USED BOOK REVIEWS

THE HORROR HALL OF FAME
Edited by Robert Silverberg & Martin H. Greenberg --Copyright 1991 by Agberg Ltd. and Martin H. Greenberg--Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. 260 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10001

As the title suggests, this anthology is pitched as a collection of classics of the genre, and it does feature a number of essential stories, notably "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Poe, W.W. Jacobs horror masterpiece "The Monkey's Paw" and a chilling Ray Bradbury gem not to be read by expectant mothers, "The Small Assassin".

The remaining 15 selections vary in interest, but the worst of them is worth a read-other featured authors include Le Fanu, Ambrose Bierce, M.R. James, Robert Bloch, Harlan Ellison and a Stephen King story that is far from his punchiest but never the less worth having.

"Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Lieber is an example of what you might call a modern urban alienation ghost story and has considerable nervy atmosphere-also notable is a natural horror piece by Algernon Blackwood, "The Willows" which I found moody and scary.

The cover design is adequate but not especially exciting, however the book is attractive and has a nice weight in the hand. There is also a fairly interesting introduction which broadly traces the development of the horror genre since the publication of "Rosemary's Baby" that is well worth looking at. On the whole I have enjoyed owning this volume-if you're a collector and you spot one (I don't imagine it's a particularly rare volume) pick it up! Recommended.

The Editor