Ghosts: Recent Hauntings

by Paula Guran (Editor), Stephen Gallagher (Contributor), Elizabeth Hand (Contributor)

The spirits of the dead have walked among our legends, myths, and stories since before recorded history. Ghostly visitations, hauntings, unquiet souls seeking the living, vengeful wraiths, the possibility of life beyond the grave that can somehow reach out and touch us…these are some of literature’s most enduring icons. Now, in the twenty-first century, we are no less fascinated with phantoms than our cave-dwelling ancestors or our Victorian-age forebears. Thirty modern masters of fright and fantasy fill this anthology with shivers, chills, and spooky explorations of both sides of the veil. Be prepared to keep a light on all night!

Peter Atkins: “Between the Cold Moon and the Earth”
Rick Bowes: “There’s a Hole in the City”
Laird Barron: “The Lagerstatte”
Steve Duffy: “The Rag-and-Bone Men”
Jeffrey Ford: “The Trentino Kid”
Karen Joy Fowler: “Booth’s Ghost”
Neil Gaiman: “October in the Chair”
Stephen Gallagher: “The Box”
Elizabeth Hand: “Wonderwall”
Glen Hirshberg: “The Muldoon”
Alaya Dawn Johnson: “The Score”
Stephen Graham Jones: “Uncle” (original)
Caitlin R. Kiernan: “Apokatastasis”
Marc Laidlaw: “Cell Call”
Margo Lanagan: “The Proving of Smollett Standforth”
John Langan: “The Third Always Beside You”
Joe R. Lansdale: “The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler”
Maureen F. McHugh: “Ancestor Money”
Sarah Monette: “The Watcher in the Corners”
Reggie Oliver: “Mrs Midnight”
Richard Parks: “The Plum Blossom Lantern”
James van Pelt: “Savannah is Six”
Tim Powers: “A Soul in a Bottle”
Barbara Roden: “The Palace”
Ekaterina Sedia: “Tin Cans”
Nisi Shawl: “Cruel Sistah”
John Shirley: “Faces in Walls”
Peter Straub: “Mr Aikman’s Air Rifle”
Melanie Tem: “Dhost”
Steve Rasnic Tem: “The Ex”

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fantasy, Ghosts, Fiction, Paranormal

477 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2012

About the author

Paula 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.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, this is a mixed bag of quality: some pretty good stories, some okay, many not readable at all--and many of the readable ones seem to have no point. Scanning the other reviews, I saw the word "literary" more than once, and I think that's probably accurate--and part of the problem. Rather than simply telling a good, spooky yarn, many of the authors obfuscate the points of their stories with incoherent images and an attempt at high-falutin language.

But it's not all bad! Sarah Monette's haunted house tale was well told and even a little bit creepy. And of course Neil Gaimain's short story, also anthologized elsewhere, was skillfully crafted and even provided a teeny chill at the end.

On the whole, though, I'm afraid I cannot recommend this collection.

[Stan James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghosts: Recent Hauntings is one of the better horror collections I've read in the past few years. The stories are, true to the title, all relatively recent in terms of previous publication, and while editor Paula Guran confesses to fudging a bit sometimes on ghosts being the subject matter, the exceptions are still consistently good stories. There's even some local flavor in "The Castle", set in a hotel in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The stories cover a broad range of styles and tone, from traditional tales of hauntings, like the 9/11-themed opener "There's a Hole in the City" to the Twilight Zone-style twists of "Faces in Walls", in which revenge is maybe not so sweet after all. Laird Barron is featured here and given that the protagonist of his "The Lagerstatte" is female, the tale of ghostly beasts is not dripping with testosterone and overripe metaphors. Here the metaphors are only just slightly past ripe, the story tight and involving.

The worst of the bunch aren't worth singling out because I found none of the stories to be poor or even mediocre, something I have found pretty rare when reading a set of stories from a variety of authors. Paula Guran has chosen skillfully here and struck a terrific overall balance. If you're set on a particular type of ghost story you may find the sheer variety less satisfying but if you're ready to meet insane djinns, soldiers that hanker for closure or perhaps something more sinister long after being felled in battle, ghosts that are in turn friendly, vicious, mystifying and sometimes maybe not ghosts but something far worst, then Ghosts: Recent Hauntings will leave you pleasingly spooked.

Recommended.

[E.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic collection--a decade of the best ghost stories by the best writers. I enjoyed 90% of the stories, discovered new writers and revisited old favorites. Over 400 pages of chilling and horrific goodness.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This large compendium of "recent ghost stories" contains thirty stories. There is absolutely no doubt regarding the competent penmanship of the authors. Also, the themes of loss and trauma have been handled by all the authors.
But most of the stories are too literate and ethereal too feel the fear— without which ghost stories seem rather hollow, I beg to state.
However, there were a few solid exceptions, which made the collection a bit chilling. They were~
1. Sarah Monette's "The Watcher in the Corners";
2. Neil Gaiman's "October in the Chair";
3. Stephen Gallagher's "The Box";
4. Reggie Oliver's "Mrs. Midnight";
5. Joe R. Lansdale's "The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler".
Overall, a good, consistent collection. In the coming cold and dark months, you may cozy up with it. The experience wouldn’t be bad, I guess.

[Arjun Rajkumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Some real duds in this one

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mixed bag anthology. So good, some bad, a lot of mediocre.


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved ghost stories and just happened to run across the volume while I was spending some time at the library. I really enjoyed reading these "new" additions to the genre with Neil Gaiman and Peter Straub being the 2 authors that I was the most familiar with. As with any collection of short stories, there were some that I loved and then there were some that left me saying...."What????" On the whole, though, I'm glad I picked this up. The stories run from "The Ex", where a previous wife uses her ghostly wiles to keep her ex from connecting to a new lover to an interesting story about not only John Wilkes but the whole Booth clan--all of whom seemed to be haunted. So--if you're a ghost story lover, you might want to check this book out--there should be something that appeals to you.

[Nitya Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with all anthologies, this read was hit or miss for me. I grabbed it off the shelf because it's October and Neil Gaiman's name is the on the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that his was not my favorite story in the book (though it's definitely in the top five). The stories range from truly terrifyingly supernatural to oddly disturbing mental wanderings. Perfect for a pre-Halloween read while on a long road trip.

[Lolkatings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great collection of short stories, this time based on the idea of spirits. Good read.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations from this collection of stories, as many authors I enjoy are featured in it. I was hoping to find one or several I could add to teach to my students. But I found much of the writing felt rushed and in need of more development and many of the plots were confusing or unoriginal. Several stories I found unreadable and just gave up mid-way. One left me so utterly baffled that I still have no idea what I read. I really can’t recommend this book. The only really good story in the lot is by Neil Gaiman and it’s a republication from one of his collections (and I already teach it sometimes).

[David Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of well-written stories. The most atmospheric one was The Lagerstätte by Laird Barron, and the rest of them were quite interesting and sometimes mysterious, with an exceptionally postmodern one called The Score by Alaya Dawn Johnson.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these tales were as sad as they were haunting.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any compilation of short stories, some of these were excellent, others were mediocre.

I particularly liked the last story in the collection - The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler.

[Michael Louis Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent stories in the anthology.

[Debbi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Definitely more good stories than bad.

[kirsty alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cant wait to read more for this author in the future

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/Dy9pethWKYA

Enjoy!

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't read every single short story in this collection, what I did read I enjoyed a great deal.

[Ebenmaessiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There's a Hole in the City," by Richard Bowes (2005): 7.75
- Based partially on my own Axim of Evil [98% of all art made about and/or in the immediate 2 years following 9/11 is garbage] I was very prepared to hate this, to find it trite and half-exploitative and half-reverential, filled with all those fucked-up post-9/11 feelings of misdirected misery and stumbling patriotism. and, partially this was there [esp. in the cringey moment when he makes sure to point out his exaggerated politeness to Muslim street vendors, as if, sure, he does know their basically guilty, but look how I'm "getting over that"]. but, somehow it moved above that, even for me, predisposed to suspicion [i mean, i groaned when I read the description]. it's success probably comes from redirecting the focus from the event to other aspects of city history--making it about an unleashing of generational urban pain, somehow locked into place. smart move. and, also, the writing wasn't bad. understated in prose amidst the actual emotions being expressed. recalling his relationship with mags and Geoff in the young college kids budding ménage kind of rang hollow for me, although I could understand others getting behind it

"The Trentino Kid," by Jeffrey Ford (2003): 7
- Effective enough little ghost story, but largely in the scene-specific particulars of ghost recognition and grappling with the immediate consequences thereof rather than anything that might make this a “story” in the more conventional, literary ways.

"Ancestor Money," by Maureen F. McHugh (2003): 9.25
- Immediately catching, from the first paragraph, which establishes both an adult tone and a sense of wonder and imagination completely beyond the realm of childishness in which these things stereotypically sit--a pas de deux nearly unimaginable in most contemporary expectations of fantasy, even those nominally coded as "adult," say Joe Abercrombie, Patricia McKillip, or even GRRM. I wasn't the biggest fan of the jump to intersecting afterlives and the Hong Kong trip felt a bit like a rushed picaresque romp, but the difficulties of those turns were handled actually well, and led to a fairly interesting ending, again, like Dunyach, leaving a space for ambiguity as to whether she now truly "dies," how that intercession of her granddaughters offering might have inadvertently hastened this final exit, and whether this last death was a benign or malevolent event [the increased desolation and decay of the house would make you think the latter, although her increasing peace with nothingness and her non-progression through time would make you think the former. Also, very much liked how much of a non-character the granddaughter and her motivations were.

“A Soul In A Bottle,” by Tim Powers (2006): 8.25
- Powers does minor miracles in the middle third here arresting the death spiral initiated in the first third. And the final third? Admirable in the resoluteness with which it greets its straightforward let’s-keep-going-in-a-straight-line ending, although a bit diminishing for negating a bit of the playfulness and ambiguities (how drunk is he during this?) established earlier. STORY: antique book seller sees, and is very to see, the ghost of a long-dead poet, as well as to help her reset that death scenario, even if at the expense of his memory of her.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I found the stories in this book to be well written, I did not find it to be "true" ghosts stories, I was disappointed. After I read a couple from the front of the book, I browsed through the rest and it was "OK" not a normal "things that go bump in the night kind of book. I expected haunted houses and "real" literary ghosts, Maybe my interpretation of the book is off.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this collection. I was expected more of the stories to be creepy, but only two of them creeped me out. Another two were just kind of gross, but overall, the collection was fully of good ghost stories.

[Hale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly couldn't finish this. Some of the stories were interesting and held my attention. But most of the ones I read were plain and boring. I felt like I was reading a report made by a machine. Others might like this but I just couldn't bring myself to get through this.

[Bill Borre]

"The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler" by Joe R. Lansdale - Dana battles a genie in a lighthouse and captures it in a Coke bottle.

"Apokatastasis" by Caitlín R. Kiernan - wc
"The Third Always Beside You" by John Langan - wc
"Tin Cans" by Ekaterina Sedia - wc

[Jane Russo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the book. I believe it is totally mis-titled. These are not ghost stories.

[Louise Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of literary short stories! Nothing better than a good, well-written ghost story to send you off to sweet dreams at night. :-)

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story collection from some heavyweights in the horror/fantasy/sci-fi fields!

[An Redman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 at best.

Enjoyed the first four stories then it went downhill fast. The TOC is ineffective... a different staggering of stories might of made them more palatable. Was a slog to finish it.

[Taneel Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It isn't your typical scary stories. A couple of them were pretty good but for the most part, not a book I could get into.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wide range of ghost stories! Creepy, strange, visceral--the whole spectrum. Definitely worth a read.

[KanmanirUK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way t has been narrated ...