Product Description
Beyond Your Darkest Dreams... From the deceptive safety of your very own bed to the seeming stillness of country roads and the bustle of urban streets, your darkest realities reveal themselves as you enter hidden realms, crossing the threshold into one man's tortured mind--a mind haunted by the mocking, derisive voices of his youth... Quench your insatiable thirst for terror at a bar where the drinks are abominable and the patrons never leave. Relive the infamous, harrowing Middle Passage that brought millions of African slaves to America, but this time with a spellbinding twist... Lie Your Deepest Fears... From scenes of pulsating ecstasy to unspeakable tragedy, surrender yourself to a world inhabited by bizarre sex cults and violent gangs. Meet the malevolent entities that feed on human misery in the midst of a hurricane's wrath. Endure a sweltering summer on a swamp inhabited by mischievous spirits intent on possessing the most innocent within their slimy grasp. Submit to the tantalizing temptation and the irresistible pull of the unknown in nineteen stories that will illuminate the horrors within--and without. And whatever you do, don't turn off the lights...
|
|
 Whispers of greatness
DARK DREAMS III: WHISPERS IN THE NIGHT
Edited by Brandon Massey
Dafina Books
Trade paper, $14.00
In 2004, when Brandon Massey brought together the best of the best of the African American horror/fantasy writing community to create the Dark Dreams anthology series it contained wholly refreshing and exciting takes on the common horrors of man, told from a distinctively African American point of view. It was, in some ways, a wakeup call for the vast majority of horror readers (and even some editors) that there was a whole section of writers out there being neglected in the ever-widening scape of horror and dark fantasy.
And now we've hit number three in the anthology series and I must say I miss the halcyon days of the first two collections. WHISPERS IN THE NIGHT is a fine collection, but in no way does it match the superior quality of past offerings.
To be sure, there are some spikes on the radar.
Lexi Davis' `Are You My Daddy?' is just plain laugh out loud funny as this baby-daddy finds himself father to a kid that just won't take `no' for an answer.
Maurice Broaddus (one of my fav writers, period) gives a bone chilling existential slap to the face with `Nurse's Requiem'.
Randy Walker's `To Get Bread and Butter' may be the finest example in writing of what true madness is and how simple it is to cross that thin line between being picky and O.C.D.
And, of course, Massey's own story, `Ghostwriter' is good stuff. It's written with passion and élan.
But the other stories are just `okay'.
And that's the main problem for me. I wanted this to be better than okay. They should be better than okay. They shouldn't read like trunk stories, without focus or thematic approach. This anthology series has proven itself to be a powerful voice for African American writers in general- not just African American horror and dark fantasy writers. The vein is still full and ripe and it needs to be tapped for something more than mediocrity. These stories, each and every one of them, should be the best of the best, and should blow other anthologies out of the water. It should, in short, give Stephen Jones and run for his money for each and every one of the genre related anthology awards.
Perhaps the problem is that many of the writers had nothing significant to say about modern horror. There are several attempts at urban horror, but nothing that stands out and tries to redefine the sub-genre. There are stories of love and dysfunctional relationships, but this is all too self centered and provides no gestalt for the passive reader. No one tried to cleave the genre boundaries asunder. And in this uncertain horror day and age, as writers, white, black, polka dotted- whatever- we need to swing as broad a sword as we can to redefine the literary niche we've been assigned. If any one anthology series has a chance to do it, I think Massey's Dark Dreams could do so. But he's got to make his contributors dig deeper for that kind of power.
This wasn't deep enough for me.
--Nickolas Cook
|
Shouting about Whispers
This is the third installment of the Dark Dreams anthology series and so far, the best of the lot. Though previous entries were very good, none of them consistently delivered like this one. Oddly enough, the current book is the one with the least amount of promotion. So I thought I'd add my two cents.
I recommend Whispers In The Night on the basis of the following stories:
SCAB by Wrath James White. This story was my first introduction to White and what an introduction! Very powerful short story about where insecurity and negative self image can lead. A young man is so totally convinced he is ugly and unlovable until he perceives genuine romantic interest as ridicule and responds in the most barbaric of ways. One of the best stories in the installment.
AND DEATH RODE WITH HIM by Anthony Beal. This story deals with hell and the inability to escape it. Not as good as Scab, but a nice story nonetheless.
ARE YOU MY DADDY by Lexi Davis. This was another one of my favorites in the anthology. Once again, I never heard of Lexi Davis before this. But on the basis of her work here, I'll make an effort to purchase her future works. Davis somehow manages to combine humor and horror and turn it into a rollicking good time! This story had me literally laughing out loud! Its hysterical! So good, in fact, I was depressed when it was over. This was the first short story I read where I was disappointed it was a short story...I wanted it to go on for several more pages. If you need one reason to buy this book, this story is it!
TO GET BREAD AND BUTTER by Randy Walker. Good story -- about equal to AND DEATH RODE WITH HIM.
DREAM GIRL by Dameon Edwards -- slightly better than TO GET BREAD AND BUTTER. Actually, this would've been a much better tale if it had some sort of closure to it.
MY SISTER'S KEEPER by Chesya Burke. This was a powerful story. A sister is lost to crack addiction and her family must write her off for their own well-being. It's heartrending...remarkably potent for a short story. This is a perfect example of how to write about a depressing topic without needlessly alienating the reader. Its another favorite.
THE WASP by Robert Fleming. With all due respect to the author, I didn't care for this tale too much. Fleming's literary skills are exceptional. But the story itself bordered on sadism. A little too twisted for me. Besides being a man, the resolution left me feeling uncomfortable...
HELL IS FOR CHILDREN by Rickey Windell George. Same as above. Too depressing. Aren't black people down enough already???? Read Chesya Burke.
FLIGHT by Lawana James-Holland. Great tale. It seems a little out of place in a horror anthology though. It reads more like heroic fiction. This is the antidote to anyone put off by REH's prejudicial Solomon Kane stories. Love to see James-Holland turn this into a recurring character...
MR. BONES by Christopher Chambers. Loved this story. It reminded me of the indignities minstrel performers like Bert Williams had to endure. It really touched a nerve. If this story doesn't inspire you to conduct yourself with class and dignity, there's no hope for you. Should be required reading...another favorite.
POWER AND PURPOSE by L.R. Giles. This story is too good to be ignored. Karyn has a premonition of a popular minister's assassination. She does everything in her power to keep it from coming to pass. Karyn should be a recurring character. Giles only gets better with time. I liked his story in the previous anthology and this one is far better than that one!
GHOSTWRITER by Brandon Massey is a nice sentimental story...that adds closure to this volume. Not his best work, but it'll do...
So the stories I highly recommend reading are Scab, Are you my Daddy? My Sister's Keeper, Flight, Mr. Bones and Power and Purpose! The other stories are fine. But these more than compensate for the price of the book.
|
Good... but needing something more... ( rubiconreader )
I give this one 3.5 stars. It kept me reading but that was because the stories were short and I kept hoping that one (or two) would jump out at me. I'll give my rating of each story (the "star" rating) and let you choose from there.
Summer: 3 stars
Scab: 4.5 stars
And Death Rode With Him: 3 stars
Are You My Daddy?: 3.5 stars
To Get Bread and Butter: 3 stars
My Sister's Keeper: 3 stars
The Wasp: 3 stars
Hell Is For Children: 4 stars
Flight: 2.5 stars
Hadley Shimmerhorn: American Icon: 3 stars
Nurse's Requiem: 4.5 stars (mainly because of the ending...wonderful!)
Wet Pain: 3.5 stars
The Taken: 4 stars ( I would LOVE to see this one as a full-fledged novel)
Mr. Bones: 2 stars
Rip Crew: 3.5 stars
Power and Purpose: 3.5 stars (this one was interesting)
The Love of a Zombie is Everything: 4.5 stars
Ghostwriter: 4.5 stars (the man does it again)
|
 Best out of the series !
Top Stories:
* Summer
* And Death Rode with Him (The best in the book!)
* Dream Girl
* My Sister's Keeper
* Hell is for Children
* Hadley Shimmerhorn:American Icon(Good,clean,zombie fun!)
* The Love of a Zombie is Everlasting(Fits nicely as a 'part 2' to Hadley)
* Ghostwriter
Overall, the rest of the stories in the novel were ok, but there are some that seem out of place & not worth finishing. This is a wonderful series and I hope it continues to improve with each installment.
|
 fabulous horror collection ( harrietklausner@worldnet.att.net )
The third "Dark Dreams" anthology (see the superb DARK DREAMS and the even better VOICES FROM THE OTHER SIDE) is a fabulous horror collection of all new works written by black authors. There are no clinkers as the compilation runs the gamut of the genre with for the most part fresh spins such as zombies dining on a TV news reporter while on the air to infant possession to Hurricane Katrina. A few of the tales are excellent. Especially outstanding are headliner Tananarive Due, whose "Summer" focuses on the evil possession of a preschooler, and Terence Taylor's "Wet Pain" that centers on the Old South racially rising just after Katrina devastated New Orleans. Whereas Randy Walker's "To Get Bread and Butter" hits personally home and "Are You My Daddy: by Lexi Davis will leave the audience laughing, "Ghostwriter" by Mr. Massey is a fitting closer as Dark Dreams is three for three; how could it not be with tales like the aptly named "Mr. Bones" by Christopher Chambers and the ironically titled "The Love of a Zombie Is Everlasting" by Tish Jackson.
Harriet Klausner
|
|
View Larger
Add to Cart 
