Richard Laymon is the undisputed master of the macabre, and nowhere is his talent to terrify shown to better effect than in his short stories. DREADFUL TALES contains all of his short fiction not previously published in the UK and forms a delicious cornucopia of homicidal maniacs, vampires and lust-crazed teenagers - not to mention the drinkers in a low-life dive who attempt to salvage a diamond ring from the mouth of a severed head in a fish tank - with grisly results.
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Richard Laymon is the undisputed master of the macabre, and nowhere is his talent to terrify shown to better effect than in his short stories. DREADFUL TALES contains all of his short fiction not previously published in the UK and forms a delicious cornucopia of homicidal maniacs, vampires and lust-crazed teenagers - not to mention the drinkers in a low-life dive who attempt to salvage a diamond ring from the mouth of a severed head in a fish tank - with grisly results.
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Add this copy of Dreadful Tales to cart. $18.99, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Headline Feature.
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New. A-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Dreadful Tales to cart. $19.00, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2001 by Headline Feature.
Add this copy of Dreadful Tales to cart. $19.15, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2001 by Headline Feature.
Add this copy of Dreadful Tales to cart. $21.41, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2001 by Headline Feature.
Add this copy of Dreadful Tales to cart. $22.59, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2001 by Headline Feature.
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New. 2001. Paperback. A terrifying collection of short stories that showcase the macabre genius of Richard Laymon Num Pages: 448 pages. BIC Classification: FK; FYB. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 179 x 114 x 28. Weight in Grams: 284......We ship daily from our Bookshop.
The thing about short stories is that they need some kind of plot twist, something which MOST people will not be able to figure out until they read the very last page (Robert Bloch was a Master at it). Unfortunately, DREADFUL TALES is filled with too many predictable outcomes. I believe these stories are from early in Laymon's career and focus mostly on the crime milieu instead of horror - which he was quite adept at. There are a couple of exceptions: "Oscar's Audition" (a humorous tale about a hit man) and "Roadside Pickup" (a thriller about a hitchhiker) are quite good. The BEST tale of the bunch is a novella called "Mop Up". It deals with a plague of zombies and the men who are trying to stop them. Laymon writes it as only HE could - though it would make for one Hell of a Grindhouse type movie!! I believe one of Laymon's greatest strengths is his wonderful characterizations of even the most seemingly insignificant people in his stories. The short story realm does not offer enough space to allow him to dig deep enough into the reasoning behind the actions of his characters. If you are a casual Laymon reader, you probably will not enjoy this book of his short stories. But if you are true fan of the man, you will definitely want to read it.
