WHISPERS IV

by Stuart David--Ed. Schiff ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 15, 1983

More fantasy-horror-occult: five yarns from Whispers magazine plus eleven new entries. The standouts: a bizarre, creepily effective piece from artist Freff about a group of children who hunt down and torment the vampire that's devouring their village; and, from Russell Kirk, a spectacular evocation of 18th-century Scotland, full of blood, ghosts, and dark deeds. Also noteworthy: an old tome that summons up the dusty dead (Ramsey Campbell); a grandfather whose female relatives end up as ghosts in his TV set (Charles L. Grant); an artist trapped by an enchanted box of paints (Richard Christian Matheson); a chilling, uneven yarn set in a psychiatric hospital from Karl Edward Wagner; a burning witch who changes places with a fire-obsessed soldier in Vietnam (David Drake); and a cynical explanation for a faked Jones-town-type tragedy (Michael Shea). The less effective stories feature French death spirits, a burned-down house that gobbles up misdirected partygoers, routine s&s, a deal with the devil, and a ghostly truck driver. A hardworking, eclectic bunch--with a real shudder or two for the thaumaturgically inclined.

Pub Date: July 15, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1983

Categories: FICTION