The stories in 'Read By Dawn' involve very little 'slash, blood and gore'. They don't need it. Instead, they captivate the readers' imaginations with intrigueing plot devellopments.
The chill factor stems from the fact that almost any of these stories could really happen. In most of these storiess, the protagonists could be you or I, or the parent or child next door.
The opening situations are familiar. As readers, we recognize the worlds in which these people live, their routines and daily concerns. We know something bad is going to happen - something very bad indeed.
The authors skilfully lead us on, luring us deeper and deeper into their stories as events spiral out of control. Some protagonists escape, others will be 'Dead by Dawn'.
It is the very realism of these stories, the fact that they could happen on our very doorstep tomorrow, that makes this collection so special. Some of the stories leave us unquiet for long after, wondering if this horror could perhaps happen to us, or to someone we love.
In Rayne Hall's chilling 'The Bridge Chamber', three children play inside the masonry of an old railway bridge, exploring tunnels and corridors within the structure. They all are afraid of the dark spaces and where they may lead, but each fears the others' derision more. Rather than admit how scared she is and get bullied, Garnet pretends to be familiar with one particular tunnel and claims that it leads to a chamber. When she realises the truth, it is too late. This is a story which will disquiet the reader for long afterwards, wondering what they might do if trapped in the same situation.
Equally frightening is 'The Face in the Glass' by Brian G Ross, a flash-length story which disturbs by its plausibility. Given an inquisitive toddler and a distracted mum, how easily could this tale become true!
Another short, simple yet powerful piece is 'What Betty Saw' by Joel Jacobs. The author defies conventional story structure by explaining the character, with the actual 'plot' taking up only a few sentences at the end. On first reading, I was disappointed. It was so simple. But then the story wouldn't let me go. Two weeks after first reading it, it still spooks in my mind. If I were in Betty's place, would I tell anyone? How would I react, what would I do?
Ramsey Campbell's 'Place of Revelation' allows us to share the experiences of a boy who is being singled out by his uncle for a special kind of education. The boy can prove that he is up to his uncle's high expectations of him, but does he want this to happen? And more importantly, will he be able to stand up for himself? I sympathised with the boy entirely.
In David Hutchinson's 'The Sutherland King', an annual baking contest leads to friendly rivalry among women friends - and to macabre twists, the last of which took me entirely by surprise.
Very few of the stories rely on the supernatural for scares. Michele Lee's werewolf crime story 'Bloodwalker' reminds me of the way Laurell K Hamilton writes about vampires, and Ralph Robert Moore in 'The Little Girl Who Lives in the Woods' introduces a very human ghost - or is it a ghostly human?
There are many more dark jewels in this treasure box - 28 stories altogether -, and no doubt every reader will pick her or his own favourites. I loved most of the tales, especially for their plausibility and their disquieting 'after effects', and believe this is one of the best horror anthologies ever published.
If you enjoy this anthology, I also recommend 'Dark Delicacies', a collection of contemporary horror stories by great writers such as William F Nolan, Clive Barker, D. Lynn Smith, Ramsey Campbell, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
