Masques III: All-New Works of Horror and the Supernatural

Gran Super Terror

by J.N. Williamson (Editor), Dan Simmons, Gary A. Braunbeck

The third in a series of critically acclaimed anthologies of original horror fiction features the works of such notable authors as Ray Bradbury, Ed Gorman, and Dan Simmons

Genres: Horror, Anthologies

317 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Gerald Neal Williamson (April 17, 1932 - December 8, 2005) wrote and edited horror stories under the name J. N. Williamson. He also wrote under the name Julian Shock.

Born in Indianapolis, IN he graduated from Shortridge High School. He studied journalism at Butler University. He published his first novel in 1979 and went on to publish more than 40 novels and 150 short stories. In 2003 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writers of America. He edited the critically acclaimed How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction (1987) which covered the themes of such writing and cited the writings of such writers as Robert Bloch, Lee Prosser, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, William F. Nolan, and Stephen King. Many important writers in the genre contributed to the book. Williamson edited the popular anthology series, Masques. Some of his novels include The Ritual (1979), Playmates (1982), Noonspell (1991), The Haunt (1999), among others.

He was also a well known Sherlockian and received his investiture (The Illustrious Client) in the Baker Street Irregulars in 1950.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Recopilación de relatos muy diferentes y cuyos escritores han seguido, curiosamente, muy distintas suertes literarias.-

Género. Relatos.

Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de 33 trabajos breves de terror (relatos y poesías), todos entretenidos por mucho que la calidad sea irregular, seleccionados por J. N. Williamson y todos escritos para esta antología, que quiere ofrecer muestras de trabajos de ese tiempo que se puedan englobar o en los cuentos de miedo “clásicos”, o en lo que se conoció como “nuevo terror” (o también splatterpunk), en el género basado en lo psicológico/fantástico o, por último, el basado en criaturas o personajes.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Vísite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Recopilación de relatos muy diferentes y cuyos escritores han seguido, curiosamente, muy distintas suertes literarias.-

Género. Relatos.

Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de 33 trabajos breves de terror (relatos y poesías), todos entretenidos por mucho que la calidad sea irregular, seleccionados por J. N. Williamson y todos escritos para esta antología, que quiere ofrecer muestras de trabajos de ese tiempo que se puedan englobar o en los cuentos de miedo “clásicos”, o en lo que se conoció como “nuevo terror” (o también splatterpunk), en el género basado en lo psicológico/fantástico o, por último, el basado en criaturas o personajes.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Vísite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Octavio Villalpando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como todo trabajo antológico, a veces no todo el contenido está al mismo nivel, así pues, algunos de los textos presentados en la antología son muy olvidables, pero los que no lo son, cumplen con creces con el propósito de "El festín de máscaras".

Hay para todos los gustos del fan del horror: desde horrores clásicos, nuevas perspectivas sobre horrores modernos, los hay algunos muy divertidos y algunos muy pero muy siniestros. En lo personal, no creo poder elegir un favorito, pero de tener que hacerlo, me iría por el relato que se incluye de Dan Simmons, quien está actualmente en boga de todos por el estreno de "The terror", basado en su obra.

Todos los relatos fueron escritos ex-profeso para el libro, y creo que en su conjunto, resulta una muy buena compañía para aquel que este buscando un buen rato de sustos literarios.

[Ignacio Senao f · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una buena recopilación dividida en 4 subcategorías del terror (psicológico, monstruos…) Hay dos relatos que brillan por una calidad excelente, que tú debes descubrir, pues nada que cuente haría justicia sin leerlos.

[Adrian Gómez · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 80's I was exposed to many horror and science fiction stories and authors, thanks to Roca's inexpensive editions in Mexico. King, Barker, the Hugo Award series with winning stories. All fertilized my young mind, and I remember with some nostalgia the now defunct publishing house.

This book was published in Mexico by Roca as part of their Gran Super Terror imprint, with the title "El Festín de las Máscaras". They preferred to deny any link with previous or later volumes, to increase the likelihood of impulse buying of an anthology.

Like many compilations, the impact and quality vary, the standouts for me being the stories "Sunday Breakfast" by Jeanette M. Hopper, "The Luckiest Man in the World" byRex Miller, and "The Skull" by Diane Taylor.

A good diversion, but nothing more

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started Masques III on my lunch break and went back to work forty minutes late with zero regrets. J.N. Williamson writes a small-town mail carrier who starts reading the return addresses on the letters nobody picks up, and the scene where she finds the same handwriting on three envelopes in three different mailboxes gave me actual goosebumps. It's quiet, it's creepy, and it never raises its voice. What bugged me was the mayor, who shows up just to look suspicious and then vanishes. Who this is for: readers who like slow-burn mysteries with a lot of mood. Who should pass: anybody who wants a chase scene by chapter three.

[Viridiana Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antología de relatos dónde no sabes que esperar, algunos son mejores que otros pero todos son muy buenos. Desde terror sobrenatural, sicológico hasta algunas atrocidades y criaturas asquerosas que te dejan pensando...
¿Qué carajos a cabo de leer? Mejor que otras antologías que ya leí.

[ChicaBCN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obra maestra

[Wis_Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Algunos relatos estan bien otros son medio meh tirando a malos, se siente que por el exceso de autores algunos de ellos no pudieron plantear mejor sus ideas y quedaron por la mitad sus trabajos

[Juan Omario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hacia mucho que no leía cuentos. Esta selección se supone que son de terror, algunos quizás si lo son. 3.5

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't walk away from Masques III: All-New Works of Horror and the Supernatural without respecting Williamson, J.N.'s refusal to bow down to standard institutional narratives.

[Bill Borre]

"Ever, Ever, After" by Graham Masterson - A man discovers that his new wife is cheating on him with her dead ex-husband who has somehow returned from the car accident that killed him. Even though the dead man is his brother, the protagonist uses a kitchen knife to attack the corpse, incensing his wife. She flees into traffic where she is struck by a taxi and killed. Her corpse returns to the protagonist and insists he make love to her.

"Reflections" by Ray Russell - The narrator suspects his girlfriend of being a vampire and is relieved to see her reflection in the shop window but when she smiles she reveals she is a vampire by showing her fangs. She states only mirrors with a silver backing won't display a vampire's reflection but he is still able to slay her with a silver solution in a hypo.

"Motherson" by Steve Rasnic Tem - Joel meets Samson on a freight train after running away from a foster home on a quest to locate the mother who abandoned him. As Joel approaches Samson and lifts his overcoat he discovers Samson is joined to the shriveled corpse of his mother who died in childbirth.

"Prometheus’ Declaration of Love for the Vulture" (poem) by Alan Rodgers - Prometheus gets so used to the vulture being his only company for so long that he falls in love with the bird and imagines he sees a tear in its eye the day Hercules frees him.

"Coochie-Coo" by Mark McNease - This story has a normal beginning where Eddy is riding a desert bus annoyed with the baby in the seat in front of him starring at him but has a surreal ending when the baby is revealed to be a carnivorous monster.

"Safe" by John Maclay - The protagonist's doctor uses exposure therapy to deal with the patient's claustrophobia by locking him in a safe and intends to release him before the air is used up but the doctor suffers a heart attack.

"Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites" by Dan Simmons - Kevin attempts to convince Tommy that the town barbers are vampires but it turns out they are servants to a vampiric creature that dwells in the basement.

"Dew Drop Inn" by D.W. Taylor - Rick and his wife and daughter stop at the Dew Drop Inn but it turns out to be Rick's final stop on his life's journey as he suffers a heart attack during the evening.

"Pop Is Real Smart" by Mort Castle - Lonny wants to get rid of his baby brother Jason and while he is thinking about the dull knife his mother uses to spread peanut butter he spots the sharp one.

"The Spelling Bee" by Adobe James - The story describes the contest of a spelling bee among witches who must correctly spell the names of demons and utilize their evil power.

"Third Rail" by Wayne Allen Sallee - The protagonist is observing a pretty girl in a train station who comes to a shocking end at the hands of a knife-wielding killer.

"Of Absence, Darkness, Death: Things Which Are Not" (poem) by Ray Bradbury - This is a poem about the fears we experience concerning the title's topics.