Awesome. Just awesome. A few of these stories (like Big Steve's "Chattery Teeth") I had previously read within the pages of Richard Chizmar's marvelous semi-pulp, which I used to be able to get in local book stores. The subscription price was pretty dear, so I've been missing it for a while, then I ran across this title in a used book store. I think I gave a buck for it.

No, really. I'm almost ashamed.

But really. 300 pages of QUALITY, that's what you've got here. It's pretty rare that a collection will go so long without a clinker, and this one went almost to the end. That's a pretty good ratio. Still, I just didn't "get" David Niall Wilson's "The Mole", and that sort of brought things to a screeching halt. Fortunately it's near the end of the book, and the rest are so darned good it's easy to forgive. Some of them could possibly scar you for life. "Pig's Dinner" by Graham Masterton…oh my GAWD. If you don't wince with every bite of your next pork chop or slice of bacon (curse you, vegetarians!) then you're not human. And Nancy Holder's "Crash Cart" will put you in a VERY uncomfortable place indeed. But perhaps the wildest is Jack Pavey's "The Rabbit", which has a denouement that comes so far out of left field that it his you like a Louisville Slugger.

There's a second book to this collection, and it's on my wish list, if anybody wants to get it for me for my birthday…till then, I will continue to remember this as one of the finest lot of horror genre stories it's ever been my pleasure to be sickened by. ( )

The vast majority of tales in this collection are spellbinding. Some of the particular standouts include:
"Halceldama" by Gary A. Braunbeck: A beautifully written, haunting tale concerning a choice that should give every reader pause to consider what they would do.
"The Pig Man" by Augustine Funnell: Tragic and ultimately grotesque tale of an incident from a man's childhood.
"Mobius" by R. C. Matheson: A short tale with an unexpected and clever twist.
"The Rendering Man" by Douglas Clegg: I have never been Clegg's biggest fan, finding most of his books either enjoyable but forgettable or completely unreadable. This story however is not only his best work to date, but one of the best works in this collection.
"Layover" by Ed Gorman: Not so much a horror story, but a satisfying bit where the protagonist learns an important lesson.
"Johnny Halloween" by Norman Partridge: Again, not really horror, but a good piece that really captures the Halloween essence in its telling.
Steve Bevan's "Hope" was short but spooky, but was surpassed by "Silhouette" by Stephen Mark Rainey, probably the creepiest story in the collection.
"Rustle" by Peter Crowther was probably the most original tale in the book.
"Roadkill" by Tom Elliot was ironically humorous.
"When the Silence Gets Too Loud" by Brain Hodge was a satisfying tale of woodsy horror.
"The Rabbit" by Jack Pavey was another standout, a very disturbing story with a chilling ending.
"Pig's Dinner" was my introduction to the work of Graham Masterton and I'm definitely hooked and eager to read more of his work.
"Wrapped Up" was a brief tale of a monster awoken in an Egyptian tomb, by one of my favorite authors, Ramsey Campbell.
Finally,
"The Mole" by David Niall Wilson was a brief fun piece that I wish could have been longer. ( )