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dj68's review against another edition
2.0
I am not afraid of flying; at worst I find it annoying, depending on who's sitting next to me. Normally I just find it boring.
That being said, there are some spine-chilling stories and movies about flying. King's own The Langoliers comes to mind. Also, the plane crash in Dean Koontz's Cold Fire is harrowing.
This collection, however, doesn't chill much.
The stories one by one:
Cargo by E. Michael Lewis: Great set-up without any payoff.
The Horror of the Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle: Could have been decent, but the telling instead of showing kinda killed it.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson: Maybe the best-known story in the collection, if not just because it has been filmed a few times. The story isn't as intense. Nor Matheson's best work.
The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce: Not even half a page and doesn't really do anyhting.
Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb: This one was really good. I predicted the outcome, but liked it nonetheless.
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell: Maybe the most boring of the lot, almost nothing but politics... I guess. I zoned out.
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons: Maybe I just didn't get it, but there was noting to this story at all.
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow: Maybe the must straight up horror tale in the collection, but it was really really bad. Tried to be scary and gross and failed on all accounts.
Air Raid by John Varley: Fun idea that didn't quite reach its potential.
You Are Released by Joe Hill: Maybe the best of the bunch. It made me anxious and had well-rounded characters despite the short form.
Warbirds by David J. Schow: Talk, flashback, talk. There may or may not be a giant bird awakened by war(?!??). Bad and boring and too much war stuff.
The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury: A fun little thing, but no biggie. Sadly, since Ray Bradbury has written some really scary stories.
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent: Nothing happens! Only discussions about where it's safe to go, a guy dies, the end.
They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl: Again, a lot of war talk... sigh... Also, again, the telling not showing kills it.
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne: Fun idea, but stupid conclusion, and the killer is obvious from the moment he/she is on the page.
The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King: Very Twilight Zone-ish. Not scary, but an interesting story.
Falling by James Dickey: A poem based on a true story. Annoyingly written and spaced, so much so I was wondering if something went wrong in print or I was reading it wrong. Bad.
So, 3 out of 17 stories worked for me. That's not a good score.
That being said, there are some spine-chilling stories and movies about flying. King's own The Langoliers comes to mind. Also, the plane crash in Dean Koontz's Cold Fire is harrowing.
This collection, however, doesn't chill much.
The stories one by one:
Cargo by E. Michael Lewis: Great set-up without any payoff.
The Horror of the Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle: Could have been decent, but the telling instead of showing kinda killed it.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson: Maybe the best-known story in the collection, if not just because it has been filmed a few times. The story isn't as intense. Nor Matheson's best work.
The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce: Not even half a page and doesn't really do anyhting.
Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb: This one was really good. I predicted the outcome, but liked it nonetheless.
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell: Maybe the most boring of the lot, almost nothing but politics... I guess. I zoned out.
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons: Maybe I just didn't get it, but there was noting to this story at all.
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow: Maybe the must straight up horror tale in the collection, but it was really really bad. Tried to be scary and gross and failed on all accounts.
Air Raid by John Varley: Fun idea that didn't quite reach its potential.
You Are Released by Joe Hill: Maybe the best of the bunch. It made me anxious and had well-rounded characters despite the short form.
Warbirds by David J. Schow: Talk, flashback, talk. There may or may not be a giant bird awakened by war(?!??). Bad and boring and too much war stuff.
The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury: A fun little thing, but no biggie. Sadly, since Ray Bradbury has written some really scary stories.
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent: Nothing happens! Only discussions about where it's safe to go, a guy dies, the end.
They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl: Again, a lot of war talk... sigh... Also, again, the telling not showing kills it.
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne: Fun idea, but stupid conclusion, and the killer is obvious from the moment he/she is on the page.
The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King: Very Twilight Zone-ish. Not scary, but an interesting story.
Falling by James Dickey: A poem based on a true story. Annoyingly written and spaced, so much so I was wondering if something went wrong in print or I was reading it wrong. Bad.
So, 3 out of 17 stories worked for me. That's not a good score.
peachykeenebooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing fabulous. Collected horror stories about plane flights. The pickings must be slim. Three or four of the seventeen were good (and I found one to be excellent - the E.C. Tubb story, Lucifer). But overall that’s not a great percentage. So a couple I wouldn’t want to have missed and a good amount I could’ve done without. Therefore, three stars.
ellie_pan's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty dissapointet about the fact that non of the authors were female :/
anduman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
martisham's review against another edition
Listening to the audiobook and it was just such a bore save for maybe 1-2 stories. I may finish this in the future but for now it's going in the vault as my first DNF of 2024
artsharky's review against another edition
3.0
A couple of the short stories were amazing! The rest… eh. Still an enjoyable read, but wouldn’t pick it back up again.
k_lenn's review against another edition
3.0
I flew from Australia to Canada today- that's 25 hours of flying, not including layovers- so what better way to pass the time than reading horror stories that feature planes?
Some stories are pretty good, but others are just plain boring. Can't say it really lived up to my expectations.
Some stories are pretty good, but others are just plain boring. Can't say it really lived up to my expectations.
cw777912's review against another edition
3.0
Faves:
-The horror of the heights
-Lucifer!
-The fifth Category
-You are released
-The turbulence expert
-The horror of the heights
-Lucifer!
-The fifth Category
-You are released
-The turbulence expert
the_enobee's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty cool idea, and the new stories were a great mix with some classics. Definitely not for reading while flying!