I have to start by saying that I have wanted this book forever. I am a big fan of Joseph Vargos, who amoung us has not seen his art at places like Hot Topic? A friend and I even exchanged postcards done by Vargo as our primary means of communication. His art is beautiful and most of his well known works are contained in this anthology in plate form. The quality of the paper lends itself well to the art prints and those are stunning. Had the volume been slim and only contained his art, I would have given it 5 stars.

However, since the work is also an anthology I feel I have to be fair and review it as a book, too, and I have to be honest, I have read better. There is a wide range of stories in this volume. Let me start by listing all the works with their authors so if you are looking for a specific author, you'll know if they are here. There is **The Dark Tower by James Pipik and Joseph Vargo **Born of the Night by Eric Muss-Barnes **Vampire's Kiss by Christine Filipak and Joseph Vargo **Masque of Sorrow by Christina Filipak **Shadows by Joseph Iorillo and James Pipik **Sentinels by James Pipik and Joseph Vargo **Sorrow's End by Jalone J. Haessig **Noctem Aeternus by Robert Michaels **Nightwatcher by James Pipik **Vesper Tolls by Joseph Iorillo **Sanctuary by Russell Norotny **Lilith by Joseph Vargo and **Watcher at the Gate by Joseph Vargo.

The stories are connected together by a single thread, which is the history and occupants of the Dark Tower. Some are undead, some are alive (though usually not for long) and all have tales of sorrow and morality to tell. Most of the stories are good, though I felt that many could have stood on their own without being connected to the Dark Tower. I even thought that once or twice the authors wrote the stories as stand-alones and then added elements to make it connect to the anthology. I think most interesting were the stories by Joseph Vargo. It's interesting to see what went through his mind, the stories behind his paintings as hold by him. Ultimately, I think my only complaint is I wanted the quality of the writing and stories to match Vargo's art, and that is nearly impossible. His art is so beautiful that it is very difficult to reach that level with another art form -writing.

I would recommend this book just for the Vargo plates alone, especially since Amazon now has the paperback for $16.99. The art is worth it.

So buy it, curl up on a dark and stormy night, and enjoy.

Tales From the Dark Tower is not a book.

Tales From the Dark Tower is a work of art.

Wow... I never thought I'd start a book review like that. But then again, I never quite expected to read something like Tales From the Dark Tower, either. Because it was truly a sweet experience; one of the best ones I've had so far in my career as a book reviewer.

Well, then, what's so great about it? Let me put it this way: it's hard something that is NOT great about it. Everything, from the beautiful artwork on the cover and throughout the book (all done by genius Joseph Vargo) to the quality of the paper to the stories themselves; it's all top quality and I cannot think of a single thing that I don't like about the whole thing. Not one.

And that makes writing a review quite difficult. Why? Because there's simply not very much to say about the piece except that it's a definite must-buy. I don't usually say that; in fact I rarely say that at all, but this time I have no choice but to face the pleasant facts: I loved it. From the first page to the very last. Several different authors contribute with stories, and they're all masters of their craft.

Sure, some people might think the stories are goth-cliché. After all, they are all very much alike, both in setting (in or around the Dark Tower) or in the way the different authors present their ideas (haunted cemeteries, pale and beautiful gothic beauties, forbidden love that forever haunts the unfortunate ones, dark and sinister clouds that blocks out the sun, scary gargoyles staring down at the mortals, and so on). But then again, Tales From the Dark Tower IS a gothic collection, the authors are goths, the readers are goths, it's all a big gothic get-together and thus the stories should and could not be written any other way.

As I write this I have the book next to me on the desk. It looks beautiful. And I'm jealous on all the people out there who have still to discover it. I usually don't read a book twice, but this time I think I have to reconsider.

And I hope a sequel one day will see the light of day. Or rather, the darkness of the night.

Tales From the Dark Tower is not a book.

Tales From the Dark Tower is a work of art.

Wow... I never thought I'd start a book review like that. But then again, I never quite expected to read something like Tales From the Dark Tower, either. Because it was truly a sweet experience; one of the best ones I've had so far in my career as a book reviewer.

Well, then, what's so great about it? Let me put it this way: it's hard something that is NOT great about it. Everything, from the beautiful artwork on the cover and throughout the book (all done by genius Joseph Vargo) to the quality of the paper to the stories themselves; it's all top quality and I cannot think of a single thing that I don't like about the whole thing. Not one.

And that makes writing a review quite difficult. Why? Because there's simply not very much to say about the piece except that it's a definite must-buy. I don't usually say that; in fact I rarely say that at all, but this time I have no choice but to face the pleasant facts: I loved it. From the first page to the very last. Several different authors contribute with stories, and they're all masters of their craft.

Sure, some people might think the stories are goth-cliché. After all, they are all very much alike, both in setting (in or around the Dark Tower) or in the way the different authors present their ideas (haunted cemeteries, pale and beautiful gothic beauties, forbidden love that forever haunts the unfortunate ones, dark and sinister clouds that blocks out the sun, scary gargoyles staring down at the mortals, and so on). But then again, Tales From the Dark Tower IS a gothic collection, the authors are goths, the readers are goths, it's all a big gothic get-together and thus the stories should and could not be written any other way.

As I write this I have the book next to me on the desk. It looks beautiful. And I'm jealous on all the people out there who have still to discover it. I usually don't read a book twice, but this time I think I have to reconsider.

And I hope a sequel one day will see the light of day. Or rather, the darkness of the night

I am not actually Mike, I'm his 14 year old daughter, just so ya know.... I found the book at Hot Topic and i just HAD to buy it. (It was only 15 dollars at the time, so go to hottopic.com to buy it, it is still like 4 dollars cheaper!) This book is absolutely AMAZING! If you are into gothic "fantasy" this is definitely the book for you! It is full of lavish illustrations bu Joseph Vargo of Monolith Graphics...I couldnt put the book down once i opened it! The various authors -including Joseph Vargo- do a wonderful job of painting a mental picture for you with their words. I would recomend this story to anyone looking for an extremely well put together book, but the squeamish should probably stay away, because of excess blood spillage. ... I would read it a thousand times, maybe more..if only i had the time.. Anyway, its a great read!

You may also be interested in The Gothic Tarot. Joseph Vargo came up with and illustrated it all by himself! His talents are unbelieveable! ...You can get the Gothic Tarot from Hot Topic or hottopic.com, when i purchased the deck it was only $16!!

It's got great tales, awsome art work, and sexy scenes. You can't get any better than this.