Rating: Summary: A Superb Achievement! Review: After reading some of the other reviews I felt compelled to throw in my 2 cents. The various reviewers are all over the map from "LOVED IT ALL" to "IT SUCKED" - which is to be expected in any collection of short stories, and while there were some that I thought should have been omitted, there are others that more than make up for it. I am a fan of the horror genre, and gay which of course means I'm the core audience for this book and probably a little biased - that said, I truly enjoyed most of the stories in this collection... Notably - Genus Loci, Bear Shirt, The Spark and Piercing Men. I also enjoyed The Goodbye, though it was far from Queer Fear and many would argue should not have been included, it was a nice "palatte cleanser" in the mix.
Rating: Summary: Bursts of excellence Review: After reading some of the other reviews I felt compelled to throw in my 2 cents. The various reviewers are all over the map from "LOVED IT ALL" to "IT SUCKED" - which is to be expected in any collection of short stories, and while there were some that I thought should have been omitted, there are others that more than make up for it. I am a fan of the horror genre, and gay which of course means I'm the core audience for this book and probably a little biased - that said, I truly enjoyed most of the stories in this collection... Notably - Genus Loci, Bear Shirt, The Spark and Piercing Men. I also enjoyed The Goodbye, though it was far from Queer Fear and many would argue should not have been included, it was a nice "palatte cleanser" in the mix.
Rating: Summary: A book I've been waiting for! Review: As a fan of horror fiction and and as a gay man, I've been waiting for a book like this, and I wasn't disappointed: this book contains an amazing array of gay horror stories, some by well-known writers, others by first-time authors. Michael Rowe has done a great job collecting these stories. I highly recommend it!
Rating: Summary: It's about time Review: As another reviewer noted, I've been waiting for this sort of collection for years. With authors new and others familiar, this book, edited by Rowe, is a marvelous addition to any horror fan's shelf, gay or straight. I will admit that there are a few stories that seem out of place or are outright vapid, but overall I enjoyed this collection, especially since it introduced me to new writers whom I've not read. One story is about lesbians, but the majority contain gay men. From eroticism to terror to magical realism, this collection runs the gamut of horror fiction, offering up a smorgasbord of dark delights.
Rating: Summary: A great read Review: I first heard about this book from a rave review in Genre, and know Michael Rowe's work as editor of some gay vampire anthologies. I was really looking forward to reading Queer Fear, and it didn't let me down: a wide range of writers, many of whom I've read before and some new, all writing striking stories in the vein of gay horror. You'd think that might be a stretch, but all of the stories take liberties with the genre in very interesting ways. I especially liked William Mann's story, and Michael Marano's too. Well done.
Rating: Summary: A Superb Achievement! Review: I loved this book! The stories were first-rate, including work by some of the best-known and accomplished horror writers in the field, including Michael Marano, Douglas Clegg, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Brian Hodge. The stories ran the gamut from vampires and werewolves and ghosts, to more eclectic supernatural slitherings. The advantage of being the first book of this kind ever ("Bending The Landscape" is also good, though it came later than "Queer Fear") is that it breaks the ground and claims it as its own. This book, after all, was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards and a Spectrum Award. On the downside, there's something about a book like this that seems to exacerbate homophobia and jealousy in some readers, some of whom have reviewed it online (proving that if you can't write or edit yourself--or are a bigot--you can always diss a book online). I advise readers to that (...) and get to "Queer Fear," post-haste. I only wish editor Michael Rowe (who also edited the vampire books "Sons of Darkness" and "Brothers of the Night") had contributed some of his own work. I've read his non-fiction in "Fangoria" and "Rue Morgue," and his fiction in the "Northern Frights" series. It rocks! Oh, well...maybe next time...hope there's a sequel!
Rating: Summary: A great read Review: I really liked this book, even though I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. It's an elaborate, wide-ranging collection of stories, many of which use their "queerness" as a metaphor for their estrangement from mainstream society -- hence, the "fear." Even if you're not a horror fan per se, it's a great and often fascinating read.
Rating: Summary: "QUEER FEAR" IS AMAZING! RUN, DO NOT WALK, TO BOOKSTORE! Review: I'm not gay, but I'm a true horror fan, and this book was wonderful. It was very thought provoking, of high literary quality, and best of all, scary as hell. I had read Michael Rowe's two vampire books ("Sons of Darkness" and "Brothers of the Night") which were great, but too "goth-romance" for my taste. "Queer Fear" on the other hand is horror at its best. Rowe's taste as an editor is amazing, and he chose some of the best horror writers in the biz for this book--like Douglas Clegg, Michael Marano, and Gemma Files--and guided them to the most boundary-pushing, sophisticated horror antho for a long time. Some newcomers here, too: C. Mark Umland's story "The Nightguard" was just unbelievably terrifying, and brilliantly written. Edo van Belkom's story was also great--very satisfying ending, which I won't reveal! I could have done without Caitlin R. Kiernan's story, which rambles on and on and on, in a very "precious" style (pretentious)like she hadn't been edited which is too bad, because she's sometimes her work is good. Still, every other story is awesome. This book is not just for gays, but for anyone who appreciates truly fine literature with a horrific twist. All in all, I think this is the best horror anthology of the year. Well done, Mister Rowe!...
Rating: Summary: Uneven at best... try other books first Review: Okay so if you're gay and into horror or dark fantasy you will feel compelled to buy this book and read it. But I have to warn you it may be better to glance at a story or two at your local bookstore before laying out the cash (it's relatively expensive compared to other similar titles).Some stories are well done but the majority were simply either crude or not horrific. The worst I read was "Hey Fairy" which had a monstrous and distasteful wish-fulfillment ending and the supernatural element made no sense -- obviously the author was not at all familiar with faerie lore or he would know the fey folk don't possess people. So buy this at your own risk. The editor's work with gay vampire stories was far far superior.
Rating: Summary: great beach read Review: okay, so as if being gay in George Dubya's America isn't scary enough, these stories - which veer away from politics completely - will keep you turning pages all the way. While the prose can get pretty purple sometimes, the tales are quirky and dark, with lots of gore, scares and even some humor scattered throughout. A previous reviewer wrote that one of the book's flaws is that "faeries" don't possess people - uh, get a life, dude....it's all makebelieve anyway, and these are almost all great fun and an excellent way to kill a couple hours on the beach.
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