Dark Screams, Volume Three by assorted authors
Dark Screams, Volume Three by assorted authors was received from the publisher in exchange for this review. I have read all three of the Dark Screams collections and each book has its hits and misses, though some misses are more off than others. This collection was no different with five stories by some established authors and some stories by authors I have never heard of (though they may be established, if not KUDOS for giving them a chance). The first story by Peter Straub was the biggest miss of the collection. My notes say “WTF was this POS.” No more to be said about that one. Jack Ketchums story seemed to fit right in to every authors, at least every author who doesn’t follow the mainstream, may fear. Some of his “fans” are not what they portray. Nancy started out my favorite story due to the writing style but then turned into a, as other reviewers said, an After School Special for those who remember these. I am not saying that is bad, just saying it is fact. The Jacqueline Frank novella was a weird stalker type story and Brian Hodge’s “new neighbor, parkour, urban exploration,” (from my notes) novella built up to not much. I will continue to read this series and suggest everyone who enjoys horror do so, you cannot go wrong with the price and quality.
3 Stars.
