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Women of Darkness #1
Women of Darkness
This anthology contains: The Devil's Rose by Tanith Lee; Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight by Nancy Holder; Aspen Graffiti by Melanie Tem; The Unloved by Melissa Mia Hall; Hooked on Buzzer by Elizabeth Massie; The Spirit Cabinet by Lisa Tuttle; In the Shadows of My Fear by Joan Vander Putten; True Love by Patricia Russo; Ransom Cowl Walks the Road by Nancy Varian Berberick; Baby by Kit Reed; Slide Number Seven by Sharon Epperson; When Thunder Walks by Conda V. Douglas; Samba Sentado by Karen Haber; Sister by Wennicke Eide Cox; Monster McGill by Cary G. Osborne; Midnight Madness by Wendy Webb; The Baku by Lucy Taylor; Nobody Lives There Now. Nothing Happens by Carol Orlock; Mother Calls but I Do Not Answer by Rachel Cosgrove Payes; and Little Maid Lost by Rivka Jacobs.
306 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1988
2 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Ptacek
74 books24 followersaka Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, Kathleen Maxwell, Kathryn Grant
Kathryn Anne Ptacek was born on 12 September 1952 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, but was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her B. A. in Journalism, with a minor in history, from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, where she was graduated with distinction in 1974. While attending the university, she was a student of award-winning mystery writer Tony Hillerman and well-known YA writer Lois Duncan. Afterward, she worked briefly for a political party best left unnamed, was a telephone solicitor for the New Mexico Assn. of Retarded People, and spent two years as an advertising lay-out artist for a regional grocery warehouse co-op, and then worked for the University of New Mexico first as a secretary in the Dept. of Speech and Hearing, then for the University's Computing Center as their only technical writer and editor.
After the sale of her first novel, an historical romance, in July 1979, she quit to become a full-time novelist. As Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, Kathleen Maxwell, Kathryn Ptacek, and Kathryn Grant, she has written an historical fantasy series, numerous historical romances, and five horror novels. Her dark fantasy have won the Silver Medal and Gold Medal awards given by the West Coast Review of Books. She has also edited three anthologies, the critically acclaimed Women of Darkness and its companion Women of Darkness II (both Tor), and Women of the West (Doubleday). Editions of her books have appeared in England, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Germany. Her short stories have appeared in Greystone Bay, Doom City (Greystone Bay II), Fantasy Tales, the Post Mortem anthology, Pulphouse 5, The Horror Show, Freak Show (HWA anthology), A Confederacy of Horrors, Into The Fog, The Ultimate Witch, and Phobias. She is a member of Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the International Women Writers Guild, and the Police Writers Club. She also prepares a market report for Hellnotes, is the editor of the Horror Writers Association's monthly newsletter, and publishes a market newsletter, The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, which goes to writers and artists around the world.
On 1982, she married to dark fantasy novelist Charles L. Grant, who died in 2006. She shares a 116-year-old Victorian clapboard house with five cats in Newton, New Jersey. Her hobbies include gardening, jewelry making, and various needlework. She also has a large collection of gila monster memorabilia, and collects unusual teapots and cat whiskers.
Kathryn Anne Ptacek was born on 12 September 1952 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, but was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her B. A. in Journalism, with a minor in history, from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, where she was graduated with distinction in 1974. While attending the university, she was a student of award-winning mystery writer Tony Hillerman and well-known YA writer Lois Duncan. Afterward, she worked briefly for a political party best left unnamed, was a telephone solicitor for the New Mexico Assn. of Retarded People, and spent two years as an advertising lay-out artist for a regional grocery warehouse co-op, and then worked for the University of New Mexico first as a secretary in the Dept. of Speech and Hearing, then for the University's Computing Center as their only technical writer and editor.
After the sale of her first novel, an historical romance, in July 1979, she quit to become a full-time novelist. As Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, Kathleen Maxwell, Kathryn Ptacek, and Kathryn Grant, she has written an historical fantasy series, numerous historical romances, and five horror novels. Her dark fantasy have won the Silver Medal and Gold Medal awards given by the West Coast Review of Books. She has also edited three anthologies, the critically acclaimed Women of Darkness and its companion Women of Darkness II (both Tor), and Women of the West (Doubleday). Editions of her books have appeared in England, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Germany. Her short stories have appeared in Greystone Bay, Doom City (Greystone Bay II), Fantasy Tales, the Post Mortem anthology, Pulphouse 5, The Horror Show, Freak Show (HWA anthology), A Confederacy of Horrors, Into The Fog, The Ultimate Witch, and Phobias. She is a member of Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the International Women Writers Guild, and the Police Writers Club. She also prepares a market report for Hellnotes, is the editor of the Horror Writers Association's monthly newsletter, and publishes a market newsletter, The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, which goes to writers and artists around the world.
On 1982, she married to dark fantasy novelist Charles L. Grant, who died in 2006. She shares a 116-year-old Victorian clapboard house with five cats in Newton, New Jersey. Her hobbies include gardening, jewelry making, and various needlework. She also has a large collection of gila monster memorabilia, and collects unusual teapots and cat whiskers.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 6, 2010
I'm glad that Kathryn Ptacek came up with the brilliant idea of publishing an all-female horror short story collection. But I'm less than thrilled with the content.I'm going to write the name and author, one line about the plot and my rating of each story to give you an idea of how much they vary - in subject matter and quality.
Baby by Kit Reed - A childless woman, who is less than thrilled about parenthood, visits her sister who recently had a baby - an odd, creepy baby. Rating: 3/5
Ransom Cowl Walks the Road by Nancy Varian Berberick - A murderer who had died long ago, seems to have come back to life. Rating: 3/5
True Love by Patricia Russo - A historical horror about love. Rating: 1/5
In the Shadows of my Fear by Joan Vander Putten - A man who killed his girlfriend visits her body which he dumped in the ocean. Rating: 1/5
The Spirit Cabinet by Lisa Tuttle - A couple moves into an old house in the UK and realize it's haunted by a ghost, much to the delight of the girlfriend. Rating: 4/5
Hooked on Buzzer by Elizabeth Massie - A young woman punished by shock treatment as a child becomes addicted to it. Rating: 1/5
Little Maid Lost by Rivka Jacobs - A strange man with magical powers befriends a teenage girl who works in her parents' seedy motel. Rating: 2/5
Mother Calls But I Do Not Answer by Rachel Cosgrove Payes - A teenage girl with a harelip becomes obsessed with staring in the mirror, so she can see her friends who live inside. Rating: 3/5
Nobody Lives There Now. Nothing Happens. by Carol Orlock - Ghosts move into a house in a small town. Rating: 1/5
The Baku by Lucy Taylor - An American woman who recently moved to Japan becomes familiar with the legend of the Baku. Rating: 2/5
The Devil's Rose by Tanith Lee - Another historical fiction story about love and its repercussions. Rating: 2/5
Midnight Madness by Wendy Webb - A bargain hunter goes to a store holding a midnight madness sale to find it virtually deserted and eerie. Rating: 4/5
Monster McGill by Cary G. Osborne - A wrestling match turns violent when a wrestler the audience hates goes up against a fan favourite. Rating: 4/5
Aspen Graffiti by Melanie Tem - A woman whose husband going through a mid-life crisis left her, finds out what really happens to men when they leave their wives. Rating: 3/5
Sister by Wennicke Eide Cox - A young girl visits her sister's dead body at the lake everyday, and helps her get revenge on her killer/mother's boyfriend. Rating: 3/5
Samba Sentado by Karen Haber - A woman visiting her sister in Brazil becomes involved in voodoo. Rating: 4/5
When Thunder Walks by Conda V. Douglas - A woman who is accepted as a Navajo jeweler gets more than she bargained for. Rating: 1/5
Slide Number Seven by Sharon Epperson - A woman who works in a lab becomes infected with a deadly disease. Rating: 4/5
The Unloved by Melissa Mia Hall - Twin women rent out an apartment above their garage to a man who doesn't know they share a dark secret. Rating: 4/5
Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight by Nancy Holder - Two best friends become addicted to eating human meat. Rating: 5/5
As you can see, I loved some of the stories and hated others. Some were painfully dull, but saved somewhat by the shocking twist ending. And others were the opposite: interesting all the way through but letdown by an ending that didn't live up to the rest of the story.
Some of my favourite stories might be worth slogging through the boring ones. I love cannibalism in fiction and loved Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight, laughing out loud at the boys' list of celebrities they want to eat. Yum I bet Madonna tastes delicious. Also, since I work at a store during hours when it's mostly deserted (I start at 7:00 am), I can relate to the creepiness of being in an empty store, seen in Midnight Madness.
The best part of Women of Darkness is that now I have tons of new women horror authors to add to my reading list. Even though some stories didn't grab me, I would give all the writers another chance because 10 pages is such a short time to gauge an author's writing ability. I have already put a few books on hold at my local library.
Although the quality of Women of Darkness is somewhat spotty, I would recommend it if you can get it from the library or used for the right price.
Read more of my reviews at http://littlemisszombie.blogspot.com
Baby by Kit Reed - A childless woman, who is less than thrilled about parenthood, visits her sister who recently had a baby - an odd, creepy baby. Rating: 3/5
Ransom Cowl Walks the Road by Nancy Varian Berberick - A murderer who had died long ago, seems to have come back to life. Rating: 3/5
True Love by Patricia Russo - A historical horror about love. Rating: 1/5
In the Shadows of my Fear by Joan Vander Putten - A man who killed his girlfriend visits her body which he dumped in the ocean. Rating: 1/5
The Spirit Cabinet by Lisa Tuttle - A couple moves into an old house in the UK and realize it's haunted by a ghost, much to the delight of the girlfriend. Rating: 4/5
Hooked on Buzzer by Elizabeth Massie - A young woman punished by shock treatment as a child becomes addicted to it. Rating: 1/5
Little Maid Lost by Rivka Jacobs - A strange man with magical powers befriends a teenage girl who works in her parents' seedy motel. Rating: 2/5
Mother Calls But I Do Not Answer by Rachel Cosgrove Payes - A teenage girl with a harelip becomes obsessed with staring in the mirror, so she can see her friends who live inside. Rating: 3/5
Nobody Lives There Now. Nothing Happens. by Carol Orlock - Ghosts move into a house in a small town. Rating: 1/5
The Baku by Lucy Taylor - An American woman who recently moved to Japan becomes familiar with the legend of the Baku. Rating: 2/5
The Devil's Rose by Tanith Lee - Another historical fiction story about love and its repercussions. Rating: 2/5
Midnight Madness by Wendy Webb - A bargain hunter goes to a store holding a midnight madness sale to find it virtually deserted and eerie. Rating: 4/5
Monster McGill by Cary G. Osborne - A wrestling match turns violent when a wrestler the audience hates goes up against a fan favourite. Rating: 4/5
Aspen Graffiti by Melanie Tem - A woman whose husband going through a mid-life crisis left her, finds out what really happens to men when they leave their wives. Rating: 3/5
Sister by Wennicke Eide Cox - A young girl visits her sister's dead body at the lake everyday, and helps her get revenge on her killer/mother's boyfriend. Rating: 3/5
Samba Sentado by Karen Haber - A woman visiting her sister in Brazil becomes involved in voodoo. Rating: 4/5
When Thunder Walks by Conda V. Douglas - A woman who is accepted as a Navajo jeweler gets more than she bargained for. Rating: 1/5
Slide Number Seven by Sharon Epperson - A woman who works in a lab becomes infected with a deadly disease. Rating: 4/5
The Unloved by Melissa Mia Hall - Twin women rent out an apartment above their garage to a man who doesn't know they share a dark secret. Rating: 4/5
Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight by Nancy Holder - Two best friends become addicted to eating human meat. Rating: 5/5
As you can see, I loved some of the stories and hated others. Some were painfully dull, but saved somewhat by the shocking twist ending. And others were the opposite: interesting all the way through but letdown by an ending that didn't live up to the rest of the story.
Some of my favourite stories might be worth slogging through the boring ones. I love cannibalism in fiction and loved Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight, laughing out loud at the boys' list of celebrities they want to eat. Yum I bet Madonna tastes delicious. Also, since I work at a store during hours when it's mostly deserted (I start at 7:00 am), I can relate to the creepiness of being in an empty store, seen in Midnight Madness.
The best part of Women of Darkness is that now I have tons of new women horror authors to add to my reading list. Even though some stories didn't grab me, I would give all the writers another chance because 10 pages is such a short time to gauge an author's writing ability. I have already put a few books on hold at my local library.
Although the quality of Women of Darkness is somewhat spotty, I would recommend it if you can get it from the library or used for the right price.
Read more of my reviews at http://littlemisszombie.blogspot.com
March 2, 2011
Women of Darkness
Edited by Kathryn Ptacek.
Published by Tor Horror, 1988.
Women of Darkness is an anthology that was published in 1988. It is a collection of 20 stories of horror and dark fantasy from feminist perspectives. Women of Darkness features stories by Melanie Tem, Tanith Lee, Nancy V. Berberick, and Lisa Tuttle, among others. These stories cover a range of settings; most of them modern. As with all anthologies, not everyone will like every story, but there is something in this book that any lover of horror and dark fantasy will enjoy.
The book opens with, “Baby,” by Kit Reed. It is a darkly funny, wicked tale that turns motherhood on its ear. Lisa Tuttle’s “The Spirit Cabinet” is a quirky, creepy story about the dangers of ghosts and armoires. Rivka Jacobs’ haunting and unsettling “Little Maid Lost” is a story of a neglected teenage girl’s loss of innocence. The anthology closes with Nancy Holden’s “Cannibal Cats Come out Tonight.” This story is a humorous yet disquieting tale of blood brothers in the literal sense. These are some of the ones I liked best.
The book is well-balanced; there are stories of varying lengths and content. There are a couple of funny tales: “True Love” by Patricia Russo, and “Monster McGill” by Cary G. Osborne. Then there are those that I found myself wondering after I read, “What’s the point?” Maybe the point was that there was no point.
I didn’t like all of the stories in the book, as I shouldn’t have, but I do appreciate the stories for what they are and what they represent. Ms. Ptacek states in the introduction that she compiled this anthology due to the lack of women writers represented in the horror/dark fantasy anthology genres. It’s been 23 years since the publication of Women of Darkness, and while there has been an increase in female authors of horror and dark fantasy, they still are not as prevalent or as represented as male writers. And, comparatively speaking, there are not that many anthologies devoted solely to female horror/dark fantasy authors. Unless they are all writing under male pseudonyms, of course.
--Amaya.
Edited by Kathryn Ptacek.
Published by Tor Horror, 1988.
Women of Darkness is an anthology that was published in 1988. It is a collection of 20 stories of horror and dark fantasy from feminist perspectives. Women of Darkness features stories by Melanie Tem, Tanith Lee, Nancy V. Berberick, and Lisa Tuttle, among others. These stories cover a range of settings; most of them modern. As with all anthologies, not everyone will like every story, but there is something in this book that any lover of horror and dark fantasy will enjoy.
The book opens with, “Baby,” by Kit Reed. It is a darkly funny, wicked tale that turns motherhood on its ear. Lisa Tuttle’s “The Spirit Cabinet” is a quirky, creepy story about the dangers of ghosts and armoires. Rivka Jacobs’ haunting and unsettling “Little Maid Lost” is a story of a neglected teenage girl’s loss of innocence. The anthology closes with Nancy Holden’s “Cannibal Cats Come out Tonight.” This story is a humorous yet disquieting tale of blood brothers in the literal sense. These are some of the ones I liked best.
The book is well-balanced; there are stories of varying lengths and content. There are a couple of funny tales: “True Love” by Patricia Russo, and “Monster McGill” by Cary G. Osborne. Then there are those that I found myself wondering after I read, “What’s the point?” Maybe the point was that there was no point.
I didn’t like all of the stories in the book, as I shouldn’t have, but I do appreciate the stories for what they are and what they represent. Ms. Ptacek states in the introduction that she compiled this anthology due to the lack of women writers represented in the horror/dark fantasy anthology genres. It’s been 23 years since the publication of Women of Darkness, and while there has been an increase in female authors of horror and dark fantasy, they still are not as prevalent or as represented as male writers. And, comparatively speaking, there are not that many anthologies devoted solely to female horror/dark fantasy authors. Unless they are all writing under male pseudonyms, of course.
--Amaya.
June 9, 2011
most anthologies are relatively hit or miss, and this is no exception. there are several good shorts in this, my favorites being Lisa Tuttle's "The Spirit Cabinet" and Nancy Holder's "Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight," which I'm fairly certain I've read before, probably in one of the Splatterpunks anthologies. it's most remarkable in that it's a collection of short horror stories written by women. none of these, alas, are remotely feminist, but it's still nice to see a collection of stories in a male-dominated genre written only by ladies. I'm definitely excited to read the follow up book.
June 15, 2023
This horror anthology from 1988 is still compelling and less dated in its attitudes than a lot of male authors in the genre. Lisa Tuttle's haunting yet humorous tale "The Spirit Cabinet" reminds me of Carmen Maria Machado's "The Husband Stitch" in how even a nice husband can dismiss his wife's perceptions, with fatal consequences. Perhaps the most overtly feminist story here, Kit Reed's "Baby" explores the darker side of the all-consuming bond between mother and child. Elizabeth Massie's grotesque "Hooked on Buzzer" deals karmic revenge to people who exploited a disabled young woman. Of the two Southern Gothic stories dealing with sisters who have been molested, I preferred Wennicke Eide Cox's "Sister" to Melissa Mia Hall's "The Unloved" because the ending of the latter was abrupt and ambiguous. I look forward to exploring what else these authors have written since the 80s.
January 26, 2020
I appreciate what Ptacek was going for. As someone who also likes keeping count of random things I'd also noticed a lack of female authors among horror anthologies. Sadly however only a few of these stories worked and even fewer qualified as horror. Despite that let down it still makes me happy knowing there are people out there trying to diminish that gap.
June 18, 2023
Favorite short stories in this anthology are The Spirit Cabinet, Hooked on Buzzer, Ransom Cowl Walks the Road, Sister, Aspen Graffiti, Slide Number Seven. It’s a pretty mild horror collection, but never outright unpleasant. A little dated, though, with some white ladies really toeing the line of appropriation, but still an interesting read.
January 21, 2024
This is the first short story collection written by all women that I've read and I really enjoyed it. I give it 3 stars but only because some of the stories bored me to death and some of them had no real resolution which drives me crazy 😆 some of the stories were absolutely incredible though.
January 2, 2024
I don't normally read horror, but this collection of short stories was excellent. Compiled in 1988, yet timeless.
August 11, 2024
Twenty tales of
terror, loss, dark families.
Tanith Lee hits hard.
terror, loss, dark families.
Tanith Lee hits hard.
November 30, 2016
As with many short story compilations, there are good and bad stories in here. Many of these made me uncomfortable (especially the last story). A good story does that, but I think too many of them crossed the line.
September 7, 2014
The Tanith Lee story "The Devil's Rose" is fantastic.
October 28, 2016
A couple great stories mixed in with a lot of just okay stories.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews