Tony Richards may not be one of those "big names" who immediately comes to mind when thinking of famous dark fiction writers and, admittedly, his literary output in the genre during the last twenty years or so has not been quantitatively impressive. Yet, Richards, for instance, has contributed in the 80s to the famous Fontana series of Great Ghost Stories and Great Horror Stories which tells a lot about the quality of his production.

The present volume from Sarob Press collects a number of reprints and two previously unpublished novellas. Personally I've found the short stories from the past more accomplished and entertaining than Richards' more recent production.

'The brother', on the surface a gentle story, is actually a nasty, well crafted tale featuring a lonely child and his invisible brother.

In 'Headlamps', a scary, unforgettable story masterly told, revenge leads an old truck driver to haunt cars on a perilous mountain road, while in 'Lightning Dogs' the London tube is the venue of the cruel activities of a pack of ghostly dogs.

'Shadows' describes how aliens invade a small town, unbeknownst to everybody, except a couple of local boys. The excellent 'Yesterday, Upon the Stair' features a fading man who can only watch while events take place and life (and death) go on... 'Our lady of the shadows' is a dark tale set in a Paris quite different from the tourist stereotype.

Of the two novellas, 'Under the Ice' is by far the best one. It's a riveting piece of fiction about brotherly love, the dangers of inconsiderate wishing, revenge and the impossibility to change life's rules. The unusual setting is a freezing but fascinating Helsinki. In the firs part the narrative is steady and smooth, to become kind of ruffled and jerky when the plot is all revealed and one only wonders how the inevitable ending will be reached (although the story's tail is not quite what one was expecting...)

By contrast 'Beyond the western walls' is a socio-political thriller – not so thrilling - set in an undetermined future. A courageous attempt to change genre that makes us look back on with regret to Richards' former work.