Dragged into the Darkness by Simon Wood
(c)2003 Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer

What can I say about the talented, prolific author, Simon Wood that has not already been said?

One thing I can say: Simon didn’t have to drag me into the darkness --I went with him willingly through each tale.

Come journey with me, if you will, and let *me* drag you into Simon’s darkness through each terrifying tale: When the light faded and the aircraft's transmission came through, requesting emergency assistance in RUNAWAY THREE-SEVEN, you knew you were going to be dragged for a dark and bumpy ride; a familiar whistling causes a new darkness to unfold for an architecture, Paul Thompson’s talents in SUNSEEKER; Terry dodged cleaning THE LADIES ROOM until last -it seemed to have sprung a leak or have a wound of its own; an ungrateful, mysterious woman in POLK-A-DOTS signs her death warrant when she is picked up by a man on a long and winding road --but was it is own death warrant; a severed foot arrives in A SPECIAL DELIVERY; Social Services is called in due to an accumulation of rancid food, large hefty bags, and garbage lining a home of A HOARDER, Charlene -for what tragic reason won’t throw anything away; the dining habits leave a lot to be desired for Dave, HUNGRY FOR MORE is more than every diners worse, repulsive nightmare; the horrific darkness only begins when they enter THE TUNNEL the real horror emits as the tunnel becomes smaller and smaller with no way out for Karen and Mike; deformities were everywhere and patients called for Doctor Troy’s expertise, but was the cure worse than the deformities in IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER; Captain Clelland’s keeps his bargain even at the cost of others, his soldiers crossed the threshold of a violent, bloody aftermath in ACCEPTABLE LOSSES; a dragging fear develops in a hundred mile underground dark, silver mine --armed with only a flashlight, can the mine of silver provide protection from a werewolf, in A SILVER LINING; Tammy makes a deadly deal with THE HEAD that changes her mother forever; an ingenious plan for a drug dealer oozes with gory BUS PEOPLE; Patrick has an unusual experience with THE SHOWER CURTAIN, it appears to be alive with a half dozen or so people inside it; could a fruitcake aboard a plane convince a pilot that it takes FAITH to keep a plane airborne.

It’s not often a reviewer can say every tale in a collection was worth the read… however in this case, I must confess, Simon Wood kept me spellbound with each story in his menagerie of macabre; his surrealist prose is entertaining and equally chilling.

While you are DRAGGED INTO THE DARKNESS with Simon you will be pleading for more instead of wishing the ride to end. You’ll indulge your darkened fears and befriend the evil that awaits you around the next corner.