Book Review: 'Dark Masques' edited by J. N. Williamson
'Dark Masques' (508 pp.) was published by Pinnacle Books in 2001. The cover artist is uncredited.
The 'Masques' franchise was one of the more high-profile horror anthologies issued in the Paperbacks from Hell era. Originally published in hardcover by small press publisher John Maclay in October 1984, the first volume was successful enough for Williamson to edit and published 'Masques II' in 1987. Both collections subsequently were reprinted in various paperback editions, such as 'The Best of Masques' (Berkeley, 1988). A 2011 deluxe hardcover edition, 'J.N. Williamson's Illustrated Masques,' consists of only 52 copies and is expensive to acquire.
Williamson issued two additional volumes in the series, 'Masques III' in 1989, with 'Masques IV' following in 1991.
(You can get Masques from the Internet Archive, too)
The Pinnacle Books paperback editions contain between them all of the content from Masques and Masques II: 46 short stories and poems.
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So how does 'Dark Masques' stack up ? Here are my capsule summaries of the contents:
Nightcrawlers, by Robert R. McCammon: it's a dark and stormy night at Big Bob's gas station and diner in rural Alabama. Things get complicated when a disheveled drifter enters the place......Vietnam veterans and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder were major tropes in the 1980s, and McCammon works those themes reasonably well into this tale.
Somebody Like You, by Dennis Etchison: aghhhh.......typical Etchison. A thin plot involving a sibylline woman who makes Enigmatic Remarks; a narrative comprised entirely of vapid dialogue; and an atmosphere that is banal, rather than disturbing.
Third Wind, by Richard Christian Matheson: Michael, a self-centered 80s yuppie, is intent on running 50 miles (?!). En route, some unsettling things happen. A phoned-in entry from Matheson.
Redbeard, by Gene Wolfe: an older man.........his young wife......a remote farmhouse......in the basement, a locked door that she never must open........one of Wolfe's more accessible stories, with a twist ending.
The Turn of Time, by David B. Silva: en elderly man visits the house where he grew up, now an abandoned structure. The man sees visions, with these having implications for the family line. As the story progresses, things take a very strange turn. This story has an interesting premise, but is too overwritten to be very impactful.
Soft, by F. Paul Wilson: the first-person narrator and his daughter are among the few survivors of a new epidemic, one that afflicts people in bizarre fashion. This story is an early manifestation of what would come to be known as 'body horror,' and it's one of the best stories in 'Dark Masques.'
House Mothers, by J. N. Williamson: when her boyfriend Barry tries to get too gropey in the front seat of his Buick, Pamela breaks free and runs into the nearby woods. She stumbles across what might be a haunted house. This is a feeble entry from editor Williamson, with fanfic-quality prose: She became aware then of moonlight groping at the solitary window pane in the living room.........
Party Time, by Mort Castle: a three-page treatment of the 'mutant child housed in the basement' theme. And it works !
Everybody Needs a Little Love, by Robert Bloch: embittered by a recent divorce, David Curtis decides to seek new love from an unusual source. A decent tale from Bloch.
Down by the Sea Near the Great Big Rock, by Joe R. Lansdale: early Lansdale. People are moved to sudden acts of violence. No splatterpunk, but a surprise ending.
The First Day of Spring, by David Knoles: Barry Locke is about to get married, but the joyful day is complicated by ill-health on his part. This story tries to create a facetious 'creature feature' sensibility, but comes across as contrived and cutesy.
Czadek, by Ray Russell: plodding tale of an egomaniacal actor whose career stalls, and ultimately implodes, in bizarre fashion. It's more of a dark fantasy piece than a horror piece.
The Old Men Know, by Charles L. Grant: it's November, and Atmospheric. Dead leaves piling on the ground, overcast skies, chilly temperatures, a sense of loss, personal alienation, an awareness of the end of things, imminent darkness, etcetra, etcetra, etcetra. You know how Grant is..........
The first-person narrator is a children's book illustrator whose relationship with his live-in girlfriend is fraying. He increasingly spends time conversing with a group of elderly men who congregate in the local park. Some Vaguely Spooky things happen. The ending has a tacked-on quality.
The Substitute, by Gahan Wilson: the sixth grade at Washington School has a substitute teacher, Miss Or. She is a strange woman, who comes from someplace very, very different from what the kids are used. to. An imaginative, entertaining tale from Wilson.
The Alteration, by Dennis Hamilton: Harry Crawley does odious things at the El Lobo bar in Puerto Valencia. His partners in crime, greasy Mexicans all, dislike Harry as much as he dislikes them, but money is money and trumps dislikes. But that's about to change..........an effective story, with a splatterpunk sensibility, from author Hamilton. Another of the better entries in the anthology.
Trust Not a Man, by William F. Nolan: Elise Malcolm is young, beautiful, unmarried, and longing for a 'quality' man. On a visit to a singles bar she meets a guy who could be The One ? I suspect most readers will see where this story is going well before the denouement.
My Grandmother's Japonicas, by Charles Beaumont: an 'unpublished' fragment, possibly of a planned novel, from Beaumont (aka Charles Leroy Nutt, who died in 1967 at age 38). It's an 'Adams Family' mixture of mild horror and humor. There are accompanying encomiums ('A Short, Incandescent Life,' and 'Charles Beaumont: The Magic Man,' from Ray Russell and William Nolan, respectively).
I had to wonder why editor Williamson included this slight piece, when there were more deserving potential (Splatterpunk) contributors out in the world......
Popsy, by Stephen King: Briggs Sheridan likes to hang out at the Cousintown Mall. He's looking for lost children, for nefarious reasons. A good story from King !
Second Sight, by Ramsey Campbell: a middle-aged man named Key takes up residence in a new flat, but finds himself troubled by scratching noises, noises coming from the flooring. Is he imagining things ? One of those Campbell stories where you're not sure if the supernatural is 'real,' or just a manifestation of somebody's mental instability. I was underwhelmed.
The Yard, by William F. Nolan: in the Midwest town of Riverton, there is a junkyard, a sinister place that the kids and adults both avoid. An imaginative tale and one of the better ones in 'Dark Masques.'
The New Season, by Robert Bloch: Harry Hoaker, an emcee for a late night talk show, experiences some troubling phenomena. A dull, phoned-in entry from Bloch.
The Near Departed, by Richard Matheson: three-page short with a 'Twilight Zone' sensibility.
Ice Sculptures, by David B. Silva: Stairway to Heaven is a montane artist's commune, lying on the bottom slopes of Eagle Peak. One of the members of the commune can produce some unusual, if disturbing, artwork........the premise is interesting, but the prose, badly overwritten.
Wiping the Slate Clean, by G. Wayne Miller: the first-person narrator has a girlfriend who comes into and out of his life. Although she's very disruptive, he can't say no to her. George R. R. Martin did this psychological horror theme better, with his 1981 story 'Remembering Melody.'
The Litter, by James Kisner: author Kisner wrote a number of Paperbacks from Hell in the 1980s and 1990s for publishers like Pinnacle, Leisure, and Zebra. This tale is about a white, suburban, progressive All-American family that has a nice little cat named Harriet. Harriet is expecting; should the children be allowed to witness the Miracle of Birth ? Suburban horror, very well done.
Splatter, by Douglas E. Winter: not a short story, but a series of vignettes that make allusions to horror in various media during the 1970s and 1980s (Dawn of the Dead, 'The Keep,' The Last House on the Left, etc.). This has something to do with efforts by politicians to censor horror content. This entry is a real dud......
American Gothic, by Ray Russell: Ray Russell meets Erskine Caldwell in this grotesquerie featuring some inbred country boys, and a well-built young lady who is easy with her favors. There is a horror note introduced in the closing sentences.
Moist Dreams, by Stanley Wiater: a water bed (very 80s), and disturbing dreams that one hopes don't come true.....
Nothing from Nothing Comes, by Katherine Ramsland: Dr. Alan Kensey, a psychiatrist, discovers that a female patient at the asylum may be from the future. Overly melodramatic prose and a weak plot make this story one of least impressive in the anthology.
Maurice and Mog, by James Herbert: the master of British splatterpunk makes it into an American horror anthology ! Here, Maurice is a fallout shelter dweller who discovers that a cat (Mog) with a bad attitude, has managed to sneak inside. A decent story from Herbert.
Fish Story, by Dennis Hamilton: avid angler Morris Hooke learns that Fowler's Crescent, a lake in an isolated corner of Indiana, has some unusually big fish in it. The old-timers at Feer's Stock and Bait are a bit unwilling to impart their fishing knowledge to a stranger. Particularly knowledge about the effects a massive chemical spill has had on the lake fauna........a great eco-horror tale, and another of the better stories in 'Dark Masques.'
Outsteppin' Fetchit, by Charles R. Saunders: the author of the 'Imaro' sword and sorcery novels tells the tale of Peanut Posey, star of old-time black-and-white films in the prewar era. Despite his small stature and Bojangles sensibility, Peanut had a fine time with the ladies. And those fine times, have a price.....a nice story from Saunders, one that had me wishing Paperbacks from Hell anthologists had been more diligent in soliciting stories from him, as opposed to any number of 'regulars'..........
In the Tank, by Ardath Mayhar: it's a cold winter's night and Shag the wino (errr, Shag the Unhoused Person) is looking for refuge. Can he find it in the Halesburg Memorial Park....?!
Hidey Hole, by Steve Rasnic Tem: Jennifer isn't all that thrilled to be living in a new house, with a new stepfather and bratty stepbrother Robert. But the foundation of the house has a gap in its brickwork, and inside that gap is a hiding place with a strange allure. Maybe Robert can investigate ?
The Night is Freezing Fast, by Thomas F. Monteleone: Grandma's out of shortnin' for her baking, so even though it's a cold and snowy day in rural Iowa, Alan and Grandpa set out in their SUV for the store. En route, they pick up a hitchhiker; a man with disturbing mannerisms. I suspect most readers will guess early on where this story is going, but it's effective in its evocation of the bleak and isolated nature of the rural Midwest in winter.
Buried Talents, by Richard Matheson: have you ever wanted to read a story where those small-town traveling carnivals and their rigged games of chance get their comeuppance ? Well, 'Buried Talents' is for you !!!!
Lake George in High August, by John Robert Bensink: the Felder family has a nice cottage on the shore of Lake George in the Adirondacks. Taking a swim in the cool waters of the Lake is their first priority. This tale, which posits a 'road not taken' sensibility, is too confusingly plotted to be effective.
Wordsong, by J. N. Williamson: stilted prose dominates this tale of an anthology editor whose most valued contributor is the mysterious 'Wordsong.' The editor decides to track down Wordsong and meet him or her in person. There is an inconclusive ending.
The Man Who Drowned Puppies, by Thomas Sullivan: MacIver is the man's name, and he alone is willing to do what other people won't. Extremely well-crafted, and the best story in 'Dark Masques.'
The Boy Who Came Back from the Dead, by Alan Rogers: the boy's name is Walt Fulton, and at age 8, he was run over by a car. Now Walt has indeed come back from the grave, whole and healthy. He claims his resurrection was mediated by space aliens ?! This story reads like something Joe R. Lansdale would've written (think 'Bob the Dinosaur Goes to Disneyland') and its horror content is negligible.
Then we have some prose poems and blank verse poems, contributed by Ardath Mayhar, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Ray Bradbury, Mort Castle, and Joe R. Lansdale, that aren't especially memorable.
The verdict ? 'Dark Masques' has a sufficient number of quality contributions to earn a Three Star Rating. I can't call this book a must-have anthology, but if you're a diehard fan of Paperbacks from Hell and an avid collector, then this volume may be worth purchasing.
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