Rating: Summary: This is an excellent (creepy) anthology! Review: "Psychos" is a terrific read, full of stories that make you want to turn the light back on seconds after you have turned it off, just so you can look in the closet "one more time"! Always wonderful to read anything new from Stephan King, and Jane Yolen, among others. Just don't forget to check under the bed, before laying down for that long night's rest!
Rating: Summary: A great hard-core psyco book. Review: Although I'm more of a "horror" fan, I thought this was a really good collection of stories.
Rating: Summary: Fans of S. King and/or psychological suspense will love it! Review: I am the author of "Icewall," one of the stories in ROBERT BLOCH'S PSYCHOS. At the risk of committing some sort of authorial faux pas, I would like to urge readers of psychological suspense to give this superb anthology a try. Robert Bloch wrote PSYCHO, which became Alfred Hitchcock's best-known film. Mr. Bloch died before the book was published, and the anthology has become a loving tribute by his peers, colleagues, and beginners (like me) who were influenced by his wonderful novels, stories, and scripts. His legacy lives on in the dark humor and tingling suspense found in the stories contained in this volume, which is brought to you by the Horror Writers Association. Here you will find great stories by the likes of Stephen King, Charles Grant, Ed Gorman, Billie Sue Mosiman, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Richard Christian Matheson, Esther Friesner, Jane Yolen, and Gary Braunbeck, just to name a few. You can't go wrong! The synopsis for this anthology lists an "online promo" but I have never seen one, so I decided to light a fire in the darkness and bring some attention to this deserving volume -- a volume I am sure Bob Bloch is proud of! Enjoy! But don't turn off the lights...
Rating: Summary: Perfect length Review: I normally do NOT like short stories. This collection was, however, just great. Although I wouldn't give every individual story in the book five stars, I truly did enjoy every one.
Rating: Summary: Don't let them get me, Mommy, please? Review: Starting off with Stephen King's `Autopsy Room Four', a story that, believe it or not, I have never read of his. An excellent view of what it is like for one man to almost become a corpse before his time, Robert Bloch's `Psychos' keeps up this pace with some stunningly unique and frightening tales of murder and mayhem.
Charles Grant's `Haunted' turns the tables of a secretive killer and the strangely heroic form of a bum.
Ed Gorman's `Out There In The Darkness' tells a tale of middle class vengeance against the dregs of society, a cult that takes care of their own.
Brent Monahan's `Doctor, Lawyer, Kansas City Chief' takes us to the limits of where an angry man will go to track down drunk drivers.
Del Stone Jr. writes `Lighting The Corpses, a tale of an ethereal madman who lights up fires of hopelessness.
Clark Perry's `Deep Down There' will keep you out of caves for the rest of your life, and Gary Jonas's "So You Want To Be A Hitman' takes you on a road-rage ride with a true psychotic.
My Favorites, along with `Autopsy Room Four', would be Lawrence Watt-Evans `Grandpa's Head', giving us a tiny glimpse of family history, Ester M. Friesner's `Loneyhearts' with lessons on how to stalk and find just the right mate for you, Edo van Belkom's `The Rug' gives sinister menace to an everyday item, and Gary A. Braunbeck's `Safe' is a chilling Columbine type tale of unexplainable madness.
There are more tales of terror by Richard Christian Matheson, Denise M. Bruchman, Dominick Cancilla, Cindi Geddes, Yvonne Navarro, David Niall Wilson, Richard Parks, Stephen M. Rainey, Jane Yolen, and Billie Sue Mosiman. Twenty-two tales in all, plus notes about the authors in the back. The introduction was done by Horror Writer's Association, for even though Robert Bloch started this editing project, he sadly died before its completion, leaving behind a legacy of some of the best horror ever written.
While some of the stories do not actually center around actual psychos, they all tend to leave that feeling of madness poised in the gray matter between your ears, threatening to sink deeper the longer you ponder these tales. `Psychos' is a true masterpiece collected by Horror Writers Association, and a definite not-to-be-missed trip into the insanity we horror aficionados crave so much. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: all I have to say is " Autopsy room four" Review: the best story is "Autopsy room four".. " what are you trying to do? stroke him back to life.." just read the book then you'll understand what I'm tlking about..
Rating: Summary: A Poor Anthology. There IS Better Out There Review: This anthology failed to impress me. Most of the stories were truly poor not worth the time to read. There are a couple of exceptions. Most notably where Denise M. Bruchman's "Lesser of Two Evils" and Edo van Belkom's "The Rug"; I would readily give these two stories five stars each. The two worst, most dissapointing works in the collection were Richard Christian Matheson's "Help Me" (a true waste of space), and--brace yourselves-- Stephen King's "Autopsy Room Four"; both of these works were pathetic sensationalism--I've not read any other R.C. Matheson (though I'm a fan of his father's), but I KNOW King can do much better. Don't waste your time or money. Check it out from the libary to read the contributions of Bruchman and Belkom; bother with nothing else.
Rating: Summary: A Poor Anthology. There IS Better Out There Review: This anthology failed to impress me. Most of the stories were truly poor not worth the time to read. There are a couple of exceptions. Most notably where Denise M. Bruchman's "Lesser of Two Evils" and Edo van Belkom's "The Rug"; I would readily give these two stories five stars each. The two worst, most dissapointing works in the collection were Richard Christian Matheson's "Help Me" (a true waste of space), and--brace yourselves-- Stephen King's "Autopsy Room Four"; both of these works were pathetic sensationalism--I've not read any other R.C. Matheson (though I'm a fan of his father's), but I KNOW King can do much better. Don't waste your time or money. Check it out from the libary to read the contributions of Bruchman and Belkom; bother with nothing else.
Rating: Summary: A solid collection from the premier horror writers out there Review: This is a collection of 22 original stories presented by The Horror Writers Association. In the U.S., there are two editions: a paperback and the limited hardcover put out by Cemetery Dance Publications. I suggest picking up the hardcover and I'll explain why later. The big draw to this one is Stephen King's original appearance of AUTOPSY ROOM 4, a story about a guy who is not dead but the Dr.'s performing the autopsy think otherwise. This is one of the better King shorts in a long while and is a fun read. The best story is Gary Braunbeck's SAFE, a story about how a town tries to cope and understand a mass murder. It is told through the eyes of a relative of the murderer who was saved in the melee and how he is dealing with the reprucussions of the event years later. It is an emotionally wrenching piece and is still reverberating in my body still, a few days after reading it. Ed Gorman treats us to a "What If" story. What if a neighborhood watch group actually killed a thief and the thief's accomplices try to enact revenge? It's a great premise and Gorman delivers a stunning story. Clark Perry also tells a story of childhood guilt that still haunts the living. This one was written so well I actually missed an appointment because I was so engrossed in the character's lives. I wish more of Mr. Perry's stuff would see the light of a day. A very talented writer. Other standout stories are put out by Yvonne Navarro, David Niall Wilson, Del Stone Jr. Cindie Geddes and Richard Christian Matheson. There really was not a story I didn't enjoy in here. A very good collection and one not to be skipped. Now for the reason I suggest the hardcover edition. Cemetery Dance Publications has made this book look very unique. And it has nothing to do with the Eric Powell cover, even though it is great and alluring. It has to do with the inside of the book. Obviously, Richard Chizmar took great care in designing the pages, as they are decorated with little illustrations by Jason Van Hollander. At each page corner there are these creepy characters and at the end of each story a little haunted house. The end papers also have some great illustrations by Allen Koszowski that show the face of the late Robert Bloch and some of his and others' characters. A very nice looking edition that you'll appreciate for years to come. Highly recommended and highest recommendation for buying the hardcover edition.
Rating: Summary: A solid collection from the premier horror writers out there Review: This is a collection of 22 original stories presented by The Horror Writers Association. In the U.S., there are two editions: a paperback and the limited hardcover put out by Cemetery Dance Publications. I suggest picking up the hardcover and I'll explain why later. The big draw to this one is Stephen King's original appearance of AUTOPSY ROOM 4, a story about a guy who is not dead but the Dr.'s performing the autopsy think otherwise. This is one of the better King shorts in a long while and is a fun read. The best story is Gary Braunbeck's SAFE, a story about how a town tries to cope and understand a mass murder. It is told through the eyes of a relative of the murderer who was saved in the melee and how he is dealing with the reprucussions of the event years later. It is an emotionally wrenching piece and is still reverberating in my body still, a few days after reading it. Ed Gorman treats us to a "What If" story. What if a neighborhood watch group actually killed a thief and the thief's accomplices try to enact revenge? It's a great premise and Gorman delivers a stunning story. Clark Perry also tells a story of childhood guilt that still haunts the living. This one was written so well I actually missed an appointment because I was so engrossed in the character's lives. I wish more of Mr. Perry's stuff would see the light of a day. A very talented writer. Other standout stories are put out by Yvonne Navarro, David Niall Wilson, Del Stone Jr. Cindie Geddes and Richard Christian Matheson. There really was not a story I didn't enjoy in here. A very good collection and one not to be skipped. Now for the reason I suggest the hardcover edition. Cemetery Dance Publications has made this book look very unique. And it has nothing to do with the Eric Powell cover, even though it is great and alluring. It has to do with the inside of the book. Obviously, Richard Chizmar took great care in designing the pages, as they are decorated with little illustrations by Jason Van Hollander. At each page corner there are these creepy characters and at the end of each story a little haunted house. The end papers also have some great illustrations by Allen Koszowski that show the face of the late Robert Bloch and some of his and others' characters. A very nice looking edition that you'll appreciate for years to come. Highly recommended and highest recommendation for buying the hardcover edition.
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