I love reading these types of books in October when the air is crisp and halloween is in the air. Short stories are the best b/c you get to sample so much. This collection of short stories was pretty good. By far my favorites were "The Blackout" and "Torn." "The Blackout" - though short - gave me that prickly feeling on my neck the way horror films did when I was a kid. It really achieved "creepy." "Torn" was great! It put me in mind of Stephen King's "Storm of the Century" with it's own spice to make it original and fun. It was a great read for me! Overall a solid 3.5:-) ( )

Another great collection of short stories that will be published shortly after the new year. For me the shining stars of this anthology are Kelly Armstrong and Lee Thomas. In "Invitation To the Game" Vivienne is up for a promotion at work. Normally that would be a good thing, but this company is anything but normal.

In "Torn" Eleven year old Maggie didn't come home when she was meant to and the sheriff finds more than he is looking for when he sets out into the woods to find her. Luther's Bend is full of secrets. The sheriff may have a few of his own. This was the longest and creepiest of all the stories.


I received an advance copy for review. ( )

I love these collections of creepy, demented stories. Each volume seems to improve on the last. Volume 9 features six horror stories:

Invitation to the party - Kelly Armstrong. Vivienne comes home from work one day and finds an invitation waiting for her. Not just any invite.... The Invitation. An announcement from her employer that she is being promoted to an executive job. But first, she will have to play The Game. This story puts a new spin on the horrors of the corporate world. Great story!

Summer of '07 - Stewart Nan. A Bundy-like predator has fun at the beach. He won't hurt you. Really. A short, but very creepy tale.

The Dead Years - Taylor Grant. Emma Grace has been dead for 15 years. Until her former boyfriend meets her at an art auction. Could it be Emma? Or just her face? Chilling story of the horrors of finding a long lost love.

The Blackout - Jonathan Moore. The police are called to the hospital morgue. A body is missing, but evidence at the scene seems all wrong. Great story! My favorite in this collection!

Variations on a theme from Seinfeld - Peter Straub. Clyde knows when his reflection gets lost that all he needs to do is go through the mirror and fetch it. Sometimes finding his way back is a bit difficult. A bit trope-y, but a good story.

Torn - Lee Thomas. 11-year old Maggie Mayflower leaves her house to go to the park with a friend. She never comes home. Turns out, the person who kidnapped her really is a monster. Great scary story. A bit long....but so enjoyable that I didn't mind the length.

All in all, a varied, creepy and enjoyable horror collection. I can't wait til the next volume comes out! I'm never disappointed.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House - Hydra via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

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DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME NINE was a ton of fun! I was most especially impressed with the last entry TORN by Lee Thomas.

I'm not even going to get into what TORN was about because I think it should be related exactly as the author intended. I will say that even though this is a longer story than I usually care for in an anthology, it kept me riveted, it was original and I LOVED it!

THE DEAD YEARS by Taylor Grant was another original entry and this one had a science fiction bent to it that I enjoyed. I would love to see this idea expanded to a full length novel.

SUMMER OF 07 by Stewart O'Nan. A super short story that reminded me of Ted Bundy.

THE BLACKOUT by Jonathan Moore was an unsettling tale set at the morgue.

INVITATION TO THE GAME by Kelly Armstrong. This was another tale that had a science fiction bent to it, in my view. It's about a corporation that controls, (or attempts to control?) all aspects of its employees lives. When they send you an invitation, it is unwise to decline.

Lastly, there was a story from Peter Straub: VARIATIONS ON A THEME FROM SEINFELD. I admit that the reason I requested an ARC of this book was due to Straub. I have such love for him and for Seinfeld, for that matter, but this story didn't do much for me.

Overall, I had fun with this volume, (most especially the story TORN!), and I recommend it to dark fiction and science fiction lovers everywhere!

*Thanks to NetGalley and to Hydra for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it!* ( )

I love horror stories, and have read most of the volumes in this series. It is always a pleasure to read these collections.

INVITATION TO THE GAME by Kelley Armstrong
Definitely one of my favorites. Probably because I like the concept so much. An evil, all knowing corporation that asks absolute obedience from its employees. Vivienne is up for promotion at her company, and all she has to do is play a game. Everyone who wants to move up plays the game. How ambitions is she really?

SUMMER OF ’77 by Stewart O’Nan
My least favorite story of the bunch. A stream of consciousness, rambling look into the mind of a serial killer. Since he appeared to be a well known serial killer, the story didn't feel new or fresh to me. The only dud of the bunch.

THE DEAD YEARS by Taylor Grant
A really interesting concept. A man comes across the love of his life, a woman he hasn't seen for 15 years. Of course it isn't really the same woman, but how does she have her face? The story starts out creepy and then goes really dark.

THE BLACKOUT by Jonathan Moore
An intriguing take on the "zombie" genre. The Hawaiin setting really added to the atmosphere.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME FROM SEINFELD by Peter Straub
I like the concept of the world in the mirror. Stories like this are the reason I don't look too closely into the mirror late at night.

TORN by Lee Thomas
The longest story in the book. A play on the werewolf tale. I could have done without the backstory of an affair, but otherwise, I really enjoyed this one. It was long enough to really have a lot of detail without being too long.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. ( )