The Mammoth Book Of Vampires edited by Stephen Jones, part 2
The Brood
A not overtly horrific tale of urban decay and unusual vampires.
Root Cellar
An over written tale of the long shadow cast by a despicably pragmatic relative.
Hungarian Rhapsody
A vile, awful resentful mobster obsesses over his transcendent new neighbour. This was screechy rubbish and I will judge yesterday’s behaviour by today’s expectations and point out that the late Robert Bloch had sexism issues.
The Legend of Dracula Reconsidered as a Prime-Time TV Special
To begin with let me ask WTF is a radiopager? A would be screenwriter is eaten alive by the TV biz and the overpaid tools that run it. This was good.
Best Lines:
“I ain’t that desperate. Yet.”
“I am sporting that “just got attacked in the park” look,”
Vampire
A short dark poem.
Stragella
A pulp story from 1932 in which two shipwreck survivors find themselves on a death ship. This was tired and with no menacing characters.
A Week In The Unlife
WTF is a datafax? A vampire hunter goes about his work with an intense presence. This is an okay unnerving tale.
The House At Evening
Two women go a hunting. Creepy.
Vampyrrhic Outcast
A woman experiences the malignancy of solitude. Okay.
The Labyrinth
A couple get lost and make the mistake of stopping at a strange old house for help. Okay.
Best Line:
“So I was merely tied to a tree and flogged.”
Beyond Any Measure
An American in London falls in with a decadent crowd whilst having strange dreams. It all comes together in a tale of death and a twist that is an audacious conceptual preamble. Good.
Doctor Porthos
A tale of a vampire with a twist.
Straight To Hell
A band gets an unholy ‘helper’. Good.
Best Line:
“With a talent for delivering bad poetry with utter conviction.”
It Only Comes Out At Night
A creepy tale of an ill-advised stop at a rest stop. Excellent.
Investigating Jericho
By Chelsea Quinn Yarbo. The IRS investigates why an entire town has stopped paying taxes. This was excellent.
Dracula’s Chair
An antique chair leads to a time warp. Mediocre.
A Taste For Blood
A reporter is initiated into an exclusive club. Okay.
The Better Half
A woman meets her old college friend and is shocked by the change in her. This is a chilling tale with a dark ending.
