Horror aficionados will welcome Morrish's all-original dark fiction anthology, the long-awaited sequel to Thrillers
(1993). Each of the four contributors—Gemma Files, Tim Waggoner, R. Patrick Gates and Caitlín R. Kiernan—succeeds in sending intelligent chills up the reader's spine. Files's creepy "Pen Umbra," with echoes of T.E.D. Klein and William Sloane in its plot and language, is a standout, and Kiernan manages to work a few wrinkles into "Houses Under the Sea" that demonstrate how a skilled writer can use some well-worn Lovecraftian motifs to good effect. Waggoner also scores with the subtle "The Faces That We Meet," a compelling portrait of horror lurking beneath a suburban surface. Authors' notes illuminate the composition of each of the nine stories and novellas. (Dec.)
