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A review by iphigenie72
Dark Forces by Richard Christian Matheson, T.E.D. Klein, Gahan Wilson, Theodore Sturgeon, Manly Wade Wellman, Russell Kirk, Robert Aickman, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Bloch, Edward Gorey, Ramsey Campbell, Richard Matheson, Gene Wolfe, Lisa Tuttle, Edward Bryant, Clifford D. Simak, Stephen King, Davis Grubb, Kirby McCauley, Joe Haldeman, Dennis Etchison, Karl Edward Wagner, Charles L. Grant, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Bashevis Singer
4.0
This book really deserved to be celebrated in a 25th anniversary edition. The quality of the stories included in this anthology is remarkable. I would not give less than 3 stars to any stories and there's a couple in there that are 5 stars for sure.
I'm not gonna comment on every short-story, but here is a little words on each of my favorites :
The anthology starts with a bang with a little gem called : Late Shift by Dennis Etchison. A little intriguing and the twist at the end was worth the read; I wasn't far, but I hadn't guessed exactly and that is probably why I liked this short-story so much.
Next on my list of favorites is Children of the Kingdom by T.E.D. Klein about what goes on in New York's underground. The characters here are really interesting and it is the major force of this story.
Detective of Dreams by Gene Wolf has a nice twist...
The Whistling Well by Clifford D. Simak about a young man learning about his ancestors and the evil that drove them from their homestead had a very good atmosphere.
In not sure, I got everything in The Peculiar Demesne by Russell Kirk, but I really enjoyed trying to guess the ending... I was wrong!
I got some chills reading Where the Stones Grow by Lisa Tuttle (one of the rare female writers in this anthology) it reminded me of a Doctor Who episode. Rocks can be so scary when given organic form, one poor guy that saw them move once will pay for it dearly.
The Stupid Joke by Edward Gorey was a little different since it is a cartoon. Made me feel guilty about spending lazy days in my bed... Now, why would someone want to make me feel bad about that?
I really liked Ray Bradbury's A Touch of Petulance. I'm always partial to a time traveling story... I liked the fact that the protagonist meets his future self and that things do not turn the way the older version wanted; shows us that given the same set of circumstances all of us would make the same mistakes all over again.
Now, a long time favorite of mine is The Mist by Stephen King, I didn't know it was originally published in this anthology. I read it so many years ago that I was a little confused with the movie which I saw more recently. I used to be a fan of the author, but I haven't read him in years and this novella reminded me about why I used to love him... it's not for the scariness (though this was very creepy), it is the characters that hooks you..
All in all, I was blown away with the anthology and I recommend it warmly to fans of the genre, but also to other people - like me - who only dabbles in it once in a while (like me and October).
I'm not gonna comment on every short-story, but here is a little words on each of my favorites :
The anthology starts with a bang with a little gem called : Late Shift by Dennis Etchison. A little intriguing and the twist at the end was worth the read; I wasn't far, but I hadn't guessed exactly and that is probably why I liked this short-story so much.
Next on my list of favorites is Children of the Kingdom by T.E.D. Klein about what goes on in New York's underground. The characters here are really interesting and it is the major force of this story.
Detective of Dreams by Gene Wolf has a nice twist...
The Whistling Well by Clifford D. Simak about a young man learning about his ancestors and the evil that drove them from their homestead had a very good atmosphere.
In not sure, I got everything in The Peculiar Demesne by Russell Kirk, but I really enjoyed trying to guess the ending... I was wrong!
I got some chills reading Where the Stones Grow by Lisa Tuttle (one of the rare female writers in this anthology) it reminded me of a Doctor Who episode. Rocks can be so scary when given organic form, one poor guy that saw them move once will pay for it dearly.
The Stupid Joke by Edward Gorey was a little different since it is a cartoon. Made me feel guilty about spending lazy days in my bed... Now, why would someone want to make me feel bad about that?
I really liked Ray Bradbury's A Touch of Petulance. I'm always partial to a time traveling story... I liked the fact that the protagonist meets his future self and that things do not turn the way the older version wanted; shows us that given the same set of circumstances all of us would make the same mistakes all over again.
Now, a long time favorite of mine is The Mist by Stephen King, I didn't know it was originally published in this anthology. I read it so many years ago that I was a little confused with the movie which I saw more recently. I used to be a fan of the author, but I haven't read him in years and this novella reminded me about why I used to love him... it's not for the scariness (though this was very creepy), it is the characters that hooks you.
Spoiler
I really did not remember the book ending and so I was surprised. I have to say though that I love both the written ending and the filmed ending... The movie was so very sad, killing his son for absolutely nothing in the end; the novella ending was chilling in the way it is an open ending and you have no idea what will happen to the characters at all.All in all, I was blown away with the anthology and I recommend it warmly to fans of the genre, but also to other people - like me - who only dabbles in it once in a while (like me and October).