Different Kinds of Dead and Other Tales
Ed Gorman
Five Star, $25.95, 311 pages, ISBN: 1594142130
reviewed by Jim Brock

I am a short story fan. Ed Gorman is a masterful short story writer. That makes this book a winner for my tastes.

There are fifteen stories plus a short author's introduction and the key words are suspense, horror and science fiction. But the overriding key word is super. Super is the horror of the serial killer in "Masque" – six pages of gut-wrenching emotion. Super is the darkness of "Deathman" – an old west hangman who will linger with you long after you finish his story. Super is the disgust you will feel for the title character in "The Broker" and the quality of "merchandise" he provides. And super is the pain you will feel for "Survival" – you will need one of these special children to take it away.

As a matter of fact, all the stories in this collection are pretty much super. Don't go looking for uplift in here because it just ain't there. Ed Gorman will tear you up one side and down the other and leave you emotionally wrecked and exhausted. He will disturb but he'll never disappoint.