Title: Dark Screams: Volume Nine
Editors: Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar
Category: Adult Horror Short Story Anthology
Publisher/Date: Random House (Hydra)/9 January 2018
Edition: eARC
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34884588-dark-screams
Kelley Armstrong, Stewart O’Nan, Taylor Grant, Jonathan Moore, Peter Straub, and Lee Thomas weave six hair-raising yarns proving that appearances can be deceiving—and deadly—in this horror anthology assembled by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Overall, this was a great anthology! I love a good horror short story, and there were a bunch of them here. My three favorites:
- “Invitation to the Game” by Kelley Armstrong was a VERY strong start to this anthology. The pacing was perfect, and the use of power imbalances was extremely powerful. I am so glad they put her story first in this collection.
- “The Dead Years” by Taylor Grant was just creepy. It’s a story of lost love and doppelgängers that ends up being somewhat sweet with a huge dose of terrifying.
- “Torn” by Lee Thomas tells the story of the aftermath of a young girl’s disappearance. This story was a bit longer and more of a slow burn, and it’s engaging through every page. (This story debatably has a “punishment for being gay” aspect to it; I don’t believe any homomisia was intended, and I still haven’t quite decided how I feel about this particular part of the story, but it could potentially be off-putting for other queer readers. There were also a couple of racial microaggressions; they didn’t feel that big to me while I was reading, but because I’m white I am not in a position to make that call.)
Overall, this was a solid anthology with some great stories that are worth reading.
Final rating: 4 of 5 stars.
Benni Loves Books 
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