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A review by macbean221b
Dark Screams: Volume Four by Brian James Freeman, Ray Garton, Heather Graham, Ed Gorman, Richard Chizmar, Clive Barker, Lisa Morton
3.0
I received DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME FOUR as an ARC from Netgalley.com.
I have a weird relationship with the DARK SCREAMS series, it seems. I wasn't very fond of the first two, but I still picked up the third one--mainly because Peter Straub's name was attached, and I very much like everything I've read from him--and wound up liking the collection quite a bit. With the fourth installment, I felt the quality fall again.
The first story was THE DEPARTED by Clive Barker. I'm familiar with Mr. Barker's work, so I was a little wary going into it; he's always either just right or WAY over the top for me, so I always feel like I'm risking something when I pick up one of his books or stories. This one...was entirely worth my time, I felt. It might have been the nicest Clive Barker story I've ever read.
Next up was THE NEW WAR by Lisa Morton. This one is dementia-related (or at least demetian-reminiscent), and I read it only a bit more than a year after my grandmother died after a battle with Alzheimer's. I spent a lot of her decline thinking about how it must feel to be in her position, so this story hit close to recent experiences, and gave me a feeling like I was creeping close to the edge of a panic attack. So I didn't exactly enjoy it, but I recognise and appreciate the effectiveness of it.
Following that was SAMMY COMES HOME by Ray Garton. ...I went and hugged my dog after reading it. I don't plan on revisiting this one ever again.
THE BRASHER GIRL by Ed Gorman is a story that I felt like I'd read before. It's a familiar formula (one that I've never been overly fond of to begin with) and I didn't feel like this story added anything to it.
And, finally, the collection wrapped up with CREATURE FEATURE by Heather Graham, which felt like an episode of Scooby Doo that ended with an epilogue that was really gross about mental illness. No stars for that.
So, overall, there were more stories that I like than that I didn't like, even though some of the ones I liked are not ones I want to ever read again.
I have a weird relationship with the DARK SCREAMS series, it seems. I wasn't very fond of the first two, but I still picked up the third one--mainly because Peter Straub's name was attached, and I very much like everything I've read from him--and wound up liking the collection quite a bit. With the fourth installment, I felt the quality fall again.
The first story was THE DEPARTED by Clive Barker. I'm familiar with Mr. Barker's work, so I was a little wary going into it; he's always either just right or WAY over the top for me, so I always feel like I'm risking something when I pick up one of his books or stories. This one...was entirely worth my time, I felt. It might have been the nicest Clive Barker story I've ever read.
Next up was THE NEW WAR by Lisa Morton. This one is dementia-related (or at least demetian-reminiscent), and I read it only a bit more than a year after my grandmother died after a battle with Alzheimer's. I spent a lot of her decline thinking about how it must feel to be in her position, so this story hit close to recent experiences, and gave me a feeling like I was creeping close to the edge of a panic attack. So I didn't exactly enjoy it, but I recognise and appreciate the effectiveness of it.
Following that was SAMMY COMES HOME by Ray Garton. ...I went and hugged my dog after reading it. I don't plan on revisiting this one ever again.
THE BRASHER GIRL by Ed Gorman is a story that I felt like I'd read before. It's a familiar formula (one that I've never been overly fond of to begin with) and I didn't feel like this story added anything to it.
And, finally, the collection wrapped up with CREATURE FEATURE by Heather Graham, which felt like an episode of Scooby Doo that ended with an epilogue that was really gross about mental illness. No stars for that.
So, overall, there were more stories that I like than that I didn't like, even though some of the ones I liked are not ones I want to ever read again.