Shadows 2

by Charles L. Grant (Editor/Introduction)

Shadows / 'sha-dōz / n [ME shadwe]
1: partial darkness 2: regions of obscurity
3: series calculated to render readers speechless with fear
4: tales of awesome evil by modern masters of the macabre

CONTENTS:
Introduction · Charles L. Grant.
Saturday’s Shadow · William F. Nolan.
Night Visions · Jack Dann.
The Spring· Manly Wade Wellman.
Valentine · Janet Fox.
Mackintosh Willy · Ramsey Campbell.
Dragon Sunday · Ruth Berman.
The White King’s Dream · Elizabeth A. Lynn.
The Chair · Alan Dean Foster & Jane Cozart.
Clocks · Barry N. Malzberg & Bill Pronzini.
Holly, Don’t Tell · Juleen Brantingham .
The Old Man’s Will · Lee Wells.
The Closing Off of Old Doors · Peter D. Pautz.
Dead End · Richard Christian Matheson.
Seasons of Belief · Michael Bishop.
Petey · T.E.D. Klein.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction

215 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Charles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.

Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.

Reviews

[Graham P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a mediocre collection that is highlighted by two understated yet bone-chilling gems: 'Mackintosh Willy' by Ramsey Campbell and 'Petey' by T.E.D. Klein. The former has Campbell in fine form, creating a mixture of both urban legend and childhood memory - trash and litter have never been so haunting. And the latter by Klein is a phenomenal long tale where suggestive menace comes in spades - there's malformed things in jars, a mannequin in the attic, a scarecrow slowly moving across the horizon, tarot cards depicting a grey, repulsive mass - and by the end, Klein has the reader on a razor's edge of dread. Simply brilliant and one of the watermark stories of 80's horror fiction. Other notables are 'The White King's Dream' by Elizabeth A. Lynn: a disturbing tale about coincidence set in an old age home. And Michael Bishop's 'Seasons of Belief' is a welcome ode to the imaginary monster; in this case, a gelatinous mass creeping across the East Coast to pay a visit to two children. The rest is oatmeal - not much flavor, and at times, simply derivative.

[Addy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petey was freaking awesome!! A couple of others were pretty good but Petey is def worth the 5 star rating by itself.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second installment. I liked that Grant took chances on stories by relative unknowns, many of which were outstanding.

[Zach Johnson]

Not worth searching out as the majority of the stories are a waste of time, but some highlights:

"Mackintosh Willy," Ramsey Campbell: Quiet and spooky, about a homeless man's return beyond the grave.
"Seasons of Belief," Michael Bishop: A fun little Christmas Eve romp. A mom and dad tell their kids about the "gruesome and hungry grither." Later turned into a Tales from the Darkside episode.
"The White King's Dream," Elizabeth A. Lynn: Never amounts to much, but more horror stories should be set in hospice wards.
"Petey," T.E.D. Klein: Best one here, a slow, suspenseful burn with a creepy, unidentifiable creature. You know what's coming the whole time, but that somehow makes it all the better.

[Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable collection, filled with too much fluff, old-fashioned tales with obvious twists, but highlighted by such stand-outs as Ramsey Campbell's creepy 'Mackintosh Willy', 'The Spring', another of Manly Wade Wellman's superlative John the Balladeer stories, and the magnificently sustained eeriness of T.E.D. Klein's novella 'Petey'. Despite all the bigger names, other interesting tales come from unknown newcomers such as Janet Fox and Juleen Brantingham.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some incredibly creepy stories in this volume and it introduced me to some new authors I'm excited to explore.

One of the best pure anthologies I've ever read, with no bad stories.

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second volume in Grant's long running "Shadows" anthologies. Grant's career is to long and varied to encapsulate, including editor and author, writing under a variety of nom de plumes.....

The "Shadows" series goal was to celebrate "quiet" horror, instead of the goal and carnage of other books.

Notable stories IMHO were Wellman's "The Spring", Fox' "The Valentine", "The Chair", Bishop's "Seasons of Belief" (which you might recolonize from TV' s "Tales from the Darkside", and Klein's "Petey".....


Jeff McIntosh

[John Bruni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid entry in the SHADOWS series of anthologies from Charles L. Grant. Shockingly, a lot of these writers are known primarily for their SF, and they all do an excellent job. I've only read two of these stories before (from Ramsey Campbell and T.E.D. Klein), which is a rarity for me, considering how old this book is. My favorite tale, though, is Manly Wade Wellman's "The Spring." It's a John the Balladeer story (or Silver John, if you prefer), and while I love his John Thunstone stories better, I love me some John the Balladeer. I suppose it could be easy to just get a complete collection of his stories, but that's not fun. John's a wanderer, and I like finding him in unexpected places. This is one of his finest adventures. Don't miss it.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome short horror stories. Ranging from long to only a few pages, from fantasy horror to realistic terror, there's something here for everyone in this collection.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great selection... some stories were better than other but overall this book was great!

[Larry · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so horror anthology. A few good stories but nothing that really blasted my sanity.

[Kevin Gallan]

67/212