Toybox

Here, then, are some of the best stories from TOYBOX: "Pumpkin Head": a little girl at a Halloween party is not what she seems. "The Man with Legs": A girl and her brother go on a bus trip and find more than they are looking for in a house that looks like a white spider. "Roger's Head": a man's head begins to grow and doesn't stop as his two friends desperately try to save the world. "Red Eve": Halloween in the far future when humans live on a glass shell in the sky above a burned out Earth. But vampires have survived. "Boxes": the last story, which rounds out the book nicely as the cover closes.But all the stories are good, these are just some of my favorites.

I have been reading horror fiction for most of my life. I am a rabid Lovecraft fan, and have read hundreds of novels and short story collections. I consider myself discriminating, only reading the best in horror fiction -- the stuff that really scares the hell out of you and makes you fear the dark.That being said, this is now my favorite short horror story collection. The unsettling feeling that these stories leave you with will linger for quite some time.

Al Sarrantonio is yet another master of the short story mediumI have come to appreciate of late. Thanks to Joe R. Lansdale(my very favorite short story writer!(and the introduction to thiscollection) As a past reviewer stated perfectly I can't seemto get enough short stories lately, but I do try and read novelswhen I have time. They both are perfect ways to spend some time. Short stories can have so much impact, I'vefound some great short story collections recently from the likes of Jack Ketchum, Peter Crowther, P.D Cacek, Neil Gaiman, Simon Clark, Ray Bradbury(the godfather of these stories), the dark masques, and darker masques series of late and of course my favorite, HIGH COTTON which Ibelieve is a must have from Joe R. Lansdale, for your short storycollection. TOY BOX has a great cover to wet the appetite forthis strange weirdness you are about to discover. Autumn is the perfect time of the year to sit back and discover this gifted storyteller. There are so many talented writers out there to discover and stories to take you away. Enjoy this one!

I can't decide what I like better: horror novels or collections of horror short stories. Short stories usually read faster, and they often contain stronger shocks than a novel because the author has to deliver the goods within the space of a few pages. Novels are great because the reader often gets better character development and multiple plot threads. I guess I can keep reading both types of horror literature and quit worrying about which one of the two is superior, although after reading Al Sarrantonio's collection of horrific gems, entitled "Toybox," I am giddy about short stories right now. It is difficult to describe why I liked this collection so much, as there is little in the way of the type of gory violence I always look forward to with a horror book. Despite the absence of sauce, this book is well worth reading for literate fans of the horror genre. Apparently, Sarrantonio has written tons of novels and stories over the past two decades, but I am a little ashamed to admit that this is the first book of his I have stumbled over. The introduction by Joe Lansdale effusively praises Al Sarrantonio's work as some of the best the horror field has to offer. The first thing I noticed about this author's stories was the intricate yet whimsical writing style. On more than one occasion, I felt as though Sarrantonio must have channeled Dr. Suess while he wrote his tales, not in a literal sense, but more in how the stories bounce along in a pithy, sing-song way. The fact that many of these stories use children as the main characters also reminded me of the author of "Green Eggs and Ham." Stories that fall into this category include "Pumpkin Head," a strange tale about an unpopular classmate with a horrible past, "The Corn Dolly," a haunting yarn about a young boy who finally attends the festival in the local village and learns a disturbing secret about his long gone father, and "Wish," a primer about being careful about what you wish for in life. A sizeable part of this collection deals with the hopes and dreams of the young, with yearnings that usually end with catastrophic consequences once they come true. Several of the stories are amazingly short, barely more than three or four pages, but Sarrantonio's adroit use of the English language makes these shorter than short tales as satisfying as a sprawling novel. Towards the end of the book, a few stories took on a darker, more ominous tone. Although I found most of the stories in the book entertaining, I soon discovered I preferred these tales. "Children of Cain" is probably the best entry in this part of the book, an account of two boys who end up sharing a murderous passion with devastating results for those around them. Then there is "Richard's Head," about an introverted genius and the repercussions of a relationship gone sour. "Red Eve" is more of a science fiction/horror story about the futility of the human race to advance beyond its disastrous limitations. "Pigs" relates the adventures of J

An incredible book. Easily one of the best horror collections of the past decade, with lyrical echoes of Ray Bradbury (there's a story, amazing and completely successful, that frames and runs through the book, like THE ILLUSTRATED MAN) as well as Dylan Thomas and other imagists. At times this stuff reads almost like poetry. The book is beautifully assembled, and some of the stories are achingly original and wonderful, as if they had a direct connection to childhood. Some of them are more than twenty years old, from such classic sources as the SHADOWS series, and it's amazing that this is the first time they've been collected. If you're a horror fan buy this, if you're a fan of imaginary literature of any kind buy it. You will not, I repeat will not be disappointed, and you will go back and read this book again. The best few bucks you'll spend in the field this year.