Dark Delicacies II: Fear

Overall, I thought this was a much stronger selection of stories than the first volume.

Barbara Hambly tells the story of a vampire hoping to cross the Atlantic - on the Titanic. Greg Kihn provides a rock 'n' roll ghost story. The time to pay up arrives for a man who made a deal with a wizard in John Farris' entry. The power of music is explored in stories by Caitlín R. Kiernan and John Harrison.

Max Brooks and Steve Niles offer pieces based on their own ongoing creations (World War Z and paranormal detective Cal McDonald, respectively). Usually I dislike this practice, as it often gives the impression of an advert, but these particular ones stand on their own pretty well.

Gary Brandner's story of an unethical writer who loses the show more ability to decode language feels (ironically) in itself somewhat familiar. See the Twilight Zone episode "Wordplay." Similarly, Ray Garton's story about a man who hires an assassin to murder his wife seems right out of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, or one of the master's films. But it's a good story, anyway.

The only really substandard entry is is by L.A. Banks, who I think has a superficial grasp on the genre but not a genuine understanding. She writes vampire huntress novels.

If you're tired (as I am) of extreme horror fiction and appreciate subtlety, I'd recommend this collection. show less

Mainly decent contemporary horror stories. Names I recognized: Barbara Hambly (vampire on the Titanic, which is both funnier and more horrifying than you might think); Joe Lansdale (gore), Tananarive Due (purely mental horror), L.A. Banks (the only one I hated, because of the premise “lots of criminals get off on ‘technicalities’” that was not redeemed by later “humans shouldn’t disregard the law” noises), Greg Kihn (forgettable, but I do know his name!), and Caitlin Kiernan (serial killer loves the violin).

The inside of the book claims to have 20 stories, then another page claims to have 19, but I only counted 18 stories - of which I found 11 to be pretty good. There's something for everyone in here: a vampire, a crazy demon-dog, a creepy mausoleum, torture/experimentation, a monster brought to life, a drunk driver paying the price, a ghost, a musical instrument made from a dead girl, and one story - about a man about to get everything he wants - was so tragic, I lost sleep that night thinking about the story over and over. Also, while not a story itself, the Introduction by Del Howison was so fun to read, it made it even more exciting to move on to the stories inside the book. If only I could make a dark and stormy night on command...I show more am definitely intrigued to see what the first book (Dark Delicacies) holds. show less

Did not finish it. First few stories bored me.