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Whispers III
CONTENTS
The Dead Line by Dennis Etchison
Heading Home by Ramsey Campbell
King Crocodile by David Drake
The Door Below by Hugh B. Cave
Point of Departure by Phyllis Einstein
Firstborn by David Campton
The Horses of Lir by Roger Zelazny
Woodland Burial by Frank Belknap Long
The River of Night's Dreaming by Karl Edward Wagner
Who Nose What Evil by Charles E. Fritch
Comb My Hair, Please Comb My Hair by Jean Darling
A Fly One by Steve Sneyd
The Button Molder by Fritz Leiber
The Final Quest by William F. Nolan
The Dead Line by Dennis Etchison
Heading Home by Ramsey Campbell
King Crocodile by David Drake
The Door Below by Hugh B. Cave
Point of Departure by Phyllis Einstein
Firstborn by David Campton
The Horses of Lir by Roger Zelazny
Woodland Burial by Frank Belknap Long
The River of Night's Dreaming by Karl Edward Wagner
Who Nose What Evil by Charles E. Fritch
Comb My Hair, Please Comb My Hair by Jean Darling
A Fly One by Steve Sneyd
The Button Molder by Fritz Leiber
The Final Quest by William F. Nolan
- GenresHorrorAnthologies
182 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1981
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126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 6, 2021
Whispers was an irregularly published semi-professional magazine of horror and dark fantasy that Stuart David Schiff published and edited in the 1970s. It was named after a fictitious magazine that H.P. Lovecraft named in one of his early stories in Weird Tales. This third anthology appeared from Doubleday in 1981, containing stories that had first appeared in the magazine along with some new material. It has a nice cover by Tim Kirk, much different from usual style, that captures a true horror feel, and several fine interior illustrations from the likes of Stephen Fabian, Lee Brown Coye, etc. The book contains fourteen stories, many of them from the biggest names in the genre of the time, including good ones by Hugh B. Cave, Dennis Etchison, Roger Zelazny, Fritz Leiber, David Drake, Frank Belknap Long, William F. Nolan, and Phyllis Eisenstein. My favorite was The River of Night's Dreaming (recognize the quote?) by Karl Edward Wagner.
March 10, 2015
Read in 1981.
January 17, 2016
Admittedly, I am a sucker for a good anthology. The issue, therein, is that the market seems to have been flooded by so-so collections slapped together for a quick buck (I'm looking at you, Mr. Greenberg.) and as such I've had a difficult time lately decided which are worth my time and which to give up on after the first few stories. It's a challenge; after all, what if I stop reading right before the next great story? Luckily, Mr. Schiff has never been one to disappoint. Back in the day, along with a few other guys just like him, he took over the horror market with yearly and bi-yearly collections like Whispers.
While I'd love to write up a history of horror anthologies from that time period this is not the time nor place. For now, let us focus on Whispers III, which is an old enough volume that most will probably never read it. There are, of course, quite a few brilliant pieces present that make it worth picking up on Amazon or eBay if nothing else. I didn't care for Phyllis Einstein's Point of Departure, as it felt like a dated ghost story even for the time. Similarly, Jean Darling's Comb My Hair, Please Comb My Hair just didn't do it for me; it might have been okay at best, but it certainly didn't stack up against contenders such as Karl Wagner's The River of Night's Dreaming or Fritz Lieber's The Button Molder. Overall, however, it is still a very worthwhile collection to own if you don't mind a bit of age on your bookshelf.
While I'd love to write up a history of horror anthologies from that time period this is not the time nor place. For now, let us focus on Whispers III, which is an old enough volume that most will probably never read it. There are, of course, quite a few brilliant pieces present that make it worth picking up on Amazon or eBay if nothing else. I didn't care for Phyllis Einstein's Point of Departure, as it felt like a dated ghost story even for the time. Similarly, Jean Darling's Comb My Hair, Please Comb My Hair just didn't do it for me; it might have been okay at best, but it certainly didn't stack up against contenders such as Karl Wagner's The River of Night's Dreaming or Fritz Lieber's The Button Molder. Overall, however, it is still a very worthwhile collection to own if you don't mind a bit of age on your bookshelf.
May 16, 2015
Being a fan of eerie & weird fiction, my review may be biased. I'd say that the author is a magician. As he created the whole grim ambience only with four characters. Well developed, each of them are. Yet incomplete.
The guy really knows the knack of detailing. I could see the whole thing happening in front of my eyes. His writing is so original that we could connect with the characters very easily.
After Shutter Island [movie], this is the best experience I had: when it comes to the ending. A twist that you may never expect.
I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of weird / dark fiction.
The guy really knows the knack of detailing. I could see the whole thing happening in front of my eyes. His writing is so original that we could connect with the characters very easily.
After Shutter Island [movie], this is the best experience I had: when it comes to the ending. A twist that you may never expect.
I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of weird / dark fiction.
August 13, 2013
I can't claim to have read every anthology out there today, but I still think so many of them pale in comparison to the Whispers, Shadows and Borderlands collections...
June 29, 2025
This a strange mix of two really excellent stories, one or two competent ones, and the remainder undistinguished. To wit:
"The Dead Line" by Dennis Etchison. 2/5 stars. This is a truly horrific idea for a horror story, not executed well enough to really land, unfortunately.
"Heading Home" by Ramsey Campbell. 1/5 stars. A gimmick story that has little to recommend it.
"King Crocodile" by David Drake. 3/5 stars. Drake was never less than competent, and often a good deal more. This one reminded me strongly of his earlier "Dragon's Teeth" (1975); it's not as good as that one, but still well worth a read.
"The Door Below" by Hugh B. Cave. 1/5 stars. Cave's career was revived, apparently, at least partly due to the efforts of Karl Edward Wagner. I haven't read anything else by him. Based on this story, I probably won't.
"Point of Departure" by Phyliss Eisenstein. 2/5 stars. A sentimental fantasy story about a family reconciliation. Eisenstein was a well-regarded fantasy & SF author in her time, but I didn't find this one too interesting.
"Firstborn" by David Campton. 2/5 stars. A campy tale of a man-eating vegetable, shades of Little Shop of Horrors.
"The Horses of Lir" by Roger Zelazny. 5/5 stars. Another sentimental fantasy, but in contrast to Eisenstein, Zelazny hits all the right notes. Probably an unfair comparison; few writers could compete with him.
"Woodland Burial" by Frank Belknap Long. 0/5 stars. I deducted a star because I have a particular dislike for stories about husbands or wives murdering their spouses. But this one isn't even very well-written.
"The River of Night's Dreaming" by Karl Edward Wagner. 3/5 stars. Riffing off The King in Yellow mythos, this is imaginative and well-written in places; I did feel it went on too long, however, and besides I found Wagner's apparent interest in lesbian BDSM distasteful.
"Who Nose What Evil" by Charles E. Fritch. 1/5 stars. Another gimmicky story that didn't work for me.
"Comb My Hair, Please Comb My Hair" by Jean Darling. 1/5 stars. An unsuccessful attempt at a fairy tale.
"A Fly One" by Steve Sneyd. 2/5 stars. Sneyd seems to have been primarily a poet, with his prose a sideline to his main interest. Thus, we have a story with evocative imagery but not much of a plot.
"The Button Molder" by Fritz Leiber. 5/5 stars. Leiber had me worried for a while. This was a late-career effort, and he seemed to be rambling on the edge of incoherence for a while...but it was all a trick, like a magician misdirecting his audience, only to shout "Ta Da!" as he pulls a rabbit out of his hat. Suffice to say, Leiber accomplishes what he set out to do, and even manages some profundity along the way. (The title, by the way, is a reference to Peer Gynt.)
"The Dead Line" by Dennis Etchison. 2/5 stars. This is a truly horrific idea for a horror story, not executed well enough to really land, unfortunately.
"Heading Home" by Ramsey Campbell. 1/5 stars. A gimmick story that has little to recommend it.
"King Crocodile" by David Drake. 3/5 stars. Drake was never less than competent, and often a good deal more. This one reminded me strongly of his earlier "Dragon's Teeth" (1975); it's not as good as that one, but still well worth a read.
"The Door Below" by Hugh B. Cave. 1/5 stars. Cave's career was revived, apparently, at least partly due to the efforts of Karl Edward Wagner. I haven't read anything else by him. Based on this story, I probably won't.
"Point of Departure" by Phyliss Eisenstein. 2/5 stars. A sentimental fantasy story about a family reconciliation. Eisenstein was a well-regarded fantasy & SF author in her time, but I didn't find this one too interesting.
"Firstborn" by David Campton. 2/5 stars. A campy tale of a man-eating vegetable, shades of Little Shop of Horrors.
"The Horses of Lir" by Roger Zelazny. 5/5 stars. Another sentimental fantasy, but in contrast to Eisenstein, Zelazny hits all the right notes. Probably an unfair comparison; few writers could compete with him.
"Woodland Burial" by Frank Belknap Long. 0/5 stars. I deducted a star because I have a particular dislike for stories about husbands or wives murdering their spouses. But this one isn't even very well-written.
"The River of Night's Dreaming" by Karl Edward Wagner. 3/5 stars. Riffing off The King in Yellow mythos, this is imaginative and well-written in places; I did feel it went on too long, however, and besides I found Wagner's apparent interest in lesbian BDSM distasteful.
"Who Nose What Evil" by Charles E. Fritch. 1/5 stars. Another gimmicky story that didn't work for me.
"Comb My Hair, Please Comb My Hair" by Jean Darling. 1/5 stars. An unsuccessful attempt at a fairy tale.
"A Fly One" by Steve Sneyd. 2/5 stars. Sneyd seems to have been primarily a poet, with his prose a sideline to his main interest. Thus, we have a story with evocative imagery but not much of a plot.
"The Button Molder" by Fritz Leiber. 5/5 stars. Leiber had me worried for a while. This was a late-career effort, and he seemed to be rambling on the edge of incoherence for a while...but it was all a trick, like a magician misdirecting his audience, only to shout "Ta Da!" as he pulls a rabbit out of his hat. Suffice to say, Leiber accomplishes what he set out to do, and even manages some profundity along the way. (The title, by the way, is a reference to Peer Gynt.)
December 7, 2024
Solid collection of ark fantasy/horror, first published in 1981.
Best stories? "Heading Home" wherein a scientist is murdered by his wife and her lover....but is he really dead? "A Fly One' in which the search for a murderer leads to somethinig worse....and "Firstborn" - another mad scientist tale concerniing a hybrid between plant and animal life....
Enjoy!
Jeff McIntosh
Best stories? "Heading Home" wherein a scientist is murdered by his wife and her lover....but is he really dead? "A Fly One' in which the search for a murderer leads to somethinig worse....and "Firstborn" - another mad scientist tale concerniing a hybrid between plant and animal life....
Enjoy!
Jeff McIntosh
August 4, 2019
"The River of Night's Dreaming"
Wow!
Wow!
March 18, 2024
Overall a really great anthology.
June 8, 2025
This anthology was excellently curated. Recommended it by the owner of a used horror-lit store, and it lived up to the hype.
February 13, 2017
En realidad no es un libro completo, sino un relato de mas de 30 páginas. Yo lo he leido en el recopilatorio "La saga de Hastur" (the Hastur Cycle) de La Factoria de ideas... y posteriormente lo he releido en inglés, por eso lo añado aqui.
Quedé algo decepcionado con la traducción del libro de la factoria de ideas, y quería aprovecharlo en condiciones porque es un relato magnífico.
Edward Wagner escribió fantasia (Espada y brujería sobre todo, con su héroe Kane) y terror, pero no se ha prodigado mucho en ediciones españolas. Murió muy joven (48).
Este relato es uno de los poco que siguieron fielmente la idea de "El rey de amarillo" de Chambers (es decir, dentro de la historia, 'el rey de amarillo' es un libro, una obra teatral). Nada de la reinterpretación torticera que posteriormente hizo Derleth poniendolo Hastur en el centro de los dioses Lovecraftianos.
Es dificil comentar mucho sin soltar spoilers, pero está brillantemente escrito y merece mucho la pena. Wagner es un tipo a reivindicar.
Quedé algo decepcionado con la traducción del libro de la factoria de ideas, y quería aprovecharlo en condiciones porque es un relato magnífico.
Edward Wagner escribió fantasia (Espada y brujería sobre todo, con su héroe Kane) y terror, pero no se ha prodigado mucho en ediciones españolas. Murió muy joven (48).
Este relato es uno de los poco que siguieron fielmente la idea de "El rey de amarillo" de Chambers (es decir, dentro de la historia, 'el rey de amarillo' es un libro, una obra teatral). Nada de la reinterpretación torticera que posteriormente hizo Derleth poniendolo Hastur en el centro de los dioses Lovecraftianos.
Es dificil comentar mucho sin soltar spoilers, pero está brillantemente escrito y merece mucho la pena. Wagner es un tipo a reivindicar.
Read
March 18, 2017Superb. The very best of Wagner.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews