Yay! One that I've got and have read!
I Hear the Mermaids Singing by Nancy Holder: Following the
drowning of her boyfriend Bobbie, and her miscarriage, Annie
dreams of a life she once had below the waves with her sisters
and her father the Sea King. In the dream she is a mermaid, the
most beautiful and most desired of all her father's daughters, who spies a surfer skimming over the waves and makes a bargain with the sea witch - she will have legs to walk on the land, and the sea witch will have her voice. A marvellous story, winner of the Bram St oker Award 1993.
Llama by Bentley Little: A psychotic divines meanings into the measurements of the dead Llama he finds in the alley behind the bookstore, and narrates a catalogue of sexual atrocities.
Sadistic but clever.
Where the Heart Was by David J Schow: Renny and Barb are in bed when Victor Jacks inconsiderately walks through the door. This causes them some consternation as they saw him buried only that afternoon, and Barbs was his girlfriend. After some work (not entirely unenjoyable for Renny) Victor is ready for the morgue again. But Victor didn't get where he once was by not being stubborn. Hilarious gore spattered sexy black comedy by one of the best writers around.
The Last Crossing by Thomas Tessier: Dale Davies loses his job as a Wall Street trader at the age of fifty, and knows that life from now on will hold few pleasures or surprises, so decides to
have one great evening before he returns home to face his unsympathetic wife. Poignant and powerful piece of writing by the
author of
The Nightwalker.
Damaged Goods by Elizabeth Massie: Children Paul and Darla are going to save the world from its suffering. Paul is the Lion and Darla the Lamb; and when the Lion and the Lamb lie down together, there will be an end to all suffering. The preacher has assured them of this, and preachers know these things. But who are the men in sunglasses watching from the edge of the field? Utterly chilling piece by Massie.
Hillbettys by Graham Watkins: Ron's car is wrecked in the
mountains, but fortunately he runs into Mrs Reardon and her two
stunning daughters, Martha Jean and Cindy Ann. Martha and Cindy are only too pleased to make Ron feel welcome, but he finds their ministrations come with an unexpected bite. Fortunately, Ron knows a thing or two about pulling teeth. Loved this one - sexy and funny.
Abuse by Matthew Costello: Billy Pratt is a kiddie's TV show
host and the last place he needs to be recognised is in the blue-movie theatre, scene of more than one police bust; when he leaves, the remaining viewer gives a whole new meaning to the
term 'hand-job'.
Forever in My Thoughts by Don D'Ammassa: Toni is angry that the creepy new guy in the office is eyeing her up; but then she finds herself helplessly trapped in the world of his fantasies.
Blind Date by Julie Wilson: Sally is infuriated by the stranger
who offers her money to sleep with a man she's never met, but
then she sees the possibilities of the situation. After all, it would only be the once. And she could certainly use the money...
Sex Object by Graham Masterton: The woman who comes to surgeon Dr Arcolio is rich and beautiful, but she is afraid that her husband is tiring of her; she is convinced that her husband wants, literally, a sex object. And she wants Dr Arcolio to help her
give her husband what he wants... Nasty.
Box 69 by Rex Miller: Her name was Robyn Arnay, Robyn with a Y, Ar-nay. She had legs that never stopped and violet eyes, and he wanted her so bad. She wanted him, too, but unfortunately she had a hidden agenda. The author of
Slob visits the urban myth of the hooker with a deadly secret with his usual high-sleaze factor.
Prized Possession Jeff Gelb: Berton Randolph and John Crawford are rival collectors of the films and ephemera of former porn queen Stacy Tracey. Randolph wants to buy Crawford's entire collection. Then Crawford learns that the other man has some very strange collector's pieces among his private stock.
Mr Right by Chris Lacher: Russ has a peculiar fixation with
larger women. He has persuaded his girlfriend to lose weight, but
now he rather regrets it. Then at the freakshow he sees a bizarre
erotic display which he cannot forget. And the freaks, he finds,
have a peculiar interest in him, too. Really very good.
At the Count of Three by Michael Garrett: Eric is obsessed with Wendy, but Wendy loves Jake. Desperate, Eric persuades a friend to teach him hypnotism, so that he can take advantage of Wendy.
Genderella by Ron Dee: Tom hasn't any date for the Prom Night. He's attractive, even without make-up, more attractive than
most of the girls. He wants to go with Grant, but unfortunately
Grant wants to go with a real girl. Then Tom is visited by Selina, his Fairy Godmother...
Safe at Home by Steve and Melanie Tem: Mindy is repulsed by horror movies with tentacled monsters, but fascinated by them all the same, to her boyfriend Charlie's confusion. Mindy is also
horrified by her own hair that collects in the bath plug, and worst of all is the Miller moths that will clog up her throat and lay eggs inside her. She has memories of childhood abuse (a favourite theme for Melanie Tem), and worst of all are the words 'I love you'. The Tems' writing is gentle and scalpel sharp as ever.
How Deep the Taste of Love by John Shirley: Sid Drexel has
recently buried his wife, and, looking for some action he visits
a singles bar, where he meets Sindra, impossibly curvy and golden-eyed. Sindra invites him home, and on the way encourages him to tell his most deep-hidden fantasies. Sid likes to bite. This one has a fair twist to it.
Hard Evidence by John Edward Ames: Ursula D'antoni is found sitting near the dead body of her husband, a gun in her hand. On the wall above her is a varnished oil painting of the Hindu death-god Yama. Ursula D'antoni loves Yama. Death is Shiva's greatest gift, given through Yama. And every time we experience sex, it's through an unconscious wish for death. Ursula D'antoni knows this; and to the detectives on the case, she is like the embodiment of pure sex. Interesting, if a bit metaphysical.
The Room Where Love Lives by Grant Morrison: A Sherlock Holmes pastiche, in which detective Aubrey Valentine is called to
investigate a house, where a room was once used by a disciple of
Wilhelm Reich in an attempt to create a chamber capable of
harnessing sexual energy. The 'rutting room' now exercises a frightening erotic power over any who come near it. Tongue-very-much-in-cheek (or something-in-something) this one's quite funny. The name of Morrison's detective is probably a tip of the hat to Clive Barker's own psychic detective, Harry Valentin.
Black Cars by J L Comeau: The cab driver is talkative, and on the way from the airport tells a long story of a couple who like to be taken slumming, and the things the couple like to do on these night excursions. Very grim, this one's pretty good.
This collection presents an almost uniformly high standard of
writing, but some of my personal favourites include Thomas
Tessier's
The Last Crossing, Elizabeth Massie's
Damaged Goods, Graham Watkins
Hillbettys, Graham Masterton's
Sex Object, Steve and Melanie Tem's
Safe at Home, and J L Comeau's
Black Cars.