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The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012
Take a journey into darkness. Visit places where one might expect to find the dark — in a house where love was shared and lost, a milky-white pool in an Australian cave, the trenches of World War I, the deep woods. You would not be surprised to find the dark in a cheap apartment on the wrong side of town, down mean streets, under a gallows-tree, along dank passageways, trapped underground, in the near future, or among the mysteries of old New Orleans. Dunes, lakes, isolated cabins, old books, and Old West saloons — well, the darkness might easily be there. But we've also found locales you thought were safe from shadows — a rib joint with good blues playing, inside an old wardrobe, on a baseball diamond, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel...
Travel into the best dark fantasy and horror from 2011 with more than five-hundred pages of tales from some of today's best-known writers of the fantastique as well as new talents — stories that will take you to a diverse assortment of dark places
Contents
Hair • (2011) • shortstory by Joan Aiken
Rakshasi • (2011) • shortfiction by Kelley Armstrong
Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin • (2011) • shortstory by Adam Callaway
The Lake • (2011) • shortfiction by Tananarive Due
Tell Me I'll See You Again • (2011) • shortstory by Dennis Etchison
King Death • (2011) • shortfiction by Paul Finch
The Last Triangle • (2011) • shortfiction by Jeffrey Ford
Near Zennor • (2011) • novella by Elizabeth Hand
Crossroads • (2011) • shortstory by Laura Anne Gilman
After-Words • (2011) • novelette by Glen Hirshberg
Rocket Man • (2011) • shortfiction by Stephen Graham Jones
The Maltese Unicorn • (2011) • shortfiction by Caitlín R. Kiernan
The Dune • (2011) • shortfiction by Stephen King
Catastrophic Disruption of the Head • (2011) • shortfiction by Margo Lanagan
The Bleeding Shadow • (2011) • shortfiction by Joe R. Lansdale
Why Light? • (2011) • novelette by Tanith Lee
Conservation of Shadows • (2011) • shortstory by Yoon Ha Lee
A Tangle of Green Men • [Chronicles of the Borderlands] • (2011) • novella by Charles de Lint
After the Apocalypse • (2012) • shortfiction by Maureen F. McHugh [as by Maureen McHugh ]
Why Do You Linger? • (2011) • shortfiction by Sarah Monette
Lord Dunsany's Teapot • (2011) • shortstory by Naomi Novik
Mysteries of the Old Quarter • (2011) • novelette by Paul Park
Vampire Lake • (2011) • shortfiction by Norman Partridge
A Journey of Only Two Paces • (2011) • shortstory by Tim Powers
Four Legs in the Morning • (2011) • shortfiction by Norman Prentiss
The Fox Maiden • (2011) • shortfiction by Priya Sharma
Time and Tide • (2011) • shortstory by Alan Ryan [as by Alan Peter Ryan ]
Sun Falls • (2011) • shortstory by Angela Slatter
Still • (2011) • shortfiction by Tia V. Travis
Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear • (2011) • shortstory by Lisa Tuttle
The Bread We Eat in Dreams • (2011) • shortstory by Catherynne M. Valente
All You Can Do Is Breathe • (2011) • shortstory by Kaaron Warren
Josh • (2011) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe
Travel into the best dark fantasy and horror from 2011 with more than five-hundred pages of tales from some of today's best-known writers of the fantastique as well as new talents — stories that will take you to a diverse assortment of dark places
Contents
Hair • (2011) • shortstory by Joan Aiken
Rakshasi • (2011) • shortfiction by Kelley Armstrong
Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin • (2011) • shortstory by Adam Callaway
The Lake • (2011) • shortfiction by Tananarive Due
Tell Me I'll See You Again • (2011) • shortstory by Dennis Etchison
King Death • (2011) • shortfiction by Paul Finch
The Last Triangle • (2011) • shortfiction by Jeffrey Ford
Near Zennor • (2011) • novella by Elizabeth Hand
Crossroads • (2011) • shortstory by Laura Anne Gilman
After-Words • (2011) • novelette by Glen Hirshberg
Rocket Man • (2011) • shortfiction by Stephen Graham Jones
The Maltese Unicorn • (2011) • shortfiction by Caitlín R. Kiernan
The Dune • (2011) • shortfiction by Stephen King
Catastrophic Disruption of the Head • (2011) • shortfiction by Margo Lanagan
The Bleeding Shadow • (2011) • shortfiction by Joe R. Lansdale
Why Light? • (2011) • novelette by Tanith Lee
Conservation of Shadows • (2011) • shortstory by Yoon Ha Lee
A Tangle of Green Men • [Chronicles of the Borderlands] • (2011) • novella by Charles de Lint
After the Apocalypse • (2012) • shortfiction by Maureen F. McHugh [as by Maureen McHugh ]
Why Do You Linger? • (2011) • shortfiction by Sarah Monette
Lord Dunsany's Teapot • (2011) • shortstory by Naomi Novik
Mysteries of the Old Quarter • (2011) • novelette by Paul Park
Vampire Lake • (2011) • shortfiction by Norman Partridge
A Journey of Only Two Paces • (2011) • shortstory by Tim Powers
Four Legs in the Morning • (2011) • shortfiction by Norman Prentiss
The Fox Maiden • (2011) • shortfiction by Priya Sharma
Time and Tide • (2011) • shortstory by Alan Ryan [as by Alan Peter Ryan ]
Sun Falls • (2011) • shortstory by Angela Slatter
Still • (2011) • shortfiction by Tia V. Travis
Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear • (2011) • shortstory by Lisa Tuttle
The Bread We Eat in Dreams • (2011) • shortstory by Catherynne M. Valente
All You Can Do Is Breathe • (2011) • shortstory by Kaaron Warren
Josh • (2011) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe
544 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
34 people are currently reading
717 people want to read
About the author
Paula Guran
97 books211 followersPaula Guran is senior editor for Prime Books. She edited the Juno fantasy imprint from its small press inception through its incarnation as an imprint of Pocket Books. She is also senior editor of Prime's soon-to-launch digital imprint Masque Books. Guran edits the annual Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series as well as a growing number of other anthologies. In an earlier life she produced weekly email newsletter DarkEcho (winning two Stokers, an IHG award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination), edited Horror Garage (earning another IHG and a second World Fantasy nomination), and has contributed reviews, interviews, and articles to numerous professional publications.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 9, 2022
A mixed bag of stories, as these anthologies tend to be. I liked these ones best:
Time and Tide, by Alan Peter Ryan
A Journey of Only Two Paces, by Tim Powers
Vampire Lake, by Norman Partridge
After-Words, by Gen Hirshberg
The Dune, by Stephen King
Time and Tide, by Alan Peter Ryan
A Journey of Only Two Paces, by Tim Powers
Vampire Lake, by Norman Partridge
After-Words, by Gen Hirshberg
The Dune, by Stephen King
August 14, 2016
I don't mind admitting that I really dig anthologies, and I've been a genre fan for a long, long time. From the days of the DAW "Year's Best" collections—I really, really miss Karl Edward Wagner—I would look forward to the day the paperback would hit the stores and see what gruesome picture was on the cover that year. Some of them were truly disturbing, as much as some of the stories inside.
Times change, tastes change. And, hard as it is to believe, it's been almost twenty years since the DAW titles ceased with Wagner's tragic, way-too-soon demise. I have them all, I think, going back to 71, but there's been a variety of incarnations under a number of different titles, enough that it's hard to keep up with them all. Stephen Jones' "Mammoth Book" series is excellent of course, but there's always room for more, isn't there?
Well, of course there is. And I have been enjoying the "Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror" collections since my beloved gifted me the 2011 edition for Christmas a year ago. It was a bit rough around the edges, but good enough that I asked for the 2012 volume this year, along with the premier 2010 edition that I'd missed. They're unusual tomes in that they're not strictly horror anthologies, which is okay in that they do not claim to be thus. Now, I've read the complaints: "these stories weren't scary"…listen, take my advice and ignore that sort of thing. Horror is all about perspective, and besides, Dark Fantasy comes first in the title, and that's what you get, Dark Fantasy. That means "creepy" to me, and sometimes "creepy" isn't purely scary, it's more that prickle at the back of your spine, the faint apprehension that sticks with you long after you've put the book back on the shelf. I don't know if it's that I'm mellowing with the years—I certainly don't think so—but I appreciate the creep-out more than the gross-out anymore.
So. Dark Fantasy and Horror is what it is, with Paula Guran again making the selections. It's bookended wonderfully by Lisa Tuttle's creepfest of an eerie tale of a couple searching for a lost house and who end up wishing they hadn't found it, and Charles de Lint's stupendous novella which ultimately is all about choices. Love it, love it, love them both. In fact, I halfway wished de Lint's piece would've kept going…if it's not the basis of a larger story…it certainly could be. In this form, it's still cracking good. A great start and a great finish to a terrific volume.
But in between there's loads to enjoy. We get the annual superb entry from perennial fave Joe R. Lansdale, "The Bleeding Shadow", a story of a bluesman who got what he wanted in the worst possible way. You'll never put a record on the turntable the same way (yes, I DO still own a turntable!) Tim Powers gives us "A Journey of Only Two Paces", which is short but packs a mighty punch, and that's followed by an evocative, claustrophobic tale by Elizabeth Hand, "Near Zennor". Excellent, excellent. Laura Anne Gilman gets a lot done in just five pages with "Crossroads", and—surprise!—an all-new story from no less than Big Steve, "The Dune", something to remind one that he is still a Master. Nice.
One of my favorites was Priya Sharma's lovely "The Fox Maiden". Now, I know, I hear you, lovely isn't exactly a word you expect in a review of dark fantasy and horror, but there you go, it's one of the things that makes these books so special. Best in show, however, goes this year to Norman Partridge's terrific "Vampire Lake". As you might expect in this Twilight age there are a few vampire stories in this collection, but believe me, this is NOT one of those kind of stories…it's a western. Kinda sorta. And as brutal as Sharma's was gentle. Yikes! Pay up and hit the trail.
I could go on, there's so much good stuff here, but really, even if you expect there to be a few clunkers here and there—some of them even miss for me—the comparatively lesser works are still quite good; the way I see it, much like the Wagner and Jones collections, if you make it into this volume, you've well and truly Accomplished Something. Heck, the book even looks good on your shelf, the graphic design being striking and of a kind with its predecessors. It's a great package. Which is a good thing, as this is one you'll keep and read again and again. I should also point out that the copy editing problems of the 2011 edition seem to have been resolved too, which is a relief.
That's three in a row for Paula Guran. Can she make it four in 2013? I'm looking forward to finding out, and it's already on my Christmas list.
Times change, tastes change. And, hard as it is to believe, it's been almost twenty years since the DAW titles ceased with Wagner's tragic, way-too-soon demise. I have them all, I think, going back to 71, but there's been a variety of incarnations under a number of different titles, enough that it's hard to keep up with them all. Stephen Jones' "Mammoth Book" series is excellent of course, but there's always room for more, isn't there?
Well, of course there is. And I have been enjoying the "Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror" collections since my beloved gifted me the 2011 edition for Christmas a year ago. It was a bit rough around the edges, but good enough that I asked for the 2012 volume this year, along with the premier 2010 edition that I'd missed. They're unusual tomes in that they're not strictly horror anthologies, which is okay in that they do not claim to be thus. Now, I've read the complaints: "these stories weren't scary"…listen, take my advice and ignore that sort of thing. Horror is all about perspective, and besides, Dark Fantasy comes first in the title, and that's what you get, Dark Fantasy. That means "creepy" to me, and sometimes "creepy" isn't purely scary, it's more that prickle at the back of your spine, the faint apprehension that sticks with you long after you've put the book back on the shelf. I don't know if it's that I'm mellowing with the years—I certainly don't think so—but I appreciate the creep-out more than the gross-out anymore.
So. Dark Fantasy and Horror is what it is, with Paula Guran again making the selections. It's bookended wonderfully by Lisa Tuttle's creepfest of an eerie tale of a couple searching for a lost house and who end up wishing they hadn't found it, and Charles de Lint's stupendous novella which ultimately is all about choices. Love it, love it, love them both. In fact, I halfway wished de Lint's piece would've kept going…if it's not the basis of a larger story…it certainly could be. In this form, it's still cracking good. A great start and a great finish to a terrific volume.
But in between there's loads to enjoy. We get the annual superb entry from perennial fave Joe R. Lansdale, "The Bleeding Shadow", a story of a bluesman who got what he wanted in the worst possible way. You'll never put a record on the turntable the same way (yes, I DO still own a turntable!) Tim Powers gives us "A Journey of Only Two Paces", which is short but packs a mighty punch, and that's followed by an evocative, claustrophobic tale by Elizabeth Hand, "Near Zennor". Excellent, excellent. Laura Anne Gilman gets a lot done in just five pages with "Crossroads", and—surprise!—an all-new story from no less than Big Steve, "The Dune", something to remind one that he is still a Master. Nice.
One of my favorites was Priya Sharma's lovely "The Fox Maiden". Now, I know, I hear you, lovely isn't exactly a word you expect in a review of dark fantasy and horror, but there you go, it's one of the things that makes these books so special. Best in show, however, goes this year to Norman Partridge's terrific "Vampire Lake". As you might expect in this Twilight age there are a few vampire stories in this collection, but believe me, this is NOT one of those kind of stories…it's a western. Kinda sorta. And as brutal as Sharma's was gentle. Yikes! Pay up and hit the trail.
I could go on, there's so much good stuff here, but really, even if you expect there to be a few clunkers here and there—some of them even miss for me—the comparatively lesser works are still quite good; the way I see it, much like the Wagner and Jones collections, if you make it into this volume, you've well and truly Accomplished Something. Heck, the book even looks good on your shelf, the graphic design being striking and of a kind with its predecessors. It's a great package. Which is a good thing, as this is one you'll keep and read again and again. I should also point out that the copy editing problems of the 2011 edition seem to have been resolved too, which is a relief.
That's three in a row for Paula Guran. Can she make it four in 2013? I'm looking forward to finding out, and it's already on my Christmas list.
January 16, 2015
Written by: S.T. King
“Sometimes now, waking in the thin early light to the sound of his wife singing, he wonders if it was the silence that killed her.”
Excerpt from Why Do You Linger? by Sarah Monette (sub-rated 4/5).
To say a work is better is a conundrum in and of itself. To say its best — well, that’s a different ballpark. Today, hot off the printer, and leaking red ink all over your desk, I bring you an attempt to ensnare the best of a year of horror.
The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012, edited by Paula Guran, is one of a few attempts to cast a wide and wretched net: to sail it out through a black lagoon and see what monstrosities get tangled in the ropes, and then drag them all back, kicking and screaming on your nightstand.
I’ve divided this article in a few sections, for you, as I feel good anthology is often hard to find these days. A good review of one can be harder, riddled and defiled by arbitrary tastes – so I’ve decided where I could, to let the words speak for themselves.
So, yeah, if you want to know what it’s like living with zombies, this is it, pretty much: they mess everything up.
Excerpt from Rocket Man by Stephen Graham Jones (sub-rated 4/5).
Rocket Man by Stephen Graham Jones, and Why Do You Linger? by Sarah Monette are examples of the exemplars in this collection. I’ve rated these among the highest, (and they share the spotlight with another handful) because together, they form the strongest foundation of the book.
These works were the most enjoyable because they often spun horror on its head: you saw the grisly happenings, yet you laughed or were overcome with sorrow or appreciation. There is depth to these tales, and they understand how to kill – and also, that there are things worse than death.
Here are some of the other works ranked the highest in the book:
After the Apocalypse, written by Maureen McHugh (sub-rated 4/5)
Time and Tide, written by Alan Peter Ryan (sub-rated 4/5)
The Lake, written by Tananarive Due (sub-rated 4/5)
The Ghost Woman glances at the plum-colored sky, cracks her arthritic knuckles. Crocus-purple veins twist across the backs of them, road maps to places she’s never been.
Excerpt from Still by Tia V. Travis (sub-rated 3/5).
Still, written by Tia V. Travis, is an example of the stragglers of this happy bunch. These tales were missing something: whether it be coherency or depth, but even so, they offer an adequate experience. These stories told you what happened, and they might have been witty or blunt. But in any case, you’ve walked this street already. You’ve seen the pale and thirsty vampires and the redemption of career killers. These tales are one dimensional, and make up the bulk of the books contents.
The others on the fence:
King Death, written by Paul Finch (sub-rated 3/5)
The Last Triangle, written by Jeffrey Ford (sub-rated 3/5)
Hair, written by Joan Aiken (sub-rated 3/5)
I can’t tell you how to pass through the first gate. More accurately, I could, but I won’t. We live by different laws in the underworld, we who live at all. Now you must respect those laws as well.
Excerpt from Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee (sub-rated 2.5/5).
Only four of the whopping thirty three tales in this volume were works I’d say could have benefited from re-conceptualization. Conservation of Shadows, written by Yoon Ha Lee, is an example, in spite of its allure and unique mode of story-telling. The tales I’ve rated here, the crumbs in the cookie jar, are tasty morsels that could have been much more. But for some reason or another (awkward flow or missing elements) they just aren’t as delightful as the whole damn cookie.
The others, cluttered in dry yet flavorsome clumps:
Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin, written by Adam Callaway (sub-rated 2.5/5)
Tell Me I’ll See You Again, written by Dennis Etchison (sub-rated 2.5/5)
Josh, written by Gene Wolfe (sub-rated 2.5/5)
Paula Guran makes an ambitious statement choosing the tales that she’s chosen to occupy what otherwise would be empty and lonely pages. As an anthology, naturally, it’s comprised of a variety of dreadful things, and I mean that in a good way; at least a few of these tales will stay with you.
Most of these tales, I can say, will offer attractive characters and entrenching plots: flavorful twists that will make you chuckle on the last page. And only a few (thankfully) will leave you scratching your hair or taking a shot of brandy. This certainly isn’t the best volume, but it’s an admirable step in the right direction.
Final Rating: 3.5/5
Check out my profile on Horror Novel Reviews for more, well, reviews
http://horrornovelreviews.com/hnr-con...
“Sometimes now, waking in the thin early light to the sound of his wife singing, he wonders if it was the silence that killed her.”
Excerpt from Why Do You Linger? by Sarah Monette (sub-rated 4/5).
To say a work is better is a conundrum in and of itself. To say its best — well, that’s a different ballpark. Today, hot off the printer, and leaking red ink all over your desk, I bring you an attempt to ensnare the best of a year of horror.
The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012, edited by Paula Guran, is one of a few attempts to cast a wide and wretched net: to sail it out through a black lagoon and see what monstrosities get tangled in the ropes, and then drag them all back, kicking and screaming on your nightstand.
I’ve divided this article in a few sections, for you, as I feel good anthology is often hard to find these days. A good review of one can be harder, riddled and defiled by arbitrary tastes – so I’ve decided where I could, to let the words speak for themselves.
So, yeah, if you want to know what it’s like living with zombies, this is it, pretty much: they mess everything up.
Excerpt from Rocket Man by Stephen Graham Jones (sub-rated 4/5).
Rocket Man by Stephen Graham Jones, and Why Do You Linger? by Sarah Monette are examples of the exemplars in this collection. I’ve rated these among the highest, (and they share the spotlight with another handful) because together, they form the strongest foundation of the book.
These works were the most enjoyable because they often spun horror on its head: you saw the grisly happenings, yet you laughed or were overcome with sorrow or appreciation. There is depth to these tales, and they understand how to kill – and also, that there are things worse than death.
Here are some of the other works ranked the highest in the book:
After the Apocalypse, written by Maureen McHugh (sub-rated 4/5)
Time and Tide, written by Alan Peter Ryan (sub-rated 4/5)
The Lake, written by Tananarive Due (sub-rated 4/5)
The Ghost Woman glances at the plum-colored sky, cracks her arthritic knuckles. Crocus-purple veins twist across the backs of them, road maps to places she’s never been.
Excerpt from Still by Tia V. Travis (sub-rated 3/5).
Still, written by Tia V. Travis, is an example of the stragglers of this happy bunch. These tales were missing something: whether it be coherency or depth, but even so, they offer an adequate experience. These stories told you what happened, and they might have been witty or blunt. But in any case, you’ve walked this street already. You’ve seen the pale and thirsty vampires and the redemption of career killers. These tales are one dimensional, and make up the bulk of the books contents.
The others on the fence:
King Death, written by Paul Finch (sub-rated 3/5)
The Last Triangle, written by Jeffrey Ford (sub-rated 3/5)
Hair, written by Joan Aiken (sub-rated 3/5)
I can’t tell you how to pass through the first gate. More accurately, I could, but I won’t. We live by different laws in the underworld, we who live at all. Now you must respect those laws as well.
Excerpt from Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee (sub-rated 2.5/5).
Only four of the whopping thirty three tales in this volume were works I’d say could have benefited from re-conceptualization. Conservation of Shadows, written by Yoon Ha Lee, is an example, in spite of its allure and unique mode of story-telling. The tales I’ve rated here, the crumbs in the cookie jar, are tasty morsels that could have been much more. But for some reason or another (awkward flow or missing elements) they just aren’t as delightful as the whole damn cookie.
The others, cluttered in dry yet flavorsome clumps:
Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin, written by Adam Callaway (sub-rated 2.5/5)
Tell Me I’ll See You Again, written by Dennis Etchison (sub-rated 2.5/5)
Josh, written by Gene Wolfe (sub-rated 2.5/5)
Paula Guran makes an ambitious statement choosing the tales that she’s chosen to occupy what otherwise would be empty and lonely pages. As an anthology, naturally, it’s comprised of a variety of dreadful things, and I mean that in a good way; at least a few of these tales will stay with you.
Most of these tales, I can say, will offer attractive characters and entrenching plots: flavorful twists that will make you chuckle on the last page. And only a few (thankfully) will leave you scratching your hair or taking a shot of brandy. This certainly isn’t the best volume, but it’s an admirable step in the right direction.
Final Rating: 3.5/5
Check out my profile on Horror Novel Reviews for more, well, reviews
http://horrornovelreviews.com/hnr-con...
April 15, 2013
Veteran editor Paula Guran has put together a comprehensive "year's best" collection that includes some true gems.
All eyes will be drawn to Stephen King's entry, "The Dune," and Big Steve delivers a satisfying, if quaint, E.C comics-style chiller.
But King's story is far from the best in this collection. My vote would be for Stephen Graham Jones' coming of age / zombie baseball tale, "Rocket Man," a tantilizing blend of humor, heartache, and gore. Or maybe Joe Lansdale's Lovecraftian musical interlude, "The Bleeding Shadow" (which -- if I may be so bold, and insert a cheap plug -- shares themes with Hangman's Jam.)
Other noteworthy stories include Priya Sharma's sexually charged fairy tale, "The Fox Maiden," and Tananarive Due's "The Lake," which is delivered by an unreliable -- and increasingly inhuman -- narrator.
Guran has put together a "something for everyone" story buffet, with whimsical fantasy tales butting up against hardcore horror. The effect can be jarring, but such is the nature of "Year's Best" collections. There's no linking theme to these stories, other than good writing and strong storytelling.
Pick up The Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2012, and you're sure to find a story or two that will personally haunt you.
All eyes will be drawn to Stephen King's entry, "The Dune," and Big Steve delivers a satisfying, if quaint, E.C comics-style chiller.
But King's story is far from the best in this collection. My vote would be for Stephen Graham Jones' coming of age / zombie baseball tale, "Rocket Man," a tantilizing blend of humor, heartache, and gore. Or maybe Joe Lansdale's Lovecraftian musical interlude, "The Bleeding Shadow" (which -- if I may be so bold, and insert a cheap plug -- shares themes with Hangman's Jam.)
Other noteworthy stories include Priya Sharma's sexually charged fairy tale, "The Fox Maiden," and Tananarive Due's "The Lake," which is delivered by an unreliable -- and increasingly inhuman -- narrator.
Guran has put together a "something for everyone" story buffet, with whimsical fantasy tales butting up against hardcore horror. The effect can be jarring, but such is the nature of "Year's Best" collections. There's no linking theme to these stories, other than good writing and strong storytelling.
Pick up The Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2012, and you're sure to find a story or two that will personally haunt you.
December 24, 2018
При подобни антологии е и проблем ,и преимущество, че няма някаква обединяваща линия между произведенията. Преимущество е, че авторите (или в случая съставителите) имат пълна свобода на действие, а читателят е изненадан от всяко следващо произведение (приятно от повечето). Неприятно (поне за мен) е когато през широката цедка се промъкне нещо, което не е нито в изброените на корицата жанрове, нито има някаква особена художествена стойност. Другото е, че произведенията вътре са безредни и оставаш някак без чувството, че четеш книга, а просто купчина разкази (а това вече е проблем на съставителя).
2012 явно е била доста богата от към качество година. В доволно дебелото томче ми се харесаха едно 90% от разказите, като половината бяха разкошни. Ама да видим едно по едно:
Objects in Dreams May Be Closer than They Appear от Lisa Tuttle – Като изключим прекалено напоителното начало, което звучи повече като авторова изповед, разказът е прилична мистерия.
Двойка бивши съпрузи почти случайно се оказват в градчето, в което са живели заедно. Там в полудивата провинция намират отдалечена къща, която сякаш е излязла от младите им мечти. Веднъж като влезеш обаче...
After the Apocalypse от Maureen McHugh – ОК, сега вече си говорим. Чиста постапокалиптика, но заразлика от повечето прозведения в жанра, тук не се налага предапокалиптичния морал, точно обратното. Взимат се проблемни решения, които биха били осъдителни в нормалния свят.
Джейн и малката Франи са се насочили към канадската граница с рехавата надежда, че там е различно. По пътя събират храна и се крият от озлобелите хора. Светът е кочина и всички сме свине, както е искал да каже Шекспир.
Sun Falls от Angela Slatter – Вампирско фентъзи, което доста добре руши стари и нови рамки в поджанра. Кратко и на място.
Тери е поред��ото поколение вампирски слуга, но когато с господарят ѝ се насочват към затънал в легенди извор, нещата ще се обърнат по изненадващ начин.
The Bleeding Shadow от Joe Lansdale – Пълна бомбонка с послевкус на Лъвкрафт и много джаз.
Ричард е човек който решава проблеми, затънал до дупка в гетото и живееш с пуласа му. Един ден една стара тръпка се появява на вратата със странен грамофонен запис и иска от него да открие изчезналия ѝ брат музикант.
CatastrophicDistruption of the Head от Margo Lanagan – Един доста интересен полусъвременен преразказ на Огнивото от Андерсен, една от по-нормалните му приказки, между другото. Изпълнението е среднисто.
Tell Ma I’ll See You Again от Dennis Etchison – Странна история. Една от ония в които символиката притиска произведението и разваля вкуса му.
Шер и Дейвид са приятели, но момчето има проблем. Шер е решена да му помогне, само че проблемът не е само физически.
The Maltese Unicorn от Caitlin Kiernana – Както е ясно от заглавието, това е гавра с „Малтийският сокол“, само че тук са намесени доста свръхестествени сили и протагонистът е жена. Много се смях, но макар хуморът да е леко просташки, е доста интелигентен и на място.
Натали редовно изпълнява доставки за една своя мистериозна клиентка. Този път нещата се объркват и тя се замесва в поредица от предателства, демонска магия и един рог от еднорог резбован като... ъъъ, прочетете.
King Death от Paul Finch – Нито детайлните описания, нито полунеочаквания финал спасяват този разказ. Финч може къде-къде повече.
В една опустошена от чумата Англия, самотен рицар обикаля, облечен като четвъртия конник и общо взето мародерства. Ама то е ясно, че така си търси белята.
Why Light? от Tanith Lee – Тка и не можех да ѝ свикна на стила на писане, но не мога да отрека, че този е от силните разкази в антологията.
Една млада вампирка (родена такава) с рядката дарба да понася лъчите на слънцето отива да пристане в далечен замък. Цял живот е мразена заради умението си, дори от собствената си майка. Тук обаче нещата май ще се развият по различен начин.
Josh от Gene Wolfe – Хем съм приятно изненадан от впускането на Улф по пътеката на мрачните жанрове, хем леко разочарован, че не си е барнал разказа. Просто си личи как го е излял, без после да го дооформи с шкурката. За първи път чета произведение с прекалено много хорър допуски.
Джош и семейството му се местят в отдалечена в горите къща. Все още нямат ток, а родителите му трябва да работят на доста далечно разстояние. В и около къщата се случват редица странности, а когато родителите му изчезват, малкия Джош започва да се учи да оцелява по местните правила, където и да е това място.
Time and Tide от Alan Peter Ryan – Призрачна история, свързана със смърт в семейството. Много добре отиграна.
Франк е станал неволен свидетел на удавянето на брат си. Това нанася трайна травма на цялото му семейство за години напред. Когато е достатъчно голям за колеж, ще му се налоби още веднъж да изживее кошмара.
Rakashasi от Kelley Armstrong – Много добро попадение. Глътка свеж въздух в преексплоатираното градско фентъзи.
Двеста години служба при различни господари към Иша (орден налагащ справедливост с доста интересни похвати )са достатъчни за Амрита, но освобождението идва с цена, огромна.
Why Do Yuo Linger? от Sarah Monette – Още една призрачна история, но тук и настроението, и символиката, и тропите са си по местата. Комбинацията е убийствено емоционално наситена.
Един мъж е преследван денонощно от духа на починалата си съпруга. Даже може да се каже, че връзката им е по-пълноценна от преди. Но защо? Защо се задържаш?
Vampire Lake от Norman Partridge – Паранормален уестърн, точно както си трябва – тонове кръв, екстравагантни образи и килограми олово. Партридж е титан на жанра.
Има легенда за подземно езеро над което властва кралицата на вампирите. Някой казват, че едно момче е успяло да се измъкне от там. Някой казват, че са чували да разказва историята си в кръчма в почти изчезнал град.
Lord Dunsany’s Teapod от Naomi Novik – Най-красивото произведение в антологията (сори, Танит). Имах предразсъдъци към литератирата на Новик, но след това бижу...
В кошмарът на окопите на Първата световна война се заражда едно приятелство между офицер и редник, приятелство, което ги държи далеч от лудостта на войната. Приятелство породено покрай един очукан чайник със странна история.
The Dune от Stephen King – След предходните три истории, тази ми дойде безвкусна като хартия. Може би заигравката с американската политика му придава някаква съмнителна стойност, не знам.
Един чудак вече десетилетия пътува до малко островче в реката. Дори сега, когато едва крета. Защо? Един млад адвокат е на път да разбере. Защо? (не е ясно.)
The Fox Maiden от Priya Sharma – Симпатична история за превръщенци. Нищо новаторско, но чудесно нарисувана с думи. Заглавието си казва всичко.
Rocket Man от Stephen Graham Jones – Забавна история за детството след овладяна зомби пандемия.
Хлапетата нямат човек за четвърта база на игрището за бейзбол. Решават да вземат мотащият се наблизо зомбясал Майкъл. Какъв проблемът? Той и приживе не можеше да хване нито една топка.
Jorney of Only Two Paces от Tim Powers – Интересен ърбън ноар с неочаквана развръзка. Харесх.
Колер е изпълнител на завещанието на Джак. Процедурата по изпълнението става все по-странна и по-странна,а котките вече идват малко прекалено.
Near Zennor от Elizabeth Hand – Никога не съм гледал на блатистите местности като на красив пейзаж. Покрай другото, този разказ почти ме обеди, че съм грешал. За гарнитура имаме и легенди и картини от полуостров Корнуол, които ме заинтересуваха много.
След смъртта на съпругата си, Джефри открива кутия с три писма, които е писала като дете. Неспособен да се раздели с нея, те го отвеждат на пътешествие до югозападна Англия, където ще се потопи в местните колорит и мистерии.
Conservation of Shadows от Yoon Ha Lee – Изпълнено в любимото ми за динамичен кратък разказ второ лице единствено число, разказчето е лудница, приличаща на видеоигра, но с доста по-горчив финален бос. Одобрявам на нива идейност и новаторство.
All You Can Do is Breathe от Kaaron Warren – Парченце изгладен кошмар, който ми напомни на разказите от Евгени Димов.
Едва оцелял миньор си спомня смътно един висок човек, който му е вдъхнал надежда. Оказва се, че не е първият който го вижда, както и че спасението е само отлагане и си има голяма цена.
Mysteries of the Old Quarter от Paul Park – Накъсаната форма на иначе подредената история дразни. Ама като цяло е доста приятно викторианско хорърче.
Учен известен с нетрадиционните си практики е поканен да изнесе лекция. Оказва се ,че благодетелят му се интересува повече от опити провеждани с мъртвите в младостта му. Резултатът е по-кошмарен от опитът прекратил тези изследвания.
Still от Tia V. Travis – Има доста симпатични похвати в повествованието, но ми дойде прекалено претенциозен.
Едно завръщане вкъщи след години. На място обгърнато в легенди и призрачни истории. Може би породени от теб?
Crossroads от Laura Anne Gilman – Друг от бисерите в компилацията. Отново уестъртн, но отигран с ърбън фентъзи тропи.
Да си шериф на място където обесените говорят, а преминаващите стрелци чертаят пентаграми, изисква интересен набор умения, освен добрата стрелба.
The Bread We Eat in Dreams от Catherynne M. Valente – Ох, това пейзажене в началото стил Дикенс е тоооолкова дразнещо да се прилага в кратка форма. Иначе имаме една история за демони и вещици, която ще допадне на много от познатите ми (вещици).
В къщата винаги е живял демон, или поне така казват. А всъщност имаме една възрастна билкарка, която може да те научи да шиеш и готвиш, но чакай само да ѝ чуеш историята. История за клади, за сестринство, за манастири, за прокуждане от ада и дори за изгонване от там другото място.
Hair от Joan Aiken – Значи, не мога да преценя какво не е наред тук, може би напълно излишната първа третина, която те повежда в съвсем друга посока.
Един вдовец (абе, защо им измират масово жените в тази книга на всички?) прави първо и последно посещение в къщата на родителите на починалата си съпруга. Къща от която тя е избягала с двеста и има защо.
The Lake от Tananarive Due – Пак трибют към чичо Лъвкрафт, доста добър, но с осран финал.
Аби е учителка по английски, решила да започне на ново живота си. Избира си гореща Флорида, но никой не и е казал, че лятото тук не се плува в езерата (хаха, не е това което си помислихте :P).
Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin от Adam Callaway – Добре че е кратък, защото се наложи да го прочета три пъти и пак нищо не разбрах (ама хванах сюжетни разминавания в почти липсващия сюжет). Сигурно е нещо рода на съставителя.
The Last Triangle от Jeffrey Ford – Много добро попадение, макар и с насилен нещо край.
Един наркоман намира неочакван подслон и подкрепа от стара вдовица. За благодарност, той и помага с една интересна мистерия, свързана с странни символи по стените в западналия им квартал. Резултатите са по-лични и по-изненадващи от очакваното.
After-Words от Glen Hirshberg – Типичен Хиршберг – слабо написано, нямащо общо с жанровете и все пак набутано в антологията (във всяка антология, мамка му).
Един лекар-любител от еврейски произход е извикана от рода, да разреши проблем свързан с ъъъ... книги. Абе, няма да разказвам, не става.
Four Legs in the Morning от Norman Prentiss – Лудият ирландец от��ово е във вихъра си. Оправи ми настроението след предишното недоразумение.
Известен литературен критик на класики се оттегля в вилата на свой приятел, колега и ментор да пише за софокъловият „Едип Цар“. Даже не подозира, че ще се сблъска пряко със загадката на Свинкса и тя ще е доста нервирана.
A Tangle of Green Men от Charles de Lint – Чета го за втори път след три години. Разкошен за завършек на която и да е книга. Незнам как, но де Линт успява да ме направи по-добър човек с писането си.
Прясно изскочил от ТВУ хлапак си намира работа като строител за различни конвенти. На един Ферикон се запознава със странно семейство и почти сляпата им дъщеря. Избухват любов, привързаност и накрая... ох, не искам да развалям кефа на читателите. Разказът е прекалено навързан, за да се рамкира без да издам силните моменти.
2012 явно е била доста богата от към качество година. В доволно дебелото томче ми се харесаха едно 90% от разказите, като половината бяха разкошни. Ама да видим едно по едно:
Objects in Dreams May Be Closer than They Appear от Lisa Tuttle – Като изключим прекалено напоителното начало, което звучи повече като авторова изповед, разказът е прилична мистерия.
Двойка бивши съпрузи почти случайно се оказват в градчето, в което са живели заедно. Там в полудивата провинция намират отдалечена къща, която сякаш е излязла от младите им мечти. Веднъж като влезеш обаче...
After the Apocalypse от Maureen McHugh – ОК, сега вече си говорим. Чиста постапокалиптика, но заразлика от повечето прозведения в жанра, тук не се налага предапокалиптичния морал, точно обратното. Взимат се проблемни решения, които биха били осъдителни в нормалния свят.
Джейн и малката Франи са се насочили към канадската граница с рехавата надежда, че там е различно. По пътя събират храна и се крият от озлобелите хора. Светът е кочина и всички сме свине, както е искал да каже Шекспир.
Sun Falls от Angela Slatter – Вампирско фентъзи, което доста добре руши стари и нови рамки в поджанра. Кратко и на място.
Тери е поред��ото поколение вампирски слуга, но когато с господарят ѝ се насочват към затънал в легенди извор, нещата ще се обърнат по изненадващ начин.
The Bleeding Shadow от Joe Lansdale – Пълна бомбонка с послевкус на Лъвкрафт и много джаз.
Ричард е човек който решава проблеми, затънал до дупка в гетото и живееш с пуласа му. Един ден една стара тръпка се появява на вратата със странен грамофонен запис и иска от него да открие изчезналия ѝ брат музикант.
CatastrophicDistruption of the Head от Margo Lanagan – Един доста интересен полусъвременен преразказ на Огнивото от Андерсен, една от по-нормалните му приказки, между другото. Изпълнението е среднисто.
Tell Ma I’ll See You Again от Dennis Etchison – Странна история. Една от ония в които символиката притиска произведението и разваля вкуса му.
Шер и Дейвид са приятели, но момчето има проблем. Шер е решена да му помогне, само че проблемът не е само физически.
The Maltese Unicorn от Caitlin Kiernana – Както е ясно от заглавието, това е гавра с „Малтийският сокол“, само че тук са намесени доста свръхестествени сили и протагонистът е жена. Много се смях, но макар хуморът да е леко просташки, е доста интелигентен и на място.
Натали редовно изпълнява доставки за една своя мистериозна клиентка. Този път нещата се объркват и тя се замесва в поредица от предателства, демонска магия и един рог от еднорог резбован като... ъъъ, прочетете.
King Death от Paul Finch – Нито детайлните описания, нито полунеочаквания финал спасяват този разказ. Финч може къде-къде повече.
В една опустошена от чумата Англия, самотен рицар обикаля, облечен като четвъртия конник и общо взето мародерства. Ама то е ясно, че така си търси белята.
Why Light? от Tanith Lee – Тка и не можех да ѝ свикна на стила на писане, но не мога да отрека, че този е от силните разкази в антологията.
Една млада вампирка (родена такава) с рядката дарба да понася лъчите на слънцето отива да пристане в далечен замък. Цял живот е мразена заради умението си, дори от собствената си майка. Тук обаче нещата май ще се развият по различен начин.
Josh от Gene Wolfe – Хем съм приятно изненадан от впускането на Улф по пътеката на мрачните жанрове, хем леко разочарован, че не си е барнал разказа. Просто си личи как го е излял, без после да го дооформи с шкурката. За първи път чета произведение с прекалено много хорър допуски.
Джош и семейството му се местят в отдалечена в горите къща. Все още нямат ток, а родителите му трябва да работят на доста далечно разстояние. В и около къщата се случват редица странности, а когато родителите му изчезват, малкия Джош започва да се учи да оцелява по местните правила, където и да е това място.
Time and Tide от Alan Peter Ryan – Призрачна история, свързана със смърт в семейството. Много добре отиграна.
Франк е станал неволен свидетел на удавянето на брат си. Това нанася трайна травма на цялото му семейство за години напред. Когато е достатъчно голям за колеж, ще му се налоби още веднъж да изживее кошмара.
Rakashasi от Kelley Armstrong – Много добро попадение. Глътка свеж въздух в преексплоатираното градско фентъзи.
Двеста години служба при различни господари към Иша (орден налагащ справедливост с доста интересни похвати )са достатъчни за Амрита, но освобождението идва с цена, огромна.
Why Do Yuo Linger? от Sarah Monette – Още една призрачна история, но тук и настроението, и символиката, и тропите са си по местата. Комбинацията е убийствено емоционално наситена.
Един мъж е преследван денонощно от духа на починалата си съпруга. Даже може да се каже, че връзката им е по-пълноценна от преди. Но защо? Защо се задържаш?
Vampire Lake от Norman Partridge – Паранормален уестърн, точно както си трябва – тонове кръв, екстравагантни образи и килограми олово. Партридж е титан на жанра.
Има легенда за подземно езеро над което властва кралицата на вампирите. Някой казват, че едно момче е успяло да се измъкне от там. Някой казват, че са чували да разказва историята си в кръчма в почти изчезнал град.
Lord Dunsany’s Teapod от Naomi Novik – Най-красивото произведение в антологията (сори, Танит). Имах предразсъдъци към литератирата на Новик, но след това бижу...
В кошмарът на окопите на Първата световна война се заражда едно приятелство между офицер и редник, приятелство, което ги държи далеч от лудостта на войната. Приятелство породено покрай един очукан чайник със странна история.
The Dune от Stephen King – След предходните три истории, тази ми дойде безвкусна като хартия. Може би заигравката с американската политика му придава някаква съмнителна стойност, не знам.
Един чудак вече десетилетия пътува до малко островче в реката. Дори сега, когато едва крета. Защо? Един млад адвокат е на път да разбере. Защо? (не е ясно.)
The Fox Maiden от Priya Sharma – Симпатична история за превръщенци. Нищо новаторско, но чудесно нарисувана с думи. Заглавието си казва всичко.
Rocket Man от Stephen Graham Jones – Забавна история за детството след овладяна зомби пандемия.
Хлапетата нямат човек за четвърта база на игрището за бейзбол. Решават да вземат мотащият се наблизо зомбясал Майкъл. Какъв проблемът? Той и приживе не можеше да хване нито една топка.
Jorney of Only Two Paces от Tim Powers – Интересен ърбън ноар с неочаквана развръзка. Харесх.
Колер е изпълнител на завещанието на Джак. Процедурата по изпълнението става все по-странна и по-странна,а котките вече идват малко прекалено.
Near Zennor от Elizabeth Hand – Никога не съм гледал на блатистите местности като на красив пейзаж. Покрай другото, този разказ почти ме обеди, че съм грешал. За гарнитура имаме и легенди и картини от полуостров Корнуол, които ме заинтересуваха много.
След смъртта на съпругата си, Джефри открива кутия с три писма, които е писала като дете. Неспособен да се раздели с нея, те го отвеждат на пътешествие до югозападна Англия, където ще се потопи в местните колорит и мистерии.
Conservation of Shadows от Yoon Ha Lee – Изпълнено в любимото ми за динамичен кратък разказ второ лице единствено число, разказчето е лудница, приличаща на видеоигра, но с доста по-горчив финален бос. Одобрявам на нива идейност и новаторство.
All You Can Do is Breathe от Kaaron Warren – Парченце изгладен кошмар, който ми напомни на разказите от Евгени Димов.
Едва оцелял миньор си спомня смътно един висок човек, който му е вдъхнал надежда. Оказва се, че не е първият който го вижда, както и че спасението е само отлагане и си има голяма цена.
Mysteries of the Old Quarter от Paul Park – Накъсаната форма на иначе подредената история дразни. Ама като цяло е доста приятно викторианско хорърче.
Учен известен с нетрадиционните си практики е поканен да изнесе лекция. Оказва се ,че благодетелят му се интересува повече от опити провеждани с мъртвите в младостта му. Резултатът е по-кошмарен от опитът прекратил тези изследвания.
Still от Tia V. Travis – Има доста симпатични похвати в повествованието, но ми дойде прекалено претенциозен.
Едно завръщане вкъщи след години. На място обгърнато в легенди и призрачни истории. Може би породени от теб?
Crossroads от Laura Anne Gilman – Друг от бисерите в компилацията. Отново уестъртн, но отигран с ърбън фентъзи тропи.
Да си шериф на място където обесените говорят, а преминаващите стрелци чертаят пентаграми, изисква интересен набор умения, освен добрата стрелба.
The Bread We Eat in Dreams от Catherynne M. Valente – Ох, това пейзажене в началото стил Дикенс е тоооолкова дразнещо да се прилага в кратка форма. Иначе имаме една история за демони и вещици, която ще допадне на много от познатите ми (вещици).
В къщата винаги е живял демон, или поне така казват. А всъщност имаме една възрастна билкарка, която може да те научи да шиеш и готвиш, но чакай само да ѝ чуеш историята. История за клади, за сестринство, за манастири, за прокуждане от ада и дори за изгонване от там другото място.
Hair от Joan Aiken – Значи, не мога да преценя какво не е наред тук, може би напълно излишната първа третина, която те повежда в съвсем друга посока.
Един вдовец (абе, защо им измират масово жените в тази книга на всички?) прави първо и последно посещение в къщата на родителите на починалата си съпруга. Къща от която тя е избягала с двеста и има защо.
The Lake от Tananarive Due – Пак трибют към чичо Лъвкрафт, доста добър, но с осран финал.
Аби е учителка по английски, решила да започне на ново живота си. Избира си гореща Флорида, но никой не и е казал, че лятото тук не се плува в езерата (хаха, не е това което си помислихте :P).
Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin от Adam Callaway – Добре че е кратък, защото се наложи да го прочета три пъти и пак нищо не разбрах (ама хванах сюжетни разминавания в почти липсващия сюжет). Сигурно е нещо рода на съставителя.
The Last Triangle от Jeffrey Ford – Много добро попадение, макар и с насилен нещо край.
Един наркоман намира неочакван подслон и подкрепа от стара вдовица. За благодарност, той и помага с една интересна мистерия, свързана с странни символи по стените в западналия им квартал. Резултатите са по-лични и по-изненадващи от очакваното.
After-Words от Glen Hirshberg – Типичен Хиршберг – слабо написано, нямащо общо с жанровете и все пак набутано в антологията (във всяка антология, мамка му).
Един лекар-любител от еврейски произход е извикана от рода, да разреши проблем свързан с ъъъ... книги. Абе, няма да разказвам, не става.
Four Legs in the Morning от Norman Prentiss – Лудият ирландец от��ово е във вихъра си. Оправи ми настроението след предишното недоразумение.
Известен литературен критик на класики се оттегля в вилата на свой приятел, колега и ментор да пише за софокъловият „Едип Цар“. Даже не подозира, че ще се сблъска пряко със загадката на Свинкса и тя ще е доста нервирана.
A Tangle of Green Men от Charles de Lint – Чета го за втори път след три години. Разкошен за завършек на която и да е книга. Незнам как, но де Линт успява да ме направи по-добър човек с писането си.
Прясно изскочил от ТВУ хлапак си намира работа като строител за различни конвенти. На един Ферикон се запознава със странно семейство и почти сляпата им дъщеря. Избухват любов, привързаност и накрая... ох, не искам да развалям кефа на читателите. Разказът е прекалено навързан, за да се рамкира без да издам силните моменти.
March 22, 2025
I expected this collection of 2012’s best horror stories to be hit and miss, but it far exceeded my expectations. Of the thirty-three tales in this book, there are only a handful of average or below-average ones, several very good ones, and most are perfectly enjoyable.
“Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear,” by Lisa Tuttle. Excellent title. This story seems so familiar to me, but I can’t decide if I’ve previously read it or not. In it, a man and woman attempt to revisit a house they tried years before to find but with no luck. It’s not on any maps, and you can see it from a distance, but as soon as you get closer, the place manages to disappear.
“After the Apocalypse,” by Maureen McHugh. Mother of the Year switches between wanting to look after her daughter in a desolate future and considering a cut-and-run, as the kid’s only ever held her back.
“Sun Falls,” by Angela Slatter. Vampire whose body has been separated from his head, trying to get to the fountain of youth in order to resume vamping full time.
“The Bleeding Shadow,” by Joe R. Lansdale. I read this story a couple years ago in a Lovecraft-inspired collection. It’s very good, and one of these days I’m going to get around to a Joe R. Landsdale novel. This story is about a record which, once you stop playing it, stops guarding its owner from a terrifying world of monsters and craziness just itching to be let loose.
“Catastrophic Disruption of the Head,” by Margo Lanagan. The first story in the collection that didn’t quite work its magic on me. Lanagan gets us inside the head of a soldier in an unspecified war, doing terrible things and running a confused inner monologue.
“Tell Me I’ll See You Again,” by Dennis Etchison. A young boy’s mother and brother died several months ago, while he was playing a weird pretending-to-be-dead game, which he’s convinced affected the lives of his loved ones. I have to say, I did not totally understand the conclusion of this story. It’s good, but whatever’s happened in the final couple pages is lost on me, even after a re-read.
“The Maltese Unicorn,” by Caitlin R. Kiernan. This noir thriller horror combination doesn’t totally work for me, mostly because the lead character’s narration is so off-putting. It’s set in 1935, but you’d never know it from the dialogue.
“King Death,” by Paul Finch. Fascinating short about a man who paints a skull on his helmet and rides around the plague-infested countryside, himself immune to the disease, claiming to be Death himself. He makes the mistake of following a young boy back to the castle where his family lies rotting, thinking he’ll plunder and take advantage.
“Why Light?” by Tanith Lee. Romantic story about a vampire woman married off to another clan. She’s special due to her ability to hang outside during the day. I liked this one a lot and could see it as the beginning of a larger tale.
“Josh,” by Gene Wolf. Told in journal style, by a narrator we’re advised is unreliable. This guy’s hanging out at his new home, waiting for his parents to get back and complete their move, but gets involved with a girl and a murder, and there’s weird sounds coming from the woods, no one’s sure what those are. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in this story, but I think that’s OK. Short and effective.
“Time and Tide,” by Alan Peter Ryan. Another one with a murky ending, I’m not totally clear on, but I believe that’s the writer’s intention. A kid’s brother drowned a little while back and he gets a bad feeling when his father asks him to move a cupboard from little brother’s room.
“Rakshasi,” by Kelley Armstrong. I’ve read a book by Kelley Armstrong, so knew going in that she’s got some talent for supernatural horror. This story has a lot of setup and feels less like a self-contained short and more like a chunk taken out of something bigger. Indian legends are something we don’t get enough of in horror fiction, and I wouldn’t mind learning more about these Rakshasi creatures.
“Why Do You Linger?” by Sarah Monette. A man’s wife (whom he wasn’t particularly fond of) dies, but he can’t get rid of her presence, always sensing her close by.
“Vampire Lake,” by Norman Partridge. I would have liked a little more description, this could have been a novella with the amount of territory it covers. Western-horror hybrid, with a bounty killer employing a mangled boy with a plucked chicken for a pet to find the legendary Vampire Lake, wherein the Vampire Queen is said to live.
“Lord Dunsany’s Teapot,” by Naomi Novik. Two soldiers, one a private, one higher up, in the trenches, trade stories about possible undersea kingdoms, battles, and treasures.
“The Dune,” by Stephen King. Creepy story with a killer ending; set in the Duma Key area, once visited previously by Stephen King readers.
“The Fox Maiden,” by Priya Sharma. A young woman avoids the fox hunt everyone else gets so excited about. Finding herself on the run, she goes to the only person her dead father advised could help her in a tough situation, a guy the rest of the community regards as a nutjob.
“Rocket Man,” by Stephen Graham Jones. Kinda funny zombie-baseball story. This kid’s trying to impress a girl from school, but he messes up and ends up swinging for an out, a ball caught in a zombie’s hollowed-out eye socket. No luck, even a zombie can get this kid out.
“Journey of Only Two Paces,” by Tim Powers. I’m not sure I understood this one, but that’s fine, because the narrator says toward the end that he’s not even sure what happened. He’s asked to bring an old college friend’s ashes to a house for a ceremony where there are a peculiar number of orange-white fluffy cats. Doesn’t sound like a terrible time to me! Things get weird, of course.
“Near Zennor,” by Elizabeth Hand. Novella-length story about a man searching into his dead wife’s past. He tries to find the home of a writer of child’s fantasies, where his wife and friends went for a fateful visit back when they were kids.
“Conservation of Shadows,” by Yoon Ha Lee. Journey through the underworld, told in second person.
“All You Can Do is Breathe,” by Kaaron Waren. One of the best stories in this collection, this one’s about a guy rescued after being trapped several days in a mine. He was visited by a very long man, a guy who looked stretched out like Silly Putty, and who continues to visit him after he is solidly back above ground.
“Mysteries of the Old Quarter,” by Paul Park. Told journal-style, story about an electrode-wielding man who aims to bring the dead back to life. I got a little lost with this one.
“Still,” by Tia V. Travis. Decent ghost story. I was having a bit of a hard time getting into the writing style, but then it was over.
“Crossroads,” by Laura Anne Gilman. Magical Western? Three people hanging out at a crossroads, one of them literally hanging. Seems like an interesting world; probably the story could have gone a little longer.
“The Bread We Eat in Dreams,” by Catherynne M. Valente. A demon comes to the land of the living and sets up shop in a quaint village before the village has even arrived. In Hell this demon was chief baker, and sets up a garden in her new home and makes food for the villagers. It isn’t long before the Protestants and Catholics each set their sights on her, of course disagreeing who should deal with her and how she should be dealt with.
“Hair,” by Joan Aiken. A hairy ghost story.
“The Lake,” by Tananarive Due. One of my favorites in this collection. Everyone in town knows you’re not supposed to go swimming in this one particular lake, but the new teacher, just moved down to Florida from Boston, doesn’t know about this rule, and she starts going for regular swims, before noticing some interesting bodily changes. She invites a student from her class to do some work around the house over the summer, and eventually suggests going for a swim.
“Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin,” Adam Callaway. A town where paper is the only industry, and everyone gets real into it. Is some of the paper made of human flesh, perhaps?
“The Last Triangle,” by Jeffrey Ford. Cool narration; I like the author’s voice. The story itself, though, is only semi-interesting and goes a bit long.
“After-Words,” by Glen Hirshberg. Great story for lovers of the written word. In the near future, a disease has spread through the population, and its connection to a terrorist group that shows up at abandoned libraries and bookstores, is startling to say the least.
“Four Legs in the Morning,” by Norman Prentiss. Offers an answer to, and discussion on the merits of, the old Riddle of the Sphynx, about what starts life on four legs, before ending up on two, and finally three.
“A Tangle of Green Men,” by Charles de Lint. This novella is a solid story on which to end the collection. A young man working at a fantasy convention makes friends with a girl whose family are members of a fairy tribe, at least that’s what she says. Loved the first half of this story, and basically enjoyed the ending, where things get a little weird.
“Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear,” by Lisa Tuttle. Excellent title. This story seems so familiar to me, but I can’t decide if I’ve previously read it or not. In it, a man and woman attempt to revisit a house they tried years before to find but with no luck. It’s not on any maps, and you can see it from a distance, but as soon as you get closer, the place manages to disappear.
“After the Apocalypse,” by Maureen McHugh. Mother of the Year switches between wanting to look after her daughter in a desolate future and considering a cut-and-run, as the kid’s only ever held her back.
“Sun Falls,” by Angela Slatter. Vampire whose body has been separated from his head, trying to get to the fountain of youth in order to resume vamping full time.
“The Bleeding Shadow,” by Joe R. Lansdale. I read this story a couple years ago in a Lovecraft-inspired collection. It’s very good, and one of these days I’m going to get around to a Joe R. Landsdale novel. This story is about a record which, once you stop playing it, stops guarding its owner from a terrifying world of monsters and craziness just itching to be let loose.
“Catastrophic Disruption of the Head,” by Margo Lanagan. The first story in the collection that didn’t quite work its magic on me. Lanagan gets us inside the head of a soldier in an unspecified war, doing terrible things and running a confused inner monologue.
“Tell Me I’ll See You Again,” by Dennis Etchison. A young boy’s mother and brother died several months ago, while he was playing a weird pretending-to-be-dead game, which he’s convinced affected the lives of his loved ones. I have to say, I did not totally understand the conclusion of this story. It’s good, but whatever’s happened in the final couple pages is lost on me, even after a re-read.
“The Maltese Unicorn,” by Caitlin R. Kiernan. This noir thriller horror combination doesn’t totally work for me, mostly because the lead character’s narration is so off-putting. It’s set in 1935, but you’d never know it from the dialogue.
“King Death,” by Paul Finch. Fascinating short about a man who paints a skull on his helmet and rides around the plague-infested countryside, himself immune to the disease, claiming to be Death himself. He makes the mistake of following a young boy back to the castle where his family lies rotting, thinking he’ll plunder and take advantage.
“Why Light?” by Tanith Lee. Romantic story about a vampire woman married off to another clan. She’s special due to her ability to hang outside during the day. I liked this one a lot and could see it as the beginning of a larger tale.
“Josh,” by Gene Wolf. Told in journal style, by a narrator we’re advised is unreliable. This guy’s hanging out at his new home, waiting for his parents to get back and complete their move, but gets involved with a girl and a murder, and there’s weird sounds coming from the woods, no one’s sure what those are. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in this story, but I think that’s OK. Short and effective.
“Time and Tide,” by Alan Peter Ryan. Another one with a murky ending, I’m not totally clear on, but I believe that’s the writer’s intention. A kid’s brother drowned a little while back and he gets a bad feeling when his father asks him to move a cupboard from little brother’s room.
“Rakshasi,” by Kelley Armstrong. I’ve read a book by Kelley Armstrong, so knew going in that she’s got some talent for supernatural horror. This story has a lot of setup and feels less like a self-contained short and more like a chunk taken out of something bigger. Indian legends are something we don’t get enough of in horror fiction, and I wouldn’t mind learning more about these Rakshasi creatures.
“Why Do You Linger?” by Sarah Monette. A man’s wife (whom he wasn’t particularly fond of) dies, but he can’t get rid of her presence, always sensing her close by.
“Vampire Lake,” by Norman Partridge. I would have liked a little more description, this could have been a novella with the amount of territory it covers. Western-horror hybrid, with a bounty killer employing a mangled boy with a plucked chicken for a pet to find the legendary Vampire Lake, wherein the Vampire Queen is said to live.
“Lord Dunsany’s Teapot,” by Naomi Novik. Two soldiers, one a private, one higher up, in the trenches, trade stories about possible undersea kingdoms, battles, and treasures.
“The Dune,” by Stephen King. Creepy story with a killer ending; set in the Duma Key area, once visited previously by Stephen King readers.
“The Fox Maiden,” by Priya Sharma. A young woman avoids the fox hunt everyone else gets so excited about. Finding herself on the run, she goes to the only person her dead father advised could help her in a tough situation, a guy the rest of the community regards as a nutjob.
“Rocket Man,” by Stephen Graham Jones. Kinda funny zombie-baseball story. This kid’s trying to impress a girl from school, but he messes up and ends up swinging for an out, a ball caught in a zombie’s hollowed-out eye socket. No luck, even a zombie can get this kid out.
“Journey of Only Two Paces,” by Tim Powers. I’m not sure I understood this one, but that’s fine, because the narrator says toward the end that he’s not even sure what happened. He’s asked to bring an old college friend’s ashes to a house for a ceremony where there are a peculiar number of orange-white fluffy cats. Doesn’t sound like a terrible time to me! Things get weird, of course.
“Near Zennor,” by Elizabeth Hand. Novella-length story about a man searching into his dead wife’s past. He tries to find the home of a writer of child’s fantasies, where his wife and friends went for a fateful visit back when they were kids.
“Conservation of Shadows,” by Yoon Ha Lee. Journey through the underworld, told in second person.
“All You Can Do is Breathe,” by Kaaron Waren. One of the best stories in this collection, this one’s about a guy rescued after being trapped several days in a mine. He was visited by a very long man, a guy who looked stretched out like Silly Putty, and who continues to visit him after he is solidly back above ground.
“Mysteries of the Old Quarter,” by Paul Park. Told journal-style, story about an electrode-wielding man who aims to bring the dead back to life. I got a little lost with this one.
“Still,” by Tia V. Travis. Decent ghost story. I was having a bit of a hard time getting into the writing style, but then it was over.
“Crossroads,” by Laura Anne Gilman. Magical Western? Three people hanging out at a crossroads, one of them literally hanging. Seems like an interesting world; probably the story could have gone a little longer.
“The Bread We Eat in Dreams,” by Catherynne M. Valente. A demon comes to the land of the living and sets up shop in a quaint village before the village has even arrived. In Hell this demon was chief baker, and sets up a garden in her new home and makes food for the villagers. It isn’t long before the Protestants and Catholics each set their sights on her, of course disagreeing who should deal with her and how she should be dealt with.
“Hair,” by Joan Aiken. A hairy ghost story.
“The Lake,” by Tananarive Due. One of my favorites in this collection. Everyone in town knows you’re not supposed to go swimming in this one particular lake, but the new teacher, just moved down to Florida from Boston, doesn’t know about this rule, and she starts going for regular swims, before noticing some interesting bodily changes. She invites a student from her class to do some work around the house over the summer, and eventually suggests going for a swim.
“Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin,” Adam Callaway. A town where paper is the only industry, and everyone gets real into it. Is some of the paper made of human flesh, perhaps?
“The Last Triangle,” by Jeffrey Ford. Cool narration; I like the author’s voice. The story itself, though, is only semi-interesting and goes a bit long.
“After-Words,” by Glen Hirshberg. Great story for lovers of the written word. In the near future, a disease has spread through the population, and its connection to a terrorist group that shows up at abandoned libraries and bookstores, is startling to say the least.
“Four Legs in the Morning,” by Norman Prentiss. Offers an answer to, and discussion on the merits of, the old Riddle of the Sphynx, about what starts life on four legs, before ending up on two, and finally three.
“A Tangle of Green Men,” by Charles de Lint. This novella is a solid story on which to end the collection. A young man working at a fantasy convention makes friends with a girl whose family are members of a fairy tribe, at least that’s what she says. Loved the first half of this story, and basically enjoyed the ending, where things get a little weird.
August 25, 2018
In her introduction to The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2012, editor Paula Guran says "dark" can mean different things to different people, thus not every story in this collection will necessarily be considered "dark" by every reader. Fair enough. Most of the stories in this collection are horror, although we do get a couple humorous pieces and even some romance.
We start with "Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear" by Lisa Tuttle. I felt this was an odd choice to start the collection as it takes a while to get going instead of grabbing the reader from the beginning. A large chunk of the story felt like an ad for Google street view. I did like the dream-like quality of the story towards the end in which mundane things provoke an irrational fear, but ultimately, I felt like there wasn't enough substance to the story.
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison reminded me of the television series Pushing Daisies. The opening scene clues us in to the theme of playing possum. The story featured a strange gimmick though. Although other characters are named, one of the characters is referred to simply as "the girl" outside of dialogue, although we are given her name within dialogue. Don't know why he did this. This was an interesting story, but it ended too suddenly, almost like he didn't know how to end it.
"Josh" by Gene Wolfe is a haunted house story in the form of a diary. This one also seemed to end abruptly. More of a fragment than a full story. "Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin" by Adam Callaway is a weird story, but it too was too short and thus felt insubstantial.
"Time and Tide" by Alan Peter Ryan is a tragic ghost story. It's pretty good, but I was annoyed by the run on sentences. "Why Do You Linger?" by Sarah Monette is another sad, somewhat erotic, ghost story about a man's wife who remains his ghostly lover. "Still" by Tia V. Travis is another sad, yet haunting, ghost story.
Turning from tragedy to comedy, "Sun Falls" by Angela Slatter is a humorous story about hillbilly vampires and "Rocket Man" by Stephen Graham Jones is a humorous story about playing baseball with a zombie.
Several of the stories in this collection were meh for me, but your individual mileage may vary. "Rakshasi" by Kelley Armstrong concerns a demon making restitution for wrongs done in life. "The Dune" by Stephen King is about an island that foretells death. "Journey of Only Two Paces" by Tim Powers is about a book dealer who fulfills an unusual request in a will. "The Lake" by Tananarive Due is about the dangers of skinny dipping. "Hair" by Joan Aiken is an atmospheric piece with a sense of tension, but not much happens.
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand is about an old man who goes through his wife's things after she dies and discovers she corresponded with a pedophile when she was a teenager. It's a good story if you don't mind the slow pace. This story is about fifty pages long, but it should have been shorter. There are some boring parts that could have been cut and there's too much description including several lists of flowers. The bulk of the story is about the old man wondering around the Cornish countryside trying to find his way.
"All You Can Do Is Breathe" by Kaaron Warren is about a miner trapped in a collapsed mine that's also haunted. His long-lasting fame after his rescue didn't ring true to me and pulled me out of the story. It's a decent story, but I did hear it before on a podcast and it wasn't as interesting for me the second time through.
"Why Light?" by Tanith Lee is a vampire romance which I wouldn't classify as dark. It's written in a distractingly stylized way with words italicized seemingly at random. And how many words need to be emphasized per sentence anyway? Sometimes she puts words into "quotes" or Capitalizes them for emphasis instead of using italics for some reason. She also uses words like "un-new." It's a fine story if you can get past the presentation, though.
"King Death" by Paul Finch takes place during the plague and starts with a great grisly image. It was a good story, although his overly flowery language made me wonder if he wrote this with a thesaurus.
"Catastrophic Disruption of the Head" by Margo Lanagan is a retelling of Han Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Tinderbox. It's disjointed, but definitely dark. "Conservation of Shadows" by Yoon Ha Lee is a decent retelling of the Inanna story.
"Vampire Lake" by Norman Partridge is an over-the-top Western featuring a vampire hunter. Here's a quote I liked: "Their eyes were trained on the campfire and the white smoke that rose from it, which swirled and twisted like it was trying to knot the darkness."
"A Tangle of Green Men" by Charles de Lint is a young adult romance between a Native American and a vision-impaired girl who meet at a faery convention. At forty pages, it's one of the longer stories in this collection, but remained engaging throughout.
"After the Apocalypse" by Maureen McHugh takes place, you guessed it, after the apocalypse. The main character is a mother who is annoyed by how weak her daughter is. The mother is the type of person who shoots first and asks questions later, which made it hard for me to relate to her, but also made her feel more realistic. Society collapses gradually in this story, not all at once, and sex is used as currency. More realistic than most apocalyptic stories. Very tense.
"The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale features a private eye investigating an evil record in Texas during the segregation era and a musician who makes a deal with the devil. A good story that held my interest.
"Mysteries of the Old Quarter" by Paul Park is about a man haunted by a vengeful ghost. It takes place in New France and it's written in the form of undelivered letters, journal entries, a police deposition, a newspaper clipping, etc. Really good.
There are a lot of good stories in this collection that I don't have a lot to say about. "The Fox Maiden" by Priya Sharma is a fantastic story involving were-creatures and fox hunting. "The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Catherynne M. Valente is told from the point of view of a demon who was kicked out of hell. We get the story of a town over the course of several generations which is hard to do in a short story.
"Crossroads" by Laura Anne Gilman involves a duel between magicians in the old west. "Lord Dunsany's Teapot" by Naomi Novik is a literary story that takes place during trench warfare. A good, quiet, thoughtful story. "The Last Triange" by Jeffrey Ford is about a junkie who gets an unusual request from an old woman. "After-Words" by Glen Hirshberg takes place in a world in which books are forbidden.
"Four Legs in the Morning" by Norman Prentiss is about an academic who stays at a cabin while working on a book about Oedipus Rex. I like that it incorporates Harold Bloom's Anxiety of Influence (writers have to symbolically kill their fathers, i.e., those who've influenced them, in order to feel like they've come up with something new). I'll admit the ending confused me, until I remembered how the story of Oedipus went.
"The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlín R. Kiernan was my favorite story in this collection, which surprised me since I haven't cared for other writing of hers before this (particularly The Sandman Presents: Bast). This is a hard-boiled detective story in which a sarcastic book shop owner tracks down a supernatural artifact. It remained engaging throughout and impressed me with its period-appropriate references. Also, I think it's the only story I've read that touches upon the topic of female on female rape. Here's a favorite quote from this story: "The crimson halo surrounding the switchblade's inlaid mother-of-pearl handle was still spreading, blossoming like some grim rose, and now there was blood dripping to the floor, as well." Highly recommended.
Like all anthologies, this is a mixed bag, but if you like dark fiction, you're sure to find some stories you like.
We start with "Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear" by Lisa Tuttle. I felt this was an odd choice to start the collection as it takes a while to get going instead of grabbing the reader from the beginning. A large chunk of the story felt like an ad for Google street view. I did like the dream-like quality of the story towards the end in which mundane things provoke an irrational fear, but ultimately, I felt like there wasn't enough substance to the story.
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison reminded me of the television series Pushing Daisies. The opening scene clues us in to the theme of playing possum. The story featured a strange gimmick though. Although other characters are named, one of the characters is referred to simply as "the girl" outside of dialogue, although we are given her name within dialogue. Don't know why he did this. This was an interesting story, but it ended too suddenly, almost like he didn't know how to end it.
"Josh" by Gene Wolfe is a haunted house story in the form of a diary. This one also seemed to end abruptly. More of a fragment than a full story. "Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin" by Adam Callaway is a weird story, but it too was too short and thus felt insubstantial.
"Time and Tide" by Alan Peter Ryan is a tragic ghost story. It's pretty good, but I was annoyed by the run on sentences. "Why Do You Linger?" by Sarah Monette is another sad, somewhat erotic, ghost story about a man's wife who remains his ghostly lover. "Still" by Tia V. Travis is another sad, yet haunting, ghost story.
Turning from tragedy to comedy, "Sun Falls" by Angela Slatter is a humorous story about hillbilly vampires and "Rocket Man" by Stephen Graham Jones is a humorous story about playing baseball with a zombie.
Several of the stories in this collection were meh for me, but your individual mileage may vary. "Rakshasi" by Kelley Armstrong concerns a demon making restitution for wrongs done in life. "The Dune" by Stephen King is about an island that foretells death. "Journey of Only Two Paces" by Tim Powers is about a book dealer who fulfills an unusual request in a will. "The Lake" by Tananarive Due is about the dangers of skinny dipping. "Hair" by Joan Aiken is an atmospheric piece with a sense of tension, but not much happens.
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand is about an old man who goes through his wife's things after she dies and discovers she corresponded with a pedophile when she was a teenager. It's a good story if you don't mind the slow pace. This story is about fifty pages long, but it should have been shorter. There are some boring parts that could have been cut and there's too much description including several lists of flowers. The bulk of the story is about the old man wondering around the Cornish countryside trying to find his way.
"All You Can Do Is Breathe" by Kaaron Warren is about a miner trapped in a collapsed mine that's also haunted. His long-lasting fame after his rescue didn't ring true to me and pulled me out of the story. It's a decent story, but I did hear it before on a podcast and it wasn't as interesting for me the second time through.
"Why Light?" by Tanith Lee is a vampire romance which I wouldn't classify as dark. It's written in a distractingly stylized way with words italicized seemingly at random. And how many words need to be emphasized per sentence anyway? Sometimes she puts words into "quotes" or Capitalizes them for emphasis instead of using italics for some reason. She also uses words like "un-new." It's a fine story if you can get past the presentation, though.
"King Death" by Paul Finch takes place during the plague and starts with a great grisly image. It was a good story, although his overly flowery language made me wonder if he wrote this with a thesaurus.
"Catastrophic Disruption of the Head" by Margo Lanagan is a retelling of Han Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Tinderbox. It's disjointed, but definitely dark. "Conservation of Shadows" by Yoon Ha Lee is a decent retelling of the Inanna story.
"Vampire Lake" by Norman Partridge is an over-the-top Western featuring a vampire hunter. Here's a quote I liked: "Their eyes were trained on the campfire and the white smoke that rose from it, which swirled and twisted like it was trying to knot the darkness."
"A Tangle of Green Men" by Charles de Lint is a young adult romance between a Native American and a vision-impaired girl who meet at a faery convention. At forty pages, it's one of the longer stories in this collection, but remained engaging throughout.
"After the Apocalypse" by Maureen McHugh takes place, you guessed it, after the apocalypse. The main character is a mother who is annoyed by how weak her daughter is. The mother is the type of person who shoots first and asks questions later, which made it hard for me to relate to her, but also made her feel more realistic. Society collapses gradually in this story, not all at once, and sex is used as currency. More realistic than most apocalyptic stories. Very tense.
"The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale features a private eye investigating an evil record in Texas during the segregation era and a musician who makes a deal with the devil. A good story that held my interest.
"Mysteries of the Old Quarter" by Paul Park is about a man haunted by a vengeful ghost. It takes place in New France and it's written in the form of undelivered letters, journal entries, a police deposition, a newspaper clipping, etc. Really good.
There are a lot of good stories in this collection that I don't have a lot to say about. "The Fox Maiden" by Priya Sharma is a fantastic story involving were-creatures and fox hunting. "The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Catherynne M. Valente is told from the point of view of a demon who was kicked out of hell. We get the story of a town over the course of several generations which is hard to do in a short story.
"Crossroads" by Laura Anne Gilman involves a duel between magicians in the old west. "Lord Dunsany's Teapot" by Naomi Novik is a literary story that takes place during trench warfare. A good, quiet, thoughtful story. "The Last Triange" by Jeffrey Ford is about a junkie who gets an unusual request from an old woman. "After-Words" by Glen Hirshberg takes place in a world in which books are forbidden.
"Four Legs in the Morning" by Norman Prentiss is about an academic who stays at a cabin while working on a book about Oedipus Rex. I like that it incorporates Harold Bloom's Anxiety of Influence (writers have to symbolically kill their fathers, i.e., those who've influenced them, in order to feel like they've come up with something new). I'll admit the ending confused me, until I remembered how the story of Oedipus went.
"The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlín R. Kiernan was my favorite story in this collection, which surprised me since I haven't cared for other writing of hers before this (particularly The Sandman Presents: Bast). This is a hard-boiled detective story in which a sarcastic book shop owner tracks down a supernatural artifact. It remained engaging throughout and impressed me with its period-appropriate references. Also, I think it's the only story I've read that touches upon the topic of female on female rape. Here's a favorite quote from this story: "The crimson halo surrounding the switchblade's inlaid mother-of-pearl handle was still spreading, blossoming like some grim rose, and now there was blood dripping to the floor, as well." Highly recommended.
Like all anthologies, this is a mixed bag, but if you like dark fiction, you're sure to find some stories you like.
June 10, 2013
There seems to be enough good in this to warrant four stars. Few great, many good, some awful. A few stories of note are elaborated upon below.
One great thing about this anthology is that it has a great distribution of male and female authors. 18 of the stories are by women, which is even more than half. This is good, horror anthologies are often too male dominated and I always want to see a near 50/50 split. Rarely happens, so I read what I can, but I like this collection for its author sex distribution.
The Maltese Unicorn by Caitlín Kiernan gets five stars. Not a horror story by any means, but it has demons, lesbians, and unicorns and the female characters don't depend on any men to make them happy, solve their problems, or otherwise inject subtle institutionalized sexism into the story. Awesome.
Why Light? by Tanith Lee on the other hand was rubbish. Just crappy vampire romance. If I wanted stupid love stories about rich vampires I would have picked up Twilight instead. Here is a spoiler for this story: vampire 17 year old is forced into an arranged marriage with a good looking vampire guy. She is pouty and whiny for the whole story, then falls in love with him at the end because he is the nicest guy ever and thinks she is the greatest girl ever. Mushy rubbish. Plot? Nope. Horror? None. Sexism? Of course, she needs a man to make her happy. This story is worth no stars.
The Dune by Stephen King reminded me of every other King story I have read. By the time I finish, I wonder how he got to be a best selling author. The plot was transparent, things were so heavily foreshadowed early on that it was a bore to read them again later. Even the "twist" at the ending was obviously telegraphed beforehand so the story ended on a boring note.
The Bread we Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente was awesome. I'd give it six stars if I could. The story is told from a demon's perspective and the author captured this non-human frame of reference well. The ending was entirely satisfying for the story, and while the many names were odd and hard to keep straight, the plot was excellent. Women are portrayed well, and men are not the key figures in much of the story (though they do some bad things, it's mostly about women and a non-gendered demon). This was the one story in the book which I went back to reread once I had finished the book. Really well written and super interesting.
One great thing about this anthology is that it has a great distribution of male and female authors. 18 of the stories are by women, which is even more than half. This is good, horror anthologies are often too male dominated and I always want to see a near 50/50 split. Rarely happens, so I read what I can, but I like this collection for its author sex distribution.
The Maltese Unicorn by Caitlín Kiernan gets five stars. Not a horror story by any means, but it has demons, lesbians, and unicorns and the female characters don't depend on any men to make them happy, solve their problems, or otherwise inject subtle institutionalized sexism into the story. Awesome.
Why Light? by Tanith Lee on the other hand was rubbish. Just crappy vampire romance. If I wanted stupid love stories about rich vampires I would have picked up Twilight instead. Here is a spoiler for this story: vampire 17 year old is forced into an arranged marriage with a good looking vampire guy. She is pouty and whiny for the whole story, then falls in love with him at the end because he is the nicest guy ever and thinks she is the greatest girl ever. Mushy rubbish. Plot? Nope. Horror? None. Sexism? Of course, she needs a man to make her happy. This story is worth no stars.
The Dune by Stephen King reminded me of every other King story I have read. By the time I finish, I wonder how he got to be a best selling author. The plot was transparent, things were so heavily foreshadowed early on that it was a bore to read them again later. Even the "twist" at the ending was obviously telegraphed beforehand so the story ended on a boring note.
The Bread we Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente was awesome. I'd give it six stars if I could. The story is told from a demon's perspective and the author captured this non-human frame of reference well. The ending was entirely satisfying for the story, and while the many names were odd and hard to keep straight, the plot was excellent. Women are portrayed well, and men are not the key figures in much of the story (though they do some bad things, it's mostly about women and a non-gendered demon). This was the one story in the book which I went back to reread once I had finished the book. Really well written and super interesting.
February 12, 2013
A decent collection with a few stand-out pieces, and a couple of pieces that fell flat for me. If you go into this collection expecting a bunch of typical urban fantasy, or high fantasy with some darker elements, you are likely to be disappointed. While there are a piece or two that meet those criteria, this is more a collection of stories that have a hint or flavor of the fantastic about them, and many of them deal with death or loss in one way or another.
Highlights for me include:
"The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlin Kiernan, which adds a supernatural twist to the traditional gumshoe tale.
"Why Light" by Tanith Lee which plays on the popular present-day approach to vampires.
"Time and Tide" by Alan peter Ryan, an almost traditional ghost story.
"The Dune" by Stephen King, always a master of the suspenseful short story.
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand, a tale of a widower coming to terms with a mystery from his late wife's past.
"The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Catherynne Valente, about an exiled demon set in the wilds of Maine.
"A Tangle of Green Men" by Charles de Lint, a modern day faerie tale of redemption, love, and loss.
Highlights for me include:
"The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlin Kiernan, which adds a supernatural twist to the traditional gumshoe tale.
"Why Light" by Tanith Lee which plays on the popular present-day approach to vampires.
"Time and Tide" by Alan peter Ryan, an almost traditional ghost story.
"The Dune" by Stephen King, always a master of the suspenseful short story.
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand, a tale of a widower coming to terms with a mystery from his late wife's past.
"The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Catherynne Valente, about an exiled demon set in the wilds of Maine.
"A Tangle of Green Men" by Charles de Lint, a modern day faerie tale of redemption, love, and loss.
December 18, 2012
An average collection of stories published in 2011. Only the first two stories struck me the way good horror should. In Lisa Tuttle's "Objects In Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear," a former couple reunites to try to locate a house glimpsed once in passing, a house that cannot be found on any map, and which the local residents refuse to acknowledge. Very creepy and with a lovely feeling of building dread. Maureen McHugh's "After the Apocalypse" (title self-explanatory) chronicles the foot journey of a mother and daughter as they make their way toward a rumoured shelter north of the border. This had one of the more cruel and sad endings I've read.
I enjoyed the stories by Dennis Etchison and Elizabeth Hand quite a bit, but was left with a nagging feeling that something had escaped me in each.
Most of the other stories are okay. A few left me shaking my head, and one was predictable from the first page (it might have helped if the editor didn't give away the premise of each story in a blurb beforehand.) Worth a look, but calling it the BEST is overselling it a bit.
I enjoyed the stories by Dennis Etchison and Elizabeth Hand quite a bit, but was left with a nagging feeling that something had escaped me in each.
Most of the other stories are okay. A few left me shaking my head, and one was predictable from the first page (it might have helped if the editor didn't give away the premise of each story in a blurb beforehand.) Worth a look, but calling it the BEST is overselling it a bit.
October 10, 2015
I like this series, but was slightly disappointed in this edition, as there seemed to be a few more clunkers and not as many stellar stories as in other years. The most horrific stories are the poignant "Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison and the surreal "Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand. Both of these are strong tales, along with Tananrive Due's monster story "The Lake." There is a gooey paranormal romance effort by Tannith Lee that is worth skipping, and most other stories seem to hover in the middle somewhere.
April 1, 2018
Short stories
I love short stories! You don't have to invest a lot of time in one, but the good ones don't need a lot of time. These short stories are good ones!
My favorite author is Stephen King so I have to be careful that I don't compare every story to his. For this book it was easy to do!
If you enjoy short stories of any genre, you will definitely enjoy these.
I love short stories! You don't have to invest a lot of time in one, but the good ones don't need a lot of time. These short stories are good ones!
My favorite author is Stephen King so I have to be careful that I don't compare every story to his. For this book it was easy to do!
If you enjoy short stories of any genre, you will definitely enjoy these.
September 13, 2024
3.75 stars
Some great stories, but others were just meh.
Some great stories, but others were just meh.
September 2, 2016
As any anthology this one has it'shigh points and low. It's a good mix, but I did expect to have more stories strike me better. I've been lax in my reviews, so it was almost a year ago that I read this. That said, the stories that struck me the most were Caitlin R. Kiernan's "The Maltese Unicorn," for it's pseudo-�detective feel. The other was Stephen King's "The Dune," which was much more fun than most of the stories in his "Just After Sunset" anthology. This story was sucinct and not overly drawn-out in characerization (an aspect that draws me aay from King's "shorter" works).
September 18, 2013
This one took me quite a long time to read, as I took a long break in the middle. I'm glad I stuck it out, though, because the last story, by Charles de Lint was my favorite that I can remember. I have a bad memory though and have already forgotten the first half of the book that I read a year ago.
All-in-all, this is a fairly so-so collection. Some good stories; many forgettable. I will be looking up this Charles de Lint chap though to see if he's written any full-length books that sound interesting.
All-in-all, this is a fairly so-so collection. Some good stories; many forgettable. I will be looking up this Charles de Lint chap though to see if he's written any full-length books that sound interesting.
August 4, 2016
It took me months to get through this book and I have no desire to read the other years edition. I would read a little and then put it down to read other novels. Stories, I like include The Dune, The Last Triangle and A Tangle of Green Men. There may be a couple others that I am forgetting, but that was awhile ago and I do not feel like going through the book. For the most part, I either didn't get the stories or they just didn't appeal to me. Must be the wrong genre for me....
March 6, 2015
This collection of recent works by 33 authors gives you a lot of variety – they include some mixed genre stories and the inevitable modern vampire stories, but mostly supernatural and occasionally macabre events in a contemporary setting. The differing styles of the many authors is often quite refreshing, but in a couple of cases resulted in stories that just didn’t make sense to me at all. The overwhelming impression was one of great quality writing, most enjoyable.
Read
June 18, 20152.5 Tanith Lee "Why Light?" Like a teen romance but well-written for all that. The tone is lighter than usual for a vampire story by Tanith.
4.5 Elizabeth Hand "Near Zennor" So well written and so disquieting that I can can overlook inconsistencies, if they are not my own misreading in the first place. The children's book series seems so familiar, compulsive reading and meant to be empowering in some way, but actually disempowering the child reader. I shudder.
4.5 Elizabeth Hand "Near Zennor" So well written and so disquieting that I can can overlook inconsistencies, if they are not my own misreading in the first place. The children's book series seems so familiar, compulsive reading and meant to be empowering in some way, but actually disempowering the child reader. I shudder.
November 28, 2012
An overall solid collection with a range of stories to suit most moods and tastes -- everything from from bayou-Lovecraftian to vampire fairytale. Standouts by Glen Hirshberg, Maureen McHugh, Elizabeth Hand, Joe R. Lansdale, Tannarive Due, and Laura Anne Gilman.
Tomorrow, I'll have a more thorough review at http://battyward.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow, I'll have a more thorough review at http://battyward.blogspot.com/
December 29, 2012
More proof to not judge a book by its cover. If this is the year's BEST in Dark Fantasy and Horror, then it's been a very bad year indeed. Or else the editors simply wanted to make their book thick in order to give the illusion of value.
Still, a few good short stories in here make it worthwhile to check it out from the library.
Still, a few good short stories in here make it worthwhile to check it out from the library.
February 14, 2014
I really enjoyed the editing done on the volume by Paula Guran. Even the non-favorites were pleasant to read, and here were my favs...
"A Conservation of Shadows" by Yoon Ha Lee
"Objects in Dreams May be Closer a Than They Appear" by Lisa Tuttle
"The Lake" Tantanarive Due
"The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Valente
"Still" by Tia V. Travis
"Walls of Paper, Soft As Skin" by Adam Callaway
"A Conservation of Shadows" by Yoon Ha Lee
"Objects in Dreams May be Closer a Than They Appear" by Lisa Tuttle
"The Lake" Tantanarive Due
"The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Valente
"Still" by Tia V. Travis
"Walls of Paper, Soft As Skin" by Adam Callaway
February 19, 2016
A great anthology, of course it suffers as many anthologies do, toward the middle where the more mediocre stories are. The first and last stories are gems, as are many sprinkled throughout. As far as anthologies go, this one had more variety in styles than I normally encounter. I wish I could give it 3.5 instead of four stars.
February 16, 2013
If these were the best, then it was a slow year. Some of the stories were very well crafted, like the King. Some, not so much.
January 28, 2013
There are enough good stories to make this worth reading, but more boring and ridiculous ones. I mean, a vampire bounty hunter and a cutesy zombie story in a Year's Best collection? Really?
August 21, 2013
Some of the stories where great and so not so much. But worth a read just for the chance to read different authors.
Read
September 27, 2013Stronger and weaker pieces, as in any multi-author collection, but overall pretty good.
October 27, 2015
Always worthwhile
These compilations of stories never disappoint. I cannot think of many better ways to spend seven bucks that will keep you well entertained for as long.
These compilations of stories never disappoint. I cannot think of many better ways to spend seven bucks that will keep you well entertained for as long.
September 6, 2012
Great collection. Good summertime chills.
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