Scan barcode
themadmaiden's review
3.0
tw: rape, bestiality
---
Glad to see I'm not the only one who almost put the book aside after the first story with its sudden graphic rape scene with a dog. Wtf? That was just lazy and seemed to be put in for some sort of gross out, shock value moment. It made me wary of all the other stories. A lot of which didn't really have much to do with cities?
Some were good though and I really enjoyed Seanan McGuire's story.
---
Glad to see I'm not the only one who almost put the book aside after the first story with its sudden graphic rape scene with a dog. Wtf? That was just lazy and seemed to be put in for some sort of gross out, shock value moment. It made me wary of all the other stories. A lot of which didn't really have much to do with cities?
Some were good though and I really enjoyed Seanan McGuire's story.
richdl's review against another edition
3.0
I really struggled to decide if I should award this two or threebstars. I decided on two because whilst I finished the book on quite a positive note I read some stories that didn't engage me.
However, I then changed to three stars because I believe the short story collection should be judged differently. Yes, some stories left me cold, but some had me running hot. I gained more (in terms of introduction to new authors) than I lost.
However, I then changed to three stars because I believe the short story collection should be judged differently. Yes, some stories left me cold, but some had me running hot. I gained more (in terms of introduction to new authors) than I lost.
enchantressreads's review
4.0
The Dogs by Scott Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
In Stone by Tim Lebbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Way She Is with Strangers by Helen Marshall ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We’ll Always Have Paris by MR Carey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good Night, Prison Kings by Cherie Priest ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dear Diary by Scott Sigler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I’ve Always Done by Amber Benson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Grit by Jonathan Maberry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dark Hill Run by Kasey and Joe R. Lansdale ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Happy Forever by Simon R. Green ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Society of the Monsterhood by Paul Tremblay ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Maw by Nathan Ballingrud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Field Trip by Tananarive Due ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Revelers by Christopher Golden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Stillness by Ramsey Campbell ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Sanctuary by Kealan Patrick Burke ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Matter of Life and Death by Sherrilyn Kenyon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Graffiti of the Lost and Dying Places by Seanan McGuire ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Crack by Nick Cutter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In Stone by Tim Lebbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Way She Is with Strangers by Helen Marshall ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We’ll Always Have Paris by MR Carey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good Night, Prison Kings by Cherie Priest ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dear Diary by Scott Sigler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I’ve Always Done by Amber Benson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Grit by Jonathan Maberry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dark Hill Run by Kasey and Joe R. Lansdale ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Happy Forever by Simon R. Green ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Society of the Monsterhood by Paul Tremblay ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Maw by Nathan Ballingrud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Field Trip by Tananarive Due ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Revelers by Christopher Golden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Stillness by Ramsey Campbell ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Sanctuary by Kealan Patrick Burke ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Matter of Life and Death by Sherrilyn Kenyon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Graffiti of the Lost and Dying Places by Seanan McGuire ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Crack by Nick Cutter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
sjswenson22's review against another edition
3.0
So... let's just talk about the book without talking about "The Dogs" because... yeah. MAJOR sexual assault trigger warning for that entire story.
Other that that, I found some of the stories totally awesome (not sure on the names but - Dark Run Hill by Joe and Kasey Landsdale, the one by Ashley Benson I think?, and Grit by Jonathan Maberry or if I have the story titles wrong, the guy who tried to quit smoking, the man who got tattoos of people with their blood in it, and the girl who haunts her cousins) and found others completely mediocre and lackluster.
As a whole, I wouldn't describe this as a "horror" or "terror" anthology. More of thriller if anything. The first and last stories are the only ones that lived up to horror/terror. I generally liked a good chunk of it.
Other that that, I found some of the stories totally awesome (not sure on the names but - Dark Run Hill by Joe and Kasey Landsdale, the one by Ashley Benson I think?, and Grit by Jonathan Maberry or if I have the story titles wrong, the guy who tried to quit smoking, the man who got tattoos of people with their blood in it, and the girl who haunts her cousins) and found others completely mediocre and lackluster.
As a whole, I wouldn't describe this as a "horror" or "terror" anthology. More of thriller if anything. The first and last stories are the only ones that lived up to horror/terror. I generally liked a good chunk of it.
thisisbert's review against another edition
3.0
My life is worse for having read the first story. If gratuitous shock factor is what you're looking for in a horror tale then The Dogs may be the story for you, but to me the shock scene felt cheap in the context of this particular story and, to be honest, pretty poorly written.
The rest of the collection I mostly enjoyed. A couple I think failed to quite hit the 'urban terror' theme head on and were just stories that happened to take place in a city, which was a little disappointing. On the other hand Nick Cutter's The Crack was one of the best in the collection and it definitely fell into this category, so I wasn't too mad at it.
Overall a 3.5 star read. Lots of nice 3 and 4 star stories, a couple I'd give 5, one 2 and unfortunately the first story was a 1 from me. I probably would have given this book a 4 star overall if the first story hadn't been the first story, even if it were still in the collection. It was vastly different from the other stories in terms of the content level so either you hated it and went into the rest of the stories with a sour taste, or you loved it and found the rest of the book disappointing because it was such a shift. I had a strong negative reaction to the story and took a break from the book before continuing, but if I'd already been enjoying the book and hit it in the middle I would have just mowed right through it and kept going, one blip in an otherwise pretty solid collection.
The rest of the collection I mostly enjoyed. A couple I think failed to quite hit the 'urban terror' theme head on and were just stories that happened to take place in a city, which was a little disappointing. On the other hand Nick Cutter's The Crack was one of the best in the collection and it definitely fell into this category, so I wasn't too mad at it.
Overall a 3.5 star read. Lots of nice 3 and 4 star stories, a couple I'd give 5, one 2 and unfortunately the first story was a 1 from me. I probably would have given this book a 4 star overall if the first story hadn't been the first story, even if it were still in the collection. It was vastly different from the other stories in terms of the content level so either you hated it and went into the rest of the stories with a sour taste, or you loved it and found the rest of the book disappointing because it was such a shift. I had a strong negative reaction to the story and took a break from the book before continuing, but if I'd already been enjoying the book and hit it in the middle I would have just mowed right through it and kept going, one blip in an otherwise pretty solid collection.
___joe's review against another edition
3.0
Like others have said, it was strange to put “The Dogs” first. It is incredibly graphic and so dissimilar from the other stories. I liked it—please don’t judge me—but I can easily see how it’s off-putting, to say the least.
Other good ones: “Grit,” “Dark Hill Run,” “Field Trip,” “The Revelers,” and “The Crack.”
Other good ones: “Grit,” “Dark Hill Run,” “Field Trip,” “The Revelers,” and “The Crack.”
alexcanread's review against another edition
1.0
TW: bestiality, rape
I have to seriously question the thought process of Christopher Golden in choosing to put The Dogs as the first story in this anthology. I question why it was even included in the anthology, but if it were to be included, it should not have been the first story. Yes, this is a horror anthology, but that story alone made me put the book down and walk away. It took me over a week to talk myself into picking it up again to skip to the short stories from authors I already know I like/trust. Why? Because The Dogs features a very graphic bestiality/rape scene. I was suspicious of the story as soon as the MC was revealed to be a sort-of sex worker. I should have stopped reading then. The first story in an anthology sets the tone, and the tone The Dogs set was unpalatable.
I skipped forward. The short story Dear Diary was good. Amber Benson's entry was interesting but very short. Seanan McGuire's story was creepy and sad. I did not read the other stories in this anthology, especially Golden's own, because I couldn't trust that the other authors wouldn't cross lines I am uncomfortable with, and in putting The Dogs first, Golden showed me that I can't trust him. This may be a shame. I may be missing out on some excellent short stories by other authors in this collection. I'll never know.
I have to seriously question the thought process of Christopher Golden in choosing to put The Dogs as the first story in this anthology. I question why it was even included in the anthology, but if it were to be included, it should not have been the first story. Yes, this is a horror anthology, but that story alone made me put the book down and walk away. It took me over a week to talk myself into picking it up again to skip to the short stories from authors I already know I like/trust. Why? Because The Dogs features a very graphic bestiality/rape scene. I was suspicious of the story as soon as the MC was revealed to be a sort-of sex worker. I should have stopped reading then. The first story in an anthology sets the tone, and the tone The Dogs set was unpalatable.
I skipped forward. The short story Dear Diary was good. Amber Benson's entry was interesting but very short. Seanan McGuire's story was creepy and sad. I did not read the other stories in this anthology, especially Golden's own, because I couldn't trust that the other authors wouldn't cross lines I am uncomfortable with, and in putting The Dogs first, Golden showed me that I can't trust him. This may be a shame. I may be missing out on some excellent short stories by other authors in this collection. I'll never know.
landturn's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
A buffet of horror, nightmare, and terror -- some of it pretty good. "Dark Cities" is a different take on the genre.
"The Dogs" -- A nightmare.
"We'll Always Have Paris" -- Not my favorite... but the twist!
"Dear Diary" -- A nightmare.
"Grit" -- 'Hood horror story.
"Dark Hill Run" -- Scary!
"Happy Forever" -- The twist!
"Matter of Life and Death" -- Entertaining.
"The Crack" -- A different kind of nightmare and great narrative voice.
https://landturn.com/reviews/dark-cities-christopher-golden
"The Dogs" -- A nightmare.
"We'll Always Have Paris" -- Not my favorite... but the twist!
"Dear Diary" -- A nightmare.
"Grit" -- 'Hood horror story.
"Dark Hill Run" -- Scary!
"Happy Forever" -- The twist!
"Matter of Life and Death" -- Entertaining.
"The Crack" -- A different kind of nightmare and great narrative voice.
https://landturn.com/reviews/dark-cities-christopher-golden