Masques V, Vol. 5 » (Signed)

Jerry Williamson's Masques is back, and fans of the series will be glad to hear that the series is as strong as ever, with Volume V serving up twenty-nine stories that run the gamut from good to great, all providing a satisfying reading experience. Editor Williamson has provided a winning mix of new and established authors, artfully arranging the tales for maximum impact.

Standout stories include: "Recall" by Ray Garton, wherein a businessman is forced to reassess his values; "A Thousand Words" by Judi Rohrig, a tale of a photographer who suffers to perfect her art; "How Sweet It Was" by Thomas F. Monteleone, a story which focuses on the power of childhood memories and on insidious influence of television on young minds; and "Waters Dark and Deep" by Tim Waggoner, a claustrophobic tale in which the heroine realizes that although "pressure makes diamonds," it can also utterly crush things as well.

Sadly, this is the last Masques to be edited by the late Jerry Williamson, who indicated in his introduction that this would have been his last volume at any rate. Hopefully, someone as protective and knowledgeable of the field as Williamson (maybe Braunbeck, whom Williamson certainly held in high esteem) will pick up the torch that Williamson so ably held aloft these past decades, carrying this important and memorable anthology series into a bright future.

Publishers Weekly

When Williamson (Frights of Fancy) died in 2005, he left behind a treat for horror fans, the fifth volume of his beloved Masques anthology series, a gathering of 28 original tales and one reprint that run the gamut from scary to humorous. Among the standouts are Thomas Sullivan's homage to drive-in passion, "Phantom of the Rainbow"; Barry Hoffman's indictment of teachers' retirement plans, "Disappearing Act"; Richard Christian Matheson's brutally succinct "Making Cabinets"; Tim Waggoner's poignantly psychological "Waters Dark and Deep"; and Thomas Monteleone's brilliantly odd TV fantasy, "How Sweet It Was." Other contributors include Poppy Z. Brite, Judi Rohrig, Ray Bradbury, Jack Ketchum and P.D. Cacek. Not every selection is a winner, but the good far outweighs the bad, making this a fitting coda to Williamson's long career. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.