I've been having a hard time getting through some of my short story collections lately. In fact there's one that I've been reading for over a year now; I think I'm averaging about one story per month. I'm not sure why I'm so against short stories right now. I'm still enjoying novellas; it's just the short form. Maybe I'm looking for stronger character development or more reason to care. Something that is easier to find in novels and novellas. Even the SHIVERS series which is always strong with its short stories didn't really do it for me this time. There were five different stories that I flagged as being memorable but that was it. Nothing against the other authors. As I mentioned, it's all me. I hope it's just a phase that will end as unexpectedly as it began.

"Serial" by Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn - Two serial killers run across each other's paths and try to make the other a victim.

"The Crate" by Stephen King - Maybe a mini-cheat since I've seen the segment in the movie Creepshow and I've read the comic of the same name. The story is still fun to read, especially hearing each character with their corresponding actor's voice.

"The Last Beautiful Day" by Brian James Freeman - A photographer tries to help with building some memories a couple's newborn babies. A short but very sad tale.

"In The Raw" by Briand Hodge - A man tries to avoid jail while dealing with troubles from his uncle.

"Bits and Pieces" by Lisa Tuttle - A woman uses her past relationships to build a perfect man. ( )

Gail Cross is our artist on this one, well done. I can't tell if this is a photograph or an actual painting. I think painting and if so, the details are very nice.

Lots of great authors in this book, many I have never read before. Talented, interesting imaginations -- but as I read, it is really starting to bug me that more women aren't represented. This is not a scolding to Cemetery Dance by any means. I just don't think there are that many women in this field. Or, there are but their work isn't good enough to make it into these horror anthologies. Of 22 entries, 2 were from women. Both gave us chilling little stories.

I certainly don't want some affirmative action thing to happen here, bwhahaha! I want the best stories. I don't want things dumbed down for women just to increase the numbers.

I don't want men horror writers to have to lift a 200 pound corpse and crawl through a cemetery full of goatheads (the plant, not actual goat heads), while the women only have to carry that zombie arm that dropped off. I want to read more women horror writers! Come on ladies, represent!

Okay, rant over.

The Crate by Stephen King was included. Good story, but I'm sort of sentimental to the movie version. In the written story, the thing in the crate is described as something "as dry and brown and scaly as a desert reptile." Then later, it's described as something "furry...like a lynx." So much for eyewitness accounts.

My shout out story goes to Brian James Freeman. And the reason why? Without saying too much, I was involved in a situation like this at 3:00 in the morning, texts and phone calls from my friend -- should they or shouldn't they and how macabre is it? Devastating moment for her and her family and for me, too. He writes with a brutal clarity about this situation.

And, I'm just going to say this. Peter Straub is a g** d*mn card carrying serial killer.

Just -- he has to be!

His stories almost always make me feel very dirty and gross. So disgusting. But they are always well written like he's been there, done that and stripped the t-shirt off the victim. The next award banquet he attends, someone grab his red solo cup and get that DNA so we can put some of these brutal murders to rest.

I have many other Shivers anthologies to read, so looking forward to what awaits. ( )

Richard Chizmar is the editor of Cemetery Dance, both a quarterly magazine and a publishing house that specializes in horror/dark fantasy. As is obvious by the title, Shivers VI is the sixth entry in a series of horror/dark fantasy anthologies featuring original (i.e., not previously published) stories from a number of writers, including Brian Keene, Al Sarrantonio, Lisa Tuttle, Melanie Tem, David Silva, Peter Straub and Stephen King, among others. As always, some stories struck me more forcefully than others. The anthology got off to a great start with "Serial," a collaboration between authors Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn in which they ponder what might happen if a serial killer of hitch-hikers picked up a serial-killer hitch-hiker, nicely conflating two strong urban legends; and I also enjoyed Stephen King's "Crate," about what might be lurking in long-untouched university storage rooms; Norman Prentiss' "The Old Ways" in which a modern young woman comes across some very old-fashioned values in the small town to which she and her husband have moved; "Like Lick 'Em Sticks, Like Tina Fey," the cleverly titled vampire story by Glen Hirshberg; Al Sarrantonio's "Last," which is more science fiction than horror; and Lisa Tuttle's "Bits and Pieces," a delightful dark fantasy about what our lovers leave behind when they leave our lives. The volume ends with Peter Straub's novella, "A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter," which details the childhood and adolescent development of a serial killer; I found it well-done, if gory, up until the end and then I felt quite disappointed because the story just stopped, and I wanted more. Which I suppose can be seen as a positive response, when you think about it....Obviously this anthology will not be to everyone's taste, but if you have the stomach for it, the writing is of a very high caliber throughout and you may find a new favourite author or three between its covers; recommended for those who can stand it! ( )

The best horror anthology that I have ever read... HANDS DOWN! ( )