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Black Books of Horror #4
The Fourth Black Book of Horror
A tale of shear terror, a witch's curse, the horror of Halloween, the phantom in the priory and other unspeakable evils haunt the pages of The Fourth Black Book of Horror.
Contents:
Soup - Craig Herbertson
Words - Paul Finch
A Cry For Help - Joel Lane
With Deepest Sympathy - Johnny Mains
Many Happy Returns - Carl T. Ford
All Hallow's Even - Franklin Marsh
Dead Water - David A. Sutton
And Still Those Screams Resound...'- Daniel McGachey
Love is in the Air - Gary McMahon
The Head - Reggie Oliver
The Devil Looks After His Own? - Ian C. Strachan
Bad Hair Day - Gary Fry
Flies - Hazel Quinn
Nails - Rog Pile
The Lord of the Law - David Conyers
Contents:
Soup - Craig Herbertson
Words - Paul Finch
A Cry For Help - Joel Lane
With Deepest Sympathy - Johnny Mains
Many Happy Returns - Carl T. Ford
All Hallow's Even - Franklin Marsh
Dead Water - David A. Sutton
And Still Those Screams Resound...'- Daniel McGachey
Love is in the Air - Gary McMahon
The Head - Reggie Oliver
The Devil Looks After His Own? - Ian C. Strachan
Bad Hair Day - Gary Fry
Flies - Hazel Quinn
Nails - Rog Pile
The Lord of the Law - David Conyers
- GenresHorror
232 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2009
About the author
Charles Black
71 books20 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 17, 2022
Note to self: stop googling anthology authors. Stick to ISFDB. Because nine times out of ten they’re living deeply in the Mediated World, foaming at the mouth with vitriol. Imagine a man like Jack Torrence in the final third of The Shining if he thought he was the good guy. The sort who appear liable to kick over a little girl’s lemonade stand while calling her a capitalist pig. You’d think the elderly would be more sensible than the younger generations but I suppose, after all, they have been living in the matrix a lot longer than anybody else. They lived through the aftermath of the terror that was WW2 and are on social media acting like anything happening nowadays meets that enormity? Brainwashed.
Overall, this one is okay. No duds, but not enough A or even solid B material. I always like it when other reviewers leave their thoughts on each story, so:
Soup - Craig Herbertson
Aickmanic story, for epicureans. A little too meh for my liking, however sumptuously told. Once you get your bearings it just feels like a long march to the inevitable.
Words - Paul Finch
One of Finch’s best. Great “stranger visits cursed village” story. This is why I bought, so far, just the Black Books with a Finch story in them. Some spooky imagery and wtf-ery. Such a great storyteller.
A Cry For Help - Joel Lane
Just when I was thinking “this is pretty good” the story kind of ended. Feels like the author left it for the reader to figure out even though the pieces don’t really add up: a man dumped his mentally ill girlfriend, she killed herself, now he’s helping very, very determined people to finish killing themselves and his job, horror of horrors!, has something to do with trying to import US-style healthcare to the UK. If this is about how the UK model is better suited to help crazy people than the US model, I don’t see it for multiple story reasons. Seems like a grass is always browner comparison, anyway. Some English people come to America for healthcare, some Americans go to Canada, some Canadians go to Turkey or Korea, etc, etc. And this issue is only going to get worse as people continue to eat and drink themselves into chronic illness anyway. I haven’t read much Lane so far, but no stories have really clicked for me as of yet.
With Deepest Sympathy - Johnny Mains
A fun little story that really does seem like it came from an older anthology, like Pan. What it lacks in elegance it makes up for with enthusiasm. Could have been sharper and funnier, but a good story nonetheless. The writer seems like one of those stupidly “progressive” Twitter twats. Like this story, his social media presence is laughable and demented.
Many Happy Returns - Carl T. Ford
Well. The less said, the better. Very top heavy tale so I was hoping for a potent ending but “be careful what you wish for.” I don’t see how the disgusting twist matches up with the clues. Regardless, whenever I read stories like this I can’t shake the feeling that the writer should be on a list and not live near any kids.
All Hallow's Even - Franklin Marsh
This type of story, while not original or anything, is a staple of the best horror anthologies: maniac gleefully slaughters his way through a story to find comeuppance at the end. If the Halloween quotient was a touch higher this would be worthy for an annual Halloween re-read list, but there’s not enough for my liking: not a huge gap but enough to make the difference. I think I’ve liked the other Marsh stories I’ve read in this series and I’m surprised he doesn’t have his own collection by now.
Dead Water - David A. Sutton
A different kind of vampire story, one that really made me squirm. It’s a little top heavy but it picks up in the final pages. Not the most satisfying story and it could have been much better had there been some sinister foreshadowing. It’s really mostly a story about old people (?) birdwatching in France. I needed a few hints of macabre in the first two-thirds and an ending with more of a bite/sting. Also, I felt kind of ripped off that the dead bodies from the tower didn’t play a larger role.
‘And Still Those Screams Resound...' - Daniel McGachey
This story made me think: this is how one writes in the Jamesian tradition in the 21st century. Pity the twist the story hinges on was telegraphed so early. It renders the whole shebang kind of worthless. Provided this is an anomaly, if there isn’t a really handsome collection of Dr. Lawrence stories out there, then I’ll… I’ll hope that situation will change. What? I’m not a violent man.
Love is in the Air - Gary McMahon
Well, ain’t this one delightfully stupid? Great story for an anthology like this. Outlandish, bizarre fun.
The Head - Reggie Oliver
Oliver definitely has a style that sets him apart. It’s very artsy fartsy. The upper crust reek of decay and death, don’t they? Here we have a story in which one opportunist grooms another. Funny little tale of madness, I guess. And corruption. A fat old chickenhawk obsessed with modern art (a commitable offence on its own, no?) turns his deprived attentions to a young man from a ‘umble background trying to move up in the world. A little clarifying of motives on the part of the rich old farts would have improved the story. Imagine this was written by John Collier? The constant allusions to heads would all build up to something ironical and satisfying and re-readable.
The Devil Looks After His Own? - Ian C. Strachan
A straightforward but entertaining tale of a conman-cum-Bluebeard on the cusp of sealing the deal with his next rich dumb broad unaware that her predecessor had/has something of a jealous streak. I’m not familiar with Strachan but I hope to read more from him.
Bad Hair Day - Gary Fry
Coincidentally I happened to be reading this book around the same time I was reading Fry’s collection “Shades of Nothingness.” There were some good stories in it but none made it to my Must Read Again Someday list. Bad Hair Day isn’t in that collection but it is one of Fry’s better pieces and I wish more of his tales were like it. A glamorous bitch-on-wheels needs a wash, blow, and trim but since her usual girl is out with the flu she’ll be getting a haircut by a new, allegedly “magic” hairdresser. Not sure if Rebecca deserved her fate, given her fucked up family history. I think she deserved humiliation, sure, but not what she got. I guess I just have a fondness for See You Next Tuesdays. Not a lot of women can pull it off, no matter how much many of them try. (Not to say men don’t try as well but it’s impossible for them to do it so well/badly that you love them for it.)
Flies - Hazel Quinn
Kind of squeamish but fun little wisp of a story. Flies suck, but this story’s all right.
Nails - Rog Pile
I swear to God I read another story just like this. A couple move into a new home in a new area with a strange door. Was it a Paul Finch story? Something about maybe the door kept goblins trapped behind it, and the wife was pregnant, and the “solicitous” neighbors possibly were not helping but knowingly endangering them? Anyway, I like some of the choices the writer makes here. A lot of stories like this one keep the character inside the creepy house at all costs; it was very refreshing to see him do something different than that. I liked that there were a few extra flourishes that furthered the story away from obviousness while retaining its ambiguity at the same time (including the nonlinear storytelling as well as the Fantomex-style misdirection.) Case in point, some writers wouldn’t have written that last section, the one from the husband’s point of view, and it elaborates without explaining. It’s a creepy, disturbing tale.
The Lord of the Law - David Conyers
Finally, the final story! And it’s by David Conyers! Full disclosure: Conyers and me, we’re old school chums. Still very tight to this day. Well, I am. Because, psych, we used to be lovers. The NSA kind. Psych. This story, sadly, didn’t do it for me. Wasn’t enough of many things for what it was.
Overall, this one is okay. No duds, but not enough A or even solid B material. I always like it when other reviewers leave their thoughts on each story, so:
Soup - Craig Herbertson
Aickmanic story, for epicureans. A little too meh for my liking, however sumptuously told. Once you get your bearings it just feels like a long march to the inevitable.
Words - Paul Finch
One of Finch’s best. Great “stranger visits cursed village” story. This is why I bought, so far, just the Black Books with a Finch story in them. Some spooky imagery and wtf-ery. Such a great storyteller.
A Cry For Help - Joel Lane
Just when I was thinking “this is pretty good” the story kind of ended. Feels like the author left it for the reader to figure out even though the pieces don’t really add up: a man dumped his mentally ill girlfriend, she killed herself, now he’s helping very, very determined people to finish killing themselves and his job, horror of horrors!, has something to do with trying to import US-style healthcare to the UK. If this is about how the UK model is better suited to help crazy people than the US model, I don’t see it for multiple story reasons. Seems like a grass is always browner comparison, anyway. Some English people come to America for healthcare, some Americans go to Canada, some Canadians go to Turkey or Korea, etc, etc. And this issue is only going to get worse as people continue to eat and drink themselves into chronic illness anyway. I haven’t read much Lane so far, but no stories have really clicked for me as of yet.
With Deepest Sympathy - Johnny Mains
A fun little story that really does seem like it came from an older anthology, like Pan. What it lacks in elegance it makes up for with enthusiasm. Could have been sharper and funnier, but a good story nonetheless. The writer seems like one of those stupidly “progressive” Twitter twats. Like this story, his social media presence is laughable and demented.
Many Happy Returns - Carl T. Ford
Well. The less said, the better. Very top heavy tale so I was hoping for a potent ending but “be careful what you wish for.” I don’t see how the disgusting twist matches up with the clues. Regardless, whenever I read stories like this I can’t shake the feeling that the writer should be on a list and not live near any kids.
All Hallow's Even - Franklin Marsh
This type of story, while not original or anything, is a staple of the best horror anthologies: maniac gleefully slaughters his way through a story to find comeuppance at the end. If the Halloween quotient was a touch higher this would be worthy for an annual Halloween re-read list, but there’s not enough for my liking: not a huge gap but enough to make the difference. I think I’ve liked the other Marsh stories I’ve read in this series and I’m surprised he doesn’t have his own collection by now.
Dead Water - David A. Sutton
A different kind of vampire story, one that really made me squirm. It’s a little top heavy but it picks up in the final pages. Not the most satisfying story and it could have been much better had there been some sinister foreshadowing. It’s really mostly a story about old people (?) birdwatching in France. I needed a few hints of macabre in the first two-thirds and an ending with more of a bite/sting. Also, I felt kind of ripped off that the dead bodies from the tower didn’t play a larger role.
‘And Still Those Screams Resound...' - Daniel McGachey
This story made me think: this is how one writes in the Jamesian tradition in the 21st century. Pity the twist the story hinges on was telegraphed so early. It renders the whole shebang kind of worthless. Provided this is an anomaly, if there isn’t a really handsome collection of Dr. Lawrence stories out there, then I’ll… I’ll hope that situation will change. What? I’m not a violent man.
Love is in the Air - Gary McMahon
Well, ain’t this one delightfully stupid? Great story for an anthology like this. Outlandish, bizarre fun.
The Head - Reggie Oliver
Oliver definitely has a style that sets him apart. It’s very artsy fartsy. The upper crust reek of decay and death, don’t they? Here we have a story in which one opportunist grooms another. Funny little tale of madness, I guess. And corruption. A fat old chickenhawk obsessed with modern art (a commitable offence on its own, no?) turns his deprived attentions to a young man from a ‘umble background trying to move up in the world. A little clarifying of motives on the part of the rich old farts would have improved the story. Imagine this was written by John Collier? The constant allusions to heads would all build up to something ironical and satisfying and re-readable.
The Devil Looks After His Own? - Ian C. Strachan
A straightforward but entertaining tale of a conman-cum-Bluebeard on the cusp of sealing the deal with his next rich dumb broad unaware that her predecessor had/has something of a jealous streak. I’m not familiar with Strachan but I hope to read more from him.
Bad Hair Day - Gary Fry
Coincidentally I happened to be reading this book around the same time I was reading Fry’s collection “Shades of Nothingness.” There were some good stories in it but none made it to my Must Read Again Someday list. Bad Hair Day isn’t in that collection but it is one of Fry’s better pieces and I wish more of his tales were like it. A glamorous bitch-on-wheels needs a wash, blow, and trim but since her usual girl is out with the flu she’ll be getting a haircut by a new, allegedly “magic” hairdresser. Not sure if Rebecca deserved her fate, given her fucked up family history. I think she deserved humiliation, sure, but not what she got. I guess I just have a fondness for See You Next Tuesdays. Not a lot of women can pull it off, no matter how much many of them try. (Not to say men don’t try as well but it’s impossible for them to do it so well/badly that you love them for it.)
Flies - Hazel Quinn
Kind of squeamish but fun little wisp of a story. Flies suck, but this story’s all right.
Nails - Rog Pile
I swear to God I read another story just like this. A couple move into a new home in a new area with a strange door. Was it a Paul Finch story? Something about maybe the door kept goblins trapped behind it, and the wife was pregnant, and the “solicitous” neighbors possibly were not helping but knowingly endangering them? Anyway, I like some of the choices the writer makes here. A lot of stories like this one keep the character inside the creepy house at all costs; it was very refreshing to see him do something different than that. I liked that there were a few extra flourishes that furthered the story away from obviousness while retaining its ambiguity at the same time (including the nonlinear storytelling as well as the Fantomex-style misdirection.) Case in point, some writers wouldn’t have written that last section, the one from the husband’s point of view, and it elaborates without explaining. It’s a creepy, disturbing tale.
The Lord of the Law - David Conyers
Finally, the final story! And it’s by David Conyers! Full disclosure: Conyers and me, we’re old school chums. Still very tight to this day. Well, I am. Because, psych, we used to be lovers. The NSA kind. Psych. This story, sadly, didn’t do it for me. Wasn’t enough of many things for what it was.
August 15, 2011
This editor really knows what he is doing.These stories are wonderful and creepy.
I have read other books in this series and they all are great.
I have read other books in this series and they all are great.
April 4, 2017
A very lacklustre selection in this volume, and I'm already finding it hard to recall most of the stories, many of which seem to have very underwhelming endings, or no real ending at all; it may be that the ending is the most crucial part of the horror short story, so this, for me, is a real fault. Still, I enjoyed Paul Finch's haunting Words (though here the ending is overplayed), and Franklin Marsh's All Hallow's Even (thoroughly fun, but with a groan-inducing ending); the pick of the bunch, though perhaps the only tale I truly enjoyed, is Rog Pile's gruesome and well developed ghost story Nails.
Ordinarily, I would abandon an anthology that had such a disappointing track record overall; unfortunately, I bought eight volumes of this series as a job lot, so I feel obliged to continue; there are, after all, gems to be found.
Ordinarily, I would abandon an anthology that had such a disappointing track record overall; unfortunately, I bought eight volumes of this series as a job lot, so I feel obliged to continue; there are, after all, gems to be found.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews