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Dreadful Tales (2000) is a collection of short horror stories by American cult writer Richard Laymon. Published the year before his death it collects twenty-five stories, most previously published in magazines.
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Author | Richard Laymon |
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Language | English |
Genre | Horror fiction |
Published | 2000 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
Pages | 436 |
Preceded by | Fiends |
Followed by | Madman Stan and Other Stories |
Stories (in order of arrangement)
edit- Invitation to Murder
- The Grab
- Saving Grace
- Barney's Bigfoot Museum
- Herman
- The Champion
- The Maiden
- A Good Cigar is a Smoke
- I'm not a Criminal
- Oscar's Audition
- Into the Pit
- Spooked
- The Good Deed
- The Direct Approach
- Good Vibrations
- Phil the Vampire
- Paying Joe Back
- The Fur Coat
- Blarney
- Dracuson's Driver
- Roadside Pickup
- Wishbone
- First Date
- Stickman
- Mop Up
Reception
editThe collection received positive notices from the horror community, including Shivers, which said that it "knocks all other offerings for six and presents a consistent collection of tales, almost every one of which manages to shock, delight and horrify through numerous ideas, characters and situations... a breath of fresh air in the stale UK Horror climate... Gets my vote as the best of 2000 by a long chalk." (Although Laymon was an American writer, throughout his career his books were more popular in the United Kingdom, a fact he blamed on a botched, heavily edited American release of his second novel, The Woods Are Dark.) Books Magazine called it a "terrifying collection of short stories that showcases the dark genius of a true master of the macabre."[1]
References
edit- ^ Amazon listing for Dreadful Tales