Tales of Terror
Rod Sterling W. W. Jacobs
Paperback
(Houghton Mifflin, Jan. 1, 1989)
These two fantastic stories of the "3rd realm" are just the stories to tell at a campfire on a lonely, dismal, lugubrious night. But wait, they have more of a layered meaning than just that: these works convey true aspects of human nature that will leave you pondering on the notion of the 3rd realm. Most notable of the two is the Rod Serling penned "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street." Monsters Due is a drama about a typical American neighborhood don't is confronted by a night of abrupt, estranged events. These events are being advertently manipulated by aliens that are watching the human race frenzy around on Maple Street searching for a solution to the problem (i.e., car starts mysteriously, lights go out, lawnmowers are working devoid of human assistance, among other inexplicable events). The humans all use one another as scapegoats, consequently, the aliens have easily accomplished their task: proving that mankind is quick to find the most accessible solution to a problem without regards to exploring all avenues. Basically, read for meaning, read for entertaining, this book does exactly what it proposes: terrify.