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Stalkers
A collection of nineteen original tales by today's masters of terror includes novellas by Dean R. Koontz, John Coyne, and F. Paul Wilson, and stories by Robert R. McCammon, Rick Hautala, Joe R. Lansdale, Richard Laymon, and others. Reprint.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
17 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
449Ìýbooks118ÌýfollowersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman spent 20 years in the advertising industry before leaving to write full-time in 1984. Since then, he has been incredibly prolific, averaging 2-3 novels a year in addition to many short stories, editing anthologies, and founding and editing Mystery Scene, the new magazine of the mystery field. He has written in many genres, particularly crime, mystery, western, and horror. Most of his novels are set in Iowa. His pseudonyms include E.J. Gorman, Daniel Ransom, Edward Gorman Jr., Robert David Chase, and Richard Driscoll.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman spent 20 years in the advertising industry before leaving to write full-time in 1984. Since then, he has been incredibly prolific, averaging 2-3 novels a year in addition to many short stories, editing anthologies, and founding and editing Mystery Scene, the new magazine of the mystery field. He has written in many genres, particularly crime, mystery, western, and horror. Most of his novels are set in Iowa. His pseudonyms include E.J. Gorman, Daniel Ransom, Edward Gorman Jr., Robert David Chase, and Richard Driscoll.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 18, 2018
This is a collection of novellas and short stories in which someone is being stalked. Most of the stories are very good.
Want to read
October 2, 2017This hardcover is copy 345 of 750 and is signed by all 19 contributors plus the illustrator, Paul Sonju.
July 19, 2018
-Valores de la época que reservan sus mejores trabajos para otros libros.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Acosados (publicación original: Stalkers, 1989), con el subtÃtulo Cazadores y vÃctimas, es una antologÃa de relatos de horror (tres menos en la edición española que en la publicación original) centrados en esa temática, con Ed Gorman (también responsable del breve prólogo) y Martin H. Greenberg como antologistas, que nos ofrecen varias tramas noir policiales muy distintas, otras con la carretera como decorado pero en aproximaciones diferentes, ratas mutantes fugadas de laboratorios y psicópatas de varias clases, entre otros temas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Acosados (publicación original: Stalkers, 1989), con el subtÃtulo Cazadores y vÃctimas, es una antologÃa de relatos de horror (tres menos en la edición española que en la publicación original) centrados en esa temática, con Ed Gorman (también responsable del breve prólogo) y Martin H. Greenberg como antologistas, que nos ofrecen varias tramas noir policiales muy distintas, otras con la carretera como decorado pero en aproximaciones diferentes, ratas mutantes fugadas de laboratorios y psicópatas de varias clases, entre otros temas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
June 9, 2010
A Day in the Life � F. Paul Wilson
Mother Tucker � James Kisner
The Hunt � Richard Laymon
Miss December � Rex Miller
Lizardman � Robert R. McCammon
A Matter of Principal [Quarry] � Max Allan Collins
Rivereños � Trish Janeshutz
Flight � John Coyne
Jezebel � J. N. Williamson
Stalker � Ed Gorman
Children of Cain � Al Sarrantonio
A Matter of Firing � John Maclay
The Sacred Fire [Newford] � Charles de Lint
What Chelsea Said � Michael Seidman
The Stalker of Souls � Edward D. Hoch
Getting the Job Done � Rick Hautala
Trapped � Dean R. Koontz
Pilots � Joe R. Lansdale & Dan Lowry
Darwinian Facts - Barry Malzberg
This anthology was all right - but no great stand-out gems here, I'm afraid.
I'd like to reiterate my opinion that Dean Koontz may be the most overrated author of all time, as said opinion has been strengthened by reading his "the rats of NIMH go EVIL!!!" story here....
Also have to mention that I think TWO stories about truckers getting killed off for revenge is one too many for one book...
The Rex Miller story is rather clever, but more a detective tale than horror.
Mother Tucker � James Kisner
The Hunt � Richard Laymon
Miss December � Rex Miller
Lizardman � Robert R. McCammon
A Matter of Principal [Quarry] � Max Allan Collins
Rivereños � Trish Janeshutz
Flight � John Coyne
Jezebel � J. N. Williamson
Stalker � Ed Gorman
Children of Cain � Al Sarrantonio
A Matter of Firing � John Maclay
The Sacred Fire [Newford] � Charles de Lint
What Chelsea Said � Michael Seidman
The Stalker of Souls � Edward D. Hoch
Getting the Job Done � Rick Hautala
Trapped � Dean R. Koontz
Pilots � Joe R. Lansdale & Dan Lowry
Darwinian Facts - Barry Malzberg
This anthology was all right - but no great stand-out gems here, I'm afraid.
I'd like to reiterate my opinion that Dean Koontz may be the most overrated author of all time, as said opinion has been strengthened by reading his "the rats of NIMH go EVIL!!!" story here....
Also have to mention that I think TWO stories about truckers getting killed off for revenge is one too many for one book...
The Rex Miller story is rather clever, but more a detective tale than horror.
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April 11, 2021
I wasn't terribly keen on this when I read it (I remember disliking the Koontz story in particular), but I might have been in the wrong frame of mind while reading it. In retrospect, it strikes me as being more of a crime anthology than a horror one, so I might re-read it taking that into consideration, as my dislike may have come from having gone into the book expecting it to be something that it's not (the fact that I was in my late teens - a point in time when was mostly, if not completely dismissive of any horror that didn't have supernatural elements - when I read it can't have helped).
March 4, 2016
3/10/2010 : Finished these stories last night.
Of all the stories in this book only ONE is by a woman--and it was the very last story. It freaked me out -- arachnophobe!
I enjoy reading Koontz at almost any time and "Trapped" was the entire reason for buying the book.
And re-reading de Lint's "Sacred Fire" was fun even though I of course have all his collections, which means I already have "Sacred Fire" in another book :-)
Trapped � (1989) � novella by Dean R. Koontz
Flight � (1989) � novelette by John Coyne
A Day in the Life � [Repairman Jack] � (1988) � novelette by F. Paul Wilson
Lizardman � (1989) � shortstory by Robert R. McCammon
Pilots � (1989) � shortstory by Joe R. Lansdale and Dan Lowry
Stalker � (1989) � shortstory by Ed Gorman
Getting the Job Done � (1989) � shortstory by Rick Hautala
Children of Cain � (1989) � shortstory by Al Sarrantonio
A Matter of Principal � (1989) � shortstory by Max Allan Collins
Miss December � [Jack Eichord] � (1989) � shortstory by Rex Miller
A Matter of Firing � (1989) � shortstory by John Maclay
�"The Sacred Fire" by Charles de Lint 7/19/2015 (re-printed in Hedgework & Guessery and Dreams Underfoot/The Newford Stories)
The Stalker of Souls � [Simon Ark] � (1989) � shortstory by Edward D. Hoch
Darwinian Facts � (1990) � shortstory by Barry N. Malzberg
The Hunt � (1989) � shortstory by Richard Laymon
Mother Tucker � (1989) � shortstory by James Kisner
Jezebel � (1989) � shortstory by J. N. Williamson
What Chelsea Said � (1989) � shortstory by Michael Seidman
Rivereños by Trish Janeshutz
Of all the stories in this book only ONE is by a woman--and it was the very last story. It freaked me out -- arachnophobe!
I enjoy reading Koontz at almost any time and "Trapped" was the entire reason for buying the book.
And re-reading de Lint's "Sacred Fire" was fun even though I of course have all his collections, which means I already have "Sacred Fire" in another book :-)
Trapped � (1989) � novella by Dean R. Koontz
Flight � (1989) � novelette by John Coyne
A Day in the Life � [Repairman Jack] � (1988) � novelette by F. Paul Wilson
Lizardman � (1989) � shortstory by Robert R. McCammon
Pilots � (1989) � shortstory by Joe R. Lansdale and Dan Lowry
Stalker � (1989) � shortstory by Ed Gorman
Getting the Job Done � (1989) � shortstory by Rick Hautala
Children of Cain � (1989) � shortstory by Al Sarrantonio
A Matter of Principal � (1989) � shortstory by Max Allan Collins
Miss December � [Jack Eichord] � (1989) � shortstory by Rex Miller
A Matter of Firing � (1989) � shortstory by John Maclay
�"The Sacred Fire" by Charles de Lint 7/19/2015 (re-printed in Hedgework & Guessery and Dreams Underfoot/The Newford Stories)
The Stalker of Souls � [Simon Ark] � (1989) � shortstory by Edward D. Hoch
Darwinian Facts � (1990) � shortstory by Barry N. Malzberg
The Hunt � (1989) � shortstory by Richard Laymon
Mother Tucker � (1989) � shortstory by James Kisner
Jezebel � (1989) � shortstory by J. N. Williamson
What Chelsea Said � (1989) � shortstory by Michael Seidman
Rivereños by Trish Janeshutz
January 20, 2024
Like with any anthology, some bad stories bring the good stories down. Stories collected here that I would read again:
A Day in the Life by F. Paul Wilson
Pilots by Joe Lansdale and Dan Lowry
Trapped by Dean R. Koontz
Lizardman by Robert R. McCammon
Flight by John Coyne
There were other decent ones, but these 5 were my favorites and worth revisiting.
A Day in the Life by F. Paul Wilson
Pilots by Joe Lansdale and Dan Lowry
Trapped by Dean R. Koontz
Lizardman by Robert R. McCammon
Flight by John Coyne
There were other decent ones, but these 5 were my favorites and worth revisiting.
April 9, 2016
As with any short story collection, there are an assortment of tastes and quality of stories to be found in this collection. Overall, I did enjoy this gathering of horror and thriller stories and novellas.
Here are the ones I considered five-star worthy:
- "Flight" by John Coyne
- "A Day in the Life" by F. Paul Wilson
- "Lizardman" by Robert R. McCammon
- "The Sacred Fire" by Charles de Lint
- "The Stalker of Souls" Edward D. Hoch
- "The Hunt" by Richard Laymon
- "Mother Tucker" by James Kisner
- "Rivereños" by Trish Janeshutz
Here are the ones I considered five-star worthy:
- "Flight" by John Coyne
- "A Day in the Life" by F. Paul Wilson
- "Lizardman" by Robert R. McCammon
- "The Sacred Fire" by Charles de Lint
- "The Stalker of Souls" Edward D. Hoch
- "The Hunt" by Richard Laymon
- "Mother Tucker" by James Kisner
- "Rivereños" by Trish Janeshutz
September 1, 2017
Decent collection of shorts, and a novella with stalking as the central theme. Each writer has come up with a unique spin on the idea. While some stories are extremely well written, some are just okay. The draw here would be the Dean Koontz novella that opens things up, but seems to fall flat. Stalkers is great for a nostalgia read, but aside from that, there's not much here for a repeat reading. Most, if not all of these stories were released by the authors themselves and placed in their own short story collections.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
October 5, 2009Again with another bad read for me. Started out just so-so. Was disappointed in the McCammon story.
I made it to page 219 before closing the cover for good. I can handle little boys squishing frogs and fish (though it is extremely gross). I can not handle it when the writer moved them up to puppies. As soon as I I read the line where the kid opened the box with the furry bundles in it, I was done.
I made it to page 219 before closing the cover for good. I can handle little boys squishing frogs and fish (though it is extremely gross). I can not handle it when the writer moved them up to puppies. As soon as I I read the line where the kid opened the box with the furry bundles in it, I was done.
December 17, 2009
So far so good. As with any short fiction collection, it has it's ups and downs, but overall these are really good tales about stalkers in all their forms... the things that go bump in the night, hit men, etc. The stories are ranging from those set in our world to those set in somewhere that is slightly off. I'd definitely recommend. More later. -- Overall level of writing in most stories is quite high. Definitely recommend this one!
May 17, 2015
This is a nice collection of stories of terror and mystery. All about either a stalker or stalkee. I liked almost all the stories. The only two bad stories were "Darwinian Facts" and "Jezebel." All these stories were written in the late 80s. As a sign of those times, two stories was about truckers and CBs were integral part of a trucker's life back then. The best story was "A Day in the Life" but that is mainly due to being a big Repairman Jack fan.
August 25, 2014
"Stalkers" is a great collection of short stories with a very sinister streak. While some tales are not as good as others, the book overall is definitely worth reading time. In fact, the story about disfigured Air Force cadets who hate truckers and the tale, "Mother Tucker", are worth the price of the book alone.
December 14, 2012
I've read this book twice now and really enjoy most of the stories it contains. For me it embodies a fun read, nothing to complex or convoluted. Overall I highly recommend giving this anthology a read.
March 12, 2022
A book of short stories 19 in all by some of the best horror/ mystery writers. I originally got this because it had a Repairman Jack short story by F. Paul Wilson, one of my favorite writers, that I wanted to read. I ended up reading almost all of the stories in the book. Some were better than others, hence the 3 stars. By the way, the Repairman Jack story was excellent.
December 15, 2018
Haven't looked at this book in years. I remember some great stories though.
September 18, 2010
The only short story in this collection I really remember is the one by Dean Koontz. I couldn't eat ceral for weeks.
September 20, 2010
One of the best anthologies ever put together. It has some of the best stories by the best and most original horror writers of all time.
April 9, 2023
I love the stalker movie genre, so I was really excited to read this. The introduction notes that the takes on this topic will be fresh. I think these went too far. Very few of these stories featured what I would consider stalking behavior. Does one human following another (or, in a few instances, animals or otherworldly beings) constitute stalking? Not for me. Stalking equates erotomania and obsession. A lot of these didn't even have intensive following.
Very few of these stories actually created any tension or horror for me. Layman's "The Hunt" came the closest, although it was a strong symbol of common plots in the book--many of these stories have twists just for the sake of twists. They're really cheap. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it got sort of one note here--especially because we get certain unique twists repeated throughout. Coyne's "Flight" was just a series of twists for the sake of it.
A lot of these stories weren't successful and felt really cheap. Is this what pulp used to be? If so, surprisingly, I'm not into it. There were definitely some good stories here, but there was such an edgy white boy energy overall it wasn't good.
Gorman's aptly named "Stalker" also came close to what I look for in the genre. I also loved Kisner's "Mother Tucker," which was much better than the other story in the collection about getting revenge on truckers (lol wut.) While not about a stalker, I did enjoy "The Stalker of Souls."
Very few of these stories actually created any tension or horror for me. Layman's "The Hunt" came the closest, although it was a strong symbol of common plots in the book--many of these stories have twists just for the sake of twists. They're really cheap. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it got sort of one note here--especially because we get certain unique twists repeated throughout. Coyne's "Flight" was just a series of twists for the sake of it.
A lot of these stories weren't successful and felt really cheap. Is this what pulp used to be? If so, surprisingly, I'm not into it. There were definitely some good stories here, but there was such an edgy white boy energy overall it wasn't good.
Gorman's aptly named "Stalker" also came close to what I look for in the genre. I also loved Kisner's "Mother Tucker," which was much better than the other story in the collection about getting revenge on truckers (lol wut.) While not about a stalker, I did enjoy "The Stalker of Souls."
September 19, 2019
**please note, this is less a review and more a reading journal; as such, it will be of no value to others. thanks for understanding.**
meh
so misnamed - what was it, 8 or 9 stories? not 19. and some were quite short and some were not scary, just gory.
seems like a partial attempt by most of the authors, narrators and editors. not sure why this books produced.
meh
so misnamed - what was it, 8 or 9 stories? not 19. and some were quite short and some were not scary, just gory.
seems like a partial attempt by most of the authors, narrators and editors. not sure why this books produced.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2020
As with any short story anthology, some writers styles just do not gel with me and when that happens I stop reading. Of the ones I read ( I only skipped 2) most were good and entertaining but only a few stuck with me. Enough good stories to recommend as a nice anthology
July 21, 2023
There’s 2 or 3 good stories in this, and the book should be called Cops, not Stalkers. I guess since a fair amount of cops may be sociopaths, they are also stalkers, but this book was really mostly about cops and PIs who get off on catching “bad guys.� 😴
March 18, 2021
This is a collection of short stories with stalking as the theme. The first story by Dean Koontz is probably the best of the lot. But, a couple of others are worth your time.
August 12, 2021
Read in 1999. Anthology of thrillers about stalkers.
April 22, 2023
Like most collections, there are good stories and others to which I am indifferent. Nothing sticks out as exceptional, although the last story, Riverenos, is kind of cool.
June 6, 2024
Where is the stalking?? I kept waiting for the stalking to begin and nope..nowhere to be found. There’s a legit sci-fi story in here but no stalkers.
November 10, 2024
The majority of the short stories are great. Both horror and noir type of stories.
For the rest of my review, visit my Vlog at:
Enjoy!
For the rest of my review, visit my Vlog at:
Enjoy!
February 19, 2025
ACOSADOS
Una colección de relatos bastante particular y digna de leerse.
La recopilación de estás historias tienen un motivo en común: tienen una temática similar, pero son distintas totalmente entre ellas.
ACOSADOS :Cazadores y VÃctimas
Nos trae una serie de relatos cortos, algunos escritos por autores muy conocidos como Dean Koontz John Coyne Robert McCammon y Richard Laymon, asi como escritores menos conocidos en habla hispana, como Al Sarrantonio, John Maclay, Charles de Lint, J. N. Williamson, Ed Gorman o Rick Hautala.
Con temas que van desde experimentos cientÃficos, monstruos Lovecraftianos, psicópatas, Nahuales, o entidades demonÃacas, está colección de disfruta por ser variopinta, no repetitiva y con estilos de narración diversos, más allá de los tópicos que cada autor toca con su historia.
Narraciones que en mi opinión van in crescendo a media que te internas en su lectura, personalmente esperaba mucho más de los autores "consagrados" como Koontz o McCammon, los cuales me dio la impresión que escribieron "por encargo" y sin imprimir en sus relatos ese "feeling" que se necesita para destacar entre los demás.
Caso contrario, John Coyne y Richard Laymon están a la altura de lo esperado, con narrativa que te adentra y conectas con ella de inmediato, haciéndote pasar un mal rato, una de ellas con giro de tuerca incluido.
He de destacar también el cuento corto de Al Sarrantonio titulado "Los hijos de CaÃn", que para mà fue el mejor de toda la recopilación, que trata de la amistad entre dos chicos que se retuerce dramáticamente, y que se interna en la psiqué de los perturbados mentalmente, con un final devastador y digno de 5 estrellas.
Otros relatos dignos de mención son: "Fuego Sagrado" que al estilo de anecdotario narra como una mujer adinerada encuentra en las calles de los barrios bajos a un amigo de antaño, que vive como marginado, el cual le cuenta una historia tan increÃble como espeluznante, la cual tocará a la bella mujer creerla o no, será solo la fantasÃa de su amigo vagabundo o no?.
"Hechos Darwinianos", nos narra las memorias de un asesino, que mata a otro asesino, siendo este último quien se encarga de asesinar a una persona importante, en la ciudad de Dallas, Tx, con su rifle de mira telescópica, te suena?.
"Jezebel" cuento corto con tintes sobrenaturales o demonológico que nos presenta a una mujer con una vida oculta que es expuesta por una entidad que al parecer lo sabe todo de ella, incluso sus más oscuros secretos.
"Madre Tucker" historia de una asesina en serie con un gusto muy particular de seleccionar a sus vÃctimas, por una razón muy poderosa.
Y por último "RIBEREÑOS" nos presenta a una mujer de negocios que viaja de vacaciones a Perú, y que conoce a un nativo, el cual le habla de los ribereños, quienes pueden transformarse a voluntad en seres humanos y animales, que tienen la necesidad de aparearse con mujeres para perpetuar su especie, lo cual sea vivido en carne propia por la protagonista.
En suma, un libro con 16 relatos interesantes, y otros no tanto que harán muy amena tu lectura.
TÃtulo ACOSADOS
Autor: Varios
Recopilador: Ed Gorman y otro
Páginas 299
Pasta blanda con solapa
Editorial Robin Book
TÃtulo Original: Stalkers
Primera Ed 1989
#librosdeterror
#deankoontz
#robertrmccammon
#johncoyne
#richardlaymon
#relatosdeterror
#editorialrobinbook
Una colección de relatos bastante particular y digna de leerse.
La recopilación de estás historias tienen un motivo en común: tienen una temática similar, pero son distintas totalmente entre ellas.
ACOSADOS :Cazadores y VÃctimas
Nos trae una serie de relatos cortos, algunos escritos por autores muy conocidos como Dean Koontz John Coyne Robert McCammon y Richard Laymon, asi como escritores menos conocidos en habla hispana, como Al Sarrantonio, John Maclay, Charles de Lint, J. N. Williamson, Ed Gorman o Rick Hautala.
Con temas que van desde experimentos cientÃficos, monstruos Lovecraftianos, psicópatas, Nahuales, o entidades demonÃacas, está colección de disfruta por ser variopinta, no repetitiva y con estilos de narración diversos, más allá de los tópicos que cada autor toca con su historia.
Narraciones que en mi opinión van in crescendo a media que te internas en su lectura, personalmente esperaba mucho más de los autores "consagrados" como Koontz o McCammon, los cuales me dio la impresión que escribieron "por encargo" y sin imprimir en sus relatos ese "feeling" que se necesita para destacar entre los demás.
Caso contrario, John Coyne y Richard Laymon están a la altura de lo esperado, con narrativa que te adentra y conectas con ella de inmediato, haciéndote pasar un mal rato, una de ellas con giro de tuerca incluido.
He de destacar también el cuento corto de Al Sarrantonio titulado "Los hijos de CaÃn", que para mà fue el mejor de toda la recopilación, que trata de la amistad entre dos chicos que se retuerce dramáticamente, y que se interna en la psiqué de los perturbados mentalmente, con un final devastador y digno de 5 estrellas.
Otros relatos dignos de mención son: "Fuego Sagrado" que al estilo de anecdotario narra como una mujer adinerada encuentra en las calles de los barrios bajos a un amigo de antaño, que vive como marginado, el cual le cuenta una historia tan increÃble como espeluznante, la cual tocará a la bella mujer creerla o no, será solo la fantasÃa de su amigo vagabundo o no?.
"Hechos Darwinianos", nos narra las memorias de un asesino, que mata a otro asesino, siendo este último quien se encarga de asesinar a una persona importante, en la ciudad de Dallas, Tx, con su rifle de mira telescópica, te suena?.
"Jezebel" cuento corto con tintes sobrenaturales o demonológico que nos presenta a una mujer con una vida oculta que es expuesta por una entidad que al parecer lo sabe todo de ella, incluso sus más oscuros secretos.
"Madre Tucker" historia de una asesina en serie con un gusto muy particular de seleccionar a sus vÃctimas, por una razón muy poderosa.
Y por último "RIBEREÑOS" nos presenta a una mujer de negocios que viaja de vacaciones a Perú, y que conoce a un nativo, el cual le habla de los ribereños, quienes pueden transformarse a voluntad en seres humanos y animales, que tienen la necesidad de aparearse con mujeres para perpetuar su especie, lo cual sea vivido en carne propia por la protagonista.
En suma, un libro con 16 relatos interesantes, y otros no tanto que harán muy amena tu lectura.
TÃtulo ACOSADOS
Autor: Varios
Recopilador: Ed Gorman y otro
Páginas 299
Pasta blanda con solapa
Editorial Robin Book
TÃtulo Original: Stalkers
Primera Ed 1989
#librosdeterror
#deankoontz
#robertrmccammon
#johncoyne
#richardlaymon
#relatosdeterror
#editorialrobinbook
July 27, 2008
A very fine anthology including a story, "Trapped," by Dean Koontz, which is truly excellent.
August 19, 2008
Contains a short story by F. Paul Wilson that introduced me to Repairman Jack, now I've read the entire series. Many great stories.
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