Night Visions 10

Older horror mavens will remember the original Night Vision series, published in the 1980s by Dark Harvest and offering fresh fiction from Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, Joe R. Lansdale and other formidable authors. Now Subterranean is reviving the series, keeping the original's mix of long and short fiction by three authors per volume. Editor Chizmar (founder of Cemetery Dance) includes tales by Jack Ketchum, John Shirley and David B. Silva for the kickoff. These aren't top-name authors, though both Ketchum and Shirley are making comebacks of late, but there's some top-drawer work here, along with weaker material. The fictions range from slasher horror (Ketchum's novella, ""The Passenger"") to supernatural horror with a philosophical twist (Shirley's novella, ""Her Hunger"") to short stories (from Silva) that skirt the occult or embrace it. Ketchum's reputation won't be enhanced by his tale of a woman attorney kidnapped by two homicidal thugs and one crazy lady, all winding up at a hellish outlaw hangout. The words move fast and there's a tidy ending, but the story's gross sensationalism overcomes the nod toward the theme of victim triumphant that runs through all of Ketchum's work. Shirley's is an entertaining tale, scary and full of surprises, of an incubus in California; it features believably off-kilter characters and a neat touch of metaphysics (only ""conscious love"" can defeat the incubus). The Silva stories take sensitive excursions into Twilight Zone territory and demonstrate why his upcoming full-length story collection (Through Shattered Glass) received a starred review in last week's PW. Overall this is a fine return, dipping lightly into a wide pool of horror styles and themes. (Apr.) Forecast: Veteran horror fans will grin at the return of a classic series and will part eagerly with their cash.