Masters of Darkness III

by Dennis Etchison (Editor, Preface), David Morrell (Contributor), Brian Lumley (Contributor)

A collection of horror stories, each story selected for inclusion by the author, and including author remarks.
Contents:
Preface by Dennis Etchison
The Secret by Jack Vance
The Patter of Tiny Feet by Nigel Kneale
The Tenant by Avram Davidson
Hallowe’en’s Child by James Herbert
After the Funeral by Hugh B. Cave
But at My Back I Always Hear by David Morrell
The Whisperer by Brian Lumley
Doppelgänger by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
The Master of the Hounds by Algis Budrys
Judgment Day by L. Sprague de Camp
In the Hills, the Cities by Clive Barker
Jamboree by Jack Williamson
Family by Joyce Carol Oates
Twilight of the Dawn by Dean R. Koontz
The Woman in the Room by Stephen King
Notes on the Contributors

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction

332 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1991

About the author

aka Jack Martin.

Dennis William Etchison was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction. He is a multi-award winner, having won the British Fantasy Award three times for fiction, and the World Fantasy Award for anthologies he edited.

Reviews

[Aaron Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love retro horror! And I loved all of these except for Barker and King. The Dean Koontz story ripped me heart out.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horror stories edited by Etchison. There's some really good stuff here, including stories by Morrell, Koontz, and King, and some other stuff that isn't terribly great. I loved almost all of Clive Barker's early horror, for example, but here we have his "In the Hills, The Cities," a great title for a story that I just found rather silly. All in all, though, a pretty good collection. Maybe 3 and a half stars.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down.

A very cool collection of odd-and-end stories by very good (and storied) writers. The quality of the stories varies wildly, but the writing is consistently good and entertaining. I've never read any Koontz before this and the story left me thinking I've been missing out some. Also, I am not incredibly well versed in Barker. While this story is a bit weird, his writing is top notch. Lumley's story was maybe the most fun. But, Herbert struck exactly the right balance for me. That guy is really good.

I think this book might be better-consumed in bits and pieces rather than read straight through, but it's a cool book if you can find it. I especially appreciated Etchison's endnotes and prologue as well as each author's notes on their stories. I wish more modern collections did that!

Final Ranking:
Herbert
Lumley
Kneale
Cave
Koontz
Barker
Sprague de Camp
Oates
Budrys
King
Morrell
Davidson
Williamson
Vance
Chetwynd-Hanes

Read on a paperback bought at Savers for $2.49

[Mariette T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of horror stories that explore the darker side of human nature and those parts of our pschye that we do not like to admit exists. King's story about a son's sometimes reluctant devotion to his dying mother illustrates the struggle of just how deep our love can run. In The Twilight of the Dawn by Koontz, a father learns to expand his spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof, after wandering around the world for a year, following the death of his son.
I enjoyed Barker's story and the concept of how an entire village literally comes together as their own living, breathing effigy. I found Oates story of a post-apocalyptic world in Family very disconcerting, especially what happens to those family members who are not allowed to leave the house.
A few of the other stories I enjoyed were:
Doppelganger -- R. Chetwynd-Hayes
The Patter of Tiny Feet -- Nigel Kneale
After the Funeral -- Hugh B. Cave

[Darcy Cudmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good collection of Horror stories, by a variety of writers. For me - a Stephen King lover - it was a great way to find new authors I’d like to check out.

My favourite story was definitely Clive Barker’s ‘In the Hills, the Cities’. This is an outstanding concept that I would love to read more about - I couldn’t get enough of it!

Would definitely look into the collections in this series, as I really enjoyed this read 👍🏻.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of horror. Best part was the that the selection actually pushed at the boundaries of what could be included in the horror genre. Favorite stories in the collection were:
The Whisperer, by Brian Lumley
Twilight of the Dawn, by Dean Koontz
But at my Back I always Hear, by David Morrell

[Liam Nickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite collection of horror stories.

[Brett]

Horror,Anthology

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of horror. Best part was the that the selection actually pushed at the boundaries of what could be included in the horror genre. Favorite stories in the collection were:
The Whisperer, by Brian Lumley
Twilight of the Dawn, by Dean Koontz
But at my Back I always Hear, by David Morrell