Once again, we have an anthology of short stories wherein the reader will find things a) very much to his/her liking; b) interesting & okay; or c) not so hot. This is totally understandable any time this type of book presents itself, and each reader will come away from it with something different.

Overall, I liked it. Now, I'm not a professional reviewer, nor am I a professional critic, but I know what I like and what I don't like. This book has something for everyone: Lovecraftian nuances, science fiction, tongue-in-cheek humor. Anyone who likes horror (cerebral, mind you, not the hack 'em slash 'em, lets-see-how-bloody-we-can-be type) or science fiction should enjoy this book, as will readers familiar with the writings of HP Lovecraft.

Now to the contents list (don't worry -- no spoilers)

The Eyes Of Howard Culix, by Tim Curran: I liked this one; a world-renowned scientist shares a secret with a tabloid reporter, but it's not only the secret he passes along. Good.

His Wonders In The Deep, by William Mitchell: A woman lying in a hospital is plagued with bizarre bruising and cuts that happen as she's being observed by doctors. One of the doctors does some research and comes up with 8 other cases similar to this one, ending in death, and finds out that all 9 were survivors of a horrible shipwreck. There were, however, 10 survivors in total - so off go the doctors to find #10. Another good one.

The Breach, by Lee Clark Zumpe: This one was a bit different, and not one of my favorites, but don't translate that into bad, because it's not. Experimentation goes awry creating a breach that allows parallel worlds and infinite possibilities...we're just not ready for that yet! Okay story that makes you think.

Experiencing The Other, by Ann K. Schwader: this one was excellent. I'm going to see what else I can find by this author if this is a sample of her writing. A young woman is contacted by a UFOlogist (and anthropologist) about gathering a group of people together and experiencing "the other" on her ranch. Now, she knows this is NOT a good idea, but he's going to pay her enough to get her out of trouble with the IRS, so it's a done deal. And then they arrive....

Probably one of my favorite stories in the book.

The Candle Room, by James S. Dorr: This one is a bit different, involving a woman's hobby of reading candles to tell fortune and a birthday gift given to her by her boyfriend. Some people will like this; let's just say that it didn't do much for me.

A Little Color In Your Cheeks, by Michael Minnis: Now this one I really liked! Taking as its base HPL's story "The Colour Out of Space" (which you probably really don't need to know in this case, but I'd read it anyway), the author mixes this in a humorous way with Orson Welles' broadcast of "War of the Worlds." Very good, a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. An awesome story.

One Way Conversation, by Brian Sammons: I happen to very much like stories like this -- in which events from the present have an effect on the future, which in turn have effects on the past. Very paradoxical. When I read straight sci-fi like this, I'm in my SF element. So, I really enjoyed this story, which focuses on efforts in the present (in this case, 2019) to receive messages from the future via tachyon particles. Oops! Shouldn't mess with things beyond our understanding, but it's too late when all is said and done. Very well done.

After The War, by Tony Campbell: Not my cup of tea, exactly, but I'm sure others will enjoy it. It is the Hunters vs. the Chromos in a fight to see who will come out on top and rule mankind; the action takes place in an old asylum. Hmmm. Next.

The Blind, by Gerard Houarner: - Another one that was not something I'd ordinarily choose to read. Don't misunderstand me -- the writing is good, but it's just not me. It is a story of a woman who seeks a new high, and gets the opposite. Different.

The Hades Project, by John Sunseri: Another awesome story in the mix, in which a man who is part of a team that sent astronauts to a planet named Persephone (you remember that planet, right? No? Oh well, then they got to you, too!) discovers that he's the only person on the planet to remember the mission. All hell breaks loose and suddenly, there never was a mission and our narrator is insane. Loved the premise, loved the writing and yep, I'll find more that this author's written.

A Form of Hospice, by Richard Gavin: Good story, based on dream experiences, narrated by a guy who's dying of cancer and tries to find some alternative method of coping. I happen to enjoy stories about dreams v. reality & this one was quite well written.

The Prototype, by Ron Shiflet: Somewhere in the vast reaches of my brain, I've read something along these lines before. This one was okay, but I had to wonder if perhaps the editor threw it in at that moment for comic relief? Sorry, but I couldn't take this one seriously as a horror story. That doesn't mean it's bad, au contraire -- lots of people will probably enjoy this one. Think Purple Rose of Cairo meets zombies from outer space.

False Containment, by David Conyers: Now, I truly enjoy this author's work, and here he did not let me down one bit. An awesome story that will leave you thinking about politics, the environment and what's wrong with the freakin' world. I read something along these same lines earlier -- oh yes, Brian Aldiss's "Dracula Unbound," where technology was being developed to send toxic waste back in time, but Conyers really pulled it off here. It starts with some bizarre archaeological evidence dating back hundreds of years earlier, presenting itself in Australia -- but includes a polaroid photograph taken in the present. Very very fine writing.

Dingbats, by Richard Lupoff: Okay, I must admit that I didn't like this one and thought it was rather silly. Somehow, it just didn't fit (sorry, editor...no slam on you!) IMHO with the other stories here. Women in space taking on various roles depending on the whims of a space goddess...hmm. Pass.

The Orion Man, by Doug Goodman: A young doctor finds himself in a mental ward, thinking it is 1999; to his horror, it is 2004. So where did his 5 years go? The answer to this lies in this story (which I won't divulge). Not too bad, but not one of my favorites.

Vuuduu, by C.J. Henderson: CJ Henderson could write crap and I'd still love it. I am a devoted fan of this man and his work. His stuff tends to be a bit offbeat a lot of the time, and that's the story here. I actually enjoyed the story, though, in which the world has gone ga-ga over a music download service called VuuDuu. Everyone, with the exception of Henderson's unnamed protagonist, is listening through their headphones, and suddenly society and the world become great places to be. It sort of reminded me, in an offbeat way, of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," in which those who didn't belong were easily spotted and hunted. Cool story, and frankly, I think his satire is right on the money. I have a teen who is never unplugged from IPod unless it's dinner.

Cahokia, by Cody Goodfellow: The marines go into space in a vehicle which scoops up asteroids, plunders them for their bounty and thus provide the crew with its living. One such asteroid they land on is very reminiscent of the ancient mound society of Cahokia. If you don't know what this is, go read about it on Wikipedia before you start this story. Personally, I normally enjoy Goodfellow's work, but this one just didn't do it for me.

The Name Of The Enemy, by William Jones: while this wasn't great, it was good. The final story in the collection, as I'm reading through this, there's a part where one of the fighters goes into a tunnel and does battle with a mandible-snapping creature...and I'm thinking, whoa! I read this in Starship Troopers! I'm happy to say, however, that there was a twist that Starship Troopers didn't have that made the story workable. I will be looking for other work by this author, for sure.

Overall, an awesome book that I can definitely recommend to others. ( )

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