[b:Dueling Minds|15760779|Dueling Minds|Brian James Freeman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342740542s/15760779.jpg|21460976] edited by [a:Brian James Freeman|3415820|Brian James Freeman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1313877690p2/3415820.jpg] is a collection of horror stories all based upon the cover illustration by Alan M. Clark. The six stories in this small volume are all absolutely top-notch. All six authors saw different potentials in the illustration and all fleshed out their ideas wonderfully. It is hard for me to pick a favorite, but the story by [a:Brian Keene|52050|Brian Keene|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1248120869p2/52050.jpg] left me thinking about it the longest. The interior artwork by Erin S. Wells wonderfully complements each story. For horror fans, this is a collection not to be missed. ( )

I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Copy of this title from the editor. I think the concept of this book is great and I hope that more are done in this manner in future.

In all there are 6 different stories inspired by the art that is used as the cover. The first story, Purple Reign by Brian Keene, was easily my favorite of the group. The last 2 stories were from authors I was not familiar with at all, Jenny Orosel and Gary Houarner. Of those 2 I enjoyed Jenny more. I found Gary's story, The Breath of Bygone Spirits, to be my least favorite of the group. I found that one to be a little too long for what that story called for, though on a 2nd read that could easily change. I do remember finding the link between the story and the artwork to be suspect though, like it was added as an afterthought to fit in with the requirements. It was still a decent story though, which is why I could easily see my view on that story being more positive on a second read later on. All in all a great read and a solid entry into the Cemetery Dance Signature Series! ( )

This is a great concept for a book - have a number of different authors look at a piece of art (in this case, the cover of the book) and tell the story that the art inspires.

We're treated to several different tales from many of horror's best and brightest and the different places we're taken to do not disapoint.

I woudl highly recommend this read to everyone who's a fan of horror/dark fiction. ( )

Dueling Minds edited by Brian James Freeman
The concept of this collection is wonderful. An image was created by Alan M. Clark, which is the cover art, and the authors were asked to write a story based on their interpretation of the image. Inside art by Erin S. Wells is amazing as is all of her work. This is the first time that Cemetery Dance has used a collection of stories in their Signature Series and it was a successful decision, indeed. Because each story was written with the cover image in mind, all of the stories had an element of a balloon, which is the prominent subject of the image. Even though each story is completely different, they all feel tied together. As you read through from story to story you can imagine it's the same balloon and all of the stories are happening on different levels of existence.

Purple Rain by Brian Keene
In Purple Rain Keene starts his story with the blue balloon, from the image, crashing. When it crashes it spills out purple rain. Right from the start Keene centers on how a single family of three with a neighbor friend handle the rain and everything that comes with it. He is very good at describing the scene and doesn’t waste any time before revealing the terror that is the rain. It's fast paced, well narrarated and fun to read. I liked this story.

Bargain by Gary A. Braunbeck
Braunbeck lays out the scene in a highly descriptive manner. The story is told in a third person narrative about a young man who is riding in the balloon from the cover. The young man describes his voyeuristic view as he floats along. He draws you in and really brings the story to a close in the last sentence.

Between the Dark and the Daylight by Tom Piccirilli
This chilling tale is about a man who tries to save a boy stuck in a balloon. The man and the boy’s father fail to keep the boy from floating away. Piccirilli keeps the story moving and really makes you think about your morals. Fantastic ending to a well written piece.

Falling Off the World by Tim Lebbon
A very strange story about a girl floating under the balloon. Lebbon uses his imagination to describe what happens as if floating under a balloon is a normal everyday occurrence. Nice concept for a story and nicely written, also.

That Which Binds by Jenny Orosel
Super creepy! It starts by jumping around a little hard to follow, but quickly sets a tone of love lost. The balloon makes its appearance near the end with surprising results. Orosel is sinister. I liked this one a lot.

The Breath of Bygone Spirits by Gerard Houarner
Bill returns home for the first time in 26 years. Things were the same, yet different, more modern. Bill strolls through the town reflecting on thoughts and images of the past. He sees things that are rather strange while noticing the town seems empty. Houarner's story telling ability and his strength of keeping the reader attentive are evident in this story. He keeps your mind wondering and when all is revealed we find the story still has much more. I thought this was an exceptional story, one of my favorites.

Overall, some stories were better than others. My favorites were Purple Rain and The Breath of Bygone Spirits, but all were satisfying. I recommend you read this book as it is different than your typical collection of short stories. ( )

Dueling Minds is an entertaining collection of horrific, suspenseful short stories that provides originality in both its concept and in its content. This collection is the 10th installment of Cemetery Dance Publications Signature Series and is edited by Brian James Freeman (Painted Darkness). The Signature Series sets out to join the different media of art and literature together to create a theme based horror/suspense collection or novella. This particular collection uses the artwork of Alan M. Clark, the illustrations of Erin S. Wells, and various authors to create short but entertaining read.
On the front cover of Dueling Minds, Alan M. Clark provides an eerie painting of a ghastly hot air balloon rising into a menacing sky that hangs over a small, fogged-in town. This painting sets the theme for each of the six stories inside. The authors provide their own dark interpretations of this image. The stories range in concept from survival, lost love, to misunderstandings and identity. All of the stories have a dark, sometimes violent or ghostly turn of events.
Jenny Orosel’s “That Which Binds” stands out as a tale of ghostly longing as a man suffers the lose of his girlfriend after a hot air balloon ride. Brian Keene’s “Purple Reign,” however, is more brutal in its interpretation of the cover art. In Keene’s story hot air balloons appear over various cities only to leave behind a purple mist that changes everyone into violent berserkers with a taste for brutality.
Each of the six stories has a completely unique view of the cover art. To further extend the collection’s bond between art and literature, each story contains illustrations that emphasize key moments. The unique concept alone makes this a collection worthwhile, but the intensity and careful construction of each story makes Dueling Minds an excellent read. ( )