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A review by alwroteabook
Dark Screams: Volume One by Brian James Freeman, Bill Pronzini, Simon Clark, Ramsey Campbell, Kelley Armstrong, Stephen King, Richard Chizmar
5.0
This is the first in what is now a long-running horror anthology and pulled in some big names for its opening salvo, headlined by Stephen King. Instead of an overall review, I'll just go through each of the stories. Needless to say, like most anthologies, not all tales are equal:
Weeds, by Stephen King - Wow! A Stephen King story nearly as old as I am. This was from 1976 and is pretty darn good. When a meteor lands near Jordy's house, he does what all of us Darwin Award candidates would, he rushes out and touches it. His body starts to change, and his cosy life starts to spiral out of control. This is a fun story, with a Lovecraft vibe (like the Colour Out of Space), and definitely one for King completists.
The Price You Pay, by Kelley Armstrong - This was probably my favourite, a time-spanning tale of loyalty and revenge. I haven't read any of Armstrong's books before (and I guess I still haven't), but if her novels are as good as her short stories, I've been missing out. Time to fix it.
Magic Eyes, by Bill Pronzini - Edward has been branded insane and institutionalized but is he actually insane. It's hard to tell, as only he can see the danger that is coming. Even he has his doubts, but can he get anyone to heed his warnings, just in case This was a pretty good story, keeping us guessing as to the reality of the situaiton until the end.
Murder in Chains by Simon Clark - In a take on Saw, a bunch of people wake up in chains in a locked room. How did they get there, who is the hulking giant, and to what lengths will they go to escape. Another worthy addition to this collection, the real horror isn't necessarily the captor.
The Watched, by Ramsey Campbell - I must be honest, I drifted off listening to this one. It's about a kid who does a bad thing and finds out someone saw him. The person doesn't tell tales though, but instead runs the kid through the wringer.
Overall, not the best anthology ever, but a decent bunch fo short stories all the same. It's not a particularly long, so if you have a couple of hours to spare, you could do a lot worse.
Weeds, by Stephen King - Wow! A Stephen King story nearly as old as I am. This was from 1976 and is pretty darn good. When a meteor lands near Jordy's house, he does what all of us Darwin Award candidates would, he rushes out and touches it. His body starts to change, and his cosy life starts to spiral out of control. This is a fun story, with a Lovecraft vibe (like the Colour Out of Space), and definitely one for King completists.
The Price You Pay, by Kelley Armstrong - This was probably my favourite, a time-spanning tale of loyalty and revenge. I haven't read any of Armstrong's books before (and I guess I still haven't), but if her novels are as good as her short stories, I've been missing out. Time to fix it.
Magic Eyes, by Bill Pronzini - Edward has been branded insane and institutionalized but is he actually insane. It's hard to tell, as only he can see the danger that is coming. Even he has his doubts, but can he get anyone to heed his warnings, just in case This was a pretty good story, keeping us guessing as to the reality of the situaiton until the end.
Murder in Chains by Simon Clark - In a take on Saw, a bunch of people wake up in chains in a locked room. How did they get there, who is the hulking giant, and to what lengths will they go to escape. Another worthy addition to this collection, the real horror isn't necessarily the captor.
The Watched, by Ramsey Campbell - I must be honest, I drifted off listening to this one. It's about a kid who does a bad thing and finds out someone saw him. The person doesn't tell tales though, but instead runs the kid through the wringer.
Overall, not the best anthology ever, but a decent bunch fo short stories all the same. It's not a particularly long, so if you have a couple of hours to spare, you could do a lot worse.