Reviews of Best Horror of the Year:Volume 8

 

Ellen Datlow is one of the hardest-working, iconic figures in Horror, Dark Fantasy, and elsewhere. When she speaks well of a certain author, I—by default—make a point to seek out writing by that person. Datlow won, on August 20, a Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short-Form.

Hence number eight in Night Shade Book’s annual compilation, and 20 tales curated from print, online and, perhaps, cobwebbed nowheres isolated in extragalactic gloom. Opening with “Summation 2015,” the editor replays that year’s incredible fertility. These summations are pure gifts highlighting output both well-known and obscure—notepad opportunities aplenty.

What distinguishes Datlow-edited anthologies from most (not all) others is the mix of newer and not-so-new names tilting toward those less known. William Grabowski for Horror Notes. His  full review including his favourites are here.

 

The book opens with a “best of the year” introduction from its editor, Ellen Datlow, my favorite editor of anthologies. I have a love/hate relationship with these intros, especially when they are written by someone whose opinion I hold in such high regard. I love these because I am informed of all the brilliant books/movies/events/etc. that I may have missed out on in the year. I hate these for the exact same reason; everything I don’t have immediately goes on the wish list and it ends up costing me money. It’s bitter sweet. In the case of The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Eight, “Summation 2015” contains about 33 pages of things I need to buy if I haven’t already …Honestly, many people will be tempted to skip this, but don’t. It’s a wonderful breakdown of the past year, and everything that Datlow recommends that I too have read, I’m in full agreement with. The lady really knows her stuff.

Steve Pattee for Horror Talk. For his full review and commemts on his favourite stories are here.

 

A Review of Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eight

Thanks to Keith West at Adventures Fantastic for his review of Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year Volume 8.

Datlow is one of the most accomplished editors in the field.  I know that any project, whether reprint or original, will have a top-notch selection of stories.  That’s the case here.  Not every story was to my taste, but then I don’t expect them to.  The only anthology that will be completely to my taste will be one I’ve edited, and maybe not even then…Datlow has a deep love and respect for Lovecraft, and it shows in her selections.  Several of them had Lovecraftian elements.  All of the stories are top-notch, though, whether they have anything to do with HPL.  In scanning back over them as I was writing the above paragraphs, I was struck by how many of the stories I really liked.  Narrowing my list was harder than I thought it would be. Keith West.

Read the full review here to find out which stories were Keith’s favourites.

 

 

 

 

The Best Horror of the Year Volume 8 edited by Ellen Datlow

The Best Horror of the Year Volume 8 is now available. I’m very proud that my short story “Fabulous Beasts” is included in this amazing line-up.

This story, which appeared on Tor.com last year, has been shortlisted for a Shirley Jackson Award and British Fantasy Award.

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Table of Contents:
Summation 2015 – Ellen Datlow
We Are All Monsters Here – Kelley Armstrong
Universal Horror – Stephen Graham Jones
Slaughtered Lamb – Tom Johnstone
In a Cavern, In a Canyon – Laird Barron
Between the Pilings – Steve Rasnic Tem
Snow – Dale Bailey
Indian Giver – Ray Cluley
My Boy Builds Coffins – Gary McMahon
The Woman in the Hill – Tamsyn Muir
Underground Economy – John Langan
The Rooms Are High – Reggie Oliver
All the Day You’ll Have Good Luck – Kate Jonez
Lord of the Sand – Stephen Bacon
Wilderness – Letitia Trent
Fabulous Beasts – Priya Sharma
Descent – Carmen Maria Machado
Hippocampus – Adam Nevill
Black Dog – Neil Gaiman
The 21st Century Shadow – Stephanie M. Wytovich
This Stagnant Breath of Change – Brian Hodge
Honorable Mentions

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Order from your local bookshop but if that’s not an option:

Amazon UK Audio download

Amazon UK Kindle

Amazon UK Paperback (pre-order)

Amazon US Audio download

Amazon US CD

Amazon US Kindle

Amazon UK Paperback

 

Best Horror of the Year Volume 8 Edited by Ellen Datlow

I am delighted to be included in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year Volume 8 with “Fabulous Beasts, which originally appeared on Tor.com. It’s a tremendous line-up.

Table of Content

Best Horror Volume 8- author names to be added.

We Are All Monsters Here by Kelley Armstrong
Universal Horror by Stephen Graham Jones
Slaughtered Lamb by Tom Johnstone
In a Cavern, In a Canyon by Laird Barron
Between the Pilings by Steve Rasnic Tem
Snow by Dale Bailey
Indian Giver by Ray Cluley
My Boy Builds Coffins by Gary McMahon
The Woman in the Hill by Tamsyn Muir
Underground Economy by John Langan
The Rooms Are High by Reggie Oliver
All the Day You’ll Have Good Luck by Kate Jonez
Lord of the Sand by Stephen Bacon
Wilderness by Letitia Trent
Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma
Descent by Carmen Maria Machado
Hippocampus by Adam Nevill
Black Dog by Neil Gaiman
The 21st Century Shadow by Stephanie M. Wytovich
This Stagnant Breath of Change by Brian Hodge

 

Best Horror of the Year Volume 4 ebook at a bargain price

Best Horror of the Year Volume 4 is now available for $1.99 as an ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

Table of Contents

“The Little Green God of Agony” by Stephen King (A Book of Horrors)
“Stay” by Leah Bobet (Chilling Tales)
“The Moraine” by Simon Bestwick (Terror Tales of the Lake District)
“Blackwood’s Baby” by Laird Barron (Ghosts by Gaslight)
“Looker” by David Nickle (Chilling Tales)
“The Show” by Priya Sharma (Box of Delights)
“Mulberry Boys” by Margo Lanagan (Blood and Other Cravings)
“Roots and All” by Brian Hodge (A Book of Horrors)
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise (Chizine #48)
“Omphalos” by Livia Llewellyn (Engines of Desire)
“Dermot” by Simon Bestwick (Black Static 24)
“Black Feathers” by Alison Littlewood (Black Static 22)
“Final Verse” by Chet Williamson (F&SF May/June)
“In the Absence of Murdock” by Terry Lamsley (House of Fear)
“You Become the Neighborhood” by Glen Hirshberg (The Janus Tree and Other Stories)
“In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos” by John Langan (Supernatural Noir)
“Little Pig” by Anna Taborska (The Eighth Black Book of Horror)
“The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” by Peter Straub (Conjunctions 56)

Best Horror of the Year, Volume 6 edited by Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow‘s Best Horror of the Year (Volume 6) is now out!

I am very excited to be included alongside writers like Neil Gaiman, Kim Newman, Nina Allen and Ray Cluley, to name but a few. My story, “The Anatomist’s Mnemonic”, was initially published in Black Static 32. As always, a big shout our to its editor, Andy Cox, and to Ellen.

Table of Contents:

“Apports” de Stephen Bacon (Black Static #36)
“Mr. Splitfoot” de Dale Bailey (Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells)
“The Good Husbandv” de Nathan Ballingrud (North American Lake Monsters)
“The Tiger” de Nina Allan (Terror Tales of London)
“The House on Cobb Street” de Linda E. Rucker (Nightmare #9 June)
“The Soul in the Bell Jar” de KJ Kabza (F&SF November/Dec)
“Call Out” de Stephen Toase (Innsmouth Magazine #12)
“That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love” de Robert Shearman (Psycho-Mania)
“Bones of Crow” de Ray Cluley (Black Static #37)
“Introduction to the Body in Fairy Tales” de Jeannine Hall Gailey (Phantom Drift #3)
“The Fox” de Conrad Williams (This is Horror chapbook)
“The Tin House” de Simon Clark (Shadow Masters)
“Stemming the Tide” de Simon Strantzas (Dead North)
“The Anatomist’s Mnemonic” de Priya Sharma (Black Static #32.)
“The Monster Makers” de Steve Rasnic Tem (Black Static #35)
“The Only Ending We Have” de Kim Newman (Psycho-Mania)
“The Dog’s Paw” de Derek Künsken (Chilling Tales : In Words, Alas, Drown I)
“Fine in the Fire” de Lee Thomas (Like Light For Flies)
“Majorlena” de Jane Jakeman (Supernatural Tales 24)
“The Withering” de Tim Casson (Black Static 32)
“Down to a Sunless Sea” de Neil Gaiman (The Guardian.com)
“Jaws of Saturn” de Laird Barron (The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All)
“Halfway Home” de Linda Nagata (Nightmare #12)
“The Same Deep Waters as You” de Brian Hodge (Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth)

 

“The finger bones are called the phalanges. Three to each finger. Two in the thumb.”
She touched each one in his little finger and his thumb by way of demonstration. Sam felt the start of gnawing elation.
“Fascinating.” He’d been preoccupied with aesthetics, not construction or mechanics, but her words thrilled him.
“And these are the metacarpal bones,” Sam swallowed when she ran her finger across his palm. “At one end they form the knuckles and at the other they articulate with the wrist bones, which are my favourites.”
“Why?” He relished her pleasure.
“They’re interesting. Each one has a different shape and name but they fit together like a jigsaw.”
She made him arch his thumb to reveal two taut lines along his wrist.
“This gap is called the anatomical snuffbox,” she pointed to the space between the pair of tendons. “The bone which forms the floor is the scaphoid.”
“Scaphoid,” he repeated.
“The rest of the wrist bones are the lunate, triquetrel, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate and hamate.” She worked her way over the wrist to show him where each bone was. “I like the hamate. It has a hook.”
He felt like he was party to the arcane.
“How do you remember all that?” Sam wanted her to know he was impressed.
“Hard work. And mnemonics. Lots of mnemonics.”

***

The e-version of Ellen’s Best Horror (Volume 5), which contains shorts by Peter Straub, Margo Lanagan, Stephen King and Livia Llewellynn ( as well my own, “The Ballad of Boomtown”)  is on offer for a limited period for the $1.99. More info on here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Horror Of The Year, Volume 6 Edited by Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow has released the table of contents for The Best Horror of the Year Volume 6.  I’m still a bit phased about being included with “The Anatomist’s Mnemonic” which appeared in Black Static 32. Other Black Static stories in there are by Stephen Bacon, Ray Cluley, Tim Casson and Steve Rasnic Tem. There’s also Kim Newman, Nina Allen and Neil Gaiman’s story from The Guardian website.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to both Andy Cox and Ellen Datlow.

Table of contents:

1. “Apports” by Stephen Bacon (Black Static #36)
2. “Mr. Splitfoot” by Dale Bailey (Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells)
3. “The Good Husbandv” by Nathan Ballingrud (North American Lake Monsters)
4. “The Tiger” by Nina Allan (Terror Tales of London)
5. “The House on Cobb Street” by Linda E. Rucker (Nightmare #9 June)
6. “The Soul in the Bell Jar” by KJ Kabza (F&SF November/Dec)
7. “Call Out” by Stephen Toase (Innsmouth Magazine #12)
8. “That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love” by Robert Shearman (Psycho-Mania)
9. “Bones of Crow” by Ray Cluley (Black Static #37)
10. “Introduction to the Body in Fairy Tales” by Jeannine Hall Gailey (Phantom Drift #3)
11. “The Fox” by Conrad Williams (This is Horror chapbook)
12. “The Tin House” by Simon Clark (Shadow Masters)
13. “Stemming the Tide” by Simon Strantzas (Dead North)
14. “The Anatomist’s Mnemonic” by Priya Sharma (Black Static #32.)
15. “The Monster Makers” by Steve Rasnic Tem (Black Static #35)
16. “The Only Ending We Have” by Kim Newman (Psycho-Mania)
17. “The Dog’s Paw” by Derek Künsken (Chilling Tales: In Words, Alas, Drown I)
18. “Fine in the Fire” by Lee Thomas (Like Light For Flies)
19. “Majorlena” by Jane Jakeman (Supernatural Tales 24)
20. “The Withering” by Tim Casson (Black Static 32)
21. “Down to a Sunless Sea” by Neil Gaiman (The Guardian.com)
22. “Jaws of Saturn” by Laird Barron (The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All)
23. “Halfway Home” by Linda Nagata (Nightmare #12)
24. “The Same Deep Waters as You” by Brian Hodge (Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth

Stuff for September

The Best Horror of the Year Volume 5, edited by Ellen Datlow,  is now available in print from Amazon UK, Amazon US and by order from your local bookshop. I’m delighted that it contains “The Ballad of Boomtown”, my short story that appeared in issue 28 of Black Static.

Ellen’s Honorable Mentions shortlist for the anthology also contains “Pearls” (issue 4 of Bourbon Penn).

“Needlepoint” (issue 242 of Interzone) and“Fish Skins” (issue 42 of Albedo One)  are on her longlist.

So, many many thanks to Ellen Datlow, Andy Cox of TTA Press, Eric Secker of Bourbon Penn and the editorial team of Albedo One (John Kenny, Bob Neilson, Peter Loftus, David Murphy and Frank Ludlow).

***

Mark Lord, editor of Alt Hist, has published interviews with all the authors who appeared in the last issue. If you want to read the interview with me that relates to my story, “After Mary”, it’s here.

The Best Horror of the Year Volume 5

The Best Horror of the Year Volume 5 Edited by Ellen Datlow and published by Night Shade Books is out now as an e-book. The print edition will be available in August.

It contains my story, “The Ballad of Boomtown”, which first appeared in Black Static Issue 28. If you want to know more about it, have a look here.

Many thanks to Ellen for including it.

 

Contents

Nikishi by Lucy Taylor
Little America by Dan Chaon
A Natural History of Autumn by Jeffrey Ford
Mantis Wives by Kij Johnson
Tender as Teeth by Stephanie Crawford and Duane Swierczynski
The Callers by Ramsey Campbell
Two poems for Hill House by Kevin McCann
Mariner’s Round by Terry Dowling
Nanny Grey by Gemma Files
The Magician’s Apprentice by Tamsyn Muir
Kill All Monsters by Gary McMahon
The House on Ashley Avenue by Ian Rogers
Dead Song by Jay Wilburn
Sleeping, I Was Beauty by Sandi Leibowitz
Bajazzle by Margo Lanagan
The Pike by Conrad Williams
The Crying Child by Bruce McAllister
This Circus the World by Amber Sparks
Some Pictures in An Album by Gary McMahon
Wild Acre by Nathan Ballingrud
Final Exam by Megan Arkenberg
None So Blind by Stephen Bacon
The Ballad of Boomtown by Priya Sharma
Pig Thing by Adam Nevill
The Word-Made Flesh by Richard Gavin
Into the Penny Arcade by Claire Massey
Magdala Amygdala by Lucy Snyder
Frontier Death Song by Laird Barron

 

Purchase the e-book from Amazon US, Barnes and Noble.

Pre-order print copy from Amazon UK, Amazon UK or your local bookshop.

Ellen Datlow’s Honorable Mentions 2012

Ellen Datlow has released her list of Honorable Mentions that will appear in print at the back of The Best Horror of the Year volume V.

I am thrilled to bits that my story,”Pearls”, is included there. This appeared in Bourbon Penn last year.

The list includes horror stalwarts like Ramsay Campbell, Stephen King, Joe Hill, Neil Gaiman, Gary McMahon and Alison Littlewood. There are also some other brilliant stories in there-

“The Pest House” by Carole Johnstone, Black Static 28 (and if you thought  this was good, check out “Signs of the Times” in Black Static 33).

“The Churn” by Simon Bestwick, Black Static 27.

“Cracks” by Jon Ingold, Black Static 28.

“Skein and Bone” by V.H. Leslie, Black Static 31.

“The Little Things” by Jacob Ruby, Black Static 27.

“Eyepennies” by Mike O’Driscoll, TTA Chapbook. I couldn’t find a link to his site, so here’s an interview with him instead.

“The Ballad of the Wayfaring Stranger and the Dead Man’s Whore” by the marvellous Sean Demory.

There are stories that aren’t on this list from 2012 that I thought were superb and if I can be so bold as to make recommendations, they are Ray Cluley‘s “Shark! Shark!”, which appeared in Black Static 29, closely  followed by his story, “All Change” in Black Static 30. Both are very clever stories, in very different ways.

My other news is that I’ve had a couple of stories accepted, about which I’m chuffed-

“After Mary” by Alt Hist magazine, (thanks to editor Mark Lord), and “Thesea and Astaurius” by Interzone (thank you to Andy Cox and Andy Hedgecock).