This is an amazing collection of scary short stories that I would recommend to any horror fan! Do not pass this up! The authors in this compilation were very well picked and I look forward to more from this line

The first story occupies more than half this volume. I could not get into this story by Simon Clark. It seemed tedious and was very meandering. I skipped it halfway through.
Wrath James White's Seven Years was enjoyable if not a bit predictable, but as always, a joy to read.
The other stories were nothing very memorable with the exception of The Trendy Bar Side of Life. That one was interesting and fairly thought provoking in a very surreal and creepy and all too real way.

This was a weak edition to an uneven series.

I have read every collection and I swear they just get better and better! These stories are ones I could read over and over and still enjoy even from the first time!

I do enjoy these Dark Screams anthologies. They aren’t too long and have nice variety of stories in each. My favorites in this volume were:

Bastion by Simon Clark: A great sci-fi novella where a boy wakes up in a place called Bastion where there are hundreds of boys ages 11-16 fighting a war underground. No one remembers anything from their time before except John, the boy who wakes up at the beginning of the story. For some reason, the longer someone is there, the less long-term memory they have. This was the longest story in the collection ending at 48%, and it was definitely interesting. I wouldn’t have minded a full length book of this one.

The Woman in the Blue Dress by Heather Herrman: Kind of sci-fi-ish with fantasy aspects. Natalie moved to a small Minnesota lake town to relax, heal, and start a family. A chance encounter with a strange old woman shouldn’t change that—even if the woman has something Natalie would do anything to get. This story keeps you feeling uneasy and uncomfortable throughout. When the end came around, I found myself thinking on it a lot. It really makes you wonder what you would do if you ended up in Natalie’s shoes.

The Trendy Bar Side of Life by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: This was definitely the darkest read in this volume, in my opinion. A very real-world kind of horror that is all too easy to imagine happening to anyone. In a back-alley saloon, D tends bar for others like her. She’s been there since the night she stumbled in, broken and alone—just like the man who stumbles in tonight.

Received via Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

A great read for horror anthology fans. I also recommend the previous volumes. Review for Monster Librarian forthcoming.

Another great installment in this series. I love it!! Never disappoints. Favorite story: The Woman in the Blue Dress. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Simon Clark, Clive Barker, Heather Herrman, Wrath James White, Marc Rains, Lisa Tuttle, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch are the authors chosen for this compilation, and they produce their own takes on what horror is. The collection is edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar.

My favorite was Bastion by Simon Clark, which is a cross between the Maze Runner and Alien. I enjoyed the sci-fi influence in this novela-length story about a group of young boys who are fighting a war in an underground bunker against alien foes. The twist at the end added an extra layer to the story. It's longer than most stories in this series, but enjoyable.

I also enjoyed The Woman in the Blue Dress by Heather Herrman. A young woman named Natalie is eating alone in a restaurant one night a strange woman intrudes on her dinner. She is quite pushy and seems to know more about Natalie than she would if this were really just a chance encounter. This story had a Twilight Zone feel to it and took me someplace I wasn't expecting.

Overrall, another solid entry in the Dark Screams series for horror fans.

disclaimer – i received a copy of this book via random house publishing - hydra in exchange for an honest review.

the dark screams series is always a good choice if you're searching for a quick unsettling read and this volume doesn't disappoint. all the stories are interesting but the two best stories were 'seven years' by wrath james wright and 'the trendy bar side of life' by kristine kathryn rusch. both are unsettling and make that little "something's wrong" sense in the back of your mind perk up. it's not the monster waiting around the corner that's hunting and haunting in these two stories, though, and that makes everything that much more terrifying. these two stories lift this collection from three to four stars.

This series always seems to hold a gem or two, that's why I keep reading them. The majority of the short stories are on the other hand not so great..worth it for the gems though..

Ultimately Dark Screams Volume Ten is a mixed bag of short genre fiction. Some great original short fiction is weighed down by the bulk and vagueness of the front loaded novella. The Clive Barker short story is great, but it feels very out of place in this anthology and will leave you with the impression that it was only included to add his name to the front cover. Some of the originals included in this volume really are excellent but ultimately I don't know if their quality is enough to justify paying full price at release.

Once again, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of receiving an ARC of this amazing series from Cemetery Dance Publications. Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar knew exactly what they were doing when they came up with the idea for Dark Screams. This series is a wonderful way for people to get a feel for authors that they may not have heard of before – without breaking the bank.

As most people have pointed out, this one isn’t much in the way of horror, but it does deliver an extremely enjoyable reading experience.

So let’s get started with my review of each story, with no spoilers.

BASTION by Simon Clark – 2 out of 5 - Coming in at almost half the collection, this story was more of a science fiction story about a group of boys fighting an unknown enemy for unknown reasons. While the story was interesting, I had a hard time actually getting into it, and by the end, there were too many unanswered questions. Granted, not every story needs to be “tied up in a bow” and certainly many stories are best left open-ended – however, I felt that at least some explanation was needed as to why. I probably would have liked this story more if some of those questions were at least addressed. I felt it was unfinished – or at the very least, the beginning of a full length novel.

ON AMEN’S SHORE by Clive Barker – 4 out of 5 – Unless you live under a rock, the name Clive Barker isn’t unknown. The man is a legend as far as the fantastic and horrific. This story delivers. What happens when the “gods” come face to face with the reality of their existence? As one person wrote, this is a story that has to be read multiple times to fully understand, but it’s a powerful story.

THE WOMAN IN THE BLUE DRESS by Heather Herrman – 5 out of 5 – An interesting story about a chance encounter with a stranger, who may not be as unknown as first thought. I fell in love with Heather’s writing when I devoured CONSUMPTION, and this story fed my hunger for more.

SEVEN YEARS by Wrath James White – 4 out of 5 – This is a cautionary tale about past indiscretions, redemption, and payback.

DARK WATER by Marc Rains and Lisa Tuttle – 5 out of 5 – This was the darkest of the collection. A chance encounter with a beautiful woman in a coffee shop turns out to be much more than bargained for.

THE TRENDY BAR SIDE OF LIFE by Kristine Kathryn Rusch – 3 out of 5 – Another extremely dark story about the aftermath of rape, along with how different people cope. But it also had a more gruesome underlying tone about the horrors of politics and taking things too far when you have a zealot’s attitude.

While this volume had two of my favorite authors – Barker and Herrman – in my opinion, it wasn’t one of the more horror related collections. It was more fantasy, and psychological. However, as I said, it gives you a great insight into some authors you may not have heard of before.

As I read the description of this new book, I thought I would check what the dictionary on the internet defines the key words of the description of the book. Let me share what I discovered about those words. Love is defined as an intense feeling of affection. Loyalty is defined as a strong feeling of support. Obsession is defined as an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind. As I read the stories, I kept in mind these words and did find how terrifying it can be to read these stories. The fear sneaked up on me as I read the stories.

Do read it or you will miss out on a delightful terrifying truth!

Dark Screams Volume 10 edited by Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman was received direct from the publisher. The Dark Screams series never fails to perform bring quality dark fiction at a affordable price. The authors continually give stories that do not bog down, though I personally wish for a lot more gore. My favorite story from this anthology was the last one about politicians and a bar. I graded each story and then averaged them out for my 3.8 star rating.

Perfect blend of stories that will make you want to close the book and make sure you are safe while at the same time keep reading because they are wonderfully written. I can't wait for the next volume

Volume 10 of the Dark Screams series was fair, but by far not my favorite.

Bastion by Simon Clark was the first and longest, encompassing half the book. John Karroon wakes up in a bunker where boys aged 11-16 are in military uniforms and shooting liquid nitrogen at something called Flukes. All the boys around John seem to have no memory about their previous lives - where they were from, their families, their pets - yet John remembers everything. And he can't help but question everything occurring around him. The story was rather strange and I thought it would be my least favorite, but I found myself falling into the story and I couldn't stop reading it. Probably my favorite of the bunch.

The Woman in the Blue Dress by Heather Herrman was another that I liked quite a lot. Natalie is sitting alone at a restaurant when a strange woman named Cassasandra approaches her and begins speaking with her. Cassandra is remarkably familiar to her for some reason, but she can't put her finger on why. And now she wants something from Natalie...

The other stories were rather meh to me, but I thought those two were interesting.

What a disappointing read. I thought I would be reading a super scary book but unfortunately that's not how it worked out. All of the previous books in this series were scary. This wasn't to my liking at all. I don't recommend it.

The first story "Bastion" by Simon Clark was my favorite, even though to me it was more of a Sci-Fi than a horror. It was also the longest story, taking up 49% of the book. A young boy is suddenly thrust into a strange and dangerous world where children are soldiers. He has no memory of how he got there or even what his own name is. It seems to be a world made up of only young boys, no parents, no memories, and deadly enemies to fight.

The Woman in the Blue Dress by Heather Herrman was more along the lines of the horror I was expecting. As Natalie is eating alone in a restaurant one night a strange woman intrudes on her dinner. She is quite insistent and seems to know more about Natalie than she would if this were really just a chance encounter. This was a spine tingler for me.

Dark Water by Marc Rains and Lisa Tuttle concerns another chance meeting, but this beautiful woman isn't exactly looking for love when she invites a stranger home from the coffee shop.

As my first Dark Screams read, I was definitely expecting some horror, at least a few thrills. These stories really did not deliver either.

I saw others noting that the first story "Bastion" was their favorite. At 50% of the entire volume, it was a sci-fi which I felt extremely reminiscent of Maze Runner. Maybe with another 200 pages this could be a well rounded tale. At the far end of the spectrum, I enjoyed "Trendy Bar Side of Life." Depicting two separate stories of rape, the story realistically displayed the after effects of such a life changing event.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This anthology was not what I expected. It didn't feel like there was much of a theme to it. The stories seemed more randomly slapped together than most anthologies I've read. Perhaps it's simply that "dark" is such a broad descriptor. Overall, I thought there would be more horror.

And, oddly enough, the two stories that felt the least like horror to me were my two favorites.

"Bastion" by Simon Clark was absolutely fantastic. Sci-fi, more Hunger Games than Alien. I couldn't put it down. I wouldn't have minded if the full book were just this one story, expanded. At the same time, I don't feel it ended too early.

The other story that stood out is more realistic drama than anything else. "The Trendy Bar Side of Life" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch needs a trigger warning on it, but I will say I believe it handled the subject of rape very well. It's a subject I definitely go out of my way to avoid, and yet I still enjoyed this story. It's about the aftermath, about surviving, not some glorification of brutality. It's about how the person you are "after" is different from the person you were before. I was impressed.

"Seven Years" by Wrath James White is another I'd like to call out as a good read. The remaining stories didn't leave much of an impression on me. I feel like they suffered because "Bastion" set such a high bar—and distinct tone—so early. I might have appreciated the other stories more if "Bastion" had been last.

I do recommend this anthology. In my opinion, "The Trendy Bar Side of Life" and "Bastion" alone make it worth it. And time spent reading the other stories would not be time wasted. Overall impression: Not what I was expecting or hoping for, but it definitely left me thinking.