Oddest Yet: Even More Stories to Chill the Heart

This nine tale collection of chilling suspense that edges towards the realm of horror and fantasy genres targets the middle school aged child. The contributions are fabulous and adults will enjoy the entries too. Each tale is unique whether it pays homage to Stephen King ("Storming Stephen King") or Devaney and Hoag struggling with a paranormal mystery ("The French Acre" actually a longer short than the other contributions). The illustrations found in five of the stories add to the eerie feeling that something bad is about to happen usually to youngsters. Yet the key to ODDEST YET EVEN MORE STORIES TO CHILL THE HEART like its award winning predecessors is that the stars like the train muggers of "Uncle Bando's Chimes" using somewhat nasty language so that it seems real when a wind chime works its magic. It is that the tales entertain with realistic protagonists although the format is magically short. Harriet Klausner

On April 1, 2005 the Horror Writers Association named Oddest Yet one of the four Nominees for the Bram Stoker Award (Young Readers category), the horror genre's top honor. The other four authors nominated are Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, and Jeff Mariotte. Winner to be announced at the Stoker Banquet in Los Angeles June 24, 2005.