Dueling Minds

For those of you who drop in from time to time (or every day, for that matter) in order to be entertained by the mixture of factual, and not-so-factual, tall tales that I spill forth, this particular entry is actual a book review. So be forewarned. I have always enjoyed stories from the darkside (pardon the pun; if you don't get the pun, you're not missing anything you should regret), or horror stories if you prefer. The horror genre covers a rather large range of literature (Yes, I said literature. If you have a problem with that, I'm glad I don't know you. So, imagine me sticking my tongue out at you right now). Some stories move swiftly along, and depend more on action, and some shock value. Others build slowly, and create atmosphere, as well as of course, tension and emotion. I enjoy all kinds as long they are original, and well written. And I highly enjoyed the combination of stories put forth by the authors that Brian James Freeman collected for Cemetery Dance's 10th volume in their Signature Series, Dueling Minds.
The concept behind the anthology was getting a group of writers to each produce a story based on the same  piece of artwork, which in this case was a painting by Alan M. Clark, as seen on the cover of the advance reading copy above. The authors themselves are Brian Keene, Gary A. Braunbeck, Tom Piccirilli, Tim Lebbon, Jenny Orosel, and Gerard Houarner. And all the stories are as unique as their authors. I am not going to go into a breakdown of each story, as I would be afraid of giving away too much. But Brian Keene's "Purple Reign" is fast paced, and while not a direct part of his "rising dead universe", could be considered as being not very distant. I would love to see some form of follow-up or expansion, but then, like many others, I do enjoy his work. Gary Braunbeck, with "Bargain", adds another wonderfully dark and atmospheric story to his already considerable collection of exceptional tales connected to Cedar Hills, a place he has made famous, as well as infamous. Tom Piccirilli's "Between the Dark and the Daylight" incorporates a dark horror tale with the type of noir writing that he is known so well for, and with a nice little knife twist. And what can I say about Tim Lebbon...dark, and very strange. "Falling Off The World" lives up to what I would expect from him. And that, is saying something, to quote Dumbledore. Amongst all these male writers, Jenny Orofel adds just the right touch. Although you wouldn't know she was a woman just by the writing alone, her story, I think, really helps round out this anthology. A Love triangle? or is it? And finally, there's "The Breath of Bygone Spirits" by Gerard Houarner. A wonderful ghost story that is oh, so much more. This was the perfect story to end on, as far as I'm concerned. Don't argue with me. You'll lose.
I loved this book. Unfortunately, it is sold out by the publisher, so if you want a copy, you have to go to the secondary market. 
Brian Freeman has done a wonderful job in putting this anthology together, and deserves a lot of credit for gathering these talented writers between these covers. He is an exceedingly talented author himself, and I highly recommend his novels, The Painted Darkness, and Blue November Storms. Although I haven't read it, yet, I also look forward to reading his other novel, Black Fire. 
So, from time to time, whether requested or not, I will drop in a book review. I hope some of you find these of some small value, or at least, slightly interesting.
Anyroad, whatever you get to doing, enjoy yourselves. And try to stay out of trouble.