From the Borderlands

Rating:
Summary: Some good, Some bad, Some infuriatring!!!
Review: Don't get me wrong there are some GREAT stories here such as "Infliction" and "N007-JK1" among a few others. My problem is that they are FAR out weighed by these horrible stories with "mystery" plots and endings that beg for you to 'figure them out' such as "The Planting", "One Of Those Weeks", "All Hands" and too many others. This type of story telling is usually just a gimmick to hide a weak story. There are times to use this device but when a story ends this way or has this type of plot the story should 1. have some clues to the plot and 2. have an interesting enough story for you to care. These stories have neither. This book was mostly a waste of time.
Oh yeah, Stephen King's contribution; not bad, not great, but good enough to hold your interest and while not a strong story it's told with a master story teller's voice.

Rating:
Summary: lacking a certain something
Review: I love short stories, and love the idea of having this collection that strays from the mainstream into new dark waters. But I think the idea ended up being better than the execution here ... the collection sits a bit lacking.

I think the problem is in the editors' lack of understanding the difference between "terror" and "shock value." A lot of these stories are shocking, but few really get into your head. And the most tiresome "shock du jour" appears to be child molestation. The story "Father Bob And Bobby" is a nice example of this -- he traded in genuine horror for a cheap shock and gross-out factor. At least four other stories try and weave in child abuse into their tales.

Even the Stephen King plot was flat, although I always enjoy his writing style and cadance so it was still an enjoyable read. I also think "Smooth Operator" (Dominick Cancilla), "Rami Temporalis" (Gary Braunbeck) and "All Hands" (John Platt) were quite excellent. But there are 10-15 stories in here that I think don't work for various reasons. A handful of 5-star efforts sprinkled among the 2-star fodder makes it a 3-star book overall.

Rating:
Summary: For your nightmares...
Review: I'm not one to judge the "Borderlands" series. After all, as stated in the introduction by editors Elizabeth and Thomas Monteleone, when the last "Borderlands" collection was published I was getting my kicks by reading "Goosebumps." That being said, I AM able to judge this collection: and I say it's one hell of a read!

The great thing about this collection is its uniqueness and diversity. Gone are the vampire/werewolf/ghost stories; in place are tales, some supernatural, some horror (and a couple that aren't), about the tricks the human mind can play. Some of these tricks stay within the mind itself; some of them manifest in the physical world, in the way we interpret our surroundings. These stories are psychological horror stories; in my opinion, the best kind.

Diversity. There are some big name people in here: Stephen King takes a horrific look at exercise in his novella "Stationary Bike;" in "Father Bob and Bobby," Whitley Strieber tells of a priest who is having a horrific controntation with his reality. You'll never read a bedtime story again after looking through John Farris's "Story Time with the Bluefield Stranger." David J. Schow's "The Thing too Hideous to Describe" is a comedic, yet tragic, look at the life of our world's hidden monsters. Bentley Little's "The Planting" is just as macabre, outrageous, and hideously enjoyable as the author's novels; while Tom Piccirilli's "Around it Still the Sumac Grows" details a man returning to his old high school, and reliving the horrors he once experienced.

There are some new names, however. Lon Prater's "Head Music," a poetic story about a man who becomes kin with a strange sea creature, is the author's first professional sale. Adam Fusco's story is a terrifying glimpse into the future of scientific research, while John Mertz's "Prisoner 392" is a great mixture of "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Silence of the Lambs." A man faces the alternative realities he's created for himself in Bill Gauthier's tale; Bev Vincent weaves a tale of irony and tragedy; a man confronts his past and his daughter in John McIlveen's "Infliction"; and a woman has the perfect family--three real beautiful daughters, and her favorite, the imaginary one--in L. Lynn Young's story.

You think listing those names you don't know was a waste of time. I tell you: those are some highlites of this collection, and future stars of the literary world. "From the Borderlands" is a great, unique, thought-provoking, and at times downright terrifying collection of short stories by some of dark fiction's superstars, and others who are bound to become one. This is one you must add to your fiction collection.

Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: There are a few good stories, but overall, there's nothing new or genre-bending here, which is supposed to be what this collection is about.

Rating:
Summary: From the Borderlands of Bad Taste
Review: This anthology starts out strong, but about a quarter of the way through it starts faltering badly. "Rami Temporalis" is enjoyable, interesting and imaginative. "All Hands" is entertaining if ultimately pointless. "Faith Will Make You Free" is wonderful--very strong and compelling, though not entirely structurally sound. Brian Freeman's "Answering the Call" starts out poorly but ultimately works quite well. "The Goat" by Whitt Pond and Darren O. Godfrey's "Dysfunction" are other solid entries.

Stephen King's "Stationary Bike" alone is worth the price of admission: not so much a horror story as a low-fantasy a la THE TWILIGHT ZONE, it is a nifty tale beautifully executed. After the preceding hackwork of the likes of Tom Piccirilli and Bentley Little, and numerous lesser-knowns, it is a tremendous relief to be in the hands of an assured storyteller "at the top of his powers", as the saying goes.

Too many of the stories, as someone else has pointed out, rely heavily on empty shock value and demonstrate little knowledge or insight into the workings of the genre. Several border on actual incompetence. In this context, David Schow's "The Thing Too Hideous To Describe" is another breath of fresh air, what with its knowing dismantling of some of the conventions of the genre.

Some of the other tales I haven't mentioned are also decent ("The Growth of Alan Ashley", by Bill Gautier and Bev Vincent's "One of Those Weeks", for example) but I would say more than half are absolute, unmitigated dreck.

Rating:
Summary: Eh, so so
Review: This was an ok read. A collection of short stories from various horror writers, I found most to be pretty good, but some I skipped through they just were boring. I would say the better half of the stories were decent though and I found a couple of new writers I may check out.