Dark Delicacies II: Fear; More Original Tales of Terror and the Macabre by the World's Greatest Horror Writers

90% of the stories were great! The others still pretty good. A wide range of tales, from monsters, zombies, supernatural, and just plain old strange. Worth a look for sure.

These are Excellent short story books. Love them. Need Dark Delacies III now!

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 am definitely intrigued to see what the first book (Dark Delicacies) holds.

Although its Stoker-winning predecessor had set very high standards by which any anthology bearing the name "Dark Delicacies" is to be judged, this volume passes the test with flying colours. Every story in this volume was refreshingly different in their approach towards the 'horrifying' aspects of life, while retaining the trully absorbing quality of narration. I have read and re-read every story and nearly every one has provided me with that exquisite shudder that we dream of while purchasing any book of horror. Among them the following are especially noteworthy for the way they accomplished to spin certain hackneyed themes: 1. "Sunrise on Running Water" by Barbara Hambly deals with the dilemma faced by a vampire on-board the sinking Titanic; 2. "If there's a Will.." by Robert Masello recalls the Poesque theme of premature burial with a superb twist at the end; 3. "Between eight and nine o' clock" by Robert Garton, despite being a sordid tale of murderous calculations gone wrong, has a memorable touch of humanity that is quite rare now-a-days. I whole-heartedly encourage the readers to purchase this book and to enjoy the stories one-at-a-time.

The first DARK DELICACIES anthology was one of the knockouts of 2005; it earned almost unanimous critical praise and won the Bram Stoker Award as Best Anthology. If possible, DARK DELICACIES II: FEAR surpasses that earlier volume, in both quality and jolts. There's not a bad tale here, and editors Jeff Gelb and Del Howison have provided a delicious mix of established horror masters (Joe Lansdale, John Farris), writers who don't often appear in anthologies (Tananarive Due, Barbara Hambly) and newcomers. In fact, one of the best stories in the book, "The Unlikely Redemption of Jared Pierce", comes courtesy of screenwriter Joey O'Bryan and represents his first published fiction; the story, about a reformed drunk driver vs. "Mr. Lucky", a victim with a serious grudge, features a finale guaranteed to turn heads. Other standouts include Glen Hirshberg's creepy and tragic "I Am Coming to Live in Your Mouth", about a woman who must deal with both her terminal husband and sinister figures haunting his deathbed; and Caitlin Kiernan's "The Ammonite Violin (Murder Ballad No. 4)", which closes the book like a fine dessert beautifully prepared by a gourmet chef. Here's hoping this is only the second installment of a long and healthy series.