Read by Dawn: Volume 1

The stories in this book are generally first-rate. With that said, they are all over the proverbial map. Some are horror, some are suspense, some are impossible to put in a category. If you like that sort of thing, this book is for you. At times I found the transition to be jarring, but maybe because it took me so long to realize that the book was actually a gumbo of styles and genres and outlooks. Never boring, but takes some work to get through it all.

I was particularly impressed with Scott Brendel's contribution, The Seventh Green AT Lost Lakes. I thought it was a well written, suspenseful, and interesting.

READ BY DAWN: Volume 1 This has been a great year for anthologies. First we got Lee and Wilbanks' knock out collection, "Damned Nation", and then Skipp's long awaited zombie anthology, "Mondo Zombie", and now from Bloody Books we have READ BY DAWN. Put together by Adele Hartley, Director of "Dead By Dawn", Scotland's International Horror Film Festival, the anthology showcases writers from around the world, including Finland, America, Scotland, Canada, and Australia. If there is an international language for horror, this anthology is it. Among the 30 stories within, I consider only a few to fall into the mediocre category, most go straight to my favorite short stories of the year list. If this collection doesn't sweep the International Horror Guild and the Stokers awards next year, and get some respectable page space in Ellen Datlow's "Year's Best Fantasy and Horror", there is no justice. Some of my particular favorites- I mean the ones that downright made me gasp aloud or shiver while reading them- were "Bloodwalker" by Michelle Lee, an alternative universe tale of practical evil, "The Face in the Glass" by Brian G. Ross, and Rayne Hall's "The Bridge Chamber" (take that, The Descent). I'd also like to call attention to Samuel Minier's "Stuck" as a particularly well-written piece, subtle and heart wrenching, even to the bloody end. And I liked the way Lavie Tidhar takes the Alice In Wonderland theme across the world and plops it into war torn Germany in "Eine Kleine Nachmusik (1943)". But I think if I had to choose a favorite it would be "The Kylesku Trow" by Stefan Pearson; the tale's last riddle will haunt me for many years to come. Bloody Books knows how to package. The austere red, white, black and gray cover draws you in, and the font is easy reading despite the size of the slim volume. I have only one complaint with the book's construction: There are no author names listed with the tales themselves, neither in the Table of Contents or the traditional top of the page of each story. If one needs to find the author, one must either go back to the first page of the story, or scan the tiny print of the copyright page. But this is such a small thing compared to the fine stories this volume gives us. My hope is that subsequent volumes will fix this issue. But in the professional hands of the editor, I think the next volume will be even more engrossing and bring to light some of the new names in horror. And the U.K.'s most respected living horror author, Ramsey Campbell, must think they've got what it takes to become something quite special, as he adds a touching story of his own to the collection and provides a wrap around piece as well. "The Place of Revelations" seems to be his nod to the new voices in the genre and is, as usual, brilliantly written work from a master of the craft. In the absence of so many beloved ongoing anthology series, this is one to keep your eyes on in the future to give you the well-written, exciting horro

Read by Dawn was a fascinating read. Michele Lee rocks socks. Various dark and chilling stories to keep you up and looking at shadows all night long.

Read by Dawn is a delightful anthology of horror stories, from moody and atmospheric to wicked, cruel, amusing and oh-my-god-they-went-there. It's a book to have and keep and read over and over. I highly recommend it for horror fans everywhere.