999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense

see http://www.sfsite.com/09a/99964.htm ( )

One of the best short story anthologies I've come across so far. Yes I am a fan of the horror genre but that doesn't even come into play here. These are well crafted, original stories that can amuse (Chet Williamson's Excerpts from the Records of the New Zodiac and the Diaries of Henry Watson Fairfax), disturb (Edward Lee's ICU), enthrall (Joe R. Landsdale's Mad Dog Summer) and fascinate (Neil Gaiman's Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story). And that's just to name a few, there isn't a disappointing story in here.

A lot of contemporary literary heavyweights contributed to this anthology, but like any short-story collection there are both highs and lows. Ultimately, there's definitely more hits than misses, and most of the big names - King, Gaiman, Oates, Blatty - all make fine contributions. There's a few works that are a little too fantasy without enough shock, but otherwise there are a couple real scares in here. ( )

Most of the stories were good, but the one that really stands out in my mind was the final story, a short novel called "Elsewhere," by William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist. I did figure out what was going on about halfway through, but that didn't stop it from being really creepy and the closest to truly scary of any of the stories.

"Elsewhere" was about Joan Freeboard, a Realtor who wanted to sell an unoccupied mansion on an island in the Hudson River. Unfortunately, the mansion was rumored to be haunted, so she convinced a writer, a psychic, and a ghosthunter to spend the night with her in the mansion to prove it wasn't haunted. All the characters were finely drawn and interesting, and the haunted mansion lived up to its name quite impressively. ( )