Having read other books in the series, I was fairly certain I would like this and I was right. I recommend the book without reservations.

A more uneven collection than volume 6 but still some redeeming moments. What follows is a brief description of the stories from the publisher with my comments below each description.

LIZARDMAN by Robert McCammon
The lizardman thinks he knows about all the mysterious dangers of the Florida swamps, but there are things lurking in the bayou that are older and deadlier than his wildest dreams.

McCammon is always great. This was a decent story that seemed to be pretty straightforward until the nasty twist toward the end. This author never disappoints.

A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST (IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN SAYS GOODBYE) by James Renner
Although every child dreams of visiting Hundred Acre Wood, only one has ever actually frolicked in that fabled forest—and survived.

My favorite story of the collection. I will admit I loved Winnie the Poo as a child and would be highly entertained by Poo's antics and his equally odd and entertaining friends. This story imagines Christopher Robin as an old and informed man returning to see his old friends. Were they what they seemed or was there something else lying beneath it all? Highly enjoyable.

FURTHEREST by Kaaron Warren
She’s been going to the beach since she was a child, daring the other kids to go out past the dunes where those boys died all those years ago. Now she realizes that the farther out you go, the harder it is to come back.

Interesting story. I never heard of the author so I did not know what to expect and was surprised by the
nastiness of the story. In a good way that is.

WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL by Brian Hodge
After the success of their latest album, Sebastián, Sofia, and Enrique head to Mexico for a shoot under the statue of Santa Muerte. But they have fans south of the border who’d kill to know where they get their inspiration.

THE EXPEDITION by Bill Schweigart
On a quest to bring glory to the Führer, Lieutenant Dietrich Drexler leads his team into the ruins of the Carpathian Mountains. But the wolf that’s stalking them is no ordinary predator.

Decent story, nice suspense and payoff.

SNOW SHADOWS by Mick Garris
A schoolteacher’s impulsive tryst with a colleague becomes a haunting lesson in tragedy and terror when he’s targeted for revenge by an unlikely, unhinged rival.

I had read this previously and was underwhelmed by the story. Tired tropes with nothing new or exciting. The story is well written but there was no wow factor here.

Dark Screams: Volume Seven is obviously the 7th edition of the Dark Screams anthology. Containing six stories, the first and the last story made the collection for me.

LIZARDMAN by Robert McCammon
The hunter or the hunted? Tonight is the night-- he can feel it -- and it ends one way or another. My second favorite story in this collection.

A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST (IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN SAYS GOODBYE) by James Renner

Fascinating premise. I think this one could have been a lot better, it gets a little bogged down and then just bizarre at the end.

FURTHEREST by Kaaron Warren

A beach trip on acid, this one will have you rethinking just how far is too far.

WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL by Brian Hodge

This was an odd story that was well written. I wanted to like it more than I did.

THE EXPEDITION by Bill Schweigart

I DNF this one.

SNOW SHADOWS by Mick Garris
My absolute favorite story in this collection. Beautiful and tragic, this story will haunt you--it did me.

This collection is totally worth the $3.99 on Amazon to buy it. I received mine as an e-ARC from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While the stories weren't scary enough to scare me, these were still great reads. It's rare for me to enjoy every story in an anthology, but this one hit the spot. It was an engrossing and exciting read. Recommended

Interesting read! Interesting characters! Awesome opening! Clearly an exciting horror-filled volume! Sad but intriguing ending! I read all of the other Dark Screams. I just had to read DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME SEVEN and see what these amazing authors and editors came up with. And, Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar are two editors that made this volume of Dark Screams stand out even more, as each door is opened and the reader walks through to the dark depths that reaches inside and chills to the bone.

As the story of, LIZARDMAN by Robert McCammon, began, this angry-looking but also a little bit wise-looking king of the swamp was searching for an unseen thing that could only be heard. If you were lucky enough to see it, then it would be too late. Would Lizardman find it before it found him? If so, how would he confront it? Will he destroy it before it devours him? Serious problem!

In, A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST (IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN SAYS GOODBYE) by James Renner, a haunting tale of intrigue told about a young nurse, along with others at a hospital, which were told to help care for a seventy-five year old man who could pass away at any time. And, they were also told never to mention that bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. Now, why would anybody be told not to mention that little bear? Thus, a good horror mystery.

FURTHEREST by Kaaron Warren, a uniquely different tale of horror that will leave a lot of room for thinking. This tale is about a peculiar old man in House 4 that made up a game out of searching for strange things on or near the beach. And, the strangest or farthest the kids had to wonder for the prize. How far out and weird will this game go? What horrors will this story lead to?

Our next story titled, WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL by Brian Hodge will take the reader into some far out country for picture taking, and a guide to lead the way. But, where will they wind up in this dark tale of horror as they zoom on down the road into unknown territory? Intriguing and mystifying.

I love reading these dark tales, and this next story titled, THE EXPEDITION by Bill Schweigart, will make you think twice about your next expedition. It began in August 1938, when a wolf was following the expedition and there had already been one casualty when the guide fell from his horse. Who will lead them now? Will there be more casualties? Can anyone escape the darkness and what lies in it?

This next dark tale titled, SNOW SHADOWS by Mick Garris, is filled with supernatural happenings that will leave the reader with a spine-tingling chill; especially with things lurking in the dark in the dead of Winter at the Ravensbrooke Youth Academy. This fast-paced story will have the reader turning the pages in lightening speed to find out what happened to Miss Featherstone, and what lies just around the corner. DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME SEVEN is a novel you will not want to miss!

This was a hauntingly horrifying collection of thrills and chills by some of the BEST authors in the genre. These stories are sure to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and your heart pound a little faster!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this story collection from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Hydra in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This series always draws me in. It is an anthology of fantasy and horror and I always find a few stories to savor even though this really isn't the genre I read regularly. This one had some good stories, too.

Hydra and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It is being published today.

Here is synopsis of each story included:

LIZARDMAN by Robert McCammon
The lizardman thinks he knows about all the mysterious dangers of the Florida swamps, but there are things lurking in the bayou that are older and deadlier than his wildest dreams.

A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST (IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER
Although every child dreams of visiting Hundred Acre Wood, only one has ever actually frolicked in that fabled forest—and survived.

FURTHEREST by Kaaron Warren
She’s been going to the beach since she was a child, daring the other kids to go out past the dunes where those boys died all those years ago. Now she realizes that the farther out you go, the harder it is to come back.

WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL by Brian Hodge
After the success of their latest album, Sebastián, Sofia, and Enrique head to Mexico for a shoot under the statue of Santa Muerte. But they have fans south of the border who’d kill to know where they get their inspiration.

THE EXPEDITION by Bill Schweigart
On a quest to bring glory to the Führer, Lieutenant Dietrich Drexler leads his team into the ruins of the Carpathian Mountains. But the wolf that’s stalking them is no ordinary predator.

SNOW SHADOWS by Mick Garris
A schoolteacher’s impulsive tryst with a colleague becomes a haunting lesson in tragedy and terror when he’s targeted for revenge by an unlikely, unhinged rival.

My favorites in this set of story were Lizardman and Snow Shadows. Just creepy enough to make shiver and be glad I was home in my nice warm house. All of them are haunting. I really like this series and will continue to read more.

From monsters in a swamp to psychos in the city this is a collection of brief reads that waste no time in raising goosebumps. If you enjoy horror with just a touch of the supernatural and a little offbeat, this is a good book to keep on your nightstand.

Dark Screams: Volume Seven is a horror short story collection featuring six creepy stories:

The Lizardman - Robert McCammon. A gator hunter encounters something otherworldly in a dark, Florida swamp.

A Monster Comes to Ashdown Forest - James Renner. Winnie the Pooh and The Hundred Acre Wood take on a sinister twist.

Furtherest - Kaaron Warren. Four beach houses amid the dunes and strange memorials to the dead. A prize for who dares to venture the furtherest.....

West of Matamoros, North of Hell - Brian Hodge. A photo shoot beneath a statue of Santa Muerte leads to bloody terror.

The Expedition - Bill Schweigart. Nazis on a trek through Romania are pursued by a wolf....or is it something more?

Snow Shadows - Mick Garris. A teacher realizes his affair with a co-worker was a disastrous mistake with supernatural, deadly consequences.

While I didn't find these stories particularly horrifying, I did enjoy all six of them. My favorite is A Monster Comes to Ashdown Forest. The story gives a great creepy slant to Winnie-The-Pooh. All of the stories in the collection are delightfully creepy and grotesque, but for me, fell a bit short of being actually scary. A better term might be unsettling....or maybe disturbing. The collection was definitely enjoyable and I look forward to the next volume of stories!

This was my first visit to Dark Screams. I will definitely be reading the first six collections, and look forward to any future ones! I hope some are a bit more scary than these stories....but, in this case, creepy and disturbing is still enjoyable for this horror fan.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy from Random House Publishing via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

The legendary Robert McCammon and filmmaker Mick Garris headline the seventh installment in the DARK SCREAMS e-book series.

Once again, editors Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar have assembled a lineup of veterans and relative newcomers, and come up with an entertaining assortment of new stories and reprints.

Robert McCammon's 1989 short LIZARD MAN opens the collection. With a title like that, I was expecting a story about a reptilian Bigfoot, but what McCammon delivers is slightly odder, but just as satisfying. The Lizard Man of the title is an aging alligator hunter, who is after a legendary giant of a gator named "The Old Pope". Before the night ends, he'll confront the beast, but find that it isn't quite what he was hunting for. A fun little story, with a totally unpredictable ending.

Next up is James Renner's A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST (IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN SAYS GOODBYE), which finds an elderly, dying Christopher Robin setting out with his caretaker to find the killer of a little girl who was found dead in the hundred-acre wood. This was a well-told story, and I sincerely hope that Renner does not find himself on the wrong side of Disney's army of lawyers. This was my first exposure to Renner's work, but I'll be keeping an eye out for him in the future.

Kaaron Warren's FURTHEREST is a traditional ghost story at heart, and while it was mildly engaging, it seemed like a very long way to go for very little payoff.

The highlight of the collection is Brian Hodge's new novella WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL, a nightmarish excursion into Mexican folklore. While shooting photos for their new album on the site of a series of ritual murders, a rock band is abducted by a drug cartel. Hodge wrings every bit of terror out of this story; it's absolutely one of his best, and is worth the price of admission alone.

Bill Schweigart's THE EXPEDITION has an interesting premise (A Nazi expedition to find supernatural artifacts), but is hamstrung by its length. The story leaves the door open for more, which could be a great thing if Schweigart is given more room to work in.....THE EXPEDITION seemed rushed and half-baked.

The collection closes with Mick Garris' SNOW SHADOWS, which was originally published as part of Cemetery Dance's Novella Series in 2012. I'm generally not much of a fan of Garris' writing, but this story, which features a disturbed preteen obsessed with his dead teacher, is probably his best work to date. Well-developed characters keep the story moving along, and it was just the right length.

DARK SCREAMS, VOLUME SEVEN is a solid, enjoyable collection, and earns a respectable seven out of ten dark hearts:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Hydra provided a review copy.

It's been a great year for Richard. Chizmar. The Cemetery Dance Joe Hill special was spectacular and his newly released collaboration with Stephen King was great and well received. This is set to continue with him editing (along with Brian James Freeman) another excellent collection of short stories. From Christopher Robin to Hitler and Mick Garris to the always excellent Robert McCammon I'd highly recommend another damn fine collection guaranteed to chill.

Okay so maybe this will not keep you up all night (maybe you are too jaded at this point) but the Lizard man and Snow Shadows should be read just so you know what good writing is! Buy this and settle down to be unsettled.

DARK SCREAMS: Volume 7, edited by Brian James Freeman & Richard Chizmar is the seventh edition of story collections--this one containing six stories of varying lengths. There were a few stories that were notable to me, but one that absolutely stole the show in this anthology, in my opinion.

The first story of note is "Lizardman", by Robert McCammon: a swamp man sets out to stalk a legendary, larger-than-life lizard that claimed the lives of so many over the years. "Well, the lizard man figured, it took mean and ugly to kill mean and ugly. . . " A story that started out in a "predictable" enough manner, but ended on an unexpected note.

The second story I wanted to mention is "West of Matamoros, North of Hell", by Brian Hodge. This one was more of a novella length, featuring a unique rock bank in their home country of Mexico. "Here at home, people found death a lot more interesting than life. . . " The group makes plans to get some publicity photos for their next tour by visiting a large statue of Santa Muerte. ". . . she might look different in a hundred details, but was always the same simple figure: a skull in a dress, a skeleton were a woman used to be. . . Always, she held your fate . . . " However, someone...or something...else has been monitoring their movements for an altogether different reason. I felt this was a very thought provoking look at beliefs, and what lies behind them.
"Death turned everybody into equals."

My hands-down favorite in this bunch was James Renner's "Monster Comes to Ashdown Forest (In Which Christopher Robin Says Goodbye). This story--the first that I have read from Renner--took the well known fairy tale of Winnie the Pooh and turned it into something completely unexpected and different in every possible way, while retaining the original characters. When a dying Christopher Robin, who has spent most of his life avoiding the publicity brought on by his father's stories of his "adventures", decides it's time for a final visit to the place he once referred to as the Hundred Acre Woods, he is accompanied by a caregiver and her young, autistic son.
". . . There are ghost instincts, I believe, senses carried down in our genes from our ancestors who huddled in caves and hunted in open fields and has to know when a jaguar was stalking them. . . "
Christopher once tried to tell her that there were places on this earth that were "different" from others--places that their minds knew instinctively to avoid, but without the reasoning behind the feeling. ". . . Like your very soul was disjointed from all logic and sense. In the face of such strangeness, our minds protest."
Again, this story was so fascinating in its replicating of a boy's childhood "friends", and yet so hideously distorted by the author's imagination, that I simply can not wait to read more from him.

Overall, not a bad collection, but much more "uneven" in terms of quality that the last Volume, I felt.

Still, recommended for the James Renner story, alone!

I received a copy of Dark Screams in exchange for an honest review



I'm not going to lie. I'm a huge fan of this series, and every time I see there's a new one I get a little excited. Each volume of Screams is good. Of course after volume 6 I was worried that it wouldn't be as good, but I was wrong. Volume 7 may not have the same big names, but it keeps the series going in an interesting direction. The editors have once again picked stories that resonate with you and remind you that sometimes, horror doesn't have to be all blood and guts to make an impact. As a kid I loved atmopheric horror. It was the unknown that was the most terrifying.

Volume 7 is a solid entry to the series that gives you another six stories featuring some really talented writers that I plan on looking up once I get all my reviews done. With such a short selection the beauty here is there's no filler. Each story is solid, but of course, there would be some who would nitpick and say: "This isn't really horror." It is, it's just not what you expect horror to be. The closest you get to brutal, mind numbing horror, and I would also go as far as saying it's the best story here. The thing I love about this series is that they're short, but packed full of talent. For what you pay, you truly do get your moneys worth. Hydra has truly built a solid franchise with here, and now that I'm finished I can't wait to see what they do in Volume 8.

The Dark Screams series comes along with this, Volume Seven, and continues to be one of the most solid anthology series' out there.

Going into this, I fully expected the Robert McCammon story to be the stand-out, as he's one of my favorite authors and never fails to satisfy my story urge. However, I have to hand it to James Renner because his story A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST (IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN SAYS GOODBYE) not only knocked the ball out of the park, it knocked it out of town! To see the Pooh stories turned into dark fiction pleased me to no end! Five FAT stars!

That said, I did love McCammon's Lizardman. In a way this story reminded me of that TV show I've seen previews of-The Swamp People? But then the tale took a strange twist and landed somewhere totally different. 4 stars!


WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL by Brian Hodge was a strange tale where mythology and real life blended into a torture chamber of sorts. Never pray to the skeleton saint. 4*

I enjoyed the rest of the stories as well, just as not as much as these 3-and these 3 alone are well worth the price of admission! Highly recommended!

You can pre-order your copy here:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ND0KNYM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01ND0KNYM&linkCode=as2&tag=chashorcor-20&linkId=097ce1444e20cedc11ab91da34960315">Dark Screams: Volume Seven</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=chashorcor-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01ND0KNYM" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />


*Thanks to Hydra and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*

I have read many horror anthologies. This is not the greatest one. A couple of the stories are ones I have read before. Several of them are new but really didn't hold my interest. I did complete this book in hopes that it would get better. Robert McCammon is always well worth reading even if it is an old one. The other, I could take or leave.

This is volume 7 in the Dark Screams series. The more of this series I read the more I love it. The book is a volume of 6 short stories by 6 authors, Robert McCammon, James Renner, Kaaron Warren, Brian Hodge, Bill Schweigart, and Mick Garris. If I had to choose my favorite I think it would have to be Kaaron Warren's Furtherest. It is a very creepy story, but I loved it. All the stories in this book are great though. This is an awesome series.

Have you read any of the Dark Screams before this volume? I have read all of them and yet to be bored. I loved Lizardman! The story about Pooh was terrific and made me think of Pooh differently -- even now. I don't want to influence you but I do. If you don't take a chance and read this volume, you are missing out! Dark Screams has become one of my favorite anthologies. I look forward to the next volume. There will be one, right? Don't disappoint me Brian!

I don't normally keep track of stories for review, and....o.k., I still didn't for this! I've got to say though, I was really impressed by these shorties. First the bad. Lizardman was awful. Still, others may like it. I've never liked a short story by McCammon. Love his novels, not his shorts. James Renner did a fantastic job with the Pooh story. Oh dear, what has become of my eeyore and piglet? It will take awhile to get over those images. This shorty ended up leaving me with a smile, and a few tears. West of Matamoros, North of hell, chilled me to the bone. It took me 2 days to finish because I kept getting freaked out. I remember when this happened, "the real part" and its still a chilling story. Also, Brian Hodge always manages to scare me silly. Furtherest was excellent, but the ending was weird. Still well worth my time. Kaaron Warren is someone I'll be on the lookout for. Bill Schweigert rocked his story. Anyone who can get me to read and enjoy a story with Nazi's is a rare thing. Also, I was happy to see that I had a few books of Bill's on my Kindle. Mick Garris somehow gets the short end of the staff here. I honestly can't recall what this story was about. I know I didn't hate it, and that's it. I've read all volumes of these Dark Screams books, and this may be my favorite one. Thanks much to Hydra/Random House and Netgalley for this free e-arc.

DARK SCREAMS VOLUME 7 is a six story anthology that give the reader a bit of fantasy, a touch of the supernatural and a look at totally gruesome....but nothing REALLY scary for this lover of true horror.

3 Stars - LIZARDMAN - (Robert McCammon) - You'll find here an icky-slimy read set in a misty Florida swamp, a wise old gator hunter who finds more than he bargained for in the caverns below!

2 Stars - A MONSTER COMES TO ASHDOWN FOREST - (James Rennet) - Not much time left, but a last request is granted for an OLD timer to visit his OLD wooded stomping grounds where a few creatures...you just may recognize...come wildly alive, AND....a silent one speaks a few cherished words.

2 Stars - FURTHEREST - (Kaaron Warren) - Summertime is full of fun and discovery at the dunes.....IF you don't venture out too far!

3 Stars - WEST OF MATAMOROS, NORTH OF HELL - (Brian Hodge) - A simple photo shoot turns brutally gruesome in old Mexico. Yikes!

3 stars - THE EXPEDITION - (Bill Schweigart) - 1938 Germany- A predator of the worst kind.....in Wolf's clothing.....just may keep you laughing.....or not.

4 Stars - SNOW SHOWERS - (Mick Garris) - A schoolteacher's extracurricular activity takes a sinister turn....twice....when a strange young student seeks revenge for his heart's desire....with a bit of spiritual help.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Hydra for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.