Rating: 
Summary: If You Don't Own Bentley Little-Get This One!
Review: I love this book! My absolute favorite parts of any Bentley novels are usually the climax points. The really gorey parts. The Collection is just that. In addition to being obscenly intense this book keeps you thinking and your heart racing. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. Bentley Little is for lack of better wordsm, a talented genius! Get this book, you'll be hooked!
Rating: 
Summary: The worst collection of short stories I have ever read.
Review: I think one star is much too generous. Why doesn't Amazon.com offer a "no stars" option? While I have read several of Little's books and enjoyed them, that is not the case with this collection of pathetic stories. I know that when reading horror you are supposed to suspend your disbelief, but these stories are so awful and/or ludicrous that you'll end up laughing at their sheer badness. Not a single one of these stories is scary or creepy by any stretch of the imagination. In Little's novels, I always found that while entertaining, he seems to always rush his endings to a swift and unsatisfying finish. Loose ends don't always seem to get tied up and I am always left with the impression that he was tired of writing and just wanted to wrap it up no matter what. While I think "The Ignored" is his best book, none of the stories in this collection are anywhere near as interesting or well written. I understand many of these were written when he was early in career when he was learning his craft, etc. etc. But these are so phenomenally bad...Pieces of paper and garbage attacking people? Visions of blood in a pot of macaroni and cheese? Other themes include cannibalism, incest, a snuff show, and possibly the worst of the lot deals with a man visiting his widowed father only to find the father engaged in a relationship with a deformed child/creature of some sort that he believes is his new wife. I can suspend my disbelief if necessary, but these are so laughable. Most of the stories here have absolutely no point whatsoever and show that Little's habit of not wrapping things up to a satisfying conclusion was a trait from early on. Of course, most of these stories are essentially plotless anyway, so maybe that doesn't matter. I suppose at that time in his career he was following that tiresome trend of deliberately ambiguous endings, but here it just doesn't work. Save your money on this piece of tripe and buy "The Ignored" or any of his other novels. Those may be kind of silly as well but at least they're a fun and entertaining read. Better yet, buy any collection of Stephen King's stories. OK, I'm done ranting for now. I guess it's obvious I thought this was an awful waste of paper. But I'll keep it on hand for any friends that are looking for a good laugh.
Rating: 
Summary: Stop comparing him to Stephen King, he is better!
Review: I was suprised by the short stories I just read. I just finished The Collection by Bentley Little. This was my first exposure to the author. He is one demented person. I love it! everyone compares him to Stephen King and I say he is ten times better than the master of redneck...um..er.. macabre..
Mr. Little at times can be boring and too historical, but when he is in top form, he can blow your mind away. His ideas are very original. One can only imagine where he comes up with these delightfully macabre tales. Recommended must-read stories in this book include The Woods Be Dark and The Sanctuary. I guarantee once you start reading this book you will be hooked. great for late night reading. Guaranteed chills!! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: 3.5 Stars actually (a solid piece of work)
Review: I've read a few of Little's novels, and I've just finished reading this anthology. The "Collection" certainly demonstartes that Little is very talented writer with arguably a more grotesque imagination than Dean Koontz or Stephen King- this is a compliment, since he's a horror writer. However, this anthology also highlights several of his faults as a writer: while coming up with interesting premises, the execution and plot are sometimes lacking (this is more evident in the often rushed endings of his novels than in his short stories); also, Little's characterization is much weaker than King or Koontz. Often he has his characters do "weird" things- often they seem compelled to do so- for the sake of the horrific effect, but at the expense of credibility. However, Little has one tremendous strength that he shares in particular with Koontz: although this is a long book , you'll fly through it, since he has a highly readable writing style.
Rating:
Summary: NEW GENRE OF HORROR!!
Review: I've read numerous Bentley Little books, and this one is by far his best. The 32 stories in "The Collection" are all unique in their own way. Some will shock, some will disguist, others will amaze, and yes, a few might even make you yawn. Overall though, it's a very enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: NEW GENRE OF HORROR!!
Review: I've read numerous Bentley Little books, and this one is by far his best. The 32 stories in "The Collection" are all unique in their own way. Some will shock, some will disguist, others will amaze, and yes, a few might even make you yawn. Overall though, it's a very enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING COLLECTION!
Review: In my opinion, Bentley Little is the most satisfying horror writer in the field. His imagination is superb, and his writing style is brisk and thouroughly engaging. I'm amazed that he has not vaulted into greater prominence. THE COLLECTION is a superb book and a great introduction Little's work. The stories cover a wide range of situations and fascinating premises. He comes up with some truly mind boggling scenarios that will leave the reader wondering which dark corner of his mind has produced such things. Buy this book. You'll be glad you did. Once you read it, the stark images will be stuck with you long after you put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Weirdly reminiscent of your worst nightmares.
Review: In these thirty two stories, you cannot help but wonder if author Bentley Little was just recording his own nightmares. They are, for the most part, too weird to be frightening, although there are a few parts that will bring out the adrenaline. When he is not being scary, he is grossing you out, which is never a bad thing for horror lovers. Unfortunately, I just could not find myself stuck to the pages, it just wasn't that mesmerizing. What I kept thinking of is what my own collection of nightmares written down would be like, and I think they would be similar, if not as vivid. Bentley Little is a fine author who does a good job of putting stories together, but this time I think he could have added a little more reality, a little less abstract extreme, and a lot more depth.
Rating:
Summary: In this economy, find a better use for your money
Review: Like many of Bentley Little's other books, I was initially caught up by Little's talent for identifying interesting premises but then was disappointed by his lack of follow through.
For example, the premise of one of the short stories in the Collection was what if you came home early one day from work and then found out disturbing facts about your wife. Okay, that's somewhat interesting. However, the story proceeded to fizzle out by the end. Little's almost complete inability to create an authentic, intriguing lead character doesn't help matters.
Secondly, the premises sometimes verged on ridiculousness. It's interesting to say "what if" George Washington wasn't the noble father of our country that we all know and love. But to turn him into a murderous child-killing cannibal is a bit much. I wasn't offended by the premise--I just thought it was way too unrealistic. Try not go quite so far Bentley. A few of Bentley Little's books are pretty good, although his weak character problem never really goes away. This isn't one of them. Read something by F. Paul Wilson, Robert McCammon or Stephen King and avoid this mishandled effort.
Rating:
Summary: I agree with Bill Wilson...
Review: Little goes for cheap thrills to divert your attention from his lack of talent. The plots are weak, and most of these stories seem like something a freshman would turn in for an intro to creative writing course. I paid [$] at a used book store and still feel cheated.
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