Dark Visions: A Collection of Modern Horror – Volume 2
Paperback/Kindle
Edited by Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson
Published by Grey Matter Press
ISBN-10: 1940658071
ISBN 13: 978-1940658070
List Price: Paperback, $15.29; Kindle Edition, $3.99
Reviewed by Mary Genevieve Fortier
Grey Matter Press, the publication that produced the incredible “Splatterlands” has served up another brand of horror to dare you to sleep with the lights off – I doubt you will after reading “Dark Visions 2”!
“Dark Visions 2,” the second volume in a series which includes fourteen disturbing tales of terror by many a sharp and creative mind. If you were fortunate enough to read “Dark Visions Volume One,” this second volume will surely be an added treat! The stories within are far more sinister and oh so unnerving!
There is something for every horror/sci-fi aficionado in this collection of modern and speculative horror. To quote the back cover: “Within these pages you will continue the descent into darkness that began in ‘Dark Visions.” Further down it reads: “Open this book and let the icy claw of dread reach into your chest and grab hold of your soul. We dare you…”
Well, I took the dare! This reviewer was certainly not disappointed! Fourteen incredibly terrifying stories varying in degrees of horror. Each author and their contribution deserves mentioning in this review. However, as difficult a decision it was to choose, four of these scribes and their scary tales stood out; screaming to be heard!
One such beautifully written tale is Carol Holland March’s short and eerie contribution, “Dreaming In and Out.” Here, a bad relationship takes a young woman into the depths of a dark sleep, where in her dreaming she finds escape… or does she? This one not only causes you to cringe in horror, but lends your mind to pause. A horrified, screaming pause-but a pause nonetheless.
“City Song” by Edward Morris and Trent Zelazny is not your typical post-apocalyptic story. This one breathes new life to a most familiar topic. Living beneath a bridge, survivors share their space with a woman they dare not awaken! Dear readers, this one keeps your heart pounding with every turn of each horror bound page.
J. Daniel Stone, carries us on a tour with two paranormal investigators in “Wormhole.” These Ghost Hunter wannabes face fears none of us dare to fathom. Proving the fact that life after death exists is simply not worth the evidence – not when your very sanity is at stake. Stone knows where your pulse point exists and is relentless in toying with your already fractured nerves!
This review could not be complete without the mention of C. M. Saunders’ “The Elementals and I.” It is such a powerful story dealing with a pharmaceutical company from an insider’s perspective. These human test subjects, undergo treatment in the aid of Alzheimer’s and dementia. What follows is horror beyond the absence of thought – when an executive goes undercover. Embroiled in hell, this subject finds himself locked within the facility and facing the ‘Elementals.’ This one, dear readers should be a novel in and of itself! C. M. Saunders, hear the plea of your horror loving fans; we want more!
And so, yes, this reviewer took the dare… believe me, I now sleep with the lights on!
