Fear (anthology)

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror

First edition cover
Author R. L. Stine, Heather Graham, Suzanne Weyn, Jennifer Allison, Heather Brewer, Peg Kehret, Alane Ferguson, Ryan Brown, F. Paul Wilson, Meg Cabot, Walter Sorrells, James Rollins, Tim Maleeny
Cover artist Tony Sahara
Country United States
Language English
Genre Horror fiction
Published September 1, 2010
Publisher Dutton Juvenile; Speak
Media type Print (paperback, hardcover, and turtleback)
Pages 306
ISBN 0-525-42168-8
OCLC 526057524
LC Class PZ5 .F32 2010

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror is a 2010 horror anthology edited by R. L. Stine. Thirteen different authors contributed stories to the anthology, including Meg Cabot, Heather Graham, F. Paul Wilson, and Stine himself. Stine began writing the anthology after the International Thriller Writers asked him to write a book with several stories. Critical reception for the novel was positive, with one reviewer stating the stories were highly suspenseful, inventive, easy to understand, and fast-paced.

Plot

The beginning of the book starts with an introduction from R. L. Stine. At the end of the book, there is an "About the Authors" section that includes a brief description of the contributors to the anthology along with some of their works.[1]

Title Author Plot
Welcome to the Club R. L. Stine JJ, who works at a restaurant managed by Florian, meets with a group of kids who tell him that in order to join their club he has to kill someone. After JJ meets with them again and says he killed Florian, they inform him that they were joking.
She's Different Tonight Heather Graham On Halloween night, Vince Romero, a werewolf, tries to seduce Ivanna Romanoff, a girl he stalks. Following his transformation, Romanoff sinks her fangs into Romero's flesh and begins to drain away his blood.
Suckers Suzanne Weyn Humans on the planet Lectus disappear and a strange light appears in the sky.
The Perfects Jennifer Allison During her babysitting job, Hannah hears someone call her name and goes to investigate. This leads Hannah to a tiny room behind a mirror, where she finds a baby monitor with a video screen showing a baby girl in an animal cage. After finding the cage that the baby was located in, she topples into the cage and is trapped inside.
Shadow Children Heather Brewer Dax's younger brother, Jon, is afraid of the dark and that the "shadow children", shadowy creatures in the dark, will come and get him if the lights are out. One night Dax lets Jon lay in the dark only to discover the shadow children exist and are trying to take the form of a human. The shadow children succeed in stealing Jon's body form away from him.
The Poison Ring Peg Kehret During a string of robberies and burglaries, a poison ring is stolen. A teenager notices a woman wearing the ring and follows her to a retirement home, where the teenager is kidnapped. After the kidnappers rob a bank, the police find and arrest them.
Dragonfly Eyes Alane Ferguson A man takes two hostages from a school classroom. He shoots one of them, Savannah, in the head, killing her. Savannah's soul imparts her body and, sensing that the man plans on killing the other hostage, takes control of the man's body and forces him to commit suicide by shooting himself in the temple.
Jeepers Peepers Ryan Brown Elizabeth discovers during her babysitting job that when the boy she is babysitting thinks about creatures he calls "creepers", they come to life. During the night, these creepers enter the house and start choking Elizabeth before the boy imagines them away.
Piney Power F. Paul Wilson The Pineys, a group of people who live in the forest, determine two men have been dumping toxic waste on their property. The following day, news that the two men were found dead with barrels of toxic waste appears on TV.
The Night Hunter Meg Cabot Nina is kidnapped by a man wearing a clown mask after she sees him robbing a bank in the mall she works in. During the ensuing getaway, a vigilante called the "Night Hunter" follows them. While the captor is distracted by the Night Hunter, Nina causes the car to crash into a tree. The captor runs away from the scene, and Nina is sent away in an ambulance.
Tuition Walter Sorrells Marlon is promised his college tuition will be paid for after he steals computer chips in a safe at the headquarters of a company. After opening the safe, he discovers his parents set up the theft to wish him a happy birthday and present him with a financial aid document for the college. During the celebration, police officers storm the room and handcuff Marlon.
Tagger James Rollins
Ray Gun Tim Maleeny

Background

R. L. Stine started writing the book after he was asked by the professional association International Thriller Writers (ITW) to write a book with several stories.[2] The book was published on September 1, 2010,[3] and is available in three formats: paperback, hardcover, and turtleback.[4] Half the proceeds from book sales go to ITW, whereas the other half goes to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), a non-profit literacy organization.[5] In 2010, RIF hosted a party celebrating the release of the book in New York City.[6]

Jennifer Allison's story, "The Perfects", was partly inspired by an old Victorian house she passed each morning on her way to school.[7] "Ray Gun" was Tim Maleeny's first story for young adults.[8]

Reception

Critical reception for the book was positive. An unknown contributor from Kirkus Reviews felt that the stories in the anthology were highly suspenseful, inventive, easy to understand, and fast-paced.[3] Benjamin Boche from TeenReads.com stated that "some of the tales aren’t for the faint of heart, some deal with the intricacies of what science can do, and some are just plain creepy."[9] School Library Journal's Joy Fleishhacker said the book incorporated "a pleasing mix of genres, hair-raising events, and deftly drawn protagonists," and that "each tale is fresh and unique while still falling within the compilation's creep-me-out confines." She also felt that the stories in the anthology were surprising and enticing.[1]

Daniel Kraus from Booklist stated that this anthology contained "uninspired entries" although it "keeps the reading level consistent, which makes it a good entry point for reluctant readers moving on from Stine’s own oeuvre". He thought the best story was "Tuition" by Walter Sorrells, but also felt Suzanne Weyn's "Suckers" and "Piney Power" by F. Paul Wilson were worthy of notice.[10] Dawn Crowne from RT Book Reviews recommended the stories to those who like reading about urban legends.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Fleishhacker, Joy (October 6, 2010). "Scary Stories to Savor and Share". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  2. ↑ Stine 2010, p. vii.
  3. 1 2 "FEAR". Kirkus Reviews. July 15, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror (Turtleback School & Library)". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror edited by R.L. Stine". ITW. October 1, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ "In Brief: November 4". Publishers Weekly. November 4, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  7. ↑ Stine 2010, p. 299.
  8. ↑ Stine 2010, p. 306.
  9. ↑ Boche, Benjamin (September 2, 2010). "FEAR: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror". TeenReads.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  10. ↑ Kraus, Daniel (September 1, 2010). "Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror.". Booklist. Retrieved June 4, 2014. (Subscription required.)
  11. ↑ Crowne, Dawn (September 2010). "Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror". RT Book Reviews. Retrieved June 4, 2014.

Bibliography

  • Stine, R. L., ed. (2010). Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror. Speak. ISBN 978-0-14-241774-4. 
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