The Most Dangerous Game - Richard Connel
A man, survivor of a shipwreck, finds himself to be in good luck indeed when he manages to reach a nearby island. This momentary happpiness quickly dissolves when he is being hunted by a master-hunter and his terrifying henchman. A thrilling chase ensues, and makes for a more than worthy contribution to the still staggering anthology 'Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural'.
I recently picked up a worn - don't really care though - copy of the rather awesome 'The Elephant Man and other Freaks', so I've read a couple of stories contained therein as well.
The Elephant Man, a true account of John Merrick's trials and tribulations in his life, is a wonderful start to the anthology. Not so much horrifying as touching, the tale clearly distinguishes itself in tone from the others.
The Bird Woman, a negligable tale lenghtwise, doesn't need any real explanation. Woman looks like a bird, scares some other woman, end of story.
The Reptile Man is an oddity. strangely enough, the title does not refer to any exterior attributes, but to a ploy a man uses to wreak revenge on the man that tried to murder him. The latter has a devastating fear for reptiles, it soon turns out. It's a simple revenge story, but oh what a gem it is! Simply wonderful.
Still good, but not as masterful as his predecessor, is Bal Macabre, detailing a night of some good old fashioned mass-poisoning. So far, this collection hasn't disappointed me yet, so I'm hopeful for what's to come.