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raforall's review against another edition
4.0
Review on the blog and in the August issue of Booklist Magazine: http://raforall.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-im-reading-four-booklist-reviews.html
emmarj's review against another edition
3.0
Cargo 3/5
Was so good until it ended. It felt unfinished.
The Horror of the Heights 4/5
Very Cthulhu.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet 5/5
Real or nervous breakdown?
The Flying Machine 1/5
Nah
Lucifer! 4/5
Falling forever
The Fifth Category 1/5
So many words to say nothing
Two minutes forty five seconds 1/5
I honestly don't even know what this was about. Airplane? Rollercoaster? Shaped range safety devices? What?
Diablitos 3/5
Interesting, too short
Air raid 4/5
You are released 5/5
I love love love Joe Hill 😍😍😍
Warbirds 1/5
War porn 🙄
The flying machine 3/5
Zombies on a plane 3/5
They shall not grow old 3/5
I didn't get it
Murder in the air 3/5
Okay, I guess
The turbulence expert 4/5
An interesting concept
Falling 1/5
Not for me
Was so good until it ended. It felt unfinished.
The Horror of the Heights 4/5
Very Cthulhu.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet 5/5
Real or nervous breakdown?
The Flying Machine 1/5
Nah
Lucifer! 4/5
Falling forever
The Fifth Category 1/5
So many words to say nothing
Two minutes forty five seconds 1/5
I honestly don't even know what this was about. Airplane? Rollercoaster? Shaped range safety devices? What?
Diablitos 3/5
Interesting, too short
Air raid 4/5
You are released 5/5
I love love love Joe Hill 😍😍😍
Warbirds 1/5
War porn 🙄
The flying machine 3/5
Zombies on a plane 3/5
They shall not grow old 3/5
I didn't get it
Murder in the air 3/5
Okay, I guess
The turbulence expert 4/5
An interesting concept
Falling 1/5
Not for me
aralizca's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
crimsonpermanentassurance's review against another edition
4.0
Solid collection! Good variety of styles; quality classic and modern stories
philomath_in_phila's review against another edition
4.0
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
Stephen King hates to fly. I do not mind it, but it is a necessity at times. We both handle flying the same. We think of the terrible things that can happen while on a plane. For me, it is thinking of every movie and book I know that involves air disasters. For King, he created an anthology of 17 Turbulent Tales that he describes as "ideal airplane reading, especially on stormy descents."
Flight or Fright is edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent. They collected tales from E. Michael Lewis (Cargo), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Horror of the Heights), Richard Matheson (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet), Ambrose Bierce (The Flying Machine), E.C. Tubb (Lucifer!), Tom Bissell (The Fifth Category), Dan Simmons (Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds), Cody Goodfellow (Diablitos), John Varley (Air Raid), Joe Hill (You Are Released), David J. Schow (Warbirds), Ray Bradbury (The Flying Machine), Bev Vincent (Zombies on a Plane), Roald Dahl (They Shall Not Grow Old), Peter Tremayne (Murder in the Air ) Stephen King,(The Turbulence Expert) James L. Dickey (Falling).
Most of the stories are not new, but that does not make them any less scary to read. They are perfect for reading while flying.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/16/20.
Stephen King hates to fly. I do not mind it, but it is a necessity at times. We both handle flying the same. We think of the terrible things that can happen while on a plane. For me, it is thinking of every movie and book I know that involves air disasters. For King, he created an anthology of 17 Turbulent Tales that he describes as "ideal airplane reading, especially on stormy descents."
Flight or Fright is edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent. They collected tales from E. Michael Lewis (Cargo), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Horror of the Heights), Richard Matheson (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet), Ambrose Bierce (The Flying Machine), E.C. Tubb (Lucifer!), Tom Bissell (The Fifth Category), Dan Simmons (Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds), Cody Goodfellow (Diablitos), John Varley (Air Raid), Joe Hill (You Are Released), David J. Schow (Warbirds), Ray Bradbury (The Flying Machine), Bev Vincent (Zombies on a Plane), Roald Dahl (They Shall Not Grow Old), Peter Tremayne (Murder in the Air ) Stephen King,(The Turbulence Expert) James L. Dickey (Falling).
Most of the stories are not new, but that does not make them any less scary to read. They are perfect for reading while flying.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/16/20.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
3.0
Some really good stories here. I like the mix of old and new, classic and modern.
charlottekaas's review against another edition
3.0
Stephen King hates flying. I hate flying. Perfect match, wouldn't you say? I definitely didn't hesitate to add this to my audiobook streaming service the moment I saw it there. Conceptually this could have been a home run for me (I couldn't think of a thematically fitting metaphor). In the end, I definitely sensed their struggle finding suitable stories and I'm neither more or less afraid of flying now. But I did enjoy a few of the stories, and I shall try to give each of them a short review here as seems to be the trend.
Cargo by E. Michael Lewis - Jonestown is scary enough in itself. Add an aircraft to that whole thing and you get a fairly creepy and sad story. I did listen to this while driving alone at night on pitch black country roads, so my view may have been affected.
The Horror of the Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle - A guy attempts to break some sort of height record and prove (or disprove, I forget) the existence of monsters or a sky jungle high above the clouds. Even the Lovecraftian balloon monsters can't save this snoozefest.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson - A guy sees something or someone on the wing of an airplane, but alas, no one believes him. You all know the story, but should still (re-)read it. It's great, a classic, and Matheson is one of the best short story writers out there.
The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce - According to other reviewers this is just 3 paragraphs in the printed book. In the audiobook it was over before I had a chance to understand what was going on.
Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb - A guy steals a ring that turns back time by 57 seconds. So what do you do if your plane is about to crash and you have only those 57 seconds to do something about it? I wish this story was longer. The premise is awesome and the ending definitely stuck with me more than any other in this collection. I loved it.
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell- A story about a lawyer and his memos on different categories of torture applied to war criminals. Some of these war criminals want revenge, surprisingly. I won't spoil it, but it's all a bit ridiculous and tedious. I didn't much enjoy it.
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons - Something about safety devices. Honestly, I didn't get most of it.
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow - A guy smuggles a rare tribal mask out of Costa Rica and hilarity (not really) ensues. It's pretty great, bloody and neat. I enjoyed it.
Air Raid by John Varley - This is one of the more futuristic, sci-fi-y stories in the book. A team of humanoids is sent to rescue people from a plane that's about to crash. The passengers are then... I'm not going to spoil it. It was alright, pretty scary, but also strange.
You Are Released by Joe Hill - Promising premise in this one! A regular passenger plane is diverted from their destination because of the sudden outbreak of WWIII. Should have been a novella at least, I think. The idea is good, but the characters could have been fleshed out so much more. Joe Hill's political views are obvious here, but that's totally fine!
Warbirds by David J. Schow - Final Destination meets WWII vets. But not as awesome as it sounds. A bit dull, to be honest.
The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury - A neat little story with a moral. That's all.
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent - Exactly what you think it is and I really liked it.
They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl - I didn't see Roald Dahl's name on the cover image and was astonished they'd forgotten him. Also, I can't count worth s**t. This one was great, as is pretty much all of his stories. It's about WWII pilots, of course, and you should go read Dahl's collections. They're way better than the children's books he's mostly known for. Yes they are!
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne - Murder mystery on an airplane. It was alright.
The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King - Original King story. Maybe your fear of flying is all that is saving you and everyone else on the plane... Amazing, loved it, etc etc.
Falling by James L. Dickey - A poem that reads/sounds more like a short story. About a real-life incident where an airline hostess fell from an airplane. It was pretty great, actually. I'd only read Deliverance by Dickey before, but shall look more into him now for sure!
All in all, I was intermittently entertained, but I do not regret not purchasing the collection. I'd suggest just getting any colletion by Dahl or Matheson instead. Or King, but you probably have already.
Cargo by E. Michael Lewis - Jonestown is scary enough in itself. Add an aircraft to that whole thing and you get a fairly creepy and sad story. I did listen to this while driving alone at night on pitch black country roads, so my view may have been affected.
The Horror of the Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle - A guy attempts to break some sort of height record and prove (or disprove, I forget) the existence of monsters or a sky jungle high above the clouds. Even the Lovecraftian balloon monsters can't save this snoozefest.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson - A guy sees something or someone on the wing of an airplane, but alas, no one believes him. You all know the story, but should still (re-)read it. It's great, a classic, and Matheson is one of the best short story writers out there.
The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce - According to other reviewers this is just 3 paragraphs in the printed book. In the audiobook it was over before I had a chance to understand what was going on.
Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb - A guy steals a ring that turns back time by 57 seconds. So what do you do if your plane is about to crash and you have only those 57 seconds to do something about it? I wish this story was longer. The premise is awesome and the ending definitely stuck with me more than any other in this collection. I loved it.
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell- A story about a lawyer and his memos on different categories of torture applied to war criminals. Some of these war criminals want revenge, surprisingly. I won't spoil it, but it's all a bit ridiculous and tedious. I didn't much enjoy it.
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons - Something about safety devices. Honestly, I didn't get most of it.
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow - A guy smuggles a rare tribal mask out of Costa Rica and hilarity (not really) ensues. It's pretty great, bloody and neat. I enjoyed it.
Air Raid by John Varley - This is one of the more futuristic, sci-fi-y stories in the book. A team of humanoids is sent to rescue people from a plane that's about to crash. The passengers are then... I'm not going to spoil it. It was alright, pretty scary, but also strange.
You Are Released by Joe Hill - Promising premise in this one! A regular passenger plane is diverted from their destination because of the sudden outbreak of WWIII. Should have been a novella at least, I think. The idea is good, but the characters could have been fleshed out so much more. Joe Hill's political views are obvious here, but that's totally fine!
Warbirds by David J. Schow - Final Destination meets WWII vets. But not as awesome as it sounds. A bit dull, to be honest.
The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury - A neat little story with a moral. That's all.
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent - Exactly what you think it is and I really liked it.
They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl - I didn't see Roald Dahl's name on the cover image and was astonished they'd forgotten him. Also, I can't count worth s**t. This one was great, as is pretty much all of his stories. It's about WWII pilots, of course, and you should go read Dahl's collections. They're way better than the children's books he's mostly known for. Yes they are!
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne - Murder mystery on an airplane. It was alright.
The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King - Original King story. Maybe your fear of flying is all that is saving you and everyone else on the plane... Amazing, loved it, etc etc.
Falling by James L. Dickey - A poem that reads/sounds more like a short story. About a real-life incident where an airline hostess fell from an airplane. It was pretty great, actually. I'd only read Deliverance by Dickey before, but shall look more into him now for sure!
All in all, I was intermittently entertained, but I do not regret not purchasing the collection. I'd suggest just getting any colletion by Dahl or Matheson instead. Or King, but you probably have already.
jeanmcdonald's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ashlylynne's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book and thought the stories were a great complication, even if some of them are fairly old and don't take place featuring modern technology, they are still interesting and thrilling to read.
Of course, since this is an anthology, some stories stand out more vividly than others. Many I enjoyed much more than the next, but I'm not here to do an in depth analysis of all of them. One that absolutely stands out among the rest was the story Diablo. That one truly terrified me and made my skin crawl. I was reading one night home alone and when my boyfriend came bursting through the door after work, I jumped sky high. (bad pun?)
And, as I am an avid Stephen King reader and fan, I will say that I picked up this book solely because his name was on the cover and I, obviously, highly enjoyed his story. I also really enjoyed Joe Hill's addition. I could have read so much more of his story and would not complain if he turned it into a full-fledged novel. Truly stunning and terrifying, as always.
The rest of the stories were at best an exciting and hair raising experience and at worst an interesting tale that I probably would not have picked up had it not been included in this anthology. None were persay bad, but many were just average for me.
That all being said, I really enjoy this book and highly recommend it. This is a great addition to any horror geek's shelf and a great venture for anyone else wondering what could possibly happen so high up in the air and so far from having their feet planted firmly on the earth.
Of course, since this is an anthology, some stories stand out more vividly than others. Many I enjoyed much more than the next, but I'm not here to do an in depth analysis of all of them. One that absolutely stands out among the rest was the story Diablo. That one truly terrified me and made my skin crawl. I was reading one night home alone and when my boyfriend came bursting through the door after work, I jumped sky high. (bad pun?)
And, as I am an avid Stephen King reader and fan, I will say that I picked up this book solely because his name was on the cover and I, obviously, highly enjoyed his story. I also really enjoyed Joe Hill's addition. I could have read so much more of his story and would not complain if he turned it into a full-fledged novel. Truly stunning and terrifying, as always.
The rest of the stories were at best an exciting and hair raising experience and at worst an interesting tale that I probably would not have picked up had it not been included in this anthology. None were persay bad, but many were just average for me.
That all being said, I really enjoy this book and highly recommend it. This is a great addition to any horror geek's shelf and a great venture for anyone else wondering what could possibly happen so high up in the air and so far from having their feet planted firmly on the earth.
yourfavavery's review against another edition
4.0
It was a good collection of stories! Not all of them were scary by my personal definition, but all of them were compelling. I really appreciated the wide variety of stories - a poem, stories written back when flying was a very new invention (think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). All in all, a good, quick read with short stories you have likely never read before, even if you're a die-hard fan of the authors involved.