I love collections like this. They often contain stories from excellent authors and are a great way to introduce a reader to new authors.

Sadly, as good as the first book was, this one fell flat. Perhaps it opened too strongly with a McCammon story but it was all downhill from there. We’re the other stories enjoyable? Absolutely. They could have been better, especially for such a small book.

All five stories in Dark Screams kept my attention as I plowed thru this shorter anthology in less than a day. I love seeing Robert McCammon back in the game writing wonderful horror stories again. Graham Masterton's unique take on history and folk horror always pleases me. Believe it or not, this was my first read of Norman Prentiss, Richard Christian Matheson and Shawntelle Madison. All 3 were enjoyable first reads. Highly recommended.

An anthology which includes one of my favourites, Stephen King.
As with most anthologies, I felt that some of the stories were very good and some not so good, but you can't enjoy everything.
Looking forward to the next instalment.

Back at the beginning of February, I reviewed a delightful little anthology called Dark Screams: Volume One. Edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of Cemetery Dance Publications, the two picked out some great authors that made for a varied and enjoyable read. They have done it again in this follow up, Dark Screams: Volume Two.

Robert McCammon's tragic and terrifying "The Deep End" opens the anthology, following a man as he is determined to destroy whatever killed his son in the local swimming pool. Sure, everyone thinks it was a simple drowning, but the father knows better. McCammon seamlessly mixes rage, grief, and fear in this short tale and is packs the biggest emotional punch of the collection. This should come as no surprise as this is the man who brought such great works as Swan Song, Gone South, the amazing Boy's Life (which I desperately need to re-read), and countless others. "The Deep End" was originally published in 1987, but I'm glad it was included here because it was new to me and possibly my favorite story in the mix.

You can read my full review at HorrorDNA.com.

Not great, but good. Each one has its merits though none really "grabbed" me. Still enjoyed it as I love the short story format. Little doses of escapism. The last story by Matheson was trippy; horror? Not really, but thought-provoking.

Love this series of short horror fiction! I really think that shorter fiction can be scarier than full length novels, and this anthology includes some good stuff. I particularly enjoyed the entries from Robert McCammon (an old favorite) and Shawntelle Madison who is new to me