...I mean, what really scares you?

Bryan recalls the day before Halloween, 12 years earlier, when his younger brother, Rick, calls him to ask for a meeting. Bryan wants nothing more to do with this brother--the man he hasn't seen in 25 years--but he feels compelled to meet with Rick if only to finally put closure to their relationship. What was it that really made Rick seem to lose his mind as a young boy when he acted out his horrible fantasies? Did Rick only imagine the mysterious Jude Fairclough? Is he a hero or a sick villain? Bryan realizes a bit too late the horrible plans his brother has in mind for their visit.

This is truly a creepy little story. Silva leaves you guessing at the end. I enjoyed the flashbacks via Rick's letters to his brother. This is a well-written, hair-raising tale. Keep in mind that this is a short chapbook (32 pages), so weigh the value of one story against the price. You definitely won't regret reading this one, but you might regret paying so much to get it!

THE NIGHT IN FOG is a tale of truth and belief in one's brother. Bryan gets a call to meet his just-released-from-jail brother, Rick to meet at a motel. They haven't seen or talked to one another since Rick was put in jail for murder. Rick claimed a mysterious Jude Fairclough drew him into her spell to kill, while Bryan finds that hard to believe. The story takes you on what happened that night in the past and what happens after Rick gets out. This 9,000 word story tears your heart out as we sympathize with Bryan's choices in how to deal with Rick. But we also can see how Rick got to be where ends up. A great storyteller looking into the love of brothers and the choices they make for each other and themselves. Recommended.

A good selection of modern horror/dark fantasy tales. The standouts are the surprisingly chilling "Praying That You Feel Better Soon"; the two Cthulhu Mythos tales of Inspector Legrasse, "Patiently Waiting" and "Where Shadow Falls" (which feel more like Robert E. Howard than Lovecraft; the second tale is better done than the first, IMHO); and the nightmarish "The Arizona Underground." A few are less fantastic ("Black Velvet") or less horrific ("One Last Drag" and "Rest in Peace") or even tending towards other genres altogether ("Time of the Gr'nar"), but overall this is a nice collection, good casual reading.

This was a good book, I recomend it. If you like thrillers and mysteries this is a good book.

There is a thing these days when it comes to anthologies that gets on my nerves. It seems that they always have to have some sort of theme to link the stories together. That's why I was so pleased with William P. Simmons's Vivisections; this is one anthology that isn't about theme. It isn't about trying to link the stories together in a coherent way. It's about presenting great horror stories that touch the entire spectrum.

Here, you will find horror's top new voices (and some old ones) doing what they do best: scare us. The best stories in this one come from Scott Nicholson (Doomsday's Diary), Gary A. Braunbeck (Duty), Tim Lebbon (Unto Us) and Michael Laimo (The Rash). These are four of the best authors in the field right now, and their stories are not to be missed. See the pros at their very best.

But an anthology is also a great way to discover new talents, a thing Vivisections did quite well. Simon Wood's Warning Signs is a fun, holds-no-barrels story that delivers the goods. Ron J. Horsley's The Theater At The End Of The World is a nostalgic piece that is both dream and haunting. And Dean H. Wild's The Kid is a very affecting little story that is powerful on a psychological level.

It's rare to find an anthology where you can call all the stories good or great. There isn't a single bad story in this one; just a few stories that are a little less good compared to the amazing ones to be found in these pages.

Vivisection is the first of what will probably become one of horror's most celebrated anthologies. Don't let the first installment pass you by. There is a piece for every taste in this great anthology.

Teri Knight is spending her evening home alone watching television when she answers a knock on the door.Standing before her is a young woman and Teri's 11 year old son Gabriel.Gabriel disappeared some 10 years earlier ,aged 11 and now he is brought back into her life looking exactly as he did at the time of the disappearance.Later that night Teri and Gabriel are forced to flee when heavily armed men arrive at her door and try to abduct the pair.They seek the help of Walter Travis ,an ex cop now a private eye specialising in tracing missing children.
They investigate and discover a government covert research plan to prevent ageing lies at the root of the mystery.
Good characterisation and well described action scenes keep the momentum up and the book , while covering no new ground,is diverting and will appeal to readers whose taste runs to the likes of Robin Cook.
Good solid reading .

There's nothing really bad about the stories in this anthology, but there's nothing exceptional or revelatory, either. One story in particular is kind of old hat (war victims haunting a U.S. soldier). All but one of the tales are contemporary. I found the more memorable works to be from the following authors: Charles deLint, Thomas Tessier, Kathryn Ptacek, Melissa Mia Hall, and David B. Silva.
Recommended only if ghost tales are your particular area of interest.