Voices of the Damned

In this impressive collection of short stories, actor Wilde (who played the Female Cenobite in the film classic Hellbound: Hellraiser II) reveals a world of beautiful fear. The most delightfully terrifying entries form the Cilicium Trilogy, which reveals the complex origin and destiny of Sister Cilice. This character-focused exploration is sensual in its brutality. In "Writer's Block," Wilde combines the psychological torture of an unknown artist with the erotic egotism of fandom to create a fascinating sexual horror. She creates a dreadful family legacy in "Botophobia," in which there are not merely skeletons in the closet but unworldly powers hidden in the basement. Wilde's mastery of shocking violence is given full rein in subjects ranging from reclusive self-imprisonment to the exploration of European nightmares. As much a chilling collection of frightful fiction as a delight for the darker senses, this is a satisfying triumph in a befitting, unforgiving, style. (Oct.)