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mad_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
Anyone who is a long-time fan of Stephen King (as I am), will surely know the name Jordy Verill, and will immediately hearken back to the George A. Romero film "Creepshow," and the graphic story collection based on it. "Weeds" takes you into the mind of Jordy Verill so you will better understand his "lonesome death."
Kelley Armstrong is an author on my 'to read' list. I am always happy to read somebody new, and when that read is as dark and twisted as "The Price You Pay," that writer moves much closer to the top of my list. She examines issues of friendship, dependency and abuse. I won't go into detail because that would diminish the suspense. I will say that paying forward can be dangerous.
Also on my authors-to-read list is Bill Pronzini. In "Magic Eyes," he examines the horror of paranoia as it is exhibited by a man in an institution for the criminally insane. The supernatural aspect of the story exists only in the mind of the protagonist, which shows that horror truly exist in the real world. After reading "Magic Eyes," I look forward to reading Bill Pronzini's longer works.
Simon Clark has a way with horror. His ability to portray the supernatural and the psychological side-by-side is well demonstrated in "Murder in Chains." He recalls the stories of David and Goliath and Jack the Giant Killer as one man must face physical and moral dilemmas below the streets of Leeds. I find that Clark brings a unique voice to the horror genre, and I have enjoyed reading anything he has written. I also feel that I need to qualify my enjoyment by adding something I heard Clive Barker say... "There is no delight the equal of dread."
Last, but by no means least, Ramsey Campbell's "The Watched" rounds out the offerings in DARK SCREAMS. THE OXFORD COMPANION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE describes Campbell as "Britain's most respected living horror writer." If you have read anything he has written, you know he crafts his horror to evoke fleeting shivers as he takes you into the mind of protagonist. Inducing a child to spy on his possibly nefarious neighbors is definitely a theme that screams bad idea. It calls into question the affect the action will have on the child, and the character of the adult who takes this action.
Overall DARK SCREAMS definitely lives up to its promise, and I highly recommend it to anyone, like me, who loves the things that go bump in the night.
Kelley Armstrong is an author on my 'to read' list. I am always happy to read somebody new, and when that read is as dark and twisted as "The Price You Pay," that writer moves much closer to the top of my list. She examines issues of friendship, dependency and abuse. I won't go into detail because that would diminish the suspense. I will say that paying forward can be dangerous.
Also on my authors-to-read list is Bill Pronzini. In "Magic Eyes," he examines the horror of paranoia as it is exhibited by a man in an institution for the criminally insane. The supernatural aspect of the story exists only in the mind of the protagonist, which shows that horror truly exist in the real world. After reading "Magic Eyes," I look forward to reading Bill Pronzini's longer works.
Simon Clark has a way with horror. His ability to portray the supernatural and the psychological side-by-side is well demonstrated in "Murder in Chains." He recalls the stories of David and Goliath and Jack the Giant Killer as one man must face physical and moral dilemmas below the streets of Leeds. I find that Clark brings a unique voice to the horror genre, and I have enjoyed reading anything he has written. I also feel that I need to qualify my enjoyment by adding something I heard Clive Barker say... "There is no delight the equal of dread."
Last, but by no means least, Ramsey Campbell's "The Watched" rounds out the offerings in DARK SCREAMS. THE OXFORD COMPANION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE describes Campbell as "Britain's most respected living horror writer." If you have read anything he has written, you know he crafts his horror to evoke fleeting shivers as he takes you into the mind of protagonist. Inducing a child to spy on his possibly nefarious neighbors is definitely a theme that screams bad idea. It calls into question the affect the action will have on the child, and the character of the adult who takes this action.
Overall DARK SCREAMS definitely lives up to its promise, and I highly recommend it to anyone, like me, who loves the things that go bump in the night.
bmacenlightened's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointing stories from normally good authors. 3 stars if you get it on discount.
shoemaker's review against another edition
1.0
A waste of time. If, as an editor, I couldn't come up with a handful of stories any better than this, I wouldn't bother.
erichart's review against another edition
4.0
Solid stories in a short anthology that's perfect for a quick read between longer books.
snowbenton's review against another edition
4.0
A nice short read to kick off the high holy season (aka Halloween).
alexcruse's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lovely collection of horror/scary short stories. If you enjoy Stephen King, check this out. It doesn't hurt that this was super cheap on Kindle!
stewie's review against another edition
4.0
When you have good editors, you are generally going to get a good anthology, and Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar deliver in spades here.
You can check out my full review right here atHorrorTalk.com.
You can check out my full review right here at
innae's review
3.0
"Weeds" by Stephen King - I don't recall ever reading this, but I am pretty sure I did at some point.
I, of course, remember Stephen King playing Jordy in Creepshow. It is a creepy story, more creepy than the dramatized version.
"The Price You Pay" by Kelley Armstrong - a basic revenge story, but it unfolds a little differently than expected. Reminds me of the movie Single White Female
"Magic Eyes" by Bill Pronzini - told in the way "The Tell-Tale Heart" is told, and just as creepy.
"I'm not insane...I really did see what I say I saw..." -- that sort of thing.
"Murder in Chains" by Simon Clark - super creepy...mostly because we never get to find out WHY our hero is chained. Or why the others are chained...it is just a basic survival story beyond that, but the unknown makes it much more horrible.
"The Watched" by Ramsey Campbell - meh, my least favorite of the collection.
I, of course, remember Stephen King playing Jordy in Creepshow. It is a creepy story, more creepy than the dramatized version.
"The Price You Pay" by Kelley Armstrong - a basic revenge story, but it unfolds a little differently than expected. Reminds me of the movie Single White Female
"Magic Eyes" by Bill Pronzini - told in the way "The Tell-Tale Heart" is told, and just as creepy.
"I'm not insane...I really did see what I say I saw..." -- that sort of thing.
"Murder in Chains" by Simon Clark - super creepy...mostly because we never get to find out WHY our hero is chained. Or why the others are chained...it is just a basic survival story beyond that, but the unknown makes it much more horrible.
"The Watched" by Ramsey Campbell - meh, my least favorite of the collection.
kittykult's review
3.0
WEEDS by Stephen King - 4 stars - a farmer is shocked when a meteor lands in his yard. He thinks he’s struck it rich, but the meteor might have other plans. I’ve read/seen this in a few formats (Creepshow comic and episode) and the story is by far my favorite format because of the detail and description of the characters thought process. It’s a solid Stephen King story but it's a tie between this and "Murder in Chains" for my favorite of this collection.
THE PRICE YOU PAY by Kelley Armstrong - 3 stars - a woman who is abducted after a night out with her best friend delves into the history that led her here. It has a pretty decent twist, one that I wasn’t expecting until about halfway through. I felt like it took entirely too long in the beginning. And that closing line was awesome.
MAGIC EYES by Bill Pronzini - 3 stars - a man in an asylum for the criminally insane journals how the murder of his wife was not his fault but the fault of an "invader." This was okay, but definitely my least favorite in the collection.
MURDER IN CHAINS by Simon Clark - 4 stars - a journalist wakes up in an underground chamber, chained to a giant, murderous man. Along with three other prisoners, he must stop the man he is chained to from killing them all. This had a significant Saw vibe and I enjoyed it quite a bit and wished it had more. I wanna know why this is happening and what the purpose is!
THE WATCHED by Ramsey Campbell - 3 stars - a young boy is forced by a police officer to snoop on his neighbors, who are potentially drug dealers who provided his daughter with drugs that killed her. This was an enjoyable story about justice and revenge, but at times it was so vague in the descriptions (in an attempt to be creepy, it never stated exactly what was going on during the “creepy” parts) that I lost focus and interest a bit. I was able to follow along but I wish the creepy scenes had been more descriptive.
Overall, these are some pretty solid short stories from significant authors, but there were only five. There need to be way more. At least there are several volumes to catch up on. The entire collection gets 3 stars, simply because there were more 3 stars than 4 and it was also a super short anthology. It is still worth reading, and if it had been twice as long with a couple more good stories thrown in, it would be a 4 star.
THE PRICE YOU PAY by Kelley Armstrong - 3 stars - a woman who is abducted after a night out with her best friend delves into the history that led her here. It has a pretty decent twist, one that I wasn’t expecting until about halfway through. I felt like it took entirely too long in the beginning. And that closing line was awesome.
MAGIC EYES by Bill Pronzini - 3 stars - a man in an asylum for the criminally insane journals how the murder of his wife was not his fault but the fault of an "invader." This was okay, but definitely my least favorite in the collection.
MURDER IN CHAINS by Simon Clark - 4 stars - a journalist wakes up in an underground chamber, chained to a giant, murderous man. Along with three other prisoners, he must stop the man he is chained to from killing them all. This had a significant Saw vibe and I enjoyed it quite a bit and wished it had more. I wanna know why this is happening and what the purpose is!
THE WATCHED by Ramsey Campbell - 3 stars - a young boy is forced by a police officer to snoop on his neighbors, who are potentially drug dealers who provided his daughter with drugs that killed her. This was an enjoyable story about justice and revenge, but at times it was so vague in the descriptions (in an attempt to be creepy, it never stated exactly what was going on during the “creepy” parts) that I lost focus and interest a bit. I was able to follow along but I wish the creepy scenes had been more descriptive.
Overall, these are some pretty solid short stories from significant authors, but there were only five. There need to be way more. At least there are several volumes to catch up on. The entire collection gets 3 stars, simply because there were more 3 stars than 4 and it was also a super short anthology. It is still worth reading, and if it had been twice as long with a couple more good stories thrown in, it would be a 4 star.
verkisto's review
3.0
For the most part, I avoid short story collections unless they're by authors on my Must Read. Everything. Right Now. Or As Soon as It's Available. list. The last significant anthology by various authors I've read (not counting Six Scary Stories) is 999, from way back in 2000. This collection was only 99 cents, though, and it included a rare Stephen King story, and I couldn't resist.
The first story -- the headliner -- is Stephen King's "Weeds", a story not reprinted since its initial publication in 1976. "Wait!" I hear you saying. "It was in Creepshow!" Well, yes, it was, but after reading this story, you'll find they're very different. Sure, the high points are still there -- Jordy Verrill, a simple-minded handyman finds a meteor that sprouts grass on whatever it touches, taking over Jordy and his house -- but the version in Creepshow is remarkably better. There's something scarier about a passive threat to the planet than a thoughtful, malicious one like King presents in the original story. Still, it's early King, when his style wasn't quite as overwrought as it is now, and it's fun to be able to go back and experience it again.
"The Price You Pay" by Kelly Armstrong is the next story, and might be better classified as a thriller than a horror story. It's about toxic relationships, and how men and women react to them. It's somewhat pedestrian, in that this is a story written and read time and again, but the author mentions that in the story itself, making me question if that's the point. Stories like this are only relevant when they affect you in some way, otherwise they're just "the same old story". That alone makes it thought-provoking.
Bill Pronzini's "Magic Eyes" follows, and is about a mental patient keeping a journal. He's in the hospital because he killed his wife, but of course that's not his take on things. This is another kind of story we've read several times (if we're fans of horror, that is), and there's not much to it to elevate it above all those other tales. At the very least, Pronzini creates an effective reliable narrator, while showing us that he's the opposite.
Next is "Murder in Chains" by Simon Clark, a pointless story about abduction and survival. And mindless killing. It's stories like these that remind me why I'm not as into horror as I used to be, and makes me question why I was into it as much as I was when I was younger.
Concluding the anthology is Ramsey Campbell's "The Watched". Campbell is a hit-or-miss author with me, with more misses than hits, but his short story "The Words That Count" is a favorite of mine, and is especially chilling. This story isn't quite as resonant, but it's definitely creepy. Campbell captures the proper atmosphere of the story, and creates some haunting imagery. It's a bloodless horror story, and is more effective for it.
Armstrong's and Campbell's story are worth the price of the collection, and King's story is an amusement, especially for his Constant Readers. The rest are just okay, though more hardcore fans of horror might find the stories more to their liking. The collection overall doesn't inspire me to read the remaining volume, even though some heavy hitters like Peter Straub, Robert McCammon, and Jack Ketchum are among the featured authors.
The first story -- the headliner -- is Stephen King's "Weeds", a story not reprinted since its initial publication in 1976. "Wait!" I hear you saying. "It was in Creepshow!" Well, yes, it was, but after reading this story, you'll find they're very different. Sure, the high points are still there -- Jordy Verrill, a simple-minded handyman finds a meteor that sprouts grass on whatever it touches, taking over Jordy and his house -- but the version in Creepshow is remarkably better. There's something scarier about a passive threat to the planet than a thoughtful, malicious one like King presents in the original story. Still, it's early King, when his style wasn't quite as overwrought as it is now, and it's fun to be able to go back and experience it again.
"The Price You Pay" by Kelly Armstrong is the next story, and might be better classified as a thriller than a horror story. It's about toxic relationships, and how men and women react to them. It's somewhat pedestrian, in that this is a story written and read time and again, but the author mentions that in the story itself, making me question if that's the point. Stories like this are only relevant when they affect you in some way, otherwise they're just "the same old story". That alone makes it thought-provoking.
Bill Pronzini's "Magic Eyes" follows, and is about a mental patient keeping a journal. He's in the hospital because he killed his wife, but of course that's not his take on things. This is another kind of story we've read several times (if we're fans of horror, that is), and there's not much to it to elevate it above all those other tales. At the very least, Pronzini creates an effective reliable narrator, while showing us that he's the opposite.
Next is "Murder in Chains" by Simon Clark, a pointless story about abduction and survival. And mindless killing. It's stories like these that remind me why I'm not as into horror as I used to be, and makes me question why I was into it as much as I was when I was younger.
Concluding the anthology is Ramsey Campbell's "The Watched". Campbell is a hit-or-miss author with me, with more misses than hits, but his short story "The Words That Count" is a favorite of mine, and is especially chilling. This story isn't quite as resonant, but it's definitely creepy. Campbell captures the proper atmosphere of the story, and creates some haunting imagery. It's a bloodless horror story, and is more effective for it.
Armstrong's and Campbell's story are worth the price of the collection, and King's story is an amusement, especially for his Constant Readers. The rest are just okay, though more hardcore fans of horror might find the stories more to their liking. The collection overall doesn't inspire me to read the remaining volume, even though some heavy hitters like Peter Straub, Robert McCammon, and Jack Ketchum are among the featured authors.