From Publishers Weekly
Thriller writer Massey's strong anthology showcases 20 new horror and suspense stories by African-American writers, both established and upcoming. Massey evokes America's enduring black cultural heritage in his understated "Granddad's Garage," about a humble, peculiarly long-lived pack rat who collects such rarities as a signed copy of Phillis Wheatley's 1773 book of poems. Lawana Holland-Moore's "Empty Vessel" poignantly touches on the cruelty and tragedy of slavery. Hair is the focus of D.S. Foxx's brief "Dreads," the sensitive narrator's account of growing up in "a vanilla town, the darkest child in my school." In Patricia E. Canterbury's unsettling "Wild Chocolate," a married couple's visit to a remote Brazilian village leads to supernatural mischief back home in Oakland. Linda Addison plays fresh variations on the voodoo theme in "The Power." Colorful and highly idiosyncratic islanders' language enriches Francine Lewis's lyrical "Siren Song." "Danger Word," an apocalyptic SF tale by husband-and-wife Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due, doesn't deal with race per se, but forms a lively end to a volume whose universal human themes will resonate with many readers.
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