The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two

Excellent book at a sensible price

THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF HORROR STORIES: Volume Two, edited by James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle, is their second themed horror anthology--just in time for the Halloween season! The fourteen tales collected here include stories spanning nearly 200 years.One of the many things that make this Valancourt collection stand out is the fact that the tales chosen for inclusion are NOT the most "popular" stories we've likely seen reprinted in various anthologies. The editors go out of their way to select some of the most obscure and rare short fiction--many of these were penned by authors not commonly known for writing horror tales. There is no "common theme" linking everything together.In this anthology you'll find Gothic-style horror (John Buchan's "The Watchers By the Threshold"), dark, satirical humor (R. Chetwynd-Hayes' "The Elemental"), modern horror (Bernard Taylor's "Samhain"), and even a quiet ghost story or two (Stephen Gregory's "The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake up"). I honestly feel that no matter what "style" of horror you typically enjoy, there will be something among these well-written, rarely seen stories that appeals to you.Some of the ones that stood out strongly to myself were:--Michael McDowell's "Halley's Passing": This one caught me completely by surprise!--Mary Elizabeth Bradden's "Herself": A Gothic horror story written in 1894, this one's focus on the brooding atmosphere of what should have been an idyllic island retreat is inescapable. "People are not happy there. No, they are not happy and sometimes they fade and die."--Beverly Nichols' "The Bell": The passing of a servant leaves his master in such a state that we wonder which role really belonged to each . . .--Basil Copper's "Camera Obscura": A nasty little story that was full of unstated terrors. ". . . that he was the object of universal hatred in the outside world, bothered him not in the slightest . . . "--Nevil Shute's "Tudor Windows": This was an eerie tale that kept me thinking about it long afterwards. "Everybody thinks well of it, . . . But it isn't everybody's house to live in."--Stephen Gregory's "The Boys Who Wouldn't Wake Up": A haunting tale that takes place in a boys' boarding school at Christmastime.Overall, I was delighted to see new stories from some favorite authors of mine, as well as discovering some all new authors, who I would like to read more from in the near future. I was extremely impressed with Valancourt's first collection of horror stories, and I am equally impressed by the selection in their second Volume. This is a book that I'll be re-reading for certain.Highly recommended!