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Rating: 
Summary: An Anthology that Doesn't Quite Live up to it's promise
Review: I picked this up for two reasons. I like the publisher, and the details on the book make it sound like a tight collection of horror fiction that pushes the boundaries a bit in unique ways. I hoped for a place that maybe succesful writers in the field would be given room to experiment, and perhaps for a place for new talent to let their voices run wild.Unfortunately, when compared to such other anthologies like the Borderland series or Poppy Z. Brite's anthologies, this book comes off a little pale and even amateurish. Many of the stories are little more than quick scenes that do not ammount to much as far as consequences and tension. I would be okay with it if they played more with language and more interesting imagery, but overall that is not the case. That said, there are a few gems here. Newton's "The Projectionist's Nightmare" and Vandermeer's "The Machine" are wonderful fables (although not exactly horror) and almost work in the vein of a prose poems. Carlton Mellick III's "City of New York" is quite possibly the most disturbing tale of infidelity I've ever read, and editor Jack Fisher presents a story filled with wonderful ideas, even if it is a little normal in it's technique. All in all, these few gems make up for the failings in the others works and make this a relatively worthwhile anthology to look towards.
Rating:
Summary: A few gems, but only a few
Review: I totally agree with the last reviewer. I love most books that Eraserhead Press releases, but this one just isn't the utterly strange fiction that I've come to expect from Eraserhead. It is good and I definitely recommend it to horror fans, but it isn't anymore "surreal" than the other horror published in the small press. I give it 5 stars as a small press horror fan, but 1 star as an experimental fiction fan. A weak attempt at experimental horror, but at least they gave it a shot. If you want dark experimental fiction check out the novels of Carlton Mellick III and Hertzan Chimera instead.
Rating:
Summary: decent small press horror
Review: I totally agree with the last reviewer. I love most books that Eraserhead Press releases, but this one just isn't the utterly strange fiction that I've come to expect from Eraserhead. It is good and I definitely recommend it to horror fans, but it isn't anymore "surreal" than the other horror published in the small press. I give it 5 stars as a small press horror fan, but 1 star as an experimental fiction fan. A weak attempt at experimental horror, but at least they gave it a shot. If you want dark experimental fiction check out the novels of Carlton Mellick III and Hertzan Chimera instead.
Rating:
Summary: A few gems, but only a few
Review: Most stories are fair, but there are three that are outstanding: "The Machine" by Jeff VanderMeer is fluid and sharp;
"Harvest" is solid by Carol MacAllister;
and "Slow Mary" by Brady Allen is a creepy and very Twilight Zone-ish tale that will make you consider speed limits on back roads. Also pretty good is "Precognitive Myopia" by Forrest Aguire. Overall, though, it's a little slow.
Rating:
Summary: A few gems, but only a few
Review: Most stories are fair, but there are three that are outstanding: "The Machine" by Jeff VanderMeer is fluid and sharp;
"Harvest" is solid by Carol MacAllister;
and "Slow Mary" by Brady Allen is a creepy and very Twilight Zone-ish tale that will make you consider speed limits on back roads. Also pretty good is "Precognitive Myopia" by Forrest Aguire. Overall, though, it's a little slow.
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