Status Updates From Fantastic Tales of Terror: ...

"The Return of the Thin White Duke" by Neil Gaiman: 3/5 - this wonderfully creative adventure challenges the reader's imagination more than his or her courage. An eternal monarch of a fantastic multiverse is confronted with a change of power that requires him to prove himself, experience novelty for the first time in ages and reveal his true identity. References indicate a David Bowie-Ziggy Stardust connection.

"The Great Stone Face vs. the Gargoyles" by Jeff Strand: 5/5 - the author's signature sense of b-movies come-to-life is showcased in this story about Buster Keaton filming an unusual project with a behind-the-scenes secret manifesting in an unexpected way. The story is both scary and funny, with a casually abrupt ending that leaves you wanting more and yet totally satisfied.

"Lone Wolves" by Paul Moore: 4/5 - The longest work in the collection, this might be considered the centerpiece. Moore uses atmosphere, authentic dialogue and deliberate pacing to create a masterful short about a 19th century hunt on the opens plains led by Teddy Roosevelt. It ends up being more supernatural thriller than horror, but satisfying.

"Rotoscoping Toodies" by Mort Castle: 4/5 - what begins as a creepily mystical tale about Walt Disney's secret to success evolves into a more complex character study of the narrator, concluding with a twist so bleak at the end that the story could easily be the darkest of the collection.

"The Scent of Flesh" by Jessica Marie Baumgartner: 1/5 - this clumsy fictional history of Annie Oakley as a wendigo hunter is only tenuously connected to any factual life and the poorly structured prose is the scariest thing about it. A shame to see something like this so far into such a high quality collection.

At almost 600 pages, this collection is erring on the side of excess, but I would argue that there are very few collections with such consistently high quality stories. That being said, there are a couple of curious exceptions. This one by Jessica Marie Baumgartner is one of those. She writes children's books and nonfiction more often than horror or fantasy, so it's interesting that the editor included this one

"The Washingtonians" by Bentley Little: 3/5 - this story's absolutely off-the-wall concept hints at a much larger story, and even aspects of this one seem to have gotten the Reader's Digest treatment. Extremely exciting and creative, but too short to achieve its potential. A man discovers a letter written by George Washington that implicates the historical figure in terrible acts.

"Sic Olim Tyrannis" by David Wellington: 5/5 - I've enjoyed Wellington's shorts in the past and this was no exception. A refreshing infusion of natural (yet fantastic) history evokes Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal. Such an imaginative premise, it offers an entirely new vision of the zombie apocalypse. Not necessarily terrifying or profound, yet it's still everything a horror story should be.

"Articles of Teleforce" by Michael Bailey: 3/5 - this weird fiction story of crossover histories connects Nikola Tesla, Mark Twain, the New Deal and Flight 93 in an interesting mixture of fact and fantasy. Not scary, but creative, thoroughly researched and enjoyable.

"Gorilla My Dreams" by Jonathan Maberry: 4/5 - As is probably apparent from the title, Maberry's strong sense of humor is a big part of this story. The historical aspect of it seems more focused on the plot of King Kong than anything factual, but it's a lot of fun. The story is presented as a series of conversations building up to a press conference dealing with the presence and aftermath of the giant ape.

"Bubba Ho-Tep" By Joe R. Lansdale: 4/5 - originally published almost 30 years ago, I can understand why this story has been republished and adapted. It's edgy, viscerally repellent; it's funny, with sardonic mockery of popular culture as well as being playful with history; and it's smart, questions of life, death, aging and the everlasting always just below the surface. Punchline style ending notwithstanding.

"La Llorna" by Cullen Bunn: 3/5 - this combination of the La Llorna legend with the mysterious disappearance of Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge author Ambrose Bierce is poetic and vivid, despite being short and simple.

"Mutter" by Jess Landry: 2/5 - while the historical setting being aboard the Hindenburg LZ 129 was instantly attractive, the mythology in this story leaves the reader with too many questions and a lot to be desired. This one inspired one of the better illustrations in the collection, but otherwise it's unremarkable.

"The Secret Engravings" by Lisa Morton: 5/5 - this story is more haunting than viscerally scary, but conveys a breadth of emotion not usually accessible in heavier horror. Not being familiar with the German artist, Hans Holbein, was no disadvantage thanks to the immersive detail in this wonderfully imaginative account of a talented man who meets Death during an outbreak of the plague in 16th century England.

"The Prince of Darkness and the Showgirl" by John Palisano: 3/5 - an enjoyable adventure with Marilyn Monroe in the jungle topped off with the best illustration so far, which is chilling and beautiful at the same time. Another one where I'd probably have gotten more out of it if I knew the history better.

"Red Moon" by Michael Paul Gonzalez: 4/5 - I'm a sucker for sincere werewolf stories, and while this idea wasn't entirely unique, it was an awful lot of fun. Readers witness the hidden history of the moon landing as Armstrong and Aldrin receive a secondary mission on the Apollo 11.

"The Custer Files" by Richard Chizmar: 3/5 This epistolary re-imagining of Custer's last stand is told with authentic details that make the sparing description vivid. A great, gritty concept for the story, but a bit of a cop-out ending.

"On a Train Bound for Home" by Christopher Golden: 3/5 - Golden is a perennial favorite in these collections, and consistently delivers unique, fleshed-out concepts for every theme. This one features Houdini on hte Midnight Express, pitted against a vengeful spiritualist whom he apparently met (and debunked) in Egypt. The scheme against the magician is a little cartoonish.

"The Girl with the Death Mask" by Stephanie M. Wytovich: 3/5 - this very short story offers vivid imagery and interesting mythology, but not enough breadcrumbs for this history dunce to understand the connection between Diego Rivera, the witch-doctor tooth-man and the frog. There's probably great stuff here, but for me it was just scenery.

"Ray and the Martian" by Bev Vincent: 4/5 - this short, fun tale is your out-of-the-box UFO crash-landing story, yet it distinguishes itself in almost every area. In a few short pages, Vincent manages to cram in character development, historical references, literary jokes and cool aliens-meet-rural-farmer stuff, with a surprise ending to boot. Word-for-word, a strong contender.

"Topsy-Turvy" by Elizabeth Massey: 5/5 - If ever a real-life execution was ideal for a horror story, Edison's electricity experiment on Topsy the elephant is likely it. The mythology and historical detail here are delightful; both moral and practical enough to hit that sweet spot in your suspension of disbelief. Best line: "My grin died right there on my elephant lips."

Historical figures and events chosen for this collection are superb, including just enough recognizable landmarks for the casual student of history. The watercolor style illustrations are also very evocative and more interesting than your average anthology accompaniment.