REVIEW: Fright or Flight

Flight or Fright
Authors: Various
Editors: Stephen King & Bev Vincent

I haven't stepped foot on an airplane in 24 years following a very, very, very rough landing at KCI International during a storm. Those 10 minutes of silent, white knuckle terror ruined flying for me. I'm terrified to get on a plane. There isn't enough alcohol or happy pills to make a flight enjoyable for me. One lightning filled, turbulent, fast loss of altitude event ......  Done. Completely done. Soaring above the clouds strapped into a metal capsule that weighs upwards of 75 tons is just tempting fate. Not to mention I firmly fear that each of us only gets one extra life, do-over, miraculous save....whatever you want to call it. I got out of one scrape unscathed....the next one, my luck might not kick in. Game over. Know what I mean?

Stephen King has spent decades scaring the piss out of me. Vampires. Crazed killers. Telekinetic angry teenagers. Demons. Aliens. CLOWNS. Oh my god....clowns. Hate them! And now he pokes me in yet another fear factor -- flying. When I saw this story anthology, edited by King and Bev Vincent, I knew I had to read every single one of the 17 stories contained within. I can enjoy the horror....while safely on the ground.

I love this book! I knew I was going to love it the minute I saw the dedication list at the beginning. The story collection is dedicated to pilots who landed safely after a harrowing flight....and the list includes Ted Striker. There was absolutely no need for anyone to queue up to slap me as I lost control while reading....I was totally ready for in-flight horror. And, I didn't have the fish.

The stories are varied with selections from classic writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ambrose Bierce to the modern commercial era featuring stories by Joe Hill and E. Michael Lewis. Even Roald Dahl has a tale in this anthology. I enjoyed every single story....none of them crashed and burned. Some were less horrific....others were completely creepy. Each has an introduction giving info on the author and the story. Loved it!

While Stephen King has been scaring me for decades, Bev Vincent is a new author for me. He writes for the Cemetery Dance Magazine, authored the companion book to the Dark Tower series by King, and has an impressive list of magazine short stories listed in his bio. I'm definitely going to look for his work and do some very enjoyable reading! I love it when I discover a new-to-me author that writes in one of my favorite genres! I hope they collaborate on more story anthologies....I really enjoyed this one!

I recommend these tales for anyone who enjoys horror short stories, whether they love flying or hate it. As someone who refuses to get on a plane, I found these stories a bit more distressing than others might....made for a fun experience!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Scribner via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. What you make of this review is your own choice....but I recommend a hat, a broach or perhaps a terradactyl.**