Frights

by Kirby McCauley (Editor, Afterword), Fritz Leiber (Introduction), Ramsey Campbell (Contributor)

Seventeen stories of suspense by superb writers who specialize in that peculiar combination of fantasy and fear that delights as it terrifies!

Edited, and with illuminating notes for each story by one of the masters of the anthology genre, Kirby McCauley, this collection contains 17 stories by such well-known authors as DEAN KOONTZ, CLIVE BARKER, ROBERT BLOCH, DAVID DRAKE, RAMSEY CAMPBELL, and POUL ANDERSON, with additional stories newly added to this edition by DEAN KOONTZ, CLIVE BARKER, and T.E.D. KLEIN. Kirby McCauley is best known for his groundbreaking horror anthology, Dark Forces.

CONTENTS
Introduction: Wonder & Terror by Fritz Leiber
There's A Long, Long Trail A-Winding by Russell Kirk
The Whisperer by Brian Lumley
Armaja Dass by Joe Haldeman
The Kitten by Poul Anderson & Karen Anderson
Oh Tell Me Will It Freeze Tonight by R.A. Lafferty
Dead Call by William F. Nolan
The Idiots by Davis Grubb
The Companion by Ramsey Campbell
Firefight by David Drake
It Only Comes Out At Night by Dennis Etchison
Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman
Sums by John Jakes & Richard E. Peck
The Warm Farewell by Robert Bloch
End Game by Gahan Wilson

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Kirby McCauley (1941-2014) was a New York City literary agent and editor.

He attended the University of Minnesota and became a literary agent in the 1970s, soon building a successful agency and representing authors such as Stephen King, Roger Zelazny, and George R.R. Martin, who credits him with helping to launch his writing career. In 1975, McCauley chaired the first World Fantasy Convention.

He died of of renal failure associated with diabetes in 2014.

Reviews

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite an unremarkable collection of middling stories, with a few exceptions: "Armaja Das" is goofy but has its moments, as does "There's a Long, Long Trail A-Winding," though I find the latter story overrated. "It Only Comes Out At Night" has an intriguing premise, but as usual Etchison drops the ball with his hyperventilating and racist climax. Campbell is extremely Campbell-y here, with his abandoned amusement park and mopey protagonist, as is Lafferty with his usual folksy weirdness shtick. Aickman contributes a typically incomprehensible and frustrating short story. Other stories in here are even worse.

Disappointing overall. Not recommended. Nowhere near as good as Dark Forces.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorites is in here - It Only Comes Out at Night by Dennis Etchison. A few other highlights: The Whisperer - Brian Lumley, Dead Call - William F Nolan, The Companion - Ramsey Campbell, The Warm Farewell - Robert Bloch.

[Jay Bolling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly frightful, but several of the stories were enjoyable.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was actually pretty disappointed in this reprint of a mid-70s horror anthology edited by Kirby McCauley. I mean, the dude is Roger Zelazny's agent, and his Dark Forces is a legend in the field.

I found it interesting to see early entries from Brian Lumley, Dennis Etchison, and David Drake, all before they were famous outside of the horror cognoscenti -- even Ramsey Campbell is here, before he was a legend. There are also stories by Robert Bloch, John Jakes and more. In short, I thought it would be pretty bad-ass.

But maybe I'm just not that big a horror reader. While I could recognize the soft touch and admirable techniques of many of the stories, I found them all too slow and underdramatized except for the closing entry by Gahan Wilson, "End Game," a weird steampunky nightmare that I loved. Several of the rest of them all felt extremely suburban, and frankly I could give a shit about the suburbs. But mostly I just felt they didn't grab me -- too slow to get to the point, without vivid language. With some of the stories, my eyes were seriously glossing over.

The only ones that really made an impression on me at all were Lumley's "The Whisperer," Etchison's "It Only Comes Out at Night," the apocalyptic gypsy tale "Armaja Das" by Joe Haldeman, and the reprehensible (but at least effective) "The Kitten" by Poul and Karen Anderson, which I hated but at least it freaked me out. Crazy cat ladies, steer clear.

I must admit it was strange and someone disturbing to see the dark side of Poul Anderson.

The contributors are about 80% writers I've loved in the past, and nobody I've ever disliked, so I was surprised to disappointed. I really wanted to enjoy a horror anthology, so I guess I'll have to dig another one out of my stack. Maybe it's time for another Cutting Edge reread...

Features an introduction by Fritz Leiber, and an afterword by McCauley.

[[on hiatus, probably forever] The rockabilly werewolf from Mars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a fair number of the stories here are pretty average, at least three of these stories (Compulsory Games, The Companion, and It Only Comes Out At Night) are genuine classics of the horror genre. For an anthology of original stories, that's a good amount. It also has a story that is often considered a classic, but which I have never seen the appeal of (the Kirk story). I find Kirk's writing to be, well, boring, and often preachy and sanctimonious to boot. The fact that he was a political theorist likely explains why he can't write. There's also a neat Lafferty story, which, although not especially frightening, displays the author's usual inventiveness and gift for writing bizarre characters. Of the remaining stories, the Bloch, Wilson, Grubb, And Lumley stories were also interesting; while the rest were mostly forgettable.

[John Bruni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent collection of horror stories. I find it kind of odd that McCauley filled a horror anthology with writers primarily known for their SF. Surprisingly, I've only ever read one of these stories before, "It Only Comes Out at Night" by Dennis Etchison. Maybe half of the stories were good. My favorite is a toss-up between "The Whisperer" by Brian Lumley and "Armaja Das" by Joe Haldeman. The latter might just edge out the former, but not by much. It's an incredible story of superstition versus science, perhaps the best Gypsy curse story I've ever read.

[Martin Cosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any collection with Compulsory Games by Aickman and The Companion by Ramsey Campbell must be good!

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man who likes to tour funfairs when he goes on holidays, takes a ride on Ghost Train. During the ride he encounters a 'horror'.