The BFS have lovingly collected four of Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes short stories together for this chapbook. None of the stories are very rare, in fact all of the stories Mr. Chetwynd-Hayes has written have been anthologised many times, however, these are the favourites of David Howe. Christmas Eve, The Fly-by-Night, Head of the Firm and The Day of the Underdog show the invention and humour possible in monster fiction. Each captures an urban scene and twists it remorselessly until it is unrecognisable. While Ramsey Campbell does this and terrorises, Chetwynd-Hayes manages to make it comic. A little like the Universal monster films which sometimes tugged more at the absurd than the terror in a situation.

This collection is a good reminder that horror is not just a bucket of intestines, or piercing psychological drama, but can be tongue in cheek as well as develop as much out of a story idea as humanly possible. Excellent stuff.

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