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A review by mad_about_books
Dark Screams: Volume Three by Darynda Jones, Brian James Freeman, Peter Straub, Jack Ketchum, Brian Hodge, Jacquelyn Frank, Richard Chizmar
5.0
The third installment of the DARK SCREAMS anthology series offers up a variety of authors and tales to tantalize even the most jaded reader.
The Collected Short Stories of Freddie Prothero by Peter Straub
===============================================================
Peter Straub is generally considered to be a literary horror writer, and I generally agree with this sentiment. He begins this short with his usual aplomb with the preface to the collection that follows.
Group of Thirty by Jack Ketchum
===============================
Jack Ketchum is, without a doubt, one of my favorite writers. His command of language and his choice of subject matter are a chilling combination of horror and reality. He writes compelling psychological horror that often comes from the actual horrors human beings perpetuate on each other. "Group of Thirty" reads like it is a transcript of his own nightmare.
Nancy by Darynda Jones
======================
This is the first piece I've read by Darynda Jones, and I am impressed. I am hoping that her homages to well-known items in horror and speculative fiction were intentional, because they really gave the story a depth that I quite enjoy. You know that feeling that you're in with the in-crowd? I look forward to reading more just like this one.
I Love You Charlie Pearson by Jacqueline Frank
==============================================
Here is another new voice for me; I do so enjoy discovering writers that are new to me. There are those we love from afar and those we love right to their very core. The gamut of love and obsession gets a brand new twist here.
The Lone and Level Sands Stretch Far by Brian Hodge
===================================================
My first impression of this story was that it wasn't a horror story at all, then the horror of nihilism reared its subtle head by first disguising itself as minimalism. I may have said too much.
Although I am familiar with the name Brian Hodge, I haven't, as yet, read much of his work. There is nothing like a longish short story to whet one's appetite for more of the same. I do look forward to reading more by this author.
With the exception, perhaps, of the Peter Straub offering, which was not to my liking, I can surely recommend DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME 3 to the most discerning readers of both supernatural and psychological horror.
This review is based on the pre-release copy provided by NetGalley and Cemetery Dance in exchange for a review. Unfortunately, I was left off the initial reviewer list, so my review is offered after publication.
The Collected Short Stories of Freddie Prothero by Peter Straub
===============================================================
Peter Straub is generally considered to be a literary horror writer, and I generally agree with this sentiment. He begins this short with his usual aplomb with the preface to the collection that follows.
Group of Thirty by Jack Ketchum
===============================
Jack Ketchum is, without a doubt, one of my favorite writers. His command of language and his choice of subject matter are a chilling combination of horror and reality. He writes compelling psychological horror that often comes from the actual horrors human beings perpetuate on each other. "Group of Thirty" reads like it is a transcript of his own nightmare.
Nancy by Darynda Jones
======================
This is the first piece I've read by Darynda Jones, and I am impressed. I am hoping that her homages to well-known items in horror and speculative fiction were intentional, because they really gave the story a depth that I quite enjoy. You know that feeling that you're in with the in-crowd? I look forward to reading more just like this one.
I Love You Charlie Pearson by Jacqueline Frank
==============================================
Here is another new voice for me; I do so enjoy discovering writers that are new to me. There are those we love from afar and those we love right to their very core. The gamut of love and obsession gets a brand new twist here.
The Lone and Level Sands Stretch Far by Brian Hodge
===================================================
My first impression of this story was that it wasn't a horror story at all, then the horror of nihilism reared its subtle head by first disguising itself as minimalism. I may have said too much.
Although I am familiar with the name Brian Hodge, I haven't, as yet, read much of his work. There is nothing like a longish short story to whet one's appetite for more of the same. I do look forward to reading more by this author.
With the exception, perhaps, of the Peter Straub offering, which was not to my liking, I can surely recommend DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME 3 to the most discerning readers of both supernatural and psychological horror.
This review is based on the pre-release copy provided by NetGalley and Cemetery Dance in exchange for a review. Unfortunately, I was left off the initial reviewer list, so my review is offered after publication.