Sci-Fi & Scary

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Night Terrors III, which I received via publisher outreach after reviewing Prince of Nightmares , was one of the best anthologies I’ve read. The great definitely outweighed the mediocre, and there were only a couple stinkers in the bunch. The only thing that kept this from receiving a top rating from me was that the last few stories were unfortunately not that great, so the book felt like it ended with some of its weakest work instead of ending on a strong point.

Like I’ve done with anthologies in the past, I’ve left my notes so you can see specifically what I rated/thought of each story.

The Run by Aric Sundquist – 4/5 – Twisted, interesting, but not memoriable.

Homeless Bags by Dean H Wild – 5/5 – with a healthy heap of “Welp, I’m never looking at my luggage the same way again, and oh please God let me never get stuck in an airport during the storm. This was a downright creepy read!

Listen by Jack Ketchum – 3/5 – It definitely wasn’t what you expected, and there were two unique twists in it, but I just wasn’t fond of that particular writing style and didn’t care overmuch for the story.

Man Holding Razer Blade by John McNee – 5/5 – Definitely see McNee’s style. A twisted read that wraps up fantastically.

Sailor’s Rest by Jay Caselberg – 3/5- This wasn’t a bad story, persay, but it seems almost out of place with the tone and depth of the other stories.

The Dead Boy by Paul Tremblay – no rating – did not read. Skipped as soon as it became apparent that it was going to in depth about a dead child. Didn’t need those triggers hit.

Home Care by Kevin David Anderson – 2/5- cliche and uninteresting.

Tyger by Steve Rasnic Tem – 4/5 – An angry, darker version of Calvin and Hobbes

Pandoras Children by Simon McCaffrey – 5/5 – Oooh, this is interesting, and I want to read an expanded version of it! All demons and aliens and scientific racing and…boom.

You’re a Winner! by Matt Moore -3/5 – I just couldn’t bring myself to care about this tale of someone going crazy(er).

The Deer Chaser by Rachel Nussbaum – 5/5 – This was an excellent entry into the rumored monsters category. Truly a delight to read.

The Stones of Bavdongarde by Peter Charron- 5/5 – Great classic monster fic!

The Love of A Troll on a Mid-Winter’s Night by Jennifer Brozek – 4/5 – This was interesting and a bit off-beat. The ending made me pause for a minute, and then go “Ooooh. Gotcha!” Stomach “Bug”. Hahaha!

Show and Tell by Taylor Grant – 4/5 – Kooky, but fun. One of the “Tales from the Crypt” style tales that falls just a tad bit short of the mark.

Whispers of the Earth by Eric. J. Guignard – 4/5 – Decent story, good premise, but could have had a stronger ending.

The Next in Line by Richard Farren Barber – 4/5 – For the type of story its meant to be, its pretty good. Peer tales are powerful things to an impressionable mind.

White Moon Rising by Dennis Etchison – 2/5 – Not a fan. Beyond random spacing issues, it was too disjointed and just not that interesting.

Of the Color Turmeric, Climbing on Fingertips by Gerry Huntman – 4/5 – Good creep, good gore. Utterly implausible, but still interesting!

Kill-Box Road Trip by Patty Templeton – 5/5 Great read. Reminded me of a snarkier, darker BtVS with a twist of originality. Loved the Pandora’s Box reference.

Falco Wreck by Raymon Little – 3/5 – Good story, but something about it just seemed unoriginal enough that I couldn’t be interested in it.

Dreams in a Pink Light District by Kyle S. Johnson – 2/5 ….what? Maybe I entirely missed something vital, but this just seemed confusing and not-interesting.

Fed by Jessica Lilien – 3/5 – Seemingly a possible tale about PPD. Not enough to this for it to be good. Felt like it was ended where it was just for the sake of ending it instead of it being a natural conclusion to the story.

Overall, the editor did a good job putting this collection together, and I can honestly say I’d willingly pick up the other books in this series. I never thought I’d say that about an anthology!

Disclaimer: Received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.