My favorite was "Good vibrations."
( )

Contains:
The dripping / David Morrell --
The wringer / F. Paul Wilson --
A season of change / Richard T. Chizmar --
Good vibrations / Richard Laymon --
The Tulsa experience / Lawrence Block --
Trolls / Christopher Fahy --
Small deaths / Charles de Lint --
White lightning / Al Sarrantonio --
Hitman / Rick Hautala --
Vympyre / William F. Nolan --
And eight rabid pigs / David Gerrold. Bringing it along / A.R. Morlan --
Redemption / Jack Ketchum --
The graveyard ghoul / Edward D. Hoch --
The rings of Cocytus / Katherine Ramsland --
Late last night / John Maclay --
Beasts in buildings, turning 'round / J.N. Williamson --
Dark side of the moon / Babara Collins --
Honor bound / J.M. Morgan --
The instrumentalist / William Relling Jr. --
Corpse carnival / Ray Bradbury --
The book of blood / Clive Barker.

A very nice collection. The stories inside range from the thrilling to the scary with very few duds of the lot. A couple of them had that "old time" short story feel, yet were also new stories. Overall very enjoyable. Some favorites are below.

"The Wringer" by F. Paul Wilson - A Repairman Jack story about a job he takes but feels he shouldn't have. And if you don't know who Repairman Jack is, shame on you!!

"A Season of Change" by Richard T. Chizmar - A revenge story from a semi-reluctant cop.

"Small Deaths" by Charles de Lint - A story about changes and something that I used to think of as "pivotal life moments."

"Redemption" by Jack Ketchum - A story both a little too close to home and yet also not quite close enough. ( )

· 9 • The Dripping • David Morrell
This was originally published in the 70's, unlike most of the stories, which were new for the book (mid-90s). However, it's quite good. A man comes home to the old country house where his family's been staying for the summer. But all is silent – except for the milk dripping from the ceiling. Where are his wife, daughter and elderly mother? What has happened?

· 18 • The Wringer • F. Paul Wilson
An American of Middle-Eastern descent has had his family kidnapped. The abductor is calling, spewing anti-Arab sentiments and demanding that he do progressively more humiliating and dangerous acts or his wife and son will be killed. In desperation, he calls a mercenary(?) hitman(?) called Repairman Jack. Good ending!

· 68 • A Season of Change • Richard T. Chizmar
A policeman whose partner has been killed by a drug dealer takes justice into his own hands. Not that memorable or scary.

· 86 • Good Vibrations • Richard Laymon
A flirtatious teenager gets more than she bargained for when she meets a good-looking – but strange – young man while sunbathing at the beach. And it was almost such a sweet story..... ;-)

· 104 • The Tulsa Experience • Lawrence Block
Last time I read this was before I'd been on tripadvisor.com and read people's ‘trip reports' about their (mostly rather mundane) vacations. This story of a guy and his brother's vacations to not-so-exotic cities and the touristy things they do on these trips reads just like one of those... except for the shocker.... Pretty funny!

· 117 • Trolls • Christopher Fahy
Straight out of college, a young woman gets the job she was hoping for – a teaching position. However, the school is an institution for mentally disabled adults, rather rundown and in an isolated location. And some of the students seem more full of malice than you'd expect. Is this why staff members keep quitting unexpectedly, never to be seen again? Or does the school hide a deeper secret? (The title does rather give it away.)

· 141 • Small Deaths [Newford] • Charles de Lint
Not really a horror story, per se. A young woman who's a late-night radio DJ gets stalked by a weirdo and learns some things about hope and despair.

· 164 • White Lightning • Al Sarrantonio
An abused kid goes nuts and goes on a killing spree. Extremely violent. Quite good.

· 176 • Hitman • Rick Hautala
A Mafia hitman's car breaks down and he's forced to hitch a ride from a passerby... but then the good Samaritan thinks he sees a dead hand flopping around, sticking out of the truck in front of them... More like an episode of The Sopranos than a horror story.

· 192 • Vympyre • William F. Nolan
An ancient vampire is dying. Only 3 pages long. He reminisces a bit, then dies.

· 195 • ...And Eight Rabid Pigs ["Satan Claus"] • David Gerrold
A writer makes up a story about the anti-Santa Claus. But naming things can bring them into being, and as the story gains popularity, perhaps Satan Claus will actually come into being. Nice holiday tale! tongue.gif

· 210 • Bringing It Along • A. R. Morlan
A rather nasty boyfriend likes to scare his wussy girlfriend on camping trips. But this time he doesn't get the last laugh.

· 219 • Redemption • Jack Ketchum
An ex-girlfriend has made a habit of offing her ex'es new dates. Nobody suspects a well-dressed young woman of being a killer. But she gets more than she bargained for when she meets a dangerous dominatrix. Eh. The story tries too hard to say too much.

· 232 • The Graveyard Ghoul • Edward D. Hoch
A mystery in the gothic vein... A rich gentleman calls for an investigation. Someone's been desecrating graves on his estate's private cemetery, and he suspects it might be his own son... but what could be the motive for such a gruesome crime? I don't really think it works all that well – the ‘clues' don't necessarily add up to the conclusion... but it's fun enough.

· 249 • The Rings of Cocytus • Katherine Ramsland
Another serial killer story. Remember, you never know what could set off a killer... they could seem normal – until the trigger is pulled, and they snap... Not one of the stronger pieces in the book.

· 255 • Late Last Night • John Maclay
A young drifter/musician meets a similar girl in a bus station. They hook up, then they get killed randomly by hoodlums. If you have a deep fear of unknown cities at night, this story might do it for you, but it's just too random and unrealistic. There's no point to it.

· 264 • Beasts in Buildings, Turning 'Round • J. N. Williamson
A group of people are stuck in a hotel in a war-torn (Middle-Eastern?) city. And someone is killing them, one by one? Who is the murderer? The lip-reading nun may be able to find out. Interesting setting/premise, but not that well executed.

· 287 • Dark Side of the Moon • Barbara Collins
An abused wife goes missing from her home. Did her husband kill her? The leader of the local feminist group, jumping to conclusions, certainly thinks so. But the psychic detective seems to think she's alive and well... on the moon.
If a guy had written this one, it would never have been published.

· 303 • Honor Bound • J. M. Morgan
Best serial killer story of the lot. When he was little, Gershom's mother was attacked and killed. Now Gershom feels compelled to reenact this crime again and again, preying on mothers with young children...forcing them to make a choice between their lives and that of their children. Believable and creepy.

· 318 • The Instrumentalist • William Relling, Jr.
Short piece from the point of view of a hospitalized psycho. Not too impressive.

· 321 • Corpse Carnival [as by D. R. Banat] • Ray Bradbury
Another older piece – originally published in 1945. A classic. One of a pair of Siamese twins is stabbed at a carnival freakshow. The quick work of a surgeon saves the other twin's life. Now he is a ‘normal' man – finally, it seems, he'll be able to be free and be alone with the woman he loves. But first, even though he always disliked and resented his twin, he's honor bound to find his brother's killer.

· 338 • The Book of Blood • Clive Barker
This is really just the introduction to Barker's "Books of Blood" series of short stories. Previously published, and certainly doesn't deserve the top billing it's given. Still, Barker's always good... ( )

I really tried to read this book. I'd read for awhile, put it down, and pick it up again later. Some of the stories I did make it through were ok, others were simply boring. I managed to make it through 208 of the 351 pages. ( )