Black Evening: Tales of Dark Suspense

by David Morrell

Tales of Dark Suspense

From the American heartland to the edge of Hell, David Morrell (bestselling author of such classics as First Blood and The Brotherhood of the Rose) has consistently redefined the modern thriller. Now he turns to a darker side of suspense in a powerful collection of tales, many of them award winners. Prefaced by revealing autobiographical introductions, they delve into the weird, uncanny terrors that lurk just beneath the comforting surfaces of daily life.

Fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of madness, fear of being trapped, fear of the unspeakable horrors that fester deep within the soul. . . . No matter who or where you are, fear is always with you, always ready to attack from behind the masks of thoughts and dreams.

In this career-spanning examination of his life and the fears we all share, let David Morrell tell you a story . . .

“For These and All My Sins” —a motorist in need of help finds himself in a town where everyone is disfigured . . . and discovers too late the terrifying reason they became that way . . .

“The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves”—Both your parents die suddenly. Going through their legal papers, you find adoption records, dated at your birthday . . . but every official document has vanished, along with your biological mother . . .

“Orange Is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity”—Beneath the placid, beautiful landscapes of a master artist’s paintings are levels of meaning that hide deep layers of pain . . . and unearthly nightmares . . .

“Dead Image”—You know that that Hollywood stars think fame is more important than life itself . . . but you don’t realize the half of it . . . (There’s a lot of James Dean in this story.)

“The Shrine”—Parents grieving for their dead children find a hidden place that offers lost hope . . . or eternal madness . . .


Praise for David Morrell

“A thriller fan’s dream . . . exciting, involving, thought-provoking.”
—Stephen King

“Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled.”
—Dean Koontz

“David Morrell is a master of suspense. He wields it like a stiletto—knows just where to stick it and how to turn it. If you’re reading Morrell, you’re sitting on the edge of your seat.”
—Michael Connelly

“Riveting.”
— Robert Ludlum

"The storytelling genius of David Morrell. It’s simply that—genius."
—Sandra Brown

“Nobody does this better than David Morrell.”
—Lee Child

“Grabs you by the short hairs of your soul and your brain and does not let go.”
—James Ellroy

“A master storyteller”
—James Rollins

“Master storyteller David Morrell . . . thrills us with heart-pounding suspense while tugging at our emotions.”
—Tess Gerritsen

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Thriller, Anthologies, Crime, Collections

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

David Morrell is a Canadian novelist from Kitchener, Ontario, who has been living in the United States for a number of years. He is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. More recently, he has been writing the Captain America comic books limited-series The Chosen.

Reviews

[Metodi Markov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Не ми харесват историите на Морел - липсват им основни литературни компоненти и са подходящи единствено да запълват мястото между едрогърдите хубавици в мъжки списания.

Дадох шанс, но определено това не са от разкази, способни да ме увлекат…

Dnf на 20%.

"Капка след капка" - 2*.

"Съдружници" - 1*.

"Черна вечер" - 2*.

"Тайнственият смях" - 1*.

"Пишещата машина" - 2*.

[Evans Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I may have found not just one, but two new-to-me favorite authors this week. So incredible when that happens, it's so rare.
First William F. Nolan, now David Morrell.

How was I ever to guess that the author of Rambo: First Blood was an excellent horror writer?

I'll update this review as I progress through the book, not necessarily in order.


***** Author's Introduction

I never rate these, but the intro to this book is really, really good.

**** The Dripping

A man goes into his mother's house where his wife and child were visiting, only to find it empty. He hears dripping in the basement and children's toys are scattered there, and milk is dripping from the ceiling everywhere...and then it gets weird.

The author's first published short story. One of those where the words disappear and you're there. Tense, flowing and really good - even though the ending left me a little confused. Even though I'm not sure I correctly understood the resolution, I really enjoyed reading this.

**** The Partnership

A darkly humorous tale of two business partners completely fed up with each other. Funny stuff, and the kind of tale I like to throw into my own horror collections to lighten the mood.

**** Black Evening

Another wonderfully written tale, full of tension, atmosphere and imagery. A detective and his crew make a grisly discovery in a dilapidated old mansion where neighbors have been complaining of a horrible stench.

This very short story is diminished a bit by the events that unfold on the final page, but the rest is utter brilliance.

*** The Hidden Laughter

A fairly short and self-admitted experimental story about a house that still holds the laughter of the children who once lived and played there. More a sentimental muse on pasts fondly remembered than a full-fledged story, it's still nicely written and somewhat reminiscent of Bradbury.

***** The Typewriter, by David Morrell

I absolutely loved this story! Everything about it. It would make a great episode of The Twilight Zone, and reminded me a little bit of one of my own stories, Whatever Possessed You.
A starving poseur of a writer buys a strange typewriter that types out bestsellers no matter what keys he hits, it seems to have a mind of its own. I'll let you read the rest for yourself. Wonderful writing on dispay here.

**** A Trap for the Unwary

This is not a short story, but rather an introduction for the take that follows. Provides some nice insight into the author's thoughts and his writing process.

**** But at my Back I Always Hear

A gripping story about a college professor being stalked by an unbalanced female student who believes he's telepathically sending sexual messages to her. Loved this one right up to the end, which was fine - but somehow felt like the story was fraying a little by the final paragraphs. Worthwhile read, thought. This author has such a smooth style.

**** The Storm

A simple yet fun supernatural tale about a massive storm that one man can't seem to escape. Solid escapist entertainment.

***** For These and All My Sins

Wonderful horror short that would make an excellent episode of Masters of Horror. A man's car breaks down in rural Nebraska, and he just barely makes it into a small town far from the interstate before sundown. But the locals won't talk to him, or let him see their faces. Is the story that follows a tale of madness or actual horror? That's up for you to decide.

*** Black and White and Red All Over

A story written from the perspective of a young paperboy recovering from an incident that occured on his route. Someone has been kidnapping paperboys in the areas, but only during snowstorms...what does it all mean? Nicely written and somewhat nostalgic, but ultimately doesn't add up to much more than a vaguely pleasant read by the time it's over.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of stories. My favorites are "Orange is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity", "But at My Back I Always Hear" and "The Typewriter". My least favorite was "The Dripping."

[Arun Divakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I think of it, the more I find that fear is an emotional manifestation that will take us to uncharted territories of our psyche. It is a fear of failure that motivates a lot of people to pass examinations and sports matches, a fear for life itself drives a soldier in a battle and so on. David Morrell's book has a foreword in which he recounts a conversation with author Philip Klass who gave Morrell the inspiration to dig deeper into himself and understand his fears which could then help him in his writing process. Klass defines fear quite well when he says Your true fear is like a ferret darting within the tunnels of your psyche, despearate not to be discovered. Morrell explores a great many aspects of fear in this collection of 15 short stories.

The book is also the evolution of the writer in Morrell. The first story in the collection is dated from 1972 and the last one from 1992 and with each story, I could sense a maturing of the author's craft and method. The first three stories are very short and feel more like tentative footfalls before the author stands up straight and claims his place in the world. My acquaintance with Morrell has been through First Blood and Testament, both of which were action thrillers but here his exploration is into the genre of horror and he is quite adept at it. My favorites from this collection are :

1. The Beautiful Uncut Hair Of Graves
2. The Shrine
3. Orange Is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity

These three also hold some personal meaning for the author for he wrote these at a time when his 15-year old son was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. He lost his son in that battle and these stories were written during and after that period of intense mental agony. Grief to the point of insanity stands out in these tales and it is written rather poignantly.

Other than the first three or four weak tales, the others in this collection are all solid. A good collection and an author who I have come to enjoy much of late.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Morrell's Black Evening: Tales of Dark Suspense is a collection of horror short stories. This is a change of pace from Morrell's normal fare of action/suspense/thriller novels, but this is a strong collection that is a great read and will be especially rewarding for Morrell's fans.

There are 7 short stories in this collection. The weakest by far is the first one, "The Dripping". I'd rate it 3 stars. But the rest are 4 or 5 star short stories which is high praise from me since I am not normally a fan of the short story format. Of especially high quality are "But At My Back I Always Hear" and "Orange Is For Anguish, Blue For Insanity." Those stand up with the best short format horror stories that you can put against them, from Poe to King.

Each story is introduced by the author who includes plenty of details about how he started writing, what was going on in his life when he wrote the stories. These introductory pieces are, in some ways, the most enjoyable parts of the book. I very much enjoyed his tales of what inspired him and of the authors who pointed him along the way to being one of just a handful of authors in the country that completely make a living by writing.

Audiobook details:

approximately 6 hours. Each story is read by a different narrator. The introductory pieces are read by David Morrell himself and are quite good.

[Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my childhood library the horror section was limited. A couple of Lovecraft, and a collection of modern horror called Prime Evil. The latter I would borrow regularly, and my favorite story was David Morrell's Orange Is For Anguish, Blue For Insanity. It had everything: art, madness, migraines, Provence. (Why a ten-year old me found these particular things appealing is anybody's guess). When I recalled this story a while ago, and found that the anthology was out of print (and my childhood library long gone), I bought Black Evening. The story wasn't quite as frightening as I remembered it,but still very evocative. There's not a lot of subtlety to any of these stories, which, these days, feels very retro. Some are rather melancholy, some humorous, others straight up horror. I enjoyed all of them, except the rain dance one which was just too silly. I feel like digging up more 70's/80's horror stories.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Short stories aren't my favourite forms of fiction generally, but these were of a high level. What makes this book better is the short introductions to every story where Morrell explains what he was doing in his life at the time of penning them and where his inspiration came from. Most stories fall into the horror or thriller genres. He is a master of pacing and hooks you in. Furthermore, you can see him developing as a writer from tentative beginnings to masterful endings. Loved it.

[Ronnie Pastecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of horror short stories and novellas are tied together by Morrell's description of his state of mind at the time of writing. It also demonstrated how Morrell's writing style improved over the years.

I usually do not read short stories, but was intrigued by the format of the book-something akin to an intro fiction writing class where Morrell shares how events and tragedy in his personal life influenced his writing.

Very interesting book.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent horror collection of stories dealing with loss—of family, security, sanity. Morrell’s foreword and introduction to each story add depth to the inspiration and personal meaning of this collection. I had forgotten how many of my favorite short stories he had written, and a couple stayed with me long after I finished the book. Highly recommended.

[Jim Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of horror and suspense short stories by David Morrell, the creator of Rambo. It contains fifteen stories that each involve fear somehow. The stories were written over a span of twenty years from 1972 to 1992. Like with most collections I enjoyed some stories more than others. I did enjoy them all though and I felt they got better and better the more I read.

The first story that stood out is titled The Typewriter. It’s about an author who discovers an old typewriter with some mysterious qualities. It was a page turner with a great ending.

My other favorite stories from this collection are Black and White and Read All Over, Mumbo Jumbo, and Dead Image. These three stories all revolve around the theme of ambition and the dark side of success.

This collection also includes a forward, introductions for each story, and an afterword. In them the author explains how he became a writer, the origins for each story, and how he handled some very tragic events in his life. These were sometimes my favorite parts of the collection.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished reading Black Evening by David Morrell. It's a collection of, well, if not horror stories per sé then certainly unsettling stories. No, that's not the genre by which Morrell pays the bills - he's a thriller writer, most famous for writing First Blood. You get the impression from reading some of the author's notes in Black Evening that he isn't wildly keen on what Hollywood and Stallone did to his story but let's not digress. I'm here to talk about Black Evening.

I'll confess I hadn't even heard of David Morrell until a friend of mine, Mark, mentioned one of the stories from Black Evening in a blog post. That story was the excellent "Orange Is For Anguish, Blue Is For Insanity". Mark described that story very neatly, so I hope he won't mind me reproducing his précis - an art historian sees a whole swarm of hideous faces hiding in the paintings of the tortured artist - rather than spewing my own inferior version.

"Orange Is For Anguish..." is an excellent short story, and is among the stand-out efforts in Black Evening. That's saying something too, for although this collection presents its stories in chronological order, so that you can watch Morrell hone his writing technique (as well as seeing the effect events in his personal life had on his storytelling), the standard here is uniformly high. For that reason alone, I don't want to pick out or describe too many of the stories therein... but I do want to give two a special mention.

After reading "The Storm" in Black Evening, I had a genuine "I wish I'd written that" moment. The story is simple: whilst on holiday, our protagonist comments to his son that a native American's rain dance is hokey and just for show, for the cynical benefit of tourists. Cue a curse on our narrator, who is then followed wherever he goes by a torrential storm. Of course he manages to get the curse lifted, but there's a twist in the tale. Isn't there always? Anyway... okay, yes, the premise reminds me a bit of Thinner by Richard Bachman (I'd have to do some research to find out which was written first) but c'mon, there's nothing new under the sun, after all. And that shouldn't detract from the fact that this story is beautifully, sparsely written, utterly absorbing and, despite the otherworldy content, made entirely plausible.

And then there's "Mumbo Jumbo", a tale of a US high school sports team mascot and the effect it has on the players. Now I didn't go to a US high school and the idea of American football is anathema to me... but that doesn't matter. Morrell weaves a tale that drags you in, takes you back to whatever your school days were and lets you reinhabit the mind of the person you were then. It's a beautifully told tale (with a little twist in the tale, naturally) and, like many of the stories in Black Evening, would make a fine story for The Twilight Zone. Or, if you're English, like me, an excellent Tale Of The Unexpected.

So, Black Evening... it's out of print, of course, but thanks to Amazon, I have an ex-library hardback in pretty good condition that only cost 1p (plus postage and packing), so there's a bargain to be had here. I recommend it to you unreservedly - if you're the sort of person who enjoys Stephen King's short stories (or just well-told short stories in general, as long as you're not averse to being creeped out now and again) then this is a book for you.

Goodreads doesn't do half-stars but this is a four and a half star review.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Morrell is one of the best thriller authors you might have never read. This is especially sad since his 1972 novel First Blood (basis of the Rambo series) is considered the father of the modern thriller. Morrell is known for spy and action thrillers, but has never limited his writing to this. He is also quite adept at horror. This is a collection of his short fiction, where he has focuses on horror stories. Except for his three earliest stories, which are short and lacking punch, everything in this collection is otherwise a gem. He explores a hidden truth that causes high school boys to be football stars only to mysteriously fade later in life. He explores the cause of the creativity and violent insanity of a painter very similar to Van Gogh, a force that is still alive. A tourist visits a town of mutants who were cursed by a priest, and it's contagious. There is the story of a newspaper delivery boy in a small town where delivery boys are disappearing. A couple commits a murder-suicide and it affects a man who just recently lost his wife and son in a haunting way. A typewriter has a mind of its own in a great cautionary fable. A star similar to James Dean seems to be repeating his life in the form of a modern actor. A man insults a rain-dancing Native American and ends up with his own personal storm that follows him relentlessly. This is a collection of stories worthy of Ray Bradbury and Stephen King. As a bonus, David Morrell offers an introduction to each story.

[PostMortem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Морел пише разказите в продължение на 20 години, а преди началото на всяка творба е поместен авторов текст, в който споделя кога, защо и как я е написал. Морел също така дава ценни съвети от личния си опит в послеслова и предговора на книгата.

Авторът губи сина си, изгаснал за няколко месеца от рак и това е тема, която е много силно застъпена в творчеството на Дейвид Морел, както си признава. Жанровите рамки обхващат хорър, трилър, крими - има сюжет за изкуство, както и такъв за спорт - с други думи, Морел не се притеснява да разчупва и експериментира; има разказ писан във второ лице, сегашно време.

Що се отнася до самите разкази - допаднаха ми, на високо ниво са. Личните ми фаворити са "Капка след капка" и "Оранжево за болка, синьо за безумие", като останалите произведения също ми харесаха в различна степен.

4/5
7/10

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

didn't realize that morrell has short story collections.

p13: often the writer so represses those events that hi isn't aware of the source of the compulsion.

p22: the hemorrhaging alone can have killed her.

[Matt Kight · Rating 4 out of 5]

1 The Dripping 3.0: Unreliable narrator, I may need to read this one again to better appreciate it

2 The Partnership 3.5: Humorous take about a hitman going rogue

3 Black Evening 4.0: Andrew & Agnes's creepy mansion

4 The Hidden Laughter 2.0: Meh, story built around a few lines from a TS Elliot poem

5 The Typewriter 4.0: Dark humor rags-to-riches-to-insanity story about a magic typewriter

6 But At My Back I Always Hear 4.5: Telepathy and stalking, recipe for a haunting thriller

7 The Storm 3.5: Love the idea about the weather curse but didn't care for the ending

8 For These And All My Sins 4.5: Creepy story of a seemingly leper colony off the highway in rural Nebraska

9 Black And White And Red All Over 3.5: Story about the newspaper boys being abducted

10 Mumbo Jumbo 4.0: Sometimes superstitious sports rituals are real

11 Dead Image 3.5: James Dean reincarnated, enjoyed it until the very end

12 Orange Is For Anguish, Blue For Insanity 4.5: Enjoyed the French setting and twist on Van Gogh's famous eccentric behavior

13 The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves 3.0: Disturbing story about a black market adoption ring, ending was a little overly dramatic

14 The Shrine 4.5: Grief can be life changing in scary ways, nice morality tale

AVERAGE 3.7

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories often have a clever, and sometimes brilliant, hook, but Morrell's prose style is a weird combination of easy to read and tedious. The plots are often quite moody but the writing is devoid of mood.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't quite live up to the adjectives used to describe it: terror, dark suspense, thriller - but that might be a good thing.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short stories were intriguing and haunting. The thematic material -fear, horror, and loss of what we value the most-is universal. Worth the read.

[Rajat Narula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horror-suspense short stories. Not interesting at all.

[Glen Guldbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding collection of short stories from the fertile imagination of David Morrell. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy each story. You're welcome.

[Bradly Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy the way this man writes. Many of the included novellas were award winning or in the running.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read "But at my Back I Always Hear" from this collection - but couldn't find it here as an individual story. It was really a good one.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2000. A brilliant and suspenseful short story collection.

[S.wagenaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of suspense/supernatural thriller tales. Most anthologies have a couple of stories that fall flat, but not here; every story is a winner. Recommended.

[Rose Webb]

But at My Back I Always Hear: 3 Stars

[Emiliano Aguilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mis relatos favoritos fueron:

-The Shrine
-The Dripping
-Mumbo Jumbo
-But at my back I always hear
-For these and all my sins

[Светослав Богданов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ако изключим Рамбо, този сборник е единственото, което съм чел от Дейвид Морел.

В превод на Иван Атанасов (Deadface), сборникът съдържа 15 творби, като почти ��сичките попадат директно в рамката на топ страхотните разкази. Не бих поставил само "Мъмбо-Джъмбо" и "Пишещата машина" в категория шедьовър, но това разбира се, е изцяло субективно. За първи път прочетох сборника преди 10-12 години и досега е препрочитан още два пъти. Много от разказите са ми любими и до ден днешен, като за това помага и страхотният превод на Иван. Ако сте пропуснали това удоволствие, силно препоръчвам да поправите грешката си.

1 - Капка след капка
Разказ, който е написан сякаш като поклон към творчеството на Е. А. По. Сблъсках се с разказа в един друг сборник - "Нощен писък", където е озаглавен "Капането", но тук професионализмът на преводача допринася за страхотното усещане и наслада.
2 - Съдружници
Забавен разказ за надцакването между двама бизнесмени, които в крайна сметка се оказва, че не са пресметнали нещата както трябва. Много ми диопадна като изпълнение и като идея.
3 - Черна вечер
Брутален разказ - буквално и преносно. Толкова болка събрана на едно място, че чак горчи. Адски много ми се услади тази горчилка.
4 - Тайнственият смях
В годните когато са писани разказите, явно Дейвид Морел е размишлявал доста над темата за лудостта, скръбта и борбата с вътрешните демони. В настоящия сборник има няколко разказа, които чоплят с нокът из тези теми, като в крайна сметка донякъде остават с отворен край, който читателят сам да донапише - този разказ е един от тях.
5 - Пишещата машина
Това е разказ за алчността и докъде може да ни отведе. Като цяло темата е разглеждана много пъти, включително и от Стивън Кинг, при това доста по-добре според мен и може би затова разказът не ми допадна толкова много колкото другите.
6/7 - Капан за непредпазливия/ Гласът, който ме преследва
Това е по-скоро нещо като въведение към следващия разказ който с ръка на сърцето си казвам, че е страхотен и е един от много любимите ми в сборника. Както написах по-горе, в този сборник има няколко разказа, които са така умело написани, че оставят зрителя ако желае сам да прецени дали случващото се е реално или плод на изпържен мозък. Разказът "Гласът, който ме преследва" е написан от първо лице, което за мен е огромен плюс, защото попаднал в подходящите професионални ръце, този повествователен стил може да отприщи истинска магия. Е, Дейвид Морел доказа, че магията я има.
8 - Бурята
Ако времето може да изпитва омраз, то този разказ е напин в негова чест.
9 - За тези и за всички мои грехове
Още един разказ за проклятие и може би капка лудост. Шедьовър!
10 - Черно-бяло и червено
Убиецът дебне невръстни хлапета рано сутрин. Няма кой да помогне, някой да ги спаси. Прекрасен разказ.
11- Мъмбо-Джъмбо
Както писах по-нагоре, в сборника има два разказ, които не ми допадат и този е един от тях. Както повечето футболни отбори, така този си има своя талисман, въпросът е, че талисманът май е прекалено късметлийски. А пък може би не съвсем. Зависи. Не ме впечатли особено.
12/13 - Пътят за Дамаск/ Мъртъв образ
Кратко есе от Дейвид Морел на тема "Кое ме вдъхнови да стана писател" и разказ за тъмната страна на холивудските души. Проклятието на аурата дори можем да го наречем. Разказ за печалната смърт на младите и талантливи актьори. Младата смърт на върха на кариерата, често превръща творците в легенди. Чуден разказ.
14/15 - Оранжево за болка, синьо за безумие / Миърс
Два свързани разказа за лудостта и тъмната страна на творците. Много често из разни есета съм попадал на изречението "Идеята толкова ме бе превзела, че не ме оставяше на мира и сякаш сама искаше да се напише". В случая единственият ми проблем е с края на "Миърс", но истината е, че е по-скоро мрънкане.
16 - Прекрасната неподстригата гробищна трева
Един от най-силните бичове на творците, е фактът, че често умеят да творят най-добре когато са подложени на лични драми, стрес и реално ако не се чувства добре. Както често се случва, професионалистите умеят да изразят най-добре себе си, когато някаква много силна емоция ги владее. Нека си припомним, че някои от най-силните книги на Кинг са писани под въздействието на наркотици и алкохол. Филип К. Дик е бил параноичен наркоман, Хемингуей е друга бира, има още куп други. Разказът "Прекрасната неподстригата гробищна трева" е още един шедьовър.
17 - Гробница
Просто прочетете разказа.

Това се получи прекалено дълго, но нищо не може да ни спре щом има желание, както е написал Ричард Матисън.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Evening by David Morrell is a collection of his short stories from the 1970's to early 1990's.  Touted as Tales of Dark Suspense, they focus on fear.  Fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of madness.  What makes these short stories truly interesting, is that each is accompanied by a brief synopsis of why Morrell wrote them, and his state of mind at the time.  Some of these were written before and after the death of his son.  This makes the collection very personal,  a bit sad, and just a tad scary.  Overall, it is a great collection. 


A brief description of my favorites from this collection:

The Dripping.........A man returns home to his mother's house, expecting to find his wife and child, and instead finds a basement dripping with milk.  Rather Strange.

Black Evening.......The investigation into the stench coming from an old mansion proves to be more than hoarding.

The Typewriter.....Loved this one.  A starving artist purchases a strange old typewriter that apparently writes bestsellers, all on its own.  When it breaks, so does his mind. 

But at My Back I Always Hear.....A college professor is stalked by one of his students who swears he is communicating with her telepathically.  This was really good!

The Storm.....A man disrespects an Indian Medicine Man, and then can't escape the storm.  Really liked this one.

Mumbo Jumbo........A high school football team has a strange mascot.  Interesting.

The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves.........When a man loses his parents and finds adoption papers in his father's safe, he starts his own investigation.  Really good!

Dark at Heart......A man who has lost his wife and son in a tragic accident, now loses two friends who had also suffered a loss.
 

Known for introducing the world to Rambo, David Morrell is a very talented writer. And he's originally from Kitchener Ontario Canada (right next door to me!) 

I definitely enjoyed the collection.

For more of my reviews, you can visit :
http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. A decent collection of short stories. Not really horror per se but rather stories more along the line of dealing with grief & pain. A couple of stand-out pieces once you get past the first four entries (his earliest works, showing he wasn't in full form yet). Here's my rating for each story in the collection:

1-The Dripping: 1 star (ughh!)
2-The Partnership - 2 stars
3-Black Evening - 2 stars
4-The Hidden Laughter - 2 stars
5-The Typewriter - 4 stars (one of 2 favorites)
6-A Trap for the Unwary - No rating (afterword written for a horror anthology)
7-But at My Back I Always Hear - 3 stars
8-The Storm - 3.5 stars
9-For These and All My Sins - 3 stars
10-Black and White and Red All Over - 2 stars
11-Mumbo Jumbo - 3 stars
12-The Road to Damascus - No rating (writes about influences for becoming a writer)
13-Dead Image - 2 stars
14-Orange Is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity - 4 stars (2nd of two favorites)
15-The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves - 3 stars
16-The Shrine - 3.5 stars

[DaViD´82 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je paradoxní, že to co je na této sbírce vůbec nejzajímavější, je zároveň i její největší slabinou. A to sice chronologický průřez povídkovou tvorbou mistra na nebrakové psychologicky laděné hororově-thrilleroidní žánrovky. Je nesporně zajímavé sledovat, jak se postupně „vypisoval“, ale k tomu tak nějak patří, že ne veškeré příspěvky (speciálně pak úvodní čtveřice povídek z počátku kariéry) si udržují stejný (nad)standard kvality. Ovšem veškeré jeho majstrštyky tu jsou zařazeny také čili celková kvalita je samozřejmě hvězd se dotýkající, to zase ne že ne.

PS: Škoda že překlad naprosto neodpovídá kvalitě knihy; že se americký fotbal zaměňuje za rugby či hot dog za párek v rohlíku a desítky dalších, to se ještě s kroucením hlavou pochopit dá, ale "anglická stavba vět" již nikoli.