Architecture of Fear - Review

Architecture of Fear edited by Kathryn Cramer Genre: Horror

     "The master architects of fear will chill and thrill you in this outstanding collection of spine-chilling terror ... in a house of horror from which your mind may never escape ..." Quoted from back cover.

     This collection of 14 short stories by famous authors such as Robert Aickman, Michael Bishop, Dean Koontz, and Joyce Carol Oates all have one thing in common ... a creepy building. Whether it is an apartment, family home, abandoned house, or even a bar the settings are frightfully well described and eerie.

     I found this on my bookshelf with other misc. paperbacks and thought that it would fit in wonderfully with this month's theme. I'm not even sure when I had bought it and don't recall reading it before. Most likely the title had grabbed my eye back when I was an architectural student in college.

     As much fun as I have had planning the reviews for this month, I think I'm actually quite happy to be finished. I just don't have the nerves for horror like I did when I was young. Once again, I was reading in the dark with just a small reading lamp on, you'd think I would learn right? I also live in a house that was built in the 1940's and has lots of creaks and groans to make anyone jumpy. Did I mention it was foggy? And that there was a thunderstorm?

     As with most collections, some stories are better than others, but as a whole, this was quite entertaining and the stories an interesting diversity gravitating towards a central theme.