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A review by mikekaz
Dark Screams: Volume Two by Robert R. McCammon, Richard Chizmar
4.0
This book is another collection of five stories from big names in the horror field. All are authors that I like except for Shawntelle Madison; wait a second, it's not that I don't like her but instead I've never read her before. A quick search on Amazon shows many paranormal romance books to her name which explains it; that is a genre of horror that I don't normally read. The stories this time were of a better quality than from volume one. The only author that disappointed me in this volume was Richard Christian Matheson. Maybe it was the method of his story telling but I wasn't pulled in and engaged with the story. It was also the only one that wasn't a more traditional type of story. One quick comment about the book before I get into the specific stories. I like the size of the collection. At five stories, it is not very long but at the same time each story is a decent enough length to make the book a good size. Not too short where I feel ripped off and not too long where I feel like I've been reading it all month. Now for the stories. Same as last time, here are some comments on each, going from my least to my most favorite.
"Whatever" by Richard Christian Matheson - As I noted above, this story wasn't told in the same style as the rest of the stories in the collection. Instead it is a series of clippings, notes, reviews and articles about the band Whatever which became popular in the 70s. The snippets are also not in chronological order. This made it a tad difficult to follow: a review of their latest album would cut to notes about the band while they were writing the album which then jumped to a band member getting married years later. Maybe if they were in order, I might have cared for the characters but instead they were just there.
"If These Walls Could Talk" by Shawntelle Madison - This story disappointed me because of the ending. It was really good and pulled me in but then once the ending was in sight, I started losing interest. Eleanor's job is to prep houses for the TV show America's Mysterious Hotspots. She sinks into her work with a Gothic house that has a history involving the owner's wife mysteriously disappearing. I was satisfied with the story but it left me thinking it was going to be a bit more.
"The Deep End" by Robert McCammon - This was an excellent start to the book. And similar to DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME 1 which also started with a reprint from a big name author, this story was originally copyrighted in 1987. This story though didn't have an outdated feel to it. It felt like it could be happening right now. It is prime horror that should be enjoyed. While most people accept that Neil Calder accidentally drowned in the neighborhood pool, his father knows better and is out to prove it.
"Interval" by Norman Prentiss - The creature in this story was almost secondary to the horror of the rest of the story. While important to the entire story, it was the first half that spooked me out. Flight 1137 from St. Louis has gone missing; family and friends will soon find out what happened. As a frequent flier for work, this story resonated with me on several fronts. And with the way corporations are nowadays, it struck me as very realistic. Once the creature appeared, it finally pulled me out of the building dread that kept getting worse and worse.
"The Night Hider" by Graham Masterton - Masterton barely edged past Prentiss to take my favorite story spot. It was probably because I love seeing dots connected between stories, when continuity of one book is pulled into the continuity of another book. In this case, Masterton connects his story to THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis. While the story itself is traditional horror, the connection to Lewis's world provided me with an extra layer of enjoyment.
"Whatever" by Richard Christian Matheson - As I noted above, this story wasn't told in the same style as the rest of the stories in the collection. Instead it is a series of clippings, notes, reviews and articles about the band Whatever which became popular in the 70s. The snippets are also not in chronological order. This made it a tad difficult to follow: a review of their latest album would cut to notes about the band while they were writing the album which then jumped to a band member getting married years later. Maybe if they were in order, I might have cared for the characters but instead they were just there.
"If These Walls Could Talk" by Shawntelle Madison - This story disappointed me because of the ending. It was really good and pulled me in but then once the ending was in sight, I started losing interest. Eleanor's job is to prep houses for the TV show America's Mysterious Hotspots. She sinks into her work with a Gothic house that has a history involving the owner's wife mysteriously disappearing. I was satisfied with the story but it left me thinking it was going to be a bit more.
"The Deep End" by Robert McCammon - This was an excellent start to the book. And similar to DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME 1 which also started with a reprint from a big name author, this story was originally copyrighted in 1987. This story though didn't have an outdated feel to it. It felt like it could be happening right now. It is prime horror that should be enjoyed. While most people accept that Neil Calder accidentally drowned in the neighborhood pool, his father knows better and is out to prove it.
"Interval" by Norman Prentiss - The creature in this story was almost secondary to the horror of the rest of the story. While important to the entire story, it was the first half that spooked me out. Flight 1137 from St. Louis has gone missing; family and friends will soon find out what happened. As a frequent flier for work, this story resonated with me on several fronts. And with the way corporations are nowadays, it struck me as very realistic. Once the creature appeared, it finally pulled me out of the building dread that kept getting worse and worse.
"The Night Hider" by Graham Masterton - Masterton barely edged past Prentiss to take my favorite story spot. It was probably because I love seeing dots connected between stories, when continuity of one book is pulled into the continuity of another book. In this case, Masterton connects his story to THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis. While the story itself is traditional horror, the connection to Lewis's world provided me with an extra layer of enjoyment.