the side of including as much fiction as possible, Pelan has neglected to include an Introduction or Afterward, or even notes on his stable of authors. The lack of author notes is a shame, especially in the case of newer writers, as readers intrigued by the work they've read here have no ready leads as to where to sample more.

There's an amazing array of writers teaming up for this horror feast. Jeffrey Thomas!! Michael Laimo, John Pelan, Mehitobel Wilson, Brian Keene, and Tom Piccirilli. Take a peek at what's coming your way:

Table Of Contents:
· Crossroads by Don Tumasonis
· Jikininki by Joseph A. Ezzo
· The Vanishing Point by Mark Samuels
· Anthem Of The Estranged by Lee Thomas
· Something In The Air by Michael Laimo
· God's Fist by Paul Finch
· Whatever Happened To? By d.g.k. Goldberg
· Incident Report by Michael Shea
· Memories Are Made Of This by John Pelan
· Shoes by Tim Lebbon and Brett Alexander Savory
· Fairy Fort by Peadar O'Guilin
· The Abandoned by Jeffery Thomas
· Parting Jane by Mehitobel Wilson
· Little Miss Muffet Is Dead, Baby by Michael T. Huyck Jr. and Michael Oliveri
· "The King" In Yellow by Brian Keene
· These Strange Lays by Tom Piccirilli
· La Mer Des Reves by Caitlin R. Kiernan
· An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Flesh by Brian Hodge
· Releasing The Shadows by Paul Melniczek
· Whoever Sits By The Shore by Brian A. Hopkins
· An Ending by Steve Rasnic Tem

Some of my favorites are Jeffrey Thomas 'The Abandoned', where you'll take a trip, literally, into hell. Cross the point of utter madness in Mark Samuels 'The Vanishing Point'. 'Parting Jane' by Mehitobel Wilson is a tragic story of a young "live parts" donor. Arachnophobia? Don't forget to read 'Little Miss Muffet Is Dead, Baby' by Michael T. Huyck Jr. and Michael Oliveri.

This is the third installment of the Darkside series. Here's a lineup of the series:

1. Darkside: Horror For The Next Millenium
2. The Darker Side: Generations Of Horror
3. A Walk On The Darkside: Visions Of Horror
4. Lost On The Darkside: Voices From The Edge Of Horror
5. Alone On The Darkside: Echoes From Shadows Of Horror

Each anthology is worth a peek, if you love horror anthologies. This addition is more a subtle, creeping horror, one that lies in bed beside you each night whispering sweet nothings into your ear. There's not a lot of gore but a lot of 'What??' in these strange tales. Don't miss out on this third installment, and make sure to pick up the latest, #5, 'Alone On The Darkside: Echoes From The Shadows Of Horror'. Enjoy!

Not a bad tale in the bunch (a rarity for an anthology).

Pelan has put together a solid collection of both old favorites and hot new stars.