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A review by dj68
Flight or Fright by Stephen King, Bev Vincent
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.