| List Price: | |
| Price: | $2.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details... |
| You Save: | $0.00(0.00%) |
| Binding: | Kindle Edition |
| EAN: | |
| Feature: | |
| Label: | Night Shade Books |
| Publisher: | Night Shade Books |
| Studio: | Night Shade Books |
| Tags: |
Editorial Reviews
Legendary editor Ellen Datlow (Poe: New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe), winner of multiple Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, joins Night Shade Books in presenting The Best Horror of the Year, Volume One.
Related Reviews
A fine and varied collection that is, of course, not for everyone
It's important to start with what this volume is not. It's not a collection of a particular type of horror story; Datlow's taste, while tending toward the subtle over the blatant, is wide-ranging, and includes stories traditional and modern (to the extent that these labels are useful), long and short, serious and comic. Some are closer to dark fantasy than "horror" as some readers narrowly define it. This book is also not necessarily cued to your specific tastes. Datlow has not magically reached into your head and selected nineteen stories and two poems that you are guaranteed to love. Cover copy notwithstanding, Ellen Datlow does not know what scares you personally. To say that a book is "not for everyone" is often a form of back-handed criticism, but here it's just a fact.
With that out of the way, I can say what this book is: a collection of fine stories displaying the scope of the modern horror story. I can't say that I unreservedly admired all of the stories here, but I respected each one's craft. A new anthology edited by Datlow is a guaranteed purchase for me, and the reason I keep coming back is that I never find a story whose appeal utterly baffles me. Sometimes I don't find them as successful as they might be, but I never think "What the heck was ~that~ doing in this book?"
I'll highlight a few stories I particularly admired. Margaret Ronald's "When the Gentlemen Go By" is a brief, chilling story about a small town and the price it pays for its happiness. Again, traditional-sounding stuff, but the story's structure allows it to build to maximum effect, and there are a number of chilling moments along the way. It's also an interesting contrast with "The Hodag," a very different but equally effective small-town horror story elsewhere in the volume. "The Rising River," by Daniel Kaysen, is a sharply-styled, twisty little story about a girl who can talk to ghosts, or can she? Graham Edwards' "Girl in Pieces" is a mystery/science fiction/fantasy/horror hybrid. It's also a comedy. It sounds too busy to work, but in fact the noir-derived prose style makes it all fit together nicely.
In addition to the stories and poems, the volume also includes Datlow's summation of the year in horror publishing, an eminently useful list of novels, collections, anthologies, magazines, and other outlets for horror prose. With a genre that's so dependent on small presses, this essay is a much-needed annual resource for finding works you may have missed.
This is the kind of book you might want to look over before buying if you're not familiar with the editor's taste. Horror is (and should be) a broad church, so it's worth looking at some of the stories, and the editor's recommendations of other books in the summation, to get a sense of whether it's right for you. If it is, you're in for some excellent tales.
With that out of the way, I can say what this book is: a collection of fine stories displaying the scope of the modern horror story. I can't say that I unreservedly admired all of the stories here, but I respected each one's craft. A new anthology edited by Datlow is a guaranteed purchase for me, and the reason I keep coming back is that I never find a story whose appeal utterly baffles me. Sometimes I don't find them as successful as they might be, but I never think "What the heck was ~that~ doing in this book?"
I'll highlight a few stories I particularly admired. Margaret Ronald's "When the Gentlemen Go By" is a brief, chilling story about a small town and the price it pays for its happiness. Again, traditional-sounding stuff, but the story's structure allows it to build to maximum effect, and there are a number of chilling moments along the way. It's also an interesting contrast with "The Hodag," a very different but equally effective small-town horror story elsewhere in the volume. "The Rising River," by Daniel Kaysen, is a sharply-styled, twisty little story about a girl who can talk to ghosts, or can she? Graham Edwards' "Girl in Pieces" is a mystery/science fiction/fantasy/horror hybrid. It's also a comedy. It sounds too busy to work, but in fact the noir-derived prose style makes it all fit together nicely.
In addition to the stories and poems, the volume also includes Datlow's summation of the year in horror publishing, an eminently useful list of novels, collections, anthologies, magazines, and other outlets for horror prose. With a genre that's so dependent on small presses, this essay is a much-needed annual resource for finding works you may have missed.
This is the kind of book you might want to look over before buying if you're not familiar with the editor's taste. Horror is (and should be) a broad church, so it's worth looking at some of the stories, and the editor's recommendations of other books in the summation, to get a sense of whether it's right for you. If it is, you're in for some excellent tales.
I admit, I was someone who picked through Datlow's long-running Year's Best Fantasy & Horror and tried to single out the horror stories, so this collection, with its bias toward pure horror, was made for me. This is an excellent collection, full of fine stories by a surprisingly unconventional list of authors--in fact some of my favorites were by authors new to me. Don't let the lack of familiar names stop you for a minute. There's a strong streak of surreal stories that are nightmares from start to finish, but they are balanced by stories completely grounded in the quotidian, where the horror comes as an eruption or an infestation overtaking normalcy. In short, it is a well balanced anthology, and the cumulative effect is powerful. I'm looking forward to volume 2.
the E. Michael Lewis story will probably convince me to buy the book
I read the first chapter on a friend's suggestion and I think I need to buy the book. He created a very unique scene that was not typical of short horror stories, I'm intrigued.
I understand why some people are disappointed in this anthology, but honestly, I enjoyed it. It's true that most of these stories aren't really that scary. They aren't the type of tales that make you shiver with fear. Instead, they are a collection of dark writings that make you think. If you are looking for blood and guts, then this book isn't for you. On the positive side, the writing is well done and professional. On the negative side, as previously stated, the stories aren't frightening, just dark. So, it depends on what you're looking for. This hit the spot for me, but it's not for everyone. Happy reading!
The only horrific thing was the quality of the writing
I am not easy to scare; it takes something truly horrific to keep me up at night. I've been let down by books before, but I hoped that getting a compilation that claimed to be the best horror of the year, at least one of them would be good.
I was right. One of the stories in this book is kinda scary. The others are lame, boring, poorly written, and just not good. Save your money. Heck, save your TIME; even if this book was free, I'd advise you not to read it. One example of a horror story involves pilots buzzing a beach in an attempt to impress some cute nurses. A man on the beach stands atop a truck, waving at the plane. The plane flies too low AND OMG THERE'S A BUMP AND THE GUYS HEAD ROLLS ACROSS THE BEACH BECAUSE IT GOT CUT OFF BY THE PROPELLER.
That's not a horror story, that's an OSHA warning. Repeat x 20 and you have this book.
I was right. One of the stories in this book is kinda scary. The others are lame, boring, poorly written, and just not good. Save your money. Heck, save your TIME; even if this book was free, I'd advise you not to read it. One example of a horror story involves pilots buzzing a beach in an attempt to impress some cute nurses. A man on the beach stands atop a truck, waving at the plane. The plane flies too low AND OMG THERE'S A BUMP AND THE GUYS HEAD ROLLS ACROSS THE BEACH BECAUSE IT GOT CUT OFF BY THE PROPELLER.
That's not a horror story, that's an OSHA warning. Repeat x 20 and you have this book.
These stories were not scary at all and if these were the best of the year it must have been a very bad year at no point did i feel scared anxious or even nervous, if you are looking for a good book on horror this is not it
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
It's hard to encapsulate any short story collection; the contents of the short story compendium are, by design, as eclectic as possible, offering a multitude of different voices, styles, and tales.
In a horror collection, these disparate stories are unified in only one aspect: their desire to chill the bones of the reader. With that goal in mind, the results of //The Best Horror of the Year, Volume One// are hit and miss. While those that miss are disappointing, those that hit do so with remarkable effectiveness.
Euan Harvey's Harry and the Monkey is a surprisingly engaging tale featuring a father's spur-of-the-moment distraction for his infant son, crossing paths with a neighborhood urban legend that could mean disaster for his young family. The power of the imagination and the power of paranoid suspicion will leave you questioning the line between fantasy and reality.
Joe R. Lansdale's short short story "It Washed Up" delivers a marvelously tongue-in-cheek twist on both the classic monster and the legend of the Pied Piper, as something rises from the depths with an agenda all its own.
Daniel Lemoal's "Beach Head" is a particularly off-putting segment. When three smugglers awake to find themselves buried up to their necks on the shoreline, they discover that the rising tide is the least of the horrors they'll experience.
Simon Bestwick's "The Narrows" presents a fairly unique view on the end of the world, detailing the last few moments of normal life at a school before plunging us into the desperate and frenzied struggle for survival, as a group of teachers and students descend into the tunnels beneath the city in search of a safe haven. Their harrowing journey is as claustrophobic and tense for the reader as it is for the characters.
A dark memory of childhood, the haunting loss of a loved one, the invasion of a mysterious stranger, unexplained disappearances, the hobgoblins of the mind, the collapse of society, the certainty of death, the slow growth of insanity in a former friend, the unknown that lurks just behind the veil of civilized life... many of the classic horror story tropes are featured, with varying degrees of success.
In the end, Ellen Datlow has put together another impressively diverse group of stories and storytellers for this collection, and even the most discerning horror aficionado should find at least one worthwhile tale within.
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
In a horror collection, these disparate stories are unified in only one aspect: their desire to chill the bones of the reader. With that goal in mind, the results of //The Best Horror of the Year, Volume One// are hit and miss. While those that miss are disappointing, those that hit do so with remarkable effectiveness.
Euan Harvey's Harry and the Monkey is a surprisingly engaging tale featuring a father's spur-of-the-moment distraction for his infant son, crossing paths with a neighborhood urban legend that could mean disaster for his young family. The power of the imagination and the power of paranoid suspicion will leave you questioning the line between fantasy and reality.
Joe R. Lansdale's short short story "It Washed Up" delivers a marvelously tongue-in-cheek twist on both the classic monster and the legend of the Pied Piper, as something rises from the depths with an agenda all its own.
Daniel Lemoal's "Beach Head" is a particularly off-putting segment. When three smugglers awake to find themselves buried up to their necks on the shoreline, they discover that the rising tide is the least of the horrors they'll experience.
Simon Bestwick's "The Narrows" presents a fairly unique view on the end of the world, detailing the last few moments of normal life at a school before plunging us into the desperate and frenzied struggle for survival, as a group of teachers and students descend into the tunnels beneath the city in search of a safe haven. Their harrowing journey is as claustrophobic and tense for the reader as it is for the characters.
A dark memory of childhood, the haunting loss of a loved one, the invasion of a mysterious stranger, unexplained disappearances, the hobgoblins of the mind, the collapse of society, the certainty of death, the slow growth of insanity in a former friend, the unknown that lurks just behind the veil of civilized life... many of the classic horror story tropes are featured, with varying degrees of success.
In the end, Ellen Datlow has put together another impressively diverse group of stories and storytellers for this collection, and even the most discerning horror aficionado should find at least one worthwhile tale within.
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Great overview of the state of the genre
I hadn't read any of the Datlow/Windling "best of the year" anthologies, but I reviewed this new series for [...] and felt that it provided a very nice overview of the genre. Here are a couple of quotes from that review:
"The quality and variety of stories, along with the depth and breadth of Datlow's summary of the year in review, makes _The Best Horror of the Year_ informative as well as entertaining, and any horror fan who wishes to keep current with the state of the genre will want to have a copy."
"...the entire volume [is] a balm for any horror fan who has at times felt a sense of ennui at the sight of books featuring the same old names on the covers along with the same old illustrations of tough stoic men and naked screaming women."
"The quality and variety of stories, along with the depth and breadth of Datlow's summary of the year in review, makes _The Best Horror of the Year_ informative as well as entertaining, and any horror fan who wishes to keep current with the state of the genre will want to have a copy."
"...the entire volume [is] a balm for any horror fan who has at times felt a sense of ennui at the sight of books featuring the same old names on the covers along with the same old illustrations of tough stoic men and naked screaming women."
Maybe, I was just burned out on the short story format. Maybe, having finished Datlow's collection of Lovecraft inspired tales, I was hoping for the same. Maybe horror just isn't as horrible as it has been in years past. Whatever the reason, this anthology of the year's "best" horror just didn't seem like the best out there. I haven't even finished it yet, and I'm feeling pretty lukewarm about it. Not being a reader of the small press/magazine, I don't know if there is better out there.
Some editors tastes differ widely from my own, and I can respect that, but I've always trusted Datlow as an editor in the past, and I'm sad that this didn't live up to my expectations. I'm not going to rate each story...I'm sure someone will or already has. I have always enjoyed Datlow's essays about the state of the market and her reccommendtaions, but for som reason this anthology falls flat with me. I'd suggest a trip to the library before buying this book. That way you can sample what is there and decide if the anthology is worth your hard earned dollars.
Overall, this anthology is a lot like the proverbial box of chocolates...unfortunately, there didn't seem to be many solid milk chocolate gems and too many fruit filled ickys that you try to avoid until there isn't anything else left.
Some editors tastes differ widely from my own, and I can respect that, but I've always trusted Datlow as an editor in the past, and I'm sad that this didn't live up to my expectations. I'm not going to rate each story...I'm sure someone will or already has. I have always enjoyed Datlow's essays about the state of the market and her reccommendtaions, but for som reason this anthology falls flat with me. I'd suggest a trip to the library before buying this book. That way you can sample what is there and decide if the anthology is worth your hard earned dollars.
Overall, this anthology is a lot like the proverbial box of chocolates...unfortunately, there didn't seem to be many solid milk chocolate gems and too many fruit filled ickys that you try to avoid until there isn't anything else left.
I agree with the reviewer whose review is titled, 'A box of horror chocolates'. I was *extremely* disappointed in this collection. I'm reading this on the heels of the novel 'The Red Tree' and I have to put this out there - when did depression become the new horror? Honestly, depression isn't horrific it's just....well....depressing. Websters defines horror as "painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay". Using those criteria I would not classify these stories (up to page 175 as I've not finished the book and probably will not) as horror stories with the notable exception of 'The Hodag' which was excellent and which I truly enjoyed. That author is Trent Hergenrader and I will be hunting for more of his work. There have been three stories already that revolve around suicide. Is it too much to ask for creepiness instead of angst? Also, there are a wealth of stories with the 'ambiguous ending'. What's the ending? We don't know. The author came up with a beginning and middle and then just.....eh....thaaaaaaaat's good enough for 'em. I concur with the other reviewer I noted above, get this from the library and save your money.
I agree with those who were disappointed by this. Out of 21 stories, there were 3 or four that I felt were worth the time to read, one of them only 2 pages long. Most seemed to be "Twilight Zone" style fantasy, with some mildly strange occurances, but not much very intense or new. Maybe if this was billed as "Best Fantasy" it would be closer, but still not great. Too bad.
I have two more stories to read in this book, but so far I find it very disappointing. The only story that was vaguely scary was Beach Head. All the others (though I can't include the last two which I haven't read yet) I have found highly disappointing and didn't make me shiver even once. If this is the year's best horror, I guess it wasn't a very good year.
I love horror anthologies...stories that make the hair on my neck stand up. That's not what this book was. While there were some good stories within, I wouldn't consider any of them to be "horror". I think they were all attempts at psychological thrillers, but I just found most of them to be annoying and uninteresting. It seemed every story came with a "twist" at the end, but they were twists that usually fell flat. I was disappointed and chances are I will not read Volume 2.
Share your thoughts with other customers
Create your own review
Create your own review
Some of my favorites include:
"Beach Head" by Daniel LeMoal--the first piece since god-knows-when that inspired a physical fear response from page one. The set up: three smugglers with hands tied are buried to their neck on a sandy beach. It only goes creepier from there. While the prose isn't always razor sharp, the effect is. I felt like I was suffocating while I read.
"The Hodag" by Trent Hergenrader affected me in a different, more nostalgic way. It is a tale that spans decades, and the narrator's chilling realization in the final paragraphs is more frightening than the Hodag itself. "The Hodag" is the kind of story I would write if I could write better. It's a goal.
"The Lagerstatte" by Laird Barron...man, I hope to write 1/10th as well as Mr. Barron some day. The premise of "The Lagerstatte" is a little familiar, but his skill with language paints said premise with a deftness rivaling any short fiction author today.
As a reader, this is the type of horror literature I like to see: high quality, thoughtful prose, solid character development, and dark without leaning on schlock and gore. As a fledgling author, the stories in this book provide a model, a goal for my own work. "Here's how you do it." Best Horror of the Year is smart writing, regardless of genre.