The Dark Descent (NO. 1)

I originally ordered this book thinking it was just a small collection of short stories. However, the total in this book is a whopping 56 stories, and only acouple under 10 pages. Keep in mind though, this is no small book. It's more on the size of a dictionary then a novel, weighing in at almost 3 pounds and clocking over 1000 pages.The book contains a massive collection of stories by about 50 authors, everyone from dickens, poe, lovecraft, to king. very few authors have more then one story in the book, with the exception being stephen king who has three (one I've never read before [The Reach], the others have been released in his other collections of short stories [The Monkey, from Skeleton Crew, and Crouch's End from Nightmares and Dreamscapes, i believe]), and h.p. lovecraft with two stories.It also contains a rather interesting introduction to the whole anthology that sheds a bit of light on not only the book, but the history and importance of short stories; as well as very short, interesting and informative introductions to the stories themselves and the authors.If you're a fan of horror stories, and enjoy the oddities that come from the short stories then this book is highly recommended. The stories range from everything horror and spread almost the entire history of the genre.

Award-winning horror editor Jeanne Cavelos recommended this book to me as the best horror anthology available. She wasn't kidding. Dark Descent is as close to a definitive retrospective on horror from the 1800s until modern day as a single volume can get, and the anthology avoids any of the trashy "torture porn" stories that helped destroy the market in the 1980s. Most of the pieces are, in fact, quite literary. I remember studying a few of them in school. The book's three sections, The Color of Evil, The Medusa in the Shield, and A Fabulous Formless Darkness focus on moral allegorical, psychological metaphor, and fantastic stories, respectively.

I have not read this book, but I gave it to a dear friend and teaching colleague who has been a horror afficianado for years, and who once taught a class on the development of "ghost stories." Scott, however, is definitely a more "M. R. James - Lovecraft" fan, someone who really appreciates the tales and "weird fiction" of the time around the turn of the century which spawned the modern "horror" genre. So, apart from the selections of people like LeFanu and Lovecraft which he had already digested ad nauseam, I was honestly not sure he would enjoy the book since much of it is written by more modern authors. Further, he is, like all devoted readers in any genre, more than aware that anthologies can often be real disappointments.I am pleased to report that he absolutely loved the book, especially the short stories from Shirley Jackson and Clive Barker. And Scott is not a man who minces words over fiction he finds displeasing or amateurish. He was especially taken with the two little-known Jackson offerings which, he says, are as frightening as "The Lottery." I also asked him about the binding, since books of this size on glue spine tend to fall apart pretty easily, and he reports that he encountered no problems. He did note, though, that any hardback would be "well worth shelling out for," and that's about as high a compliment I suppose anyone could pay. He gave it an unequivocal "five stars."So, while I have not taken "The Dark Descent," I thought it might be helpful for prospective purchasers to know that a true horror fan of many, many years did, and found the trip more than merely enjoyable. It is indeed rare that I would offer someone else's opinion as a review unless I had the highest regard for it. And I hope Scott's thoughts are indeed helpful.As a gift for the horror fan, I can definitely recommend it.

I'm a life-long fan of horror and have read many anthologies since I read my first Stephen King book at the ripe old age of 10. This book is one of the truly great horror anthologies I have come upon. I have enjoyed so many stories in this book; there are only a few "duds." It contains many well-known authors and some lesser-known and I've discovered some authors that are now favorites via this book! It's a must for the fan of horror fiction.

I ordered this book because it was a required text for my class on Folklore & Horror Narratives. This book offers a wonderful selection of short horror stories with sub-genres that include gender perspectives, Gothic horror, psychological horror, and more. Each story includes a short introduction about the author and a bit of background about the stories created by some of the greatest writers, especially those of the 20th century. To summarize the back cover description, this is a fine anthology that has samples of some of the best short stories in horror fiction which illustrate the history and evolution of the genre. This is a must have for any horror fan! I absolutely love it!

This book is everything it claims to be! I had read several of the stories in this book before purchasing it in other anthologies but I am very happy that I bought the book despite that. This book is a must have for any horror anthology fan! These stories will be re-read many times over! Well worth the cost!

Sturdy packaging, arrived in great condition, wonderful, thought-provoking compilation of short horror stories.This was required reading for my Horror in Film class; we read **"Young Goodman Brown", "The Monkey", "A Little Something For Us Tempunauts", **"Dread", **"The Call of Cthulhu", (**personal favourite) and many others.I was captivated. Each story made me think, and Dread was incredible because it was so applicable to human existence.For an avid reader and/or a horror fan I recommend this.

This is the best collection of horror stories I have owned - and I have owned many over the years.

Es el santo grial de las antologías de horror, tiene los mejores autores y si tienes la oportunidad anexa este a tu compra.

Great Stories from a Master Anthologist year on year

You better have a flashlight in hand when you read this.It's dark in here...