marplatense's review against another edition
3.0
There was some good stuff here (and some tales did nothing for me), but that's something that always happens to me when reading anthologies (when it comes to short stories I prefer collections of the same author): I liked a lot "The Pounding Room" (B. Little), "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood" by Poppy Z. Brite (I have to read Wormwood a.s.a.p.), the classic Lansdale "By Bizarre Hands" and "Stillborn" by Nina Kriki Hoffman. The other ones were ok, except maybe the standard bad-things-happen-to-bad-guys which I tend to find unfulfilling.
gynocyber's review against another edition
4.0
extremely strong anthology with the only stories i didn’t fully vibe w falling short bc of taste reasons, not necessarily bc they’re terrible ... rare!!!! mb i’ll do story by story reviews later
wellwortharead's review against another edition
4.0
Every reader has their favorite authors. When I saw that this anthology contained stories by Bentley Little and Poppy Brite I knew I had to read it, but the best part of such a collection is the ability to read not only your favorites but to discover works by authors you may not have otherwise read.
I enjoyed most of the stories but the ones that stood out as favorites for me were-
The Grass of Remembrance" by John DeChancie about a man who sends away for a very unique grass seed after his failed attempts to keep his lawn alive. "The Pounding Room" by Bentley Little in which starting a great new job isn't all its cracked up to be, "The Raw and the Cooked" by Michael Green was a dark and satirical look at how the makers of your happy meal stay so happy. "The Man in the Long Black Sedan" by Ed Gorman involves a family man who takes a day off work to protect his family.
I think all horror lovers will find something to enjoy in this volume. Borderlands is a symphony of dark and disturbing fiction and I hope there will be future installments.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
I enjoyed most of the stories but the ones that stood out as favorites for me were-
The Grass of Remembrance" by John DeChancie about a man who sends away for a very unique grass seed after his failed attempts to keep his lawn alive. "The Pounding Room" by Bentley Little in which starting a great new job isn't all its cracked up to be, "The Raw and the Cooked" by Michael Green was a dark and satirical look at how the makers of your happy meal stay so happy. "The Man in the Long Black Sedan" by Ed Gorman involves a family man who takes a day off work to protect his family.
I think all horror lovers will find something to enjoy in this volume. Borderlands is a symphony of dark and disturbing fiction and I hope there will be future installments.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
discocrow's review
4.0
The "Borderlands" anthologies purport to collect the most innovative, strange, and disturbing weird fiction that is submitted to them. Between the covers of these books you may be perplexed, confused, and outright disgusted but you will certainly never be bored. I was first introduced to these books through "From the Borderlands" which went into Mass Market Print due to it containing a story by Stephen King. Since that fateful day I had been looking for the rest of the anthologies. Thanks to them going into print once more last year I can finally get my hands on them.
This first foray into the Borderlands was published in 1994 and to some extent does show its age. Some of the shock horror, here's looking at your Lansdale, isn't particularly interesting to me; Poppy Z. Brite also falls a bit flat, but these are pretty much personal taste. Your mileage will vary. Nevertheless, there is more than enough to hold my interest in the tales between the covers. "The Pounding Room" has stuck with me rather strongly. "His Frozen Heart" as well, which is surprising given how basic a premise it holds.
I'd recommend this book to people interested in horror fiction, although with some reservations. The stories are strange - the publication lives up to its claim of publishing only the most original - at least by my estimation. There's certainly a fair bit of the odd to be found in here.
This first foray into the Borderlands was published in 1994 and to some extent does show its age. Some of the shock horror, here's looking at your Lansdale, isn't particularly interesting to me; Poppy Z. Brite also falls a bit flat, but these are pretty much personal taste. Your mileage will vary. Nevertheless, there is more than enough to hold my interest in the tales between the covers. "The Pounding Room" has stuck with me rather strongly. "His Frozen Heart" as well, which is surprising given how basic a premise it holds.
I'd recommend this book to people interested in horror fiction, although with some reservations. The stories are strange - the publication lives up to its claim of publishing only the most original - at least by my estimation. There's certainly a fair bit of the odd to be found in here.
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