carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

4 Stars!

Anthologies can be very tough to rate. I find that most anthologies have some stories that I like and some that don't work for me. This group of stories was surprisingly good. I loved a couple of the stories, liked a couple, and disliked only one story. I picked this short book up because I was in the mood for something a little different and I had planned to just read one story at a time in between other books. Once I started this book, I didn't want to read anything else - so much for my plan.

"The Deep End" by Robert McCammon - 4.5 Stars
I probably shouldn't admit that I haven't read anything by Robert McCammon before I read this story. I loved his writing. This story was such a great introduction to this anthology. I felt for the main character and was actually afraid for him. Such an original and interesting idea. I definitely need to read more from Robert McCammon soon.

"Interval" by Norman Prentiss - 3.5 Stars
Norman Prentiss is another author that I haven't had a chance to read. The focus of the families at the airport was so compelling. I was immediately pulled into this story but I must admit that I was a bit let down as the story ended.

"If These Walls Could Talk" by Shawtelle Madison - 5 Stars
I have read Shawntelle Madison's debut novel, [b:Under My Skin|23382858|Under My Skin (Immortality Strain, #1)|Shawntelle Madison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414372629s/23382858.jpg|42941660], and absolutely loved it so I was really looking forward to this story in the grouping. I was not disappointed. It took a little time for everything to fall into place but as soon as things started happening in this story it was non-stop. The way this one ended really was creepy for me.

"The Night Hider" by Graham Masterson - 4 Stars
This is the first chance that I have had to read anything by Graham Masterson and I really enjoyed this story. I probably shouldn't admit that I have never read the Narnia series but I think fans of that series will be very interested in this story. I loved how he built on a basic, well known plot and made it so incredibly interesting.

"Whatever" by Richard Christian Matheson - 1 Star
I didn't care for this story at all. I found it to be confusing and pointless. I am still not really sure what happened. This is the longest story in the group and it was told in the most original way with lots of letters, songs, interviews, and memos. I quickly lost interest and felt confused for most of the story.

I love to sample the writing of authors I haven't had a chance to read by reading anthologies. I would definitely pick up a book by most of these authors after reading this compilation of stories. Some of the copyrights on the stories go back a few years but all of the stories were new to me and I really enjoyed the book as a whole. In fact, I actually liked this one better than the first volume, [b:Dark Screams: Volume One|23165163|Dark Screams Volume One|Brian James Freeman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415804993s/23165163.jpg|42711074]. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Hydra via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.