Reviews

Dark Harvest, publisher of the popular Night Visions series (volume 6; LJ 12/1/88), has compiled an anthology of terror/suspense stories based on variations of the ``stalker'' theme. According to co-editor and contributor Gorman, this sub-genre constitutes the tasteful rendition of a story which in its simplest form depicts a young female being chased through city nightscapes by a heavy-breathing psycho wearing pantyhose stretched over his face. Most of the stories here are painfully amateurish, yet vignettes by Paul Wilson, John Coyne, Edward Hoch, and Dean Koontz save the day and boost the collection to a respectable level. For larger collections.-- Mark Annichiarico, ``Library Journal''

Here are 18 original stories about stalkers: psychotics, sociopaths, muggers and thugs (as well as a variety of supernatural creatures) that intrude uninvited into the lives of others. Some are terrific--Robert McCammon's ``Lizardman,'' about an alligator-like monster terrorizing the Florida Everglades; ``The Hunt'' by Richard Laymon, in which a young woman is set up as bait for a serial rapist/murderer; Trish Janeshutz's tale of a woman vacationing in Peru who has an affair with and is impregnanted by a man revealed to be not at all human; Max Allan Collins's ``A Matter of Principle,'' a first-person account by a psychopath of several casual murders and a kidnapping; and Michael Seidman's caustic ``What Chelsea Said,'' about some of the less pleasant effects of poverty and gentrification on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Two novelettes include A Day in His Life by F. Paul Wilson, about Repairman Jack, who protects the vulnerable from the parasites--for a fee; and Dean R. Koontz's Trapped , a heart-clutcher about a strain of super-intelligent rats terrorizing a young widow and her son. Excellent tales by J. N. Williamson, Rex Miller, Ed Hoch and editor Gorman complete a worthwhile collection. (Dec.)