Reviews (20)

Lovecraft in perspective
It is amazing that nearly seventy years after his death, with a wealth of scholarship and information available, so many misconceptions about Lovecraft and his work still abound. Lovecraft never said that human life was worthless. He wrote: "Now all my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance is the vast cosmos-at-large". This is not to say that these things were without worth, but as someone who fully understood the implications of living in an Einsteinian universe, he recognised that these things were relative. Of course they are important to us, but there is no reason to assume that they are universal. They may be, but Lovecraft was in the business of writing horror stories (although, of course, properly speaking his later stories are more in the line of science-fiction of the kind written by Wells and Stapledon) his aim was to create new levels of dread divorced from what seemed to him to be the outdated and redundant horrors of 18th and 19th century fiction. Ants and other insects have worth, but that doesn't stop us from carelessly treading on them or exterminating them when it suits our purposes. Lovecraft's alien entities are the same, either supremely indifferent to us or actively hostile. The question should be: Does Lovecraft achieve this sense of cosmic horror in his stories? In his best stories (The Whisperer in Darkness, The Colour out of Space, At the Mountains of Madness and the Shadow Out of Time, for instance) I believe he does. All these stories are included in this excellent collection, along with the best of his earlier, more straightforward horror pieces. To appreciate his best tales (and his meticulously orchestrated prose) requires an imaginative perspective that grows richer with maturity. Of course, one is at liberty to disagree with Lovecraft's view of the universe and to dislike his style; but to dismiss his work as suitable only for children and adolescents because one finds his philosophy offensive (as some reviewers have done)is itself an immature response.

Great Book, Great Edition
The LOA edition comes in a beautiful cloth binding. The pages are nice and thin and the book includes a marker ribbon. A very fitting package for such fine works.
It's high time.
It would seem that after years of being left in the shadow of "genre fiction" H.P. Lovecraft is finally getting the respect that he deserves. This wonderful volume, though not including a number of earlier works such as "The Cats of Ulthar" & "The Dreamquest of Unkown Kadath", has still very handilly managed to become that which I refer to as my "Lovecraft bible"
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Horror    3. General    4. Horror - Anthologies    5. Horror tales, American    6. Literary Collections / American / General   

Editorial Review

"Wake up, sir. We're here." It's a simple enough opening line--althoughnot many would have guessed back in 1991 thatthis would lead to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half of the century. Read more

Reviews (101)

Hour 5: The Flies Get Restless
Intermittently, between the films that I watch and the video games I shamelessly play, I do enjoy reading a good graphic novel here and there.Why not taste all the facets of pop culture when I have the opportunity?Neil Gaiman is the author that re-introduced me to the world of graphic novel.Through his fantastic novel (meaning a story that you could read more than one time) entitled "American Gods", I found this fantastical writer's ability to draw upon the strength of other pop culture ideas as well as nearly blend fantasy and fiction together with the greatest of ease.It was right after my reading of "American Gods" that I decided to pick up the first in his ever-popular "Sandman" series entitled Preludes & Nocturnes.From the opening frames of a miscalculated capture, through the inevitable adventures to recover lost/stolen items, to the hauntingly original final scenes where our main character, Sandman, introduces us to his family and builds a stronger, more poetic beginning to the next chapter, The Doll's House.
You know all about this
Any comic fan, avid or casual, knows the list of essential comic reading that proves that comics aren't just for kids.Of course there's Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Maus, Preacher, and more, and of course also on that list is Neil Gaiman's celebrated Sandman series.Preludes and Nocturnes is the beginning of one of the most revered adult series in comics history, as Gaiman weaves a tale in which Dream of the Endless seeks to reclaim the realm he lost when he was imprisoned some seventy years before.He sets forth on a mission to regain the tools of his that were lost and seek revenge on those responsible, and on the way he comes across many of DC/Vertigo's icons, including John Constantine and the Martian Manhunter, and travels to the depths of Hell to face down Lucifer Morningstar himself.Frequently chilling and startlingly poignant, this first volume in the Sandman saga is essential reading, and believe it or not, it only gets better with each passing volume.

It Is What It Is
This is, for all intents and purposes, Neil Gaiman's first real piece of work.Granted, he'd been a journalist, and he'd written a couple of other graphic novels, but nothing on this scale, nothing with this distribution, and nothing as significant.
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Subjects:  1. Anthologies    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Fantasy    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Graphic Novels    7. Graphic Novels - Fantasy    8. Horror    9. Science Fiction And Fantasy    10. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Editorial Review

A winner of the International Horror Guild Award,

Reviews (18)

Captures the Spirit of Halloween -- with one flaw...
This collection of stories, various author's halloween memories is perfect for getting into the halloween spirit.The collection is more often concerned with faithfully recalling the ambience and spirit of halloween and its place in our culture than it is about scary stories.There is one flaw, in my opinion: the inclusion of Paul Wilson's story, Buckets.The editors of this collection should have known better than to spoil an otherwise great anthologywith an author that is clearly more interested in his political agenda (his other work, incidentally, suffers the same redundant flaw-- its propaganda).

Where's The Scares?
Not here! This is truly a lame anthology.
A Celebration of Halloween Indeed
This is a celebration indeed.It's not a horror anthology; I can't say that a lot of it is even scary.More than half of the stories are essays of the author's memories of Halloween.I feel that this is as it should be.Halloween is a look backwards, before the disenchantment of the world.When there were still dark corners of the earth, where the unexplained still covered a wide variety of phenomena, before positivist materialism drew the colors out of life, leaving only gray.Halloween has both a dark and an exciting side, where the dead may rise to life and spirits of the dead may revel, but also where people can see and experience that something more than this world exists, that we are more than just ashes and dust and that life is has a purpose more than the 70-odd years we have.We love to be comfortably scared, and so we have one night a year where we allow ourselves to believe in phantoms and faeries, that we can feel "something that's just not right."
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Horror    3. Halloween    4. Horror    5. Horror - Anthologies    6. Horror - General    7. Horror tales, American    8. Literary collections    9. Fiction / General   

Reviews (47)

A varied collection
Bite is a collection of five short stories from Laurell K Hamilton (her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series), Charlaine Harris (a Sookie Stackhouse short story), MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight and Vickie Taylor. I was very familiar with the first two authors but had read nothing of the other three.
Where do you find a stake when you need one?
This book of short vampire stories is BAD, BAD, and BAD. The books feels like it was put together in a matter of hours all in pursuit of the mighty dollar. The stories are meaningless, contrived, and a waste of the paper they were printed on. The ONLY REDEEMABLE story in the whole bunch was Angela Knight's Galahad. If she's smart, she'll turn that into a full story to add to her collection of Mageverse. Galahad's story was quite good. We actually read a plot that developed quickly and had a show-down between good and evil. It also explained how another of the three "unholy" grails was destroyed. I'm glad I bought the book simply for that particular story. Galahad deserves FIVE STARS but the book as a whole should simply be left out in the yard for the sun to destroy.

Returned book & got money back - only 2 new stories
Pages 1-58 are two new stories.The rest of the book are stories that were published years ago and slightly modified so that they could have a 2005 copyright.If you are widely read, 200 pages of old stories will be a major disappointment.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy - Anthologies    2. Fantasy - Epic    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Horror    6. Horror - General    7. Suspense    8. Fiction / General   

Reviews (30)

Lovecraft, a great nihilist
All men in the natural world feel the call from the vast infinite universe.What Lovecraft does is show mans insignificance.The creatures that he creates are so unexplainable and horrific that all aspects of mankind are completely overwhelmed.If you like big words and covert culture, this is the book for you.

Very nice introduction
Edited by J. T. Joshi, "The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories" offers an excellent, even scholarly, introduction to the tales of H. P. Lovecraft.For those readers like myself who are relatively new to Lovecraft, this collection offers a nice broad brush look at some of his better know works.At the same time, the extensive commentary and foot-noting means that even long time fans should find something new in this collection.
The Great Lovecraft
Being a long-time Lovecraft fanatic, I am pleased to see that Penquin chose to publish a two volume collection of his works.
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Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Cthulhu (Fictitious character)    3. Fiction    4. Horror - General    5. Horror tales, American    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), 1890-1937    9. Short Stories (single author)    10. Classic fiction    11. Fiction / Horror    12. Fiction anthologies & collections    13. Horror & ghost stories    14. Short stories   

Reviews (25)

If you've been curious about Ivy...
If you've been curious about Ivy in Kim Harrison's series then this is worth a read as it gives some insight into vampire politics, Ivy's personality and why she often behaves the way she does.
Good Introduction to Avon's Paranormal Writers
I picked up this book because I like Kelley Armstrong's writing. (And her story is the best of the bunch)
Half a Good Book
Kim Harrison: 3 stars, maybe 3 1/2 because the story line was actually entertaining.But it assumed you'd read her other books, and anyone who hasn't must have felt lost.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Romance    3. General    4. Romance - Anthologies    5. Romance - Fantasy    6. Fiction / General    7. Horror & ghost stories   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (1123)

Good but . . . .
Not to take anything away from my favorite author BUT I thought the book was way too long.The story was suspenseful and descriptive but I found myself getting lost in the superfluous background. (And this is someone who has read The Stand at least six times so it's not the length of the book that bothered me as much as the length of the storyline.)Stephen King fans will still enjoy the book but not as much as some others such as The Cell which I thought was great.

Yes, Stephen King really IS that good
It's amazing how fast King drew me into this story. Then he broke my heart a few times before the end of chapter two, and after that I just read on like a man possessed. A few bits feel plotted, but I don't care. King's novels have never been about their plots. That's news to Hollywood, I think, but not to you and me.
King Writes About What He Knows
It may seem self-indulgent for King to make his protagonist a writer of romantic suspense. King sounded a bit defensive on the promotional tape his publisher sent reviewers. Wambaugh was a cop, and he writes about cops, King says. You have to write about what you know, he goes on, just like he writes about Maine.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Horror    3. Ghost    4. Horror    5. Horror - General    6. Literary    7. Suspense    8. Fiction / General    9. Fiction anthologies & collections    10. Horror & ghost stories   

Reviews (3)

Weak
I enjoyed the selections made in the past by Windling and Datlow, they have truly opened my eyes to many writers that I would never have considered reading and even one story that I still gives me nightmares! These compilations were always great for assisting me in locating books written by up and coming authors and their recommendations are generally dead on....however, since the series has added two new editors the quality of stories has dropped dramatically. Gone are the truly scary and wonderous stories of previous additions. I keep buying and hoping that the series improves and I can once again rely on it as a solid anthology.

A must-have, must-read anthology
THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR 2006: Nineteenth Annual Edition, edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant, is a tour de force of writing talent no fan of fantasy should pass-up. The horror is especially horrific, and the fantasy whimsical, albeit there is a fine line drawn here between the two genres. I am admittedly a horror story addict and will hunt down the dark stuff first off, which I did with this anthology; however, it was not long before I realized that much of the fantasy had dark underpinnings too. I found myself jumping all over the book in a mad rush to read this story and that one because they were all so good.
excellentanthology
The nineteenth annual fantasy and horror collection of forty tales is as always consists of top selections accompanied by seven essays.In the fantasy summation, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant point out that there were many fewer genre anthologies than normal, but that they still had too many strong entries to choose from.Ellen Datlow, on the other hand, felt that the horror genre had an increase in terms of magazines and anthologies to select from, insisting she could have filled three books this year with quality tales.As always the inclusions (from both genres) run the table in terms of themes and format.Fans receive a taste of what happened in 2005, especially how wide the genres have become.There are also treatises on media ("horror does better during Republican administrations"), graphic novels, anime and manga, music, and obits in a year in which superstars Andre Norton and Will Eisner, etc. passed away.Though this reviewer enjoys the articles that summarize 2005, it is once again the included tales that make this compilation from famous, almost famous and the newbies a sure shot at award nomination time as this is an excellent entry in one of the superior, if not the best, annual collections.
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Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Fantasy    3. Fantasy - Anthologies    4. Fantasy - General    5. Fantasy fiction, American    6. Fantasy fiction, English    7. Fiction    8. Fiction - Fantasy    9. Horror - General    10. Horror Fiction    11. Horror tales, American    12. Science Fiction And Fantasy    13. Fiction / Fantasy / General    14. Fiction anthologies & collections    15. Horror & ghost stories   

Reviews (22)

Great teaching tool - used selectively
I teach 7th and 8th grade, many second language and non-standard english students. The 55 word stories provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the reading/thinking skills of inferencing, drawing conclusions and also a springboard for introducing and explaining the background of euphemisms and common sayings and figures of speech that are not familiar to second language readers.

Some Hit, Some Miss!
This collection of the world's shortest stories (as with most collections and anthologies of shortest stories) is a "hit or miss" collection.Basically, this means that while some of the stories are clever, others are flat-out duds.Most of the story's cleverness relies on unsuspected plot twists and ironies in the ending, thus making for an amusing read but bringing little to the table in the world of quality literature.Some of the stories are simply too minimilistic to have any emmotional impact on the reader, and others are very cliche and border on poetry.Instead of buying this book or any collection of "shortest" fiction, I would suggest seeking out specific authors who are masters of the shorter story, such as Raymond Carver.While none of Carver's stories are as short as 55 words, just one of his good shorter stories ("Popular Mechanics," for example) will pack a more poignant punch than any of the stories in this collection -- combined.

Intermittently amusing light read
Can you write ashort story in only 55 words? Sure. Making it a GOOD ultra-short story is the challenge. And "The World's Shortest Stories" is an amusing light read, with many so-so stories, some duds, and some little hidden gems that might make you smile.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Short Stories (Anthologies)    4. Short stories, American    5. Modern fiction    6. Short stories   

Reviews (53)

Three All-Stars and one Bench Warmer
Great read! Three wonderful authors: MaryJanice Davidson, Eileen Wilks and Rebecca York. Also, the late great Laurell K. Hamilton whose name alone used to make us want to pick up the book. Alas, that is so not the case anymore.
Don't buy if you've read Incubus Dreams
I got this hoping to see a new Anita Blake story, but unfortunately, it was an excerpt from Incubus Dreams.The other stories did not live up to Laurell K Hamilton's high standard.The writing for the other stories was juvenile and went from "I'm not human" to "have sex with me anyway" in a ridiculously short time.If you're looking for supernatural stories with good character development and excellent plots with a side of steamy sex, just stick to the Anita Blake and Meredith Gentry series by Hamilton and skip this book.

Davidson, Wilks, and York Great!
First let me say that I LOVED the stories by MaryJanice Davidson, Eileen Wilks, and Rebecca York. All three stories are fun, smart, sexy and full of the paranormal. Davidson's piece compliments her "Undead" series, while the other two works have lead me to put the authors on my short list. I love that these ladies give us more to their work, not just an excerpt from their latest book. These works are what a compellation should be: a fresh short story where characters are introduced, live, love and grow, before winding things up at the end. This series of events is where our dear Ms. Hamilton fails so miserably.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Horror tales, American    4. Occult    5. Short Stories (Anthologies)    6. Vampires    7. Fiction / General   

Reviews (1)

A must-take-along for any camping trip!
My middle-school son has been taking this little book along to camp and on camping trips for several years now, and delights in scaring his tentmates with different stories every night. While a couple of the stories may be TOO frightening for the younger set, most are really terrific read-alouds for nature loving campers of all ages. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 4-6    2. Fiction - Horror    3. Folklore & Mythology - Storytelling    4. Ghost stories, American    5. Horror & Ghost Stories    6. Horror - Anthologies    7. Horror stories    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Short stories    10. Storytelling    11. United States    12. Fiction / Horror   

Editorial Review

He revolutionized the horror tale, giving it psychological insight and a consistent tone and atmosphere; he invented the modern detective story; he wrote some of the world's best-known lyric poetry and a major novella of the fantastic; he impressed such writers as Baudelaire, Mallarme and Borges. If it's been a while since you read any Edgar A. Poe (he never used "Allan"), you've probably forgotten how terrific he is. And some of his best work is in his lesser-known stories, such as "The Imp of the Perverse" and "A Descent into the Maelstrom." In short, what are you waiting for? ... Read more

Features

• Unabridged

Reviews (9)

A Good Start
This book provides the reader a significant sampling of Poe's works both stories and poems.I found the 69 stories to be adequate for the casual reader including all the well known tales: The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Cask of Amontillado.I was pleased to see that "Hop Frog" also made the cut.
Excellent Plethora of E. Allan Poe Material
This is an excellent book, it has gold leaf paper and its own bookmark and has a GREAT sum of his work although some 'may' be missing but all the great ones are there such as the infamous The Raven and The Masque of Red Death, The Fall of The House of Usher among many others; to keep this short and simple this book is well worth the price and looks better in person then what amazon shows. Do keep in mind like I said this is a very nice book and only buy it if your either an avid Poe fan or want a great book to add to your growing library (like me), otherwise buy a paperback if you want something to tote around with you between classes etc.

The Father of the Horror Genre!
Edgar Allan Poe is truely the father of Horror stories. My favourite creepy story is 'The Tell-Tale Heart' a short read that should be read late at night to get the atmosphere of a true Edgar Allan Poe work of art. Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Classics    3. Detective and mystery stories,    4. Detective and mystery stories, American    5. Horror tales, American    6. Literature: Classics    7. Sale Adult - Literature - Classics & Contemporary    8. 19th century fiction    9. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    10. Fiction / Classics    11. Short stories    12. Sale Books   

Reviews (7)

THE BOOK FOR EC FANS
Without a doubt this is the book for anyone interested in EC Comics. Not only does it feature cover reproductions of almost every pre-trend, new trend, and post-trend comic but it also has handy annotations of who did what in that particular issue. In addition it sheds a good deal of light upon Maxwell Gaines, the originator of EC and the father of Bill, who has for me remained a shadowy figure in the early history of comics. All in all it's a great book that I'll probably be dipping into for years to come.

In a Class by Itself
If you have any interest in EC comics, horror comics, or the history of the comic book genre at all, this is THE book to have.I cannot praise it highly enough.The scholarship is incredibly thorough and the details the authors have dug up is amazing.Also, the book is beautifully well done, with top-notch production values.This book is the ultimate, believe me.

the ultimate history of EC
This is, simply put, the greatest work of comic book scholarship ever in print.The authors delve so deeply into EC facts, history and lore that you can depend upon the thoroughness of this work.Much more than a history, this tome is also a beautiful art book.Don't delay......buy it now! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Horror    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - Horror    6. Horror    7. Comic book & cartoon art    8. USA    9. Graphic Novel   

Editorial Review

If you could have only one anthology of dark stories, this would be the one to have. Having observed that "fans of horror fiction most often restrict their reading to books and stories given a horror category label, thus missing some of the finest pleasures in that fictional mode," David G. Hartwell assembles here 56 important tales within an insightful critical framework; his purpose is to "clear the air and broaden future considerations of horror." Several well-known classics are included, but there are also dozens of lesser-known horror tales, including many by science fiction and literary writers. Get one copy for yourself. Get another for that friend or relative who doesn't understand why you like to read horror. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A fine anthology for the horror afficianado
This huge, (topping out at just over 1000 pages!) collection of some of the finest tales from the masters of horror has it all.It was wonderful to read works I had not encountered over the years, along with some of the classics of the genre.Some personal favorites were the Lovecraftian "Crouch End" (King), a truly bizarre and unclassifiable tale, "The Swords" (Aickman), a masterful work of understated horror, "The Summer People" (Jackson), and a classic ghost story, "The Beckoning Fair One" (Onions)A one stop shop for the fan of all things scary.

Multitudinous tome for the horror and preternatural aficionado
This publication rivals most of the horror/ mystery compilations printed elsewhere.Some of the most consequential and prolific ink slingers of the creepy and the dreary are featured here, and they don't disappoint.
Alone in the Library---with Spooks.
Disaster! That super-secret hush-hush Project the military was supposed to have under control has torn a rift into another dimension just ten miles from town, and maniacal flesh-hungry monsters are pouring through by the score, tearing their shrieking victims apart and turning the world as you know it into a charnel house. You've got to pack up and get outta Dodge quick---but what to take? Clothes, boots, food, hunting knife, guns and ammo, extra fuel cans, chainsaw---oh, and if you're a horror junkie like me, you've gotta have reading material during the Siege, right? And since you'll be holing up a long time---maybe forever---the tome you choose had better be a good one.
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Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Horror    4. Horror    5. Horror - Anthologies    6. Horror Fiction    7. Horror tales, American    8. Horror tales, English    9. Fantasy    10. Fiction / Horror    11. Science fiction    12. Short stories   

Reviews (60)

You call this twisted?
When I got this book in the mail, I glanced at it for 2 minutes and decided to send it back. From the description, I was expecting a picture book, or a collection of stories along the lines of Jhonen Vasquez or Roman Dirge books and comics. You know-with artwork and actual stories. Instead, these "tales" are just lame, short descriptions of a strange person or situation. A grade schooler could come up with more imaginative stuff than this, much less the simple black/white pencil drawings. Forget Tim Burton, Walt Disney would think this was lame.

awesome awesome awesome!
best book in the world, it's just as wierd and strange as the Oblong's show, haha. Buy it, read it, enjoy it!

Crude
I thought this book was very crude.It is definitely not suited for young children, as many of those who gave it high ratings agreed.I thought it would be along the lines of Lemony Snicket, but it was not; in fact, I didn't think it was funny at all.Whereas some people may enjoy it, I would direct those ESPECIALLY for young children to look elsewhere.This book was not my cup of tea. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children    2. Emotionally disturbed children    3. Form - Limericks & Verse    4. Form - Parodies    5. General    6. Humor    7. Problem children    8. Fiction anthologies & collections    9. Horror & ghost stories, chillers    10. Humor / General   

Reviews (1)

Just the thing for a rainy thunderous autumn evening
I have to say these sorts of stories have gotten me through grad school... Though I own more than one Victorian horror anthology, this was my latest acquisition and undoubtedly high ranking amongst my favorites...most of the time I'dstudy all day and just want something relaxing to read a 20 minute getaway and since most of the stories areshort enough to not be imposingand if you have quite an imagination about you, you'll enjoy the ornate details which will carry you back to a more decadent era filled with mystery... I felt thoroughly entertained by the eloquence and detailed verbal imagery. I was able to sustain myself through yet another day...The book is a compilation of many authors such as sir Arthur Conan Doyle... it is a nice medley... so you'll always have a "surprise me"trust me you will not regret this buy.. If you want a break from the politics, economics, social structure of the world around you to your private little sanctuary... then just turn on a few candles on a chilly autumn evening and prepare to be delighted with any one of these tales... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Anthologies (multiple authors)    3. English fiction    4. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    5. Fiction    6. Ghost    7. Ghost stories, English    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. 19th century fiction    10. Fiction / Ghost    11. Fiction anthologies & collections    12. Horror & ghost stories    13. Literature/English | British Literature | 19th C   

Reviews (2)

Tales of Terror : 58 Short Stories Chosen by the Master of Suspense
An Excellent collection of short stories to keep you in suspense.

Recommend to all short stories fans
I adore short stories so I was delighted to discover The Tales of Terror. I have over 200 books with short stories, so I was not surprised to find 2 or 3 stories I've "met" before. But I enjoyed reading them again, and there still remained a long list of some 55 fresh ones.
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Subjects:  1. Detective and mystery stories, American    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Psychological    7. Short Stories (Anthologies)    8. BG-FICTION $10+ - BG-SEC FICTION $10+    9. Fiction / Horror    10. Sale Books   

Reviews (3)

REALLY GOOD BOOK
This is a really good book. It gives you a full picture in your head about what each author is talking about. I recommend this book for you.

From a 15 year old reader...
I first began reading R.L. Stine's works when I was about 8 years old and, quite frankly, they scared the [poo] out of me.However, I couldn't stop reading those delicously macabre works of childrens literature.I vowed from the moment I read his first book that I would become a writer, and I am currently working up to that dream.I have also never failed to read a work by this amazing author, even as I surpassed the targeted age group.However, I still enjoy his books immensely!He is still one of the most intriguing authors ever even among my new favorites (King, Koonts, Barker, etc...).This book is not just for children, in fact, I would not reccomend half of the stories in it for children.They're often sinister, wicked, and tastefully morbid.I reccomend this book to the advanced child all the way up to the elderly adult.It is truly a work of genious, even though all of the tales are not written by Stine himself.

A Wickedly Delicious Brew
On the threshold of R.L. Stine's favorite holiday, Halloween, he's come out with a wonderful new book that is like a witches brew with multiple ingredients. The main ingredient in BEWARE is 'scary'. Added to the mix of scary stories, are some funny ones, tantalizing poems, a horror-comic, spooky illustrations, and like a cherry-on-top of an ice cream sundae, are R.L. Stine's intriguing introductions. I really liked reading an assortment of thrilling stories, R.L. Stine's favorites by different authors,the two he wrote himself, and two he retold. The scary ones definitely gave me chills. I now have a new appreciation for rats, ferris wheels, halloween costumes, elevators, witches, ghosts, and all kinds of creatures that can surface from one's imagination. Everyone will have their own favorites...Another cool thing are the spiders and cobwebs that trickle down each page while you read...This is a great book for both children and adults who like twists and thrills. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children's stories, American    3. Children's stories, English    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Anthologies    6. Holidays & Celebrations - Halloween    7. Horror & Ghost Stories    8. Horror stories    9. Horror tales, American    10. Horror tales, English    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Juvenile Fiction / Horror & Ghost Stories   

Reviews (19)

Good for a chuckle or a scare
Lovecraft is of course the master of his own storytelling framework, but some of the other authors have an interesting take on his work. Others are a bit derivative and didn't hold my attention. I love the genre though.

Best book ever...
tofcm was a awsome book. I enjoyed all of the authers different stories that were still under one over all subject. at times this book bored me in to a sleeping stuper but lucky most of the it scared me back into awakenes. At times in could not put down the book. then when that story was over and a new one came i gotloney for the old story. over all some of the authers can wright and some of them can't.

A Competent Collection
It's hard to fault a "best of" collection - each story is, after all, there because it is the best in some way, or represents a vital contribution.There is no point to my going through the listing and mentioning which stories are my favorites; they are all excellent (or at least important).Collecting the out-of-print books that contain these stories individually would cost hundreds, even when searching for the most recent reprint, so this is quite a valuable addition to your library (although you may wish later to read more by the anthologized authors).The authors below are representative of the pool of literature that Lovecraft drew from for his own stories, his contemporaries who collaborated with him, his post-humous successors, and people like Stephen King who were motivated to begin a career from reading HPL's work.
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Subjects:  1. (Howard Phillips),    2. 1890-1937    3. Cthulhu (Fictitious character)    4. Fantasy - General    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Horror    7. Horror    8. Horror - Anthologies    9. Horror tales, American    10. Horror tales, English    11. Lovecraft, H. P    12. Fiction / Horror    13. Parodies, imitations, etc   

Reviews (14)

A Great read!
If you are a zombie or horror fan this book is for you!
Fantastic anthology
These twenty-three short stories focus on zombies in all walks of life (pun intended) as the authors provide insight into the various ways of the "Living Dead".Each tale is well written as the contributions go way beyond Romero's Living Dead films.The entries were predominantly written in 2004 with three in 2005; two as ancient as 2001, and one in 2003.As far as this reviewer can tell, these have not appeared in print before.Most of the authors are relatively unknown (how can they be otherwise with zombies running wild in places like West Virginia and San Francisco) though Brian Keene has won a Stoker Award.Their entries are solid fun, as we learn how to properly dine on human leg that tastes remarkably similar to a chicken wing.The compilations range from fresh human meat struggling to survive in a world in which the superior being is the undead to zombies in outer space to reality zombie TV.Some tongue in cheek, some science fiction; all are fun horror thrillers that showcase the various lives of zombies beyond the usual stereotyping of flesh eating slobbering slobs.Sub-genre fans will definitely want to read this tribute to zombie mania while most other horror readers will also appreciate these dining on human gourmet collection.
A DEAD-FINE COLLECTION OF ZOMBIE SHORT STORIES...
I've been a zombie fan for years and I saw almost every zombie movie out there since Romero's NOTLD. But I'm a newcomer to zombie fiction. This book is my first purchase and I was very much pleased with all 23 short stories collected in this volume.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - Horror    2. Horror - Anthologies