My love of horror shorties continues!

As with most volumes of Dark Screams, this was a mixed bag of dark, creepy and intense stories that had by far the most gore. There are definitely two standouts here that are what pushed this rating up to 4 stars.

'Invitation to the Game' and 'Torn' had me engaged right from the start. Well written, imaginative and disturbing from start to finish.

I'm a huge fan of this series and look forward to the next set of shorties to escape in.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Excerpt from Review: "...I love the Dark Screams anthologies. They contain some terrific horror/dark fiction tales. Dark Screams: Volume Nine is no exception to that rule. My favorites are Invitation to the Game, The Dead Years, The Blackout and Torn. Invitation to the Game has a familiar feel to it and I just knew they weren’t going to let Vivienne out of The Game, but I enjoyed the read all the same. The Dead Years is rather sick and twisted. At first, the main character seems like a likable guy, but then we learn what Emma’s leaving did to him and what he is willing to do to prevent others from enjoying her…whoa! The Blackout is a classic ghost tale…the dead coming back for revenge – scary as hell and fascinating at the same time. Torn is the best of the bunch – a classic werewolf tale with a fantastic twist regarding the Sheriff’s hidden secret. No one is safe in that story!

What a great read and just what the horror doctor ordered! Dark Screams: Volume Nine definitely puts you right in the Halloween spirit!"

I enjoyed a couple of the stories. One of them - I think - made me think of Ted Bundy. No idea if that was the author's intention or not, but it was a weird little piece in how it was written. Differently written, which was interesting, but at the same time there was a lot of room for confusion - almost as if there was a lack of focus.

I love horror stories, and have read most of the volumes in this series. It is always a pleasure to read these collections.

INVITATION TO THE GAME by Kelley Armstrong
Definitely one of my favorites. Probably because I like the concept so much. An evil, all knowing corporation that asks absolute obedience from its employees. Vivienne is up for promotion at her company, and all she has to do is play a game. Everyone who wants to move up plays the game. How ambitions is she really?

SUMMER OF ’77 by Stewart O’Nan
My least favorite story of the bunch. A stream of consciousness, rambling look into the mind of a serial killer. Since he appeared to be a well known serial killer, the story didn't feel new or fresh to me. The only dud of the bunch.

THE DEAD YEARS by Taylor Grant
A really interesting concept. A man comes across the love of his life, a woman he hasn't seen for 15 years. Of course it isn't really the same woman, but how does she have her face? The story starts out creepy and then goes really dark.

THE BLACKOUT by Jonathan Moore
An intriguing take on the "zombie" genre. The Hawaiin setting really added to the atmosphere.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME FROM SEINFELD by Peter Straub
I like the concept of the world in the mirror. Stories like this are the reason I don't look too closely into the mirror late at night.

TORN by Lee Thomas
The longest story in the book. A play on the werewolf tale. I could have done without the backstory of an affair, but otherwise, I really enjoyed this one. It was long enough to really have a lot of detail without being too long.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Judging an anthology is always difficult.

Does one very good story outweigh several that are simply okay? What do you do when a single story doesn't catch your attention, but there aren't many in the volume?

The truly excellent: Kelley Armstrong's "Invitation to the Game," where business and terror go hand in hand, and refusing a promotion is against company culture in all the worst ways. Perhaps it's simply a byproduct of living in the Silicon Valley, but I found it hit closest to home; work is your life, and you can't leave it. Nothing else can take its place. And if you want to escape? You better hope that you're quick.

The very good: "The Blackout" by Jonathan Moore. It's rare that horror anthologies tackle tropical horror, though, of course, there's plenty to be found and plenty of warm, balmy countries to hide their own folktales and monsters just beyond the banyan trees. An excellent combination of atmospheric mystery and creeping dread, the story felt like it ended slightly too soon. I would read an entire novel of supernatural Hawaiian paranormal crime solving- wouldn't you?

The merely average: "Summer of '77" by Stewart O'Nan. Serial killers, beautiful blonde teenagers. Yawn. Well written and short enough to be digest-able, but not original in any sense of the word and not incredibly entertaining. Almost entirely forgettable.

The weak: I'm so sorry Peter Straub. You're a horror master, but "Variations on a Theme from Seinfeld" did nothing for me. It felt disjointed, but not in a way that benefitted the tale. There wasn't enough room to spread your wings and truly get a sense of the story; it went beyond the page, but in such a way that it left the actual content wanting. Dopplegangers and mirrorselves can still be scary, should still be scary, but this was... nothing. Excellent title, however.

The story I should have liked, but somehow didn't: "Torn" by Lee Thomas. The final in the volume, and by far the longest, "Torn" had all the elements I should have liked- werewolves, a kidnapped child, and a brewing sense of disaster all taking place in rural, small-town America. But nothing really clicked for me- it seemed to drag on in all the wrong places, the action going by far too quickly, and I'm going to have to take away points from Mr. Thomas from burying his gays. We read too much of it in media already, and to see it punished in such a way was distasteful to the point where I almost put it down, not wanting to read anymore.

Overall, I would read the collection for "Invitation to the Game" and "Blackout" with the caveat that the rest are hit or miss, and that you may be actually insulted by the final.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Another great collection of short stories that will be published shortly after the new year. For me the shining stars of this anthology are Kelly Armstrong and Lee Thomas. In "Invitation To the Game" Vivienne is up for a promotion at work. Normally that would be a good thing, but this company is anything but normal.

In "Torn" Eleven year old Maggie didn't come home when she was meant to and the sheriff finds more than he is looking for when he sets out into the woods to find her. Luther's Bend is full of secrets. The sheriff may have a few of his own. This was the longest and creepiest of all the stories.

Got it for the Kelley Armstrong story which I loved

Dark Screams Volume 9 edited by Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman was received direct from the publisher. The Dark Screams series never lets the reader down. If you or someone you know likes shorter length horror stories you generally cant go wrong purchasing from this series. This particular rendition has its ups and kind of downs but a good solid read overall. If you or whomever you buy books for likes easy to read, not overly horrific horror stories, this may be the anthology to purchase.

a good read for an autumn night, the ninth edition of the 'dark screams' series is a fast read. it makes for an enjoyable break when you just want a taste of something horrific.

I love reading these types of books in October when the air is crisp and halloween is in the air. Short stories are the best b/c you get to sample so much. This collection of short stories was pretty good. By far my favorites were "The Blackout" and "Torn." "The Blackout" - though short - gave me that prickly feeling on my neck the way horror films did when I was a kid. It really achieved "creepy." "Torn" was great! It put me in mind of Stephen King's "Storm of the Century" with it's own spice to make it original and fun. It was a great read for me! Overall a solid 3.5:-)

Volume 9 of Dark Screams offers a collection of six stories from different authors. This is very much a mixed bag of an anthology, and is worth reading for three of the tales, while the other three are relatively weak.

The stories included are:
Kelley Armstrong – Invitation to the Game
Stewart O’Nan - Summer of ‘77
Taylor Grant – The Dead Years
Jonathan Moore – The Blackout
Peter Straub – Variations on a Theme from Seinfeld
Lee Thomas – Torn

Invitation to the Game is a nicely creepy offering, reminding us that when something appears too good to be true, it usually is. Vivienne has an almost perfect life, working for a seemingly perfect employer. She’s offered the chance of a job promotion that she’s not sure she really wants, but finds out that sometimes you just can’t say ‘no’.

The Blackout takes us to Hawaii on a wild, stormy night, where a detective is trying to solve the disappearance of the body of a teenage girl. Her body has been taken from a morgue locker, but all indications point to somebody breaking out rather than in.

Torn is the longest of the stories, and possibly the best. A small-town America Sherriff finds himself dealing with the abduction of a young girl. The ensuing manhunt leads to the arrest of a feral stranger, and a night of terror which nobody could have foreseen.

Only two of the six stories have been previously published elsewhere, which isn’t a bad ratio for an anthology. Anthologies are a great way to find new authors. I’m glad I read this, and will be searching out the works of Moore and Thomas to read further (I’m already an Armstrong fan). It’s a short read, so there’s nothing to lose by giving it a try.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

There isn't much I can say about this one, since it was perhaps a bit out of my genre and comfort zone. There were a few good stories, but then one story takes half the book, and it is gory. Didn't much care for the writing or the storyline, even without the blood and guts. If you like this type of book, it might be for you.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Delightfully disturbing. From an executive to be to a behind look at possibly Ted Bundy, these stories were short, sweet, and scary. I am not looking for the other anthologies in this set!

As with the other eight volumes, I received an ARC in exchange for a review. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I receive a lot of ARCs, but I have to say I look forward to the Dark Screams Anthologies the most. These are always a lot of fun, and I get exposed to some very talented writers that I wouldn’t otherwise know of.

This volume holds a little special place in my collection as it includes a story by a very talented friend – Taylor Grant. I had the opportunity to read Taylor’s story back in January. If you haven’t checked this guy out, you’re missing some great stuff.

So without further ado, I present my review of the six stories contained within Dark Screams: Volume 9

1) INVITATION TO THE GAME by Kelley Armstrong: I liked this story, not because it was particularly scary, but because of the premise. A company has a “game” that employees must play in order to be promoted – and the “game” isn’t as simple as it first appears.

2) SUMMER OF ’77 by Stewart O’Nan: As a member of the Scouting organization for over 40 years, we’re taught to “do a good turn daily” – meaning to help people in need. Thanks to Stewart’s story, I may have to reconsider that, especially if the person is wearing a cast.

3) THE DEAD YEARS by Taylor Grant: I’ve already said how much I like Taylor’s work, and this one is no exception. A man sees his girlfriend, who has been dead for 15 years, at an art gallery - or do he? Is that really Emma, or an incredible doppelganger? A very interesting tale of love, lost, and revenge.

4) THE BLACKOUT by Jonathan Moore: Sorry Taylor, but this one is my favorite of the lot. As I was reading this story, I kept seeing this as an episode of Hawaii Five-0 . I can’t say more without giving away the story.

5) VARIATIONS ON A THEME FROM SEINFELD by Peter Straub: It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Straub. I find him to be loquacious, tedious, and extremely hard to read – often using run-on sentences that are hard to decipher. That being said, I didn’t completely hate this story. What would you do if you looked in a mirror and suddenly your reflection didn’t show up? A nice premise on a parallel universe.

6) TORN by Lee Thomas: A little sleepy town is rocked to its core by a horrifying occurrence – the abduction of a child. But as the sheriff soon finds out, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

All in all, I didn’t find any of the stories truly scary. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy them, for the most part they were well done, just nothing to make my pulse race, or my hairs stand on end. But don’t let that dissuade you from picking this one up. Remember, I’ve been reading horror for 45 years – it takes a lot to scare me. If you’re looking for some good stories, interesting twists, and an idea for a TV story line, pick this one up.

This series continues to be so much fun. I loved the entire anthology, but it was particularly fun to read a hurricane story during the week of a hurricane!

I love a good horror collection. Perfect to read in the chiller weather with a steaming cup of tea and the lights on!

Not a lot to say. As with the previous books in this series, the editors selected a great group of stories. A book you will certainly enjoy.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, authors, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

DARK SCREAMS is a mutli-author horror anthology. Each story can be read individually and as standalones. This publication consists of short stories, not novel-length pieces. This ninth volume consists of stories written by Kelley Armstrong ("INVITATION TO THE GAME"), Stewart O’Nan ("SUMMER OF ’77"), Taylor Grant ("THE DEAD YEARS"), Jonathan Moore ("THE BLACKOUT"), Peter Straub ("VARIATIONS ON A THEME FROM SEINFELD"), and Lee Thomas ("TORN").

DARK SCREAMS: Vol. 9 was an interesting, quick read. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, as this is the first volume I've read, but I was expecting horror short stories. I am slightly disappointed, as none of these stories were truly scary. In fact, most were just plain odd. I'm not sure I would categorize most of these as horror, but perhaps my threshold for fear is stronger than the typical reader's.

With that being said, the anthology does offer six uniquely told tales. No two are the same, not even in writing style. While I wasn't impressed with the level of horror, I was impressed with the authors' creativity. Each story being so greatly different, there is definitely something for everyone.