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Rating: 
Summary: Book Source Review by Tracy Bigums
Review: A reviewer from LA, CA.
The Black Spiral: Twisted Tales of Terror
Tales of the supernatural, haunting tales, tales of gibbering terror combine with an occasional splash of dark humor in rare collection of work from the masters in horror.
This anthology comes out of the starting gate at full gallop with Mort Castle's witty and literate take on the true meaning of the horror genre. Mort's biting and sledgehammer approach to humor underscores the subject and nails it right between the eyes. "Elvis Can't Dance" answers the questions: Is "The King" prowling the streets of America, filling up at the local 7-11, aware of his surging popularity, and what's his take on impersonators and rap music? Well... he's back and he's mad! Tina Jens and Bob Weinberg tickle your funny bone and tantalize. It reads like buttered popcorn. Tim Lebbon's tale "Fell Swoop" takes place in not-so-jolly new London. He awakes to find a stranger with his face. He awakes to find Hell on earth around every bend. Richard Weber's tale "Woman-child" is a chilling and haunting tale of a young girl hounded by an astral-traveling lover. It starts slowly and quickly draws you in sentence by sentence with an ending that's a real shocker. Shades of Koontz combine with Lovecraft for an unusual and original story. Commercial pacing couples with stylistic prose for a marriage that will terrorize and awe. Ramsey Campbell's tale warns us to be careful of the consequences of giving a bad review. Which is a good match with F.Paul Wilson's tale of an outraged novelist who's not happy with the film adaptation of his story. When these talented authors take a tongue-in-cheek look at there own profession, the results are always stellar. Nancy Kilpatrick delivers a double-tap with too tales, which combine horror with sarcastic wit. Not so easy a task in the hands of lesser a writer. But Nancy takes a departure from her vampire tales and erotica to show us two haggard women who cope with life's stressors in the most unusual way. Sephera Giron's tale weaves terror with eroticism. Astral lovemaking becomes a delicious rapture.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Humor and Horror
Review: Book Source Jan 2004, January 7, 2004
Reviewer: from CA
The Black Spiral: Twisted Tales of Terror
by Tracy Bigums
Tales of the supernatural, haunting tales, tales of gibbering terror combine with an occasional splash of dark humor in rare collection of work from the masters of horror.
This anthology comes out of the starting gate at full gallop with Mort Castle's witty and literate take on the true meaning of the horror genre. Mort's biting and sledgehammer approach to humor underscores the subject and nails it right between the eyes. "Elvis Can't Dance" answers the burning questions: Is "The King" prowling the streets of America, filling up at the local 7-11? Is he aware of his surging popularity and what's his take on impersonators and rap music? Well... he's back and he's mad! Tina Jens and Bob Weinberg tickle your funny bone and tantalize. It reads like buttered popcorn: a tasty treat for your eyes. Tim Lebbon's tale takes place in not-so-jolly new London. He awakes to find a stranger with his face. He awakes to find Hell on earth around every bend. Richard Weber's tale "Woman-child" is a chilling and haunting tale of a young girl hounded by an astral-traveling lover. It starts slowly and quickly draws you in sentence by sentence with an ending that's a real shocker. Shades of Koontz combine with Lovecraft for an unusual and original story. Commercial pacing couples with stylistic prose for a marriage that will terrorize and awe. Ramsey Campbell's tale warns us to be careful of the consequences of giving a bad review. Which is a good match with F.Paul Wilson's tale of an outraged novelist who's not happy with the film adaptation of his story. When these talented authors take a tongue-in-cheek look at there own profession, the results are always stellar. Vodoo-Hodoo and more! Nancy Kilpatrick delivers a double-tap with two tales, which combine horror with sarcastic wit. Not so easy a task in the hands of lesser a writer. But Nancy makes a departure from her vampire tales and erotica to show us two haggard women who cope with life's stressors in the most unusual way: a ghoulish low carb diet!! and an afair with a Seinfeldlike ... wisecracking ... handsome stranger. Sephera Giron combines romance with erotic horror, which pulls you upward in a swift plume of passion and terror.
Rating:
Summary: Top of their game horror authors ...
Review: Jeffery Spencer, Colorado
Heavy on the suspense, light on the bloodshed; each story was unique but blended well for a good antho.
Have to say I like the first spoof of ol' Elvis rising from the grave the best ... with Campbell's quiet horror a close second.
Something for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: TERROR LACED WITH DARK HUMOR....
Review: PSYCHOLOGICAL CUTTING-EDGE TERROR WITH A WICKED TWIST!
A TURN OF THE SCREW! F. Paul Wilson ... Ramsey Campbell ... Mort Castle ...Tim Lebbon ... Tina L. Jens ... Robert Weinberg ... Nancy Kilpatrick ... Sephera Giron ... Thomas Deja ... J. Knight ... these along with other masters of suspense plunge you into their corkscrew world of hateful revenge, uncertain fate, and finally--panic. You drift deeper and deeper, tumbling into "THE BLACK SPIRAL." In twenty maximum-fear-factor tales of suspense you'll encounter ... Elvis rising from the grave to wreak havoc on a rap group who's been sampling his songs ... the uncertainty of crossing over into the shadowy world of the near death experience ... a writer who finds himself hunted like a character in the pages of his own screenplay ... a young couple who think they've found their dream home... that is, until they learn of its blood-soaked past ... a seductive vixen who uses her voluptuous body as bait as she prowls the Goth scene's nightlife looking for fresh meat, leading to an orgiastic night that guarantees eternal life for Vanessa and her all-consuming passions ... lust-filled ghosts who covet and seduce unsuspecting women as they sleep ... a beautiful, hard-driving femme fatale who's on the run in the dusty heart of the Arizona Desert and races the devil for pink slips ... and a serpent-handling, traveling preacher man who gets more than he bargained for when he unwittingly makes a pact with old "Mr. Scratch." These stories are at once eerie and haunting, chilling and nightmarishly brilliant. Guaranteed to prickle your skin with gooseflesh, and keep you reading until the wee hours of dawn. THE BLACK SPIRAL: TWISTED TALES OF HORROR A FINGERNAILS-ON-THE-BLACKBOARD THRILLFEST!
Rating: 
Summary: Plot twister
Review: Sometimes I can see where the writer's headed, but not in these stories; the plot twists worked. The Elvis Can't Dance story hooked me from the get go.
And Campbell's tale had that quiet, chilling effect.
I'll think twice before giving another bad review.
Rating:
Summary: Book Source Jan 2004
Review: The Black Spiral: Twisted Tales of Terror
by Tracy Bigums
Tales of the supernatural, haunting tales, tales of gibbering terror combine with an occasional splash of dark humor in rare collection of work from the masters of horror.
This anthology comes out of the starting gate at full gallop with Mort Castle's witty and literate take on the true meaning of the horror genre. Mort's biting and sledgehammer approach to humor underscores the subject and nails it right between the eyes. "Elvis Can't Dance" answers the burning questions: Is "The King" prowling the streets of America, filling up at the local 7-11? Is he aware of his surging popularity and what's his take on impersonators and rap music? Well... he's back and he's mad! Tina Jens and Bob Weinberg tickle your funny bone and tantalize. It reads like buttered popcorn: a tasty treat for your eyes. Tim Lebbon's tale takes place in not-so-jolly new London. He awakes to find a stranger with his face. He awakes to find Hell on earth around every bend. Richard Weber's tale "Woman-child" is a chilling and haunting tale of a young girl hounded by an astral-traveling lover. It starts slowly and quickly draws you in sentence by sentence with an ending that's a real shocker. Shades of Koontz combine with Lovecraft for an unusual and original story. Commercial pacing couples with stylistic prose for a marriage that will terrorize and awe. Ramsey Campbell's tale warns us to be careful of the consequences of giving a bad review. Which is a good match with F.Paul Wilson's tale of an outraged novelist who's not happy with the film adaptation of his story. When these talented authors take a tongue-in-cheek look at there own profession, the results are always stellar. Vodoo-Hodoo and more! Nancy Kilpatrick delivers a double-tap with two tales, which combine horror with sarcastic wit. Not so easy a task in the hands of lesser a writer. But Nancy makes a departure from her vampire tales and erotica to show us two haggard women who cope with life's stressors in the most unusual way: a ghoulish low carb diet!! and an afair with a Seinfeldlike ... wisecracking ... handsome stranger. Sephera Giron combines romance with erotic horror, which pulls you upward in a swift plume of passion and terror.
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