Whispers in the Night: Dark Dreams III
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Book Summary Information
Collaborator: Tananarive DueCollaborator: Christopher Chambers
Editor: Brandon Massey
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2007-07-01
ISBN: 0758217412
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Dafina
Book Reviews of Whispers in the Night: Dark Dreams III
Book Review: Whispers of greatness
Summary: 3 Stars
DARK DREAMS III: WHISPERS IN THE NIGHT
Edited by Brandon Massey
Dafina Books
Trade paper, $14.00
In 2004, when Brandon Massey brought together the best of the best of the African American horror/fantasy writing community to create the Dark Dreams anthology series it contained wholly refreshing and exciting takes on the common horrors of man, told from a distinctively African American point of view. It was, in some ways, a wakeup call for the vast majority of horror readers (and even some editors) that there was a whole section of writers out there being neglected in the ever-widening scape of horror and dark fantasy.
And now we've hit number three in the anthology series and I must say I miss the halcyon days of the first two collections. WHISPERS IN THE NIGHT is a fine collection, but in no way does it match the superior quality of past offerings.
To be sure, there are some spikes on the radar.
Lexi Davis' `Are You My Daddy?' is just plain laugh out loud funny as this baby-daddy finds himself father to a kid that just won't take `no' for an answer.
Maurice Broaddus (one of my fav writers, period) gives a bone chilling existential slap to the face with `Nurse's Requiem'.
Randy Walker's `To Get Bread and Butter' may be the finest example in writing of what true madness is and how simple it is to cross that thin line between being picky and O.C.D.
And, of course, Massey's own story, `Ghostwriter' is good stuff. It's written with passion and ?lan.
But the other stories are just `okay'.
And that's the main problem for me. I wanted this to be better than okay. They should be better than okay. They shouldn't read like trunk stories, without focus or thematic approach. This anthology series has proven itself to be a powerful voice for African American writers in general- not just African American horror and dark fantasy writers. The vein is still full and ripe and it needs to be tapped for something more than mediocrity. These stories, each and every one of them, should be the best of the best, and should blow other anthologies out of the water. It should, in short, give Stephen Jones and run for his money for each and every one of the genre related anthology awards.
Perhaps the problem is that many of the writers had nothing significant to say about modern horror. There are several attempts at urban horror, but nothing that stands out and tries to redefine the sub-genre. There are stories of love and dysfunctional relationships, but this is all too self centered and provides no gestalt for the passive reader. No one tried to cleave the genre boundaries asunder. And in this uncertain horror day and age, as writers, white, black, polka dotted- whatever- we need to swing as broad a sword as we can to redefine the literary niche we've been assigned. If any one anthology series has a chance to do it, I think Massey's Dark Dreams could do so. But he's got to make his contributors dig deeper for that kind of power.
This wasn't deep enough for me.
--Nickolas Cook
Summary of Whispers in the Night: Dark Dreams III
Beyond Your Darkest Dreams...
From the deceptive safety of your very own bed to the seeming stillness of country roads and the bustle of urban streets, your darkest realities reveal themselves as you enter hidden realms, crossing the threshold into one man's tortured mind--a mind haunted by the mocking, derisive voices of his youth... Quench your insatiable thirst for terror at a bar where the drinks are abominable and the patrons never leave. Relive the infamous, harrowing Middle Passage that brought millions of African slaves to America, but this time with a spellbinding twist...
Lie Your Deepest Fears...
From scenes of pulsating ecstasy to unspeakable tragedy, surrender yourself to a world inhabited by bizarre sex cults and violent gangs. Meet the malevolent entities that feed on human misery in the midst of a hurricane's wrath. Endure a sweltering summer on a swamp inhabited by mischievous spirits intent on possessing the most innocent within their slimy grasp. Submit to the tantalizing temptation and the irresistible pull of the unknown in nineteen stories that will illuminate the horrors within--and without. And whatever you do, don't turn off the lights...
United States Books
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