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pamwinkler's review
3.0
Overall good. There were some very good stories and some ok stories. Nothing that just flattened me.
The Prologue by John Lewellyn Probert was pretty interesting, and then I had a hard time with the first few stories; wanting to skip them and read more. That was a bit hard. The stories in the middle were pretty good; but I wasn't as happy with the ending, it wasn't as good as the beginning and middle.
I Tell You It's Love by Joe R. Lansdale was interesting and kinda brutal.
The Green Hour by Reggie Oliver was ok.
The Secret Laws of the Universe by Steve Rasnic Tem was bizarre and pretty good.
The Recompensing of Albano Pizar by Basil Cooper was good; I liked it.
Night Soil Man by David A. Sutton wasn't that interesting for me.
Let My Smile Be Your Umbrella by Brian Hodge was pretty interesting.
The Trembling Living Wire by Scott Edelman was good.
The Undertaker's Sideline by Robert Silverberg was ok; kind of predictable.
The Long Shift by Joel Lane was ok.
The Man Who Photographed Beardsley by Brian Lumley was good; I liked it.
Hollywood Hannah by Lisa Morton I didn't like very much. It's not bad, it just didn't fit me.
I Spy by Paul McAuley was interesting.
Reflections on the Critical Process by Mike Carey was remarkably funny.
The Finger by David J. Schow was interesting.
Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes by Lawrence Block was good; I liked it.
Hush...Hush, Sweet Shushie by Jay Russell was ok.
The Gatecrasher by R. Chetwynd-Hayes was ok.
That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love by Robert Shearman was bizarre. And maybe good? I'm not sure. Mostly bizarre.
I skipped The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, because I didn't feel like reading it today.
Got to Kill Them All by Dennis Etchison was ok.
Essence by Mark Morris was really good; I liked it.
The Beach by Michael Kelly was ok. It was atmospheric enough that I don't think I got the point, honestly.
Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch was good; but I've read it before.
See How They Run by Ramsey Campbell was good.
Manners by Conrad Williams was good; I really liked it.
Bryant & May and the Seven Points by Christopher Fowler was ok.
All the Birds Come Home to Roost by Harlan Ellison was ok; I think I've read it before.
Wide-Shining Light by Rio Youers was pretty good; I think.
Feminine Endings by Neil Gaiman I've read before. Nice and chilly.
Eater and Mister Mellor Comes to Wayside by Peter Crowther I didn't like.
Failure by Michael Marshall was a slow starter, but a good one in the end.
The Only Ending We Have by Kim Newman was depressing and good.
Kriss Kross Applesauce by Richard Christian Matheson was good.
The Prologue by John Lewellyn Probert was pretty interesting, and then I had a hard time with the first few stories; wanting to skip them and read more. That was a bit hard. The stories in the middle were pretty good; but I wasn't as happy with the ending, it wasn't as good as the beginning and middle.
I Tell You It's Love by Joe R. Lansdale was interesting and kinda brutal.
The Green Hour by Reggie Oliver was ok.
The Secret Laws of the Universe by Steve Rasnic Tem was bizarre and pretty good.
The Recompensing of Albano Pizar by Basil Cooper was good; I liked it.
Night Soil Man by David A. Sutton wasn't that interesting for me.
Let My Smile Be Your Umbrella by Brian Hodge was pretty interesting.
The Trembling Living Wire by Scott Edelman was good.
The Undertaker's Sideline by Robert Silverberg was ok; kind of predictable.
The Long Shift by Joel Lane was ok.
The Man Who Photographed Beardsley by Brian Lumley was good; I liked it.
Hollywood Hannah by Lisa Morton I didn't like very much. It's not bad, it just didn't fit me.
I Spy by Paul McAuley was interesting.
Reflections on the Critical Process by Mike Carey was remarkably funny.
The Finger by David J. Schow was interesting.
Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes by Lawrence Block was good; I liked it.
Hush...Hush, Sweet Shushie by Jay Russell was ok.
The Gatecrasher by R. Chetwynd-Hayes was ok.
That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love by Robert Shearman was bizarre. And maybe good? I'm not sure. Mostly bizarre.
I skipped The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, because I didn't feel like reading it today.
Got to Kill Them All by Dennis Etchison was ok.
Essence by Mark Morris was really good; I liked it.
The Beach by Michael Kelly was ok. It was atmospheric enough that I don't think I got the point, honestly.
Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch was good; but I've read it before.
See How They Run by Ramsey Campbell was good.
Manners by Conrad Williams was good; I really liked it.
Bryant & May and the Seven Points by Christopher Fowler was ok.
All the Birds Come Home to Roost by Harlan Ellison was ok; I think I've read it before.
Wide-Shining Light by Rio Youers was pretty good; I think.
Feminine Endings by Neil Gaiman I've read before. Nice and chilly.
Eater and Mister Mellor Comes to Wayside by Peter Crowther I didn't like.
Failure by Michael Marshall was a slow starter, but a good one in the end.
The Only Ending We Have by Kim Newman was depressing and good.
Kriss Kross Applesauce by Richard Christian Matheson was good.
thereaderred's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a solid anthology and definitely one of the best I've read since 'Beyond Rue Morgue', though I like to consider this as the other side of the same coin. There's a couple detective stories but a lot of them have a supernatural edge or at the very least revolve around the more eccentric characters and the people we look down on in society, not all of which turn out to be serial killers or psychopaths.
I won't bother with listing each individual story since it's all down to being subjective (although I liked most), though one thing I loved was the framed narrative that links each section of the book together, I thought it brought a thematic link to all of the stories and was nicely done, plus the inclusion of it made it seem like one of those old shows like Night Gallery or The Twilight Zone.
The rating I give this collection is a solid 7.5/10 (because stars are overrated)
:D
I won't bother with listing each individual story since it's all down to being subjective (although I liked most), though one thing I loved was the framed narrative that links each section of the book together, I thought it brought a thematic link to all of the stories and was nicely done, plus the inclusion of it made it seem like one of those old shows like Night Gallery or The Twilight Zone.
The rating I give this collection is a solid 7.5/10 (because stars are overrated)
:D
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