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Book of Horrors
Antologia di 14 racconti horror a cura di Stephen Jones (titolo 'A Books of Horrors', 2011), opera finalista al World Fantasy Award e al British Fantasy Award, tradotta in Italiano per la prima volta. Contiene i seguenti IL PICCOLO DIO VERDE DELL’AGONIA di Stephen King; FIGLIA DEL FUOCO di Caitlín R. Kiernan; FANTASMI CON I DENTI di Peter Crowther; LA FIGLIA DEL FABBRICANTE DI BARE di Angela Slatter; COLUI CHE CAMMINA NEI BOSCHI di Brian Hodge; DIMMI CHE TI RIVEDRO’ di Dennis Etchison; LA MUSICA DI BENGT KARLSSON, ASSASSINO di John A. Lindqvist; RISPOSTA SBAGLIATA di Ramsey Campbell; ALICE ATTRAVERSO IL FOGLIO DI PLASTICA di Robert Shearman; L’UOMO NEL FOSSO di Lisa Tuttle; UN GIOCO DA BAMBINI di Reggie Oliver; UNA TRISTE COSA OSCURA di Michael Marshall Smith; VICINO A ZENNOR di Elizabeth Hand; ULTIME PAROLE di Richard Christian Matheson.Introduzione di Stephen Jones, Illustrazione di copertina di Saber Core.
427 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Stephen Jones
276 books345 followersStephen Jones is an eighteen-time winner of the British Fantasy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
October 11, 2012
I really, really wanted to love this collection. I was so stoked to get my hands on it (as excited as I get about short story anthologies anyways). It contains an original story by Stephen King for heaven's sake, not to mention other original contributions from some of the genre's heaviest hitters including: Ramsey Campbell, John Ajvide Lindqvist and Dennis Etchison.
I think what frustrated me the most about this collection is that the majority of the stories have great beginnings but fizzle out on underwhelming, meh endings. Regardless of how pregnant with potential the premise, none of the authors really nail it, hit it out of the park, stick the landing (pick your metaphor, I got plenty).
That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself, because I did. I just expected more. I wanted that punch to the solar plexus, that tingly feeling of dread or shivery sensation of creep. Instead, I was moderately entertained and mildly amused.
Not surprisingly, one of the strongest is Stephen King's "The Little Green God of Agony", which carries a Twilight Zone or Creepshow vibe. A master of suspense, King controls the mounting tension on this one near perfectly. Anyone who is aware of King's long road to recovery after his near fatal accident won't be surprised to see him turn his writer's eye to the subject of excruciating pain. A pain so intolerable, one can only imagine the body has been possessed by an evil entity that feeds off the agony. While the ending is not that surprising really, it sure is sweet getting there.
King may be my sentimental favorite of the collection, but Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist (author of Let the Right One In) offers the most original and beautifully executed story. "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" is a darkly imagined ghost story about grief that resonates with sadness and desperation. A mother dies suddenly, and in the vacuum of a father and son's loss a ghost finds its way in. Not just any ghost. A murderer of children. This one actually wormed its way in and unnerved me. The writing is very good. It's really hard to believe that the same country that exported ABBA, has given us Lindqvist. Both are fantastic, but one of these things is not like the other.
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The story idea I was most excited about came from horror legend Ramsey Campbell called "Getting It Wrong". It's a deadly games premise whereby a radio quiz show called Inquisition requires its contestants to answer questions correctly ... or bad things happen. I love the set-up on this one. Imagine taking a show like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and amping up the stakes so it's not money you're winning or losing, but the right to keep limbs intact, or eyeballs in your head. Now you're really in the hot seat. You have a life line, literally. So, idea? Perfect. Set-up? Pretty damn fine. Final denouement? Meh. This story could have been so much more, with just a little more meat on its bones.
Finally, Elizabeth Hand's novella "Near Zennor" just sucked me in and kept me turning the pages. It takes place on the English moors and has a very Gothic vibe. A man loses his wife suddenly and finds some old letters she wrote when she was just a girl to the author of a series of children's books. It becomes a mystery that he wants to investigate and he travels to the place where she spent one summer in 1971. This is an odd story that I couldn't quite make up my mind about as I was reading it, but still, it's very strong and I couldn't put it down even when there didn't seem to be anything really happening.
Overall, a fair collection with a couple of pieces worth the price of admission.
I think what frustrated me the most about this collection is that the majority of the stories have great beginnings but fizzle out on underwhelming, meh endings. Regardless of how pregnant with potential the premise, none of the authors really nail it, hit it out of the park, stick the landing (pick your metaphor, I got plenty).
That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself, because I did. I just expected more. I wanted that punch to the solar plexus, that tingly feeling of dread or shivery sensation of creep. Instead, I was moderately entertained and mildly amused.
Not surprisingly, one of the strongest is Stephen King's "The Little Green God of Agony", which carries a Twilight Zone or Creepshow vibe. A master of suspense, King controls the mounting tension on this one near perfectly. Anyone who is aware of King's long road to recovery after his near fatal accident won't be surprised to see him turn his writer's eye to the subject of excruciating pain. A pain so intolerable, one can only imagine the body has been possessed by an evil entity that feeds off the agony. While the ending is not that surprising really, it sure is sweet getting there.
King may be my sentimental favorite of the collection, but Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist (author of Let the Right One In) offers the most original and beautifully executed story. "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" is a darkly imagined ghost story about grief that resonates with sadness and desperation. A mother dies suddenly, and in the vacuum of a father and son's loss a ghost finds its way in. Not just any ghost. A murderer of children. This one actually wormed its way in and unnerved me. The writing is very good. It's really hard to believe that the same country that exported ABBA, has given us Lindqvist. Both are fantastic, but one of these things is not like the other.
[image error]
The story idea I was most excited about came from horror legend Ramsey Campbell called "Getting It Wrong". It's a deadly games premise whereby a radio quiz show called Inquisition requires its contestants to answer questions correctly ... or bad things happen. I love the set-up on this one. Imagine taking a show like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and amping up the stakes so it's not money you're winning or losing, but the right to keep limbs intact, or eyeballs in your head. Now you're really in the hot seat. You have a life line, literally. So, idea? Perfect. Set-up? Pretty damn fine. Final denouement? Meh. This story could have been so much more, with just a little more meat on its bones.
Finally, Elizabeth Hand's novella "Near Zennor" just sucked me in and kept me turning the pages. It takes place on the English moors and has a very Gothic vibe. A man loses his wife suddenly and finds some old letters she wrote when she was just a girl to the author of a series of children's books. It becomes a mystery that he wants to investigate and he travels to the place where she spent one summer in 1971. This is an odd story that I couldn't quite make up my mind about as I was reading it, but still, it's very strong and I couldn't put it down even when there didn't seem to be anything really happening.
Overall, a fair collection with a couple of pieces worth the price of admission.
January 20, 2013
The intro of this book was quite inspirational, talking about bringing back monsters from the older days (before modern stories of romantic vampires and etc.) when we would read them under our beds at night with flash light in hand, shaking and trembling in fear. I have to say, that really brought my hopes up for the stories in these. I even saw Stephen King's name in it and thought it would be awesome.
Unfortunately, most of the stories ended with a splat. The beginning and middle sections of each story were pretty good and interesting, but the endings weren't satisfying. There wasn't any shocking ending, ones that would leave a person to stare at that last sentence in shock and feel a chill roll up their spine. Nope, it just gave me a dull impression and had me thinking,"Oh, that's it?"
Nevertheless, the entire book was enjoyable to an extent.
Unfortunately, most of the stories ended with a splat. The beginning and middle sections of each story were pretty good and interesting, but the endings weren't satisfying. There wasn't any shocking ending, ones that would leave a person to stare at that last sentence in shock and feel a chill roll up their spine. Nope, it just gave me a dull impression and had me thinking,"Oh, that's it?"
Nevertheless, the entire book was enjoyable to an extent.
October 27, 2013
This was a very strong short story collection, in my opinion. Most of the stories were good-to-very good, with 7 of them making it it my personal "definitely want to read again" category. Overall, there were only a few very "weak" inclusions that I didn't get into at all. Notable favorites of mine (personally speaking) were "A Child's Problem", by Reggie Oliver, "Getting It Wrong", by Ramsey Campbell, "Sad, Dark Thing", by Michael Marshall Smith, "Roots and All", by Brian Hodge, and "The Music of Bengt Karlsson Murderer", translated by Marlaine Delargy (written by John Ajvide Lindqvist).
As I stated above, there are many other stories that I found well written and original, but these are among those that really stuck with me.
Recommended!
As I stated above, there are many other stories that I found well written and original, but these are among those that really stuck with me.
Recommended!
April 15, 2017
Overall I give the collection three stars as there were some stories that were awesome, some that were eh, and some that I could barely finish.
"The Little Green God of Agony" - Stephen King **
I'm only giving this one two stars as I did not find it particularly enticing. I've personally never thought that Stephen King did a good job at developing mood...or maybe I just am not partial to his kind of writing style. Anyway, this is definitely one of those stories that brings the whole book down...such a shame its the first.
"Charcloth, Firesteel, and Flint" - Caitlin R. Kiernan *****
Caitlin R. Kiernan, on the other hand, is an author whom I absolutely adore. I can't say that her story should really be placed in a horror anthology, however that's more due to her delightful habit of straddling the line between horror and philosophy. This tale was a wonderful read and definitely kept you wanting to read more.
"Ghosts With Teeth" - Peter Crowther ***
The third star I gave Crowther was something of an B for effort. The dialogue is awkward and the premise sloppily executed, however I found that the bones of the story are good. I like that it combines the two branches of horror (supernatural and serial killer/psychopath) as it adds a bit of depth to the story. I believe Crowther is probably the breed of author who writes longer stories well, but just barely hits the mark on short stories.
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" - Angela Slatter *****
This story did not blow my mind, however, I really did find it enjoyable. The Diabolical Ballantynes make a wonderful pair for a horror story. I was also vaguely, yet pleasantly, surprised that the main character is at least a lesbian (potentially bi or pan) and I greatly enjoyed that the whole story doesn't have to be about the protagonist's sexuality. (There's nothing wrong with that, but I personally feel that non-heterosexual sexualities should be treated as if they're nothing out of the norm instead of spotlighting it).
"Roots and All" - Brian Hodge ****
Hodge brings us a fairly good story about country folktales and the balance of right and wrong, death and life. I liked it well enough and found Hodge's wording to be beautiful. He's a good short story writer (something that I believe takes quite a bit of talent) but I'm afraid the story just wasn't to my personal taste. I would still highly recommend it though.
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" - Dennis Etchison *
One of the shortest short stories in this book, "Tell Me I'll See You Again" has the sort of sappy title one would expect in a mystery or bad romance anthology, not in the horror genre. This might earn brownie points if the story is especially clever and well-written; what a shame that it is not the case for this short story. I don't believe this could even truly be classified as horror. Spoiler alert: a teenage boy has the ability to die and come back to life...too bad he wasn't in the car when his mom and little brother died in a wreck. Boo-hoo. The story doesn't even have the poignancy to make it tug at the heart-strings. If you read this anthology I would advise skipping over this one.
"The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" - John Ajvide Lindqvist *****
If you know horror, you know Lindqvist, a true master of a dying breed, something of a modern day Poe. This story does not disappoint. It comes equipped, surely, with many of the standards of the horror genre: death in the family, unknowingly moving into the house of a murderer, child-like wraiths, ghostly music. And yet it is executed beautifully and in such a way that you can't stop reading it. One of the most memorable stories in the anthology.
"Getting It Wrong" - Ramsey Campbell - ***
I'm only giving this story three stars for execution and timing. I can admire the way the story comes full circle, and how because the protagonist is so unlikeable you can imagine how in the end he will earn just suffering. Even still, the story lacks the essential spark of possibility that horror stories need in order to hold its audience in doubt. To make them falter in their surety that it is only a story. This story has none of that, and honestly I can barely believe I made it to the end.
"Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" - Robert Shearman ***
This gets three stars for shear bizareness. I think the story could be a commentary on the absurdity of capitalist societies...but I really can't be sure. The whole thing was a giant what the fuck. And the ending, while unsatisfactory, added to the element of strangeness the whole story emanates. It's not creepy strange though, which makes me doubt its placement in this book.
"The Man in the Ditch" - Lisa Tuttle **
Tuttle gets two stars for effort. It had a fairly decent set-up, but the ball was dropped so hard. The ending was just awful and I think that's all I can say about that.
"A Child's Problem" - Reggie Oliver *****
In wonderful contrast to "The Man in the Ditch", "A Child's Problem" is amazing. The writing puts in mind the era of the setting. And you can't help but love the clever, sassy protagonist. In fact the robustness of all the characters' personalities is astounding considering that this is only a short story. Oliver is a master of their craft and I would highly recommend this anthology just for this story.
"Sad, Dark Thing" - Michael Marshall Smith *****
Another well spun tale, "Sad, Dark Thing" is short and bittersweet. Perhaps the greatest thing about it is you never do figure out what the sad, dark thing is, at least literally speaking. It is pretty clear what it represents symbolically. Very poignant, very elegant, very much a grand horror story.
"Near Zennor" - Elizabeth Hand ***
I really liked the premise of the story. The set-up was wonderful and the possibilities for the story looked quite promising. I was very disappointed in the ending and I left with the feeling that there were several loose strings left to dangle. The writing was decent and the mood quite effective for a ghost story.
"Last Words" - Richard Christian Matheson ****
Pretty decent, "Last Words" is more of a philosophical manifesto written my a serial killer with daddy issues than a horror story. It was still pretty good, and I feel that it was a nice way to end the anthology.
"The Little Green God of Agony" - Stephen King **
I'm only giving this one two stars as I did not find it particularly enticing. I've personally never thought that Stephen King did a good job at developing mood...or maybe I just am not partial to his kind of writing style. Anyway, this is definitely one of those stories that brings the whole book down...such a shame its the first.
"Charcloth, Firesteel, and Flint" - Caitlin R. Kiernan *****
Caitlin R. Kiernan, on the other hand, is an author whom I absolutely adore. I can't say that her story should really be placed in a horror anthology, however that's more due to her delightful habit of straddling the line between horror and philosophy. This tale was a wonderful read and definitely kept you wanting to read more.
"Ghosts With Teeth" - Peter Crowther ***
The third star I gave Crowther was something of an B for effort. The dialogue is awkward and the premise sloppily executed, however I found that the bones of the story are good. I like that it combines the two branches of horror (supernatural and serial killer/psychopath) as it adds a bit of depth to the story. I believe Crowther is probably the breed of author who writes longer stories well, but just barely hits the mark on short stories.
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" - Angela Slatter *****
This story did not blow my mind, however, I really did find it enjoyable. The Diabolical Ballantynes make a wonderful pair for a horror story. I was also vaguely, yet pleasantly, surprised that the main character is at least a lesbian (potentially bi or pan) and I greatly enjoyed that the whole story doesn't have to be about the protagonist's sexuality. (There's nothing wrong with that, but I personally feel that non-heterosexual sexualities should be treated as if they're nothing out of the norm instead of spotlighting it).
"Roots and All" - Brian Hodge ****
Hodge brings us a fairly good story about country folktales and the balance of right and wrong, death and life. I liked it well enough and found Hodge's wording to be beautiful. He's a good short story writer (something that I believe takes quite a bit of talent) but I'm afraid the story just wasn't to my personal taste. I would still highly recommend it though.
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" - Dennis Etchison *
One of the shortest short stories in this book, "Tell Me I'll See You Again" has the sort of sappy title one would expect in a mystery or bad romance anthology, not in the horror genre. This might earn brownie points if the story is especially clever and well-written; what a shame that it is not the case for this short story. I don't believe this could even truly be classified as horror. Spoiler alert: a teenage boy has the ability to die and come back to life...too bad he wasn't in the car when his mom and little brother died in a wreck. Boo-hoo. The story doesn't even have the poignancy to make it tug at the heart-strings. If you read this anthology I would advise skipping over this one.
"The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" - John Ajvide Lindqvist *****
If you know horror, you know Lindqvist, a true master of a dying breed, something of a modern day Poe. This story does not disappoint. It comes equipped, surely, with many of the standards of the horror genre: death in the family, unknowingly moving into the house of a murderer, child-like wraiths, ghostly music. And yet it is executed beautifully and in such a way that you can't stop reading it. One of the most memorable stories in the anthology.
"Getting It Wrong" - Ramsey Campbell - ***
I'm only giving this story three stars for execution and timing. I can admire the way the story comes full circle, and how because the protagonist is so unlikeable you can imagine how in the end he will earn just suffering. Even still, the story lacks the essential spark of possibility that horror stories need in order to hold its audience in doubt. To make them falter in their surety that it is only a story. This story has none of that, and honestly I can barely believe I made it to the end.
"Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" - Robert Shearman ***
This gets three stars for shear bizareness. I think the story could be a commentary on the absurdity of capitalist societies...but I really can't be sure. The whole thing was a giant what the fuck. And the ending, while unsatisfactory, added to the element of strangeness the whole story emanates. It's not creepy strange though, which makes me doubt its placement in this book.
"The Man in the Ditch" - Lisa Tuttle **
Tuttle gets two stars for effort. It had a fairly decent set-up, but the ball was dropped so hard. The ending was just awful and I think that's all I can say about that.
"A Child's Problem" - Reggie Oliver *****
In wonderful contrast to "The Man in the Ditch", "A Child's Problem" is amazing. The writing puts in mind the era of the setting. And you can't help but love the clever, sassy protagonist. In fact the robustness of all the characters' personalities is astounding considering that this is only a short story. Oliver is a master of their craft and I would highly recommend this anthology just for this story.
"Sad, Dark Thing" - Michael Marshall Smith *****
Another well spun tale, "Sad, Dark Thing" is short and bittersweet. Perhaps the greatest thing about it is you never do figure out what the sad, dark thing is, at least literally speaking. It is pretty clear what it represents symbolically. Very poignant, very elegant, very much a grand horror story.
"Near Zennor" - Elizabeth Hand ***
I really liked the premise of the story. The set-up was wonderful and the possibilities for the story looked quite promising. I was very disappointed in the ending and I left with the feeling that there were several loose strings left to dangle. The writing was decent and the mood quite effective for a ghost story.
"Last Words" - Richard Christian Matheson ****
Pretty decent, "Last Words" is more of a philosophical manifesto written my a serial killer with daddy issues than a horror story. It was still pretty good, and I feel that it was a nice way to end the anthology.
May 15, 2012
For those of you who despair that an antidote for all the glittery vampires and torture porn won't be found, look no further than this superb collection that Stephen Jones has put together. I appreciated the fact that I saw a few familiar names like Stephen King Caitlin R Kiernan and Ramsey Campbell, but was pleased to find new favourites among them, such as Reggie Oliver, Elizabeth Hand and Angela Slatter, whose other published works will eventually find their way onto my kindle. This one's a keeper, and I'm glad I own the paperback. It's staying on my bookshelf.
September 24, 2014
This anthology contains contributions by some of the best known modern horror writers, but strangely I found their offerings the weakest of the collection.
I am a great fan of King, Campbell and Lindqvist, and have read nearly everything they have produced, so I was really looking forward to reading their stories. The story by Stephen King failed to grip, scare, enthrall or even really hold my interest, although the characters were well drawn and the dialogue convincing. The Campbell story was just not original, the premise of a ghastly game show has been done before, so it was far too easy to predict where this story was headed. The novella by Lindqvist was better, but when he veered away from the psychological chills that he does so well, and launched into an overblown and unpleasant account of child torture, I was disappointed.
The stories I enjoyed most, were by authors I have never encountered before. The Reggie Oliver novella "A Child's Problem" was an excellent piece of gothic fiction, that reminded me of some of the great Victorian and Edwardian masters of the genre. "Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand (another novella) was set in modern times, and was atmospheric, creepy and full of suspense. Brian Hodge's "Roots and All" took an American backwoods setting and created a disturbing intertwining of rustic superstitions with the problems of a spreading culture of drugs dependency and production.
I will definitely be seeking out further stories and novels by Oliver, Hand and Hodge, and their offerings should merit a 5 star rating, but unfortunately the rest of the anthology is fairly mediocre. I appreciate that everybody has different tastes in horror, and that this anthology is trying to appeal to a wide audience, but the poor contributions by some of my favourite authors dragged down my overall enjoyment of this book.
I am a great fan of King, Campbell and Lindqvist, and have read nearly everything they have produced, so I was really looking forward to reading their stories. The story by Stephen King failed to grip, scare, enthrall or even really hold my interest, although the characters were well drawn and the dialogue convincing. The Campbell story was just not original, the premise of a ghastly game show has been done before, so it was far too easy to predict where this story was headed. The novella by Lindqvist was better, but when he veered away from the psychological chills that he does so well, and launched into an overblown and unpleasant account of child torture, I was disappointed.
The stories I enjoyed most, were by authors I have never encountered before. The Reggie Oliver novella "A Child's Problem" was an excellent piece of gothic fiction, that reminded me of some of the great Victorian and Edwardian masters of the genre. "Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand (another novella) was set in modern times, and was atmospheric, creepy and full of suspense. Brian Hodge's "Roots and All" took an American backwoods setting and created a disturbing intertwining of rustic superstitions with the problems of a spreading culture of drugs dependency and production.
I will definitely be seeking out further stories and novels by Oliver, Hand and Hodge, and their offerings should merit a 5 star rating, but unfortunately the rest of the anthology is fairly mediocre. I appreciate that everybody has different tastes in horror, and that this anthology is trying to appeal to a wide audience, but the poor contributions by some of my favourite authors dragged down my overall enjoyment of this book.
December 15, 2012
The intro of this book, and leading off with "The Little Green God of Agony" really sets readers up for a hard and disappointing tumble. The intro, as other reviewers have mentioned, talks up the collection as "reclaiming the monsters" and taking back beasts and bogeys from the romance genre. It promised readers gut wrenching horrors, and terrors from beyond the grave. Then it opened with a haymaker from Stephen King, and it seemed like a solid knock out. Then the book sprained its wrist.
Out of the dozen and change stories between these pages only King's "The Little Green God of Agony" and "the Coffinmaker's Daughter" would get my recommendation. Both of them were beautifully paced, with characters you could follow, and solid world setups. Most of all though, they had punch to them. They reached into the reader's guts and found that place that sent a shiver through your bowels with the implications of what was in them. The other stories... not so much.
Rather than bemoaning the state of horror as a genre though, this likely comes due to the reviewer being a bit of a book snob. However, while lots of the stories held good promise, they felt like horror blue balls. There was foreplay, a flash of a beast here or a ghost there, and then they ended with a "well, that's that. You're not scared?" Even the last story, which deals with the reflections of a serial killer, couldn't quite get back up off the mat to finish strong. Overall it felt like a collection trying really hard to be scary, but that broke it's leg a few steps out of the gate. There was no visceral punch, and most of the tales were just confusing rather than frightening.
Out of the dozen and change stories between these pages only King's "The Little Green God of Agony" and "the Coffinmaker's Daughter" would get my recommendation. Both of them were beautifully paced, with characters you could follow, and solid world setups. Most of all though, they had punch to them. They reached into the reader's guts and found that place that sent a shiver through your bowels with the implications of what was in them. The other stories... not so much.
Rather than bemoaning the state of horror as a genre though, this likely comes due to the reviewer being a bit of a book snob. However, while lots of the stories held good promise, they felt like horror blue balls. There was foreplay, a flash of a beast here or a ghost there, and then they ended with a "well, that's that. You're not scared?" Even the last story, which deals with the reflections of a serial killer, couldn't quite get back up off the mat to finish strong. Overall it felt like a collection trying really hard to be scary, but that broke it's leg a few steps out of the gate. There was no visceral punch, and most of the tales were just confusing rather than frightening.
February 27, 2013
Though the book had some misses, (it is a bit uneven) it does overall live up to the hilarious (and quite adept) forward by Jones. He claims in his forward that most horror stories now a days are "lite" with sparking vampires and government-employed werewolves. I agree very loudly. For the most part the stories are creepy and in two instances completely scared the crap out of me. Stephen King's contribution "Little Green God of Agony" is old school and great but the stand outs for me were Peter Crowther's "Ghosts with Teeth" and Karl Ajvide Lindqvist's (author of "Let The Right On In) "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer." Both have stayed with me long after I finished reading because they take a look into the horror human's manage to inflict on others. I strongly recommend this to horror aficionados.
January 6, 2023
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A superb collection of terror, and not a bad short story or novelette in the group.
Unless you think bad means you’ve been badly scared…
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A superb collection of terror, and not a bad short story or novelette in the group.
Unless you think bad means you’ve been badly scared…
…..
……
……
September 6, 2016
Overall, a really nice collection of horror stories, and all of them new to me. It was a pleasure to read Caitlin R. Kiernan's Charcloth, Firesteel, and Flint. Near Zennor captured all of Elizabeth Hand's brilliant descriptions and mood that I've found in her other work. But the story that I particularly liked was The Coffin-Maker's Daughter, which gives a great twist on the idea of mirrors and death. The one story I just couldn't make it through was Peter Crowther's Ghosts with Teeth. I'm not sure what the issue was other than I couldn't figure out what was going on (not always a bad thing in a horror story) and felt like I was reading something written while drunk. Aside from that piece, though, very entertaining.
July 16, 2013
ive been on a short story kick for a little while now, i like short stories because u dont have to commit to a long book to still enjoy a tale. if the story sucks, its ok, youve only got a few more pages to go til its finished, and you havent wasted much time. i find that some authors tend to get ridiculously creative when writing short stories...not all short stories have to have a definitive end. i enjoyed quite a few of the stories in this collection, probably only one that i wasnt crazy about at all, and one that i REALLY enjoyed called A Childs Problem.
January 16, 2014
Още щом разбрах, че от „Бард” ще издават сборник разкази на ужаса от западни автори си казах – това е само за мен, задължително трябва да се прочете. Оригиналното заглавие на книгата е “A Book of Horrors” и неин съставител е Стивън Джоунс, известен британски редактор и съставител. Българското издание е кръстено на първия разказ в сборник, чийто автор е Стивън Кинг.
Какво мисля за разказите в сборника:
1. Малкият зелен бог на агонията – Стивън Кинг: маестро Кинг няма нужда от представяне и реклама. Чудесен разказ, вдъхновение за който явно е била ужасната катастрофа, в която писателят едва оцелява. Препоръчвам.
2. Прахан, стомана и кремък – Кейтлин Р. Киърнан: нелоша история, напомни ми доста епизоди от „Американски богове” на Геймън, бива.
3. Призраци със зъби – Питър Краудър: горе-долу. В този, както и в някои други разкази в сборника забелязах, че сякаш различните им автори ги пишат по един и същи калъп: блудкаво начало, що-годе добър финал и помежду това абсурдни диалози, будещи у читателя съмнение за съдържанието на „тавана” на героите: има ли въобще там нещо друго освен прах и паяжини и ако има, дали не е безнадеждно разхвърляно?
4. Дъщерята на майстора на ковчези – Анджела Слатър: отначало си помислих да не е намигване към едноименния разказ на Пушкин, но не е. Имаме една майсторка на ковчези, влюбена в дъщерята на покойника и… Останах доволен, определено, надявам се да прочета и други творби от австралийската писателка, която освен талант притежава и чудесно име за хорър-автор.
5. Корени и прочее – Брайън Ходж: същото като в разказ номер 3. Тук поне хепиендът успя да замаже положението.
6. Кажи ми, че ще те видя отново – Денис Етчисън: като в предния разказ, но без ефекта на хепиенда.
7. Музиката на Бенке Карлсон, Убиеца – Йон Айвиде Линдквист: най-добрият разказ в сборника! Шведската машина ми отвя главата и разпиля останалите автори като празни кибритени кутийки. Наглед изтъркан сюжет – съпругата на един мъж умира и той и синчето му напускат града. Отиват в друго населено място, бащата почва работа, ала къщата, в която са се нанесли крие страшна тайна… Не, прочетете, няма да съжалявате. Само да напомня, че от романа му "Покани ме да вляза" в деветмилионна Швеция са продадени половин милион бройки.
8. Грешен отговор – Рамзи Камбъл: много се надявах на този разказ, много. Все пак, Рамзи Камбъл е един от 20-те топ-хорър автора на всички времена. Не останах обаче впечатлен – разведен мъж, маниак на тема филми, работещ в киното и една игра. Звучи добре на първи прочит, но не е реализирана като хората, още повече финалът сме го виждали достатъчно и на други места.
9. Алиса в пластмасовия свят – Робърт Шиърман: откровено не ми хареса. Дементна история за средностатистическо американско семейство, чиито съседи се изнасят и идват нови. Съседите обаче не са съвсем хора и някак напомнят старите съседи. Особено финалът изглеждаше, че е писан от човек на халюциногени.
10. Мъжът в канавката – Лайза Татъл: не е кой знае какво или пък нещо, което не сме чели, но не оставя неприятен привкус в устата след четене.
11. Детска задача – Реджи Оливър: стра-хот-но! Разказ, сякаш писан от старите класици на жанра: По, М.Р.Джеймс, Стокър. Родителите на малкия Джордж отиват да живеят в Индия и са принудени да оставят осемгодишния си син на неговия чичо: сприхавият, стар Огъстъс, богат, болнав собственик на обширно имение. Загадки, страх, призраци, преплетени по чудесен начин – аплодисменти!
12. Нещо мрачно и печално – Майкъл Маршал Смит: хм. Добро. Усеща се нещичко и от Кинг, и от мрачните частици на Геймън, особено когато накрая не ти казва или показва за какво става дума, а само ти дава леки подмятания, за да си изградиш сам образа в себе си.
13. Близо до Зенор – Елизабет Хенд: започна леко клиширано и завърши с отворен край, но като цяло беше добра историйка за писателя, който пише уж фентъзи за деца, а��а със солиден хорър елемент. Три момиченца фенки на книгите му решават да му отидат на гости, но дали това е добра идея? Все пак, авторът ще бъде съден на педофилия след някоя и друга година.
14. Последни думи – Ричард Крисчън Матесън: най-кратката творба в сборника, но за сметка на това напълно излишна. Синът на автора на „Аз съм легенда” може и да е известен сценарист и продуцент, но това подобие на есе просто няма място тук.
Искам да попитам - това ли е цветът на западния хорър? Това ли се чете, това ли се пише, това ли се търси като разкази? Може да ви прозвучи самохвално, но изключая 3-4 наистина мощни попадения, в „До Ада и Назад” имаше неща, които не отстъпваха по нищо на останалите творби.Финалното ми заключение е, че сборника е добър, макар че очаквах повече. Учудващо за самия мен, жените-авторки в сборника се представиха достойно, което не може да се каже за всичките мъже. Има няколко добри разказа, както и няколко много силни, но има и откровен пълнеж. Както може би във всеки сборник разкази, впрочем.
Какво мисля за разказите в сборника:
1. Малкият зелен бог на агонията – Стивън Кинг: маестро Кинг няма нужда от представяне и реклама. Чудесен разказ, вдъхновение за който явно е била ужасната катастрофа, в която писателят едва оцелява. Препоръчвам.
2. Прахан, стомана и кремък – Кейтлин Р. Киърнан: нелоша история, напомни ми доста епизоди от „Американски богове” на Геймън, бива.
3. Призраци със зъби – Питър Краудър: горе-долу. В този, както и в някои други разкази в сборника забелязах, че сякаш различните им автори ги пишат по един и същи калъп: блудкаво начало, що-годе добър финал и помежду това абсурдни диалози, будещи у читателя съмнение за съдържанието на „тавана” на героите: има ли въобще там нещо друго освен прах и паяжини и ако има, дали не е безнадеждно разхвърляно?
4. Дъщерята на майстора на ковчези – Анджела Слатър: отначало си помислих да не е намигване към едноименния разказ на Пушкин, но не е. Имаме една майсторка на ковчези, влюбена в дъщерята на покойника и… Останах доволен, определено, надявам се да прочета и други творби от австралийската писателка, която освен талант притежава и чудесно име за хорър-автор.
5. Корени и прочее – Брайън Ходж: същото като в разказ номер 3. Тук поне хепиендът успя да замаже положението.
6. Кажи ми, че ще те видя отново – Денис Етчисън: като в предния разказ, но без ефекта на хепиенда.
7. Музиката на Бенке Карлсон, Убиеца – Йон Айвиде Линдквист: най-добрият разказ в сборника! Шведската машина ми отвя главата и разпиля останалите автори като празни кибритени кутийки. Наглед изтъркан сюжет – съпругата на един мъж умира и той и синчето му напускат града. Отиват в друго населено място, бащата почва работа, ала къщата, в която са се нанесли крие страшна тайна… Не, прочетете, няма да съжалявате. Само да напомня, че от романа му "Покани ме да вляза" в деветмилионна Швеция са продадени половин милион бройки.
8. Грешен отговор – Рамзи Камбъл: много се надявах на този разказ, много. Все пак, Рамзи Камбъл е един от 20-те топ-хорър автора на всички времена. Не останах обаче впечатлен – разведен мъж, маниак на тема филми, работещ в киното и една игра. Звучи добре на първи прочит, но не е реализирана като хората, още повече финалът сме го виждали достатъчно и на други места.
9. Алиса в пластмасовия свят – Робърт Шиърман: откровено не ми хареса. Дементна история за средностатистическо американско семейство, чиито съседи се изнасят и идват нови. Съседите обаче не са съвсем хора и някак напомнят старите съседи. Особено финалът изглеждаше, че е писан от човек на халюциногени.
10. Мъжът в канавката – Лайза Татъл: не е кой знае какво или пък нещо, което не сме чели, но не оставя неприятен привкус в устата след четене.
11. Детска задача – Реджи Оливър: стра-хот-но! Разказ, сякаш писан от старите класици на жанра: По, М.Р.Джеймс, Стокър. Родителите на малкия Джордж отиват да живеят в Индия и са принудени да оставят осемгодишния си син на неговия чичо: сприхавият, стар Огъстъс, богат, болнав собственик на обширно имение. Загадки, страх, призраци, преплетени по чудесен начин – аплодисменти!
12. Нещо мрачно и печално – Майкъл Маршал Смит: хм. Добро. Усеща се нещичко и от Кинг, и от мрачните частици на Геймън, особено когато накрая не ти казва или показва за какво става дума, а само ти дава леки подмятания, за да си изградиш сам образа в себе си.
13. Близо до Зенор – Елизабет Хенд: започна леко клиширано и завърши с отворен край, но като цяло беше добра историйка за писателя, който пише уж фентъзи за деца, а��а със солиден хорър елемент. Три момиченца фенки на книгите му решават да му отидат на гости, но дали това е добра идея? Все пак, авторът ще бъде съден на педофилия след някоя и друга година.
14. Последни думи – Ричард Крисчън Матесън: най-кратката творба в сборника, но за сметка на това напълно излишна. Синът на автора на „Аз съм легенда” може и да е известен сценарист и продуцент, но това подобие на есе просто няма място тук.
Искам да попитам - това ли е цветът на западния хорър? Това ли се чете, това ли се пише, това ли се търси като разкази? Може да ви прозвучи самохвално, но изключая 3-4 наистина мощни попадения, в „До Ада и Назад” имаше неща, които не отстъпваха по нищо на останалите творби.Финалното ми заключение е, че сборника е добър, макар че очаквах повече. Учудващо за самия мен, жените-авторки в сборника се представиха достойно, което не може да се каже за всичките мъже. Има няколко добри разказа, както и няколко много силни, но има и откровен пълнеж. Както може би във всеки сборник разкази, впрочем.
October 24, 2022
I haven't written a book review in many many months. I'm happy to share my gush with you guys. This short story collection is just what I needed. I started this book back in July during my trip to visit family. I have said this in many many reviews, when it comes to short story collections they are always a hit or miss. This was definitely a hit. So much so I liked every single short story in this collection and I can only say that to a handful of anthologies. Also, all of these stories were actually creepy, spooky, down right scary so definitely worth a read during October if you still can. So the 5 star rating is legit.
Let's start off with the stories inside. I picked this anthology up because of the short story within by Stephen King called "The Little Green God of Agony". So let's start our review off with this one.
The Little Green God of Agony by Stephen King (4 stars) is about an old man and his OT nurse. The story goes with the nurse thinking that the old man was a huge faker of his injury and that yes, because of the accident he should be a little sore, but not the amount that he is complaining. The old man has had many people come through his home trying to "fix him". However, this time it is different, this homeless looker character swears he can make his suffering go away. How so is what you need to find out. This was a great little addition to all of King's other short stories. I enjoyed it.
The next 13 stories is as follows. I will give them a star rating and a quick summary of what it's about, of course, without spoilers.
Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint by Caitlin R. Kiernan (4 stars) I've always wanted to read Caitlin R. Kiernan. Did you know that she is a paleontologist and an author? I own two other books by this Irish-American, "The Drowning Girl" and "The Red Tree". This story was very entertaining, written in an urban legend style about a "hitchhiker" that reminded me of the show "Supernaturals". Hopefully that sounds enticing enough for you.
Ghosts with Teeth by Peter Crowther (5 stars) This story was wild. Definitely scary. Our main character and his wife arrive home to their small town and find out the way to their house is blocked. Their deputy friend tells them they really should head back the way they came or go all the way around. However the couple plead their case and ask if they can just hurry through that the river of water blocking the street isn't too deep for them to cross. The friend rolls her eyes, but allows it. It's important to remember that she gave them a chance and they didn't take it. Once the couple arrives at home, LOTS of weird things start happening. Now I want you to look at the title "Ghosts with Teeth", this is a ghost story about ghosts that can physical hurt you. I'll leave it at that.
The Coffin-Maker's Daughter by Angela Slatter (3.5 stars) This story is pretty self explanatory. It's about a daughter that makes coffin's, but not just any coffin's handmade elaborately decorated coffins. Her artistry and attention to detail is not found anywhere else. What's so scary about the story? Well....where do the bodies come from?
Roots and All by Brain Hodge (4.5 stars) If you like Ania Ahlborn I think you'll enjoy this story. This story is about two cousins who visit their recently deceased grandmother's house out in rural nowhere. They were the grandmother's favorites and are expected to look through the house and clean it out, sort it, what have you. While the cousins are reminiscing about the good ol' days, they think about an old childhood story about a creature that lived in the woods. Now the cousins playfully banter back in forth if they thought the story was real of if their grandma was pulling their leg. Obviously monsters aren't real.
Tell Me I'll See You Again by Dennis Etchison (3 stars) This was a strange story about fear and death. It was one of the shortest stories in the book. I liked it, but it's too short to talk about. It's mostly dialogue.
The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer by John Ajvide Lindqvist (5 stars) Ooh this story was good. I've been wanting to read this author for a long time as well. I own "Let Me In", but have a few more of his books on my TBR, so this was a great opportunity to test out his writing. This story is about a father and son who lost the mom/wife and move to a rural house to escape memories of her. What they didn't know is that the house used to belong to a murderer and that was why the house was so cheap. The father soon finds out, that the house is haunted and that the son is seeing "them". The twist at the end really put the cherry on top. Loved this one.
Getting it Wrong by Ramsey Campbell (3.5 stars) This was a weird little story about an antisocial film buff who works at a movie theater. His coworkers don't really talk to him and he doesn't like anyone. One day he gets a phone call from someone who claims to be from a gameshow. a coworker of his is on this gameshow and she has called him as her expert friend. Remember this is a horror, so I won't say anything else except he should have taken the game more seriously.
Alice Through the Plastic sheet by Robert Shearman (4.5 stars) This was another story that reminded me of Ania Ahlborn's writing. This story is about a couple who lives on a nice cookie cutter quiet street. There wonderfully quiet neighbors eventually die (they were old) and our main couple are hopeful that the new family that moves in is just as quiet. However, that is not the case. This new family, at first quiet begins to blast music at all hours of the day/night. The husband finally goes over to speak to the new owners (forced to by his wife). What he sees is unbelievable. Definitely want to try this author again in the future.
The Man in the Ditch by Lisa Tuttle (3 stars) This story is about a couple who has built their new home in the country of Norwich. It starts off with the wife seeing a dead man in a ditch. The husband does not believe her, and with some convincing they turn around to find nothing. This "dead man" seems to pop up more over the months the house is being built, but only the wife ever sees it. This is definitely a strange little story.
A Child's Problem by Reggie Oliver (5 stars) This was one of my favorite stories from the collection. It's set in 1811 at Tankerton Abbey and it's about a couple who drops off their son of 9 to an elder family member who is widowed and without children. The couple are off to India and need the eldest brother to watch their son in between the time he is of age to enter boarding school. The house belongs the the boy's father's family and had been in the family for generations. Over the next few weeks odd things happen that the boy witnesses. The uncle is very strict and aloof. The boy over time, finds out the dark history that shadows the house of St. Maur. This short story was fascinating to read and I loved the ending.
Sad, Dark Thing by Michael Marshall Smith (4 stars) This again was a creepy story about an aimless man who is newly divorced. He likes to take drives (must be nice, gas prices are astronomical) to clear his head and stave off boredom. One day the man drives down a random dirt road and comes to a sign that says, "Stop", the man decides to drive further and comes to another hand written sign that says, "Tourists Welcome". This sign really peaks the mans interest. I would have ran from a hand written sign in the middle of nowhere woods, but that's just me. The man continues and what he finds at the end is not a pot of gold.
Near Zennor, by Elizabeth Hand (4 stars) This story is about a man named Jeffrey who has just lost his wife to a brain aneurysm. He is going through her stuff and comes across unopened letters. At first you might be thinking since these letters are addressed to a man that she had some sort of affair, but when Jeffrey opens the letters he finds letters written to an author and the letters were written when his wife was still in school. Jeffrey is intrigued by the letters and what became of the author, so he visits a childhood friend of the wife that was actually mentioned in the letters and the friend tells him about this strange night when the girls were in the moors. Jeffrey decides to visit this area and see for himself if the story was true. Very fun story to read and I loved what happens when he gets there. I would have given this story a 5 star, but the story ends in a rush with a bit of predictability. I knew who the woman was around the middle of the story or at least I had a feeling and I was correct.
Last Words by Richard Christian Matheson (4.5 stars) The son of the famous Richard Matheson. This short story is very short, but sweet. This is the shortest of all the stories coming in at a total of 2 pages. "The best one I ever heard was..." Don't want to spoil this tiny story, but you might be able to guess.
Overall I really liked this short story collection and I'm very happy I picked it up. I don't have much time this year to read because of school, so I'm happy to have picked up a book that was worth my time.
Let's start off with the stories inside. I picked this anthology up because of the short story within by Stephen King called "The Little Green God of Agony". So let's start our review off with this one.
The Little Green God of Agony by Stephen King (4 stars) is about an old man and his OT nurse. The story goes with the nurse thinking that the old man was a huge faker of his injury and that yes, because of the accident he should be a little sore, but not the amount that he is complaining. The old man has had many people come through his home trying to "fix him". However, this time it is different, this homeless looker character swears he can make his suffering go away. How so is what you need to find out. This was a great little addition to all of King's other short stories. I enjoyed it.
The next 13 stories is as follows. I will give them a star rating and a quick summary of what it's about, of course, without spoilers.
Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint by Caitlin R. Kiernan (4 stars) I've always wanted to read Caitlin R. Kiernan. Did you know that she is a paleontologist and an author? I own two other books by this Irish-American, "The Drowning Girl" and "The Red Tree". This story was very entertaining, written in an urban legend style about a "hitchhiker" that reminded me of the show "Supernaturals". Hopefully that sounds enticing enough for you.
Ghosts with Teeth by Peter Crowther (5 stars) This story was wild. Definitely scary. Our main character and his wife arrive home to their small town and find out the way to their house is blocked. Their deputy friend tells them they really should head back the way they came or go all the way around. However the couple plead their case and ask if they can just hurry through that the river of water blocking the street isn't too deep for them to cross. The friend rolls her eyes, but allows it. It's important to remember that she gave them a chance and they didn't take it. Once the couple arrives at home, LOTS of weird things start happening. Now I want you to look at the title "Ghosts with Teeth", this is a ghost story about ghosts that can physical hurt you. I'll leave it at that.
The Coffin-Maker's Daughter by Angela Slatter (3.5 stars) This story is pretty self explanatory. It's about a daughter that makes coffin's, but not just any coffin's handmade elaborately decorated coffins. Her artistry and attention to detail is not found anywhere else. What's so scary about the story? Well....where do the bodies come from?
Roots and All by Brain Hodge (4.5 stars) If you like Ania Ahlborn I think you'll enjoy this story. This story is about two cousins who visit their recently deceased grandmother's house out in rural nowhere. They were the grandmother's favorites and are expected to look through the house and clean it out, sort it, what have you. While the cousins are reminiscing about the good ol' days, they think about an old childhood story about a creature that lived in the woods. Now the cousins playfully banter back in forth if they thought the story was real of if their grandma was pulling their leg. Obviously monsters aren't real.
Tell Me I'll See You Again by Dennis Etchison (3 stars) This was a strange story about fear and death. It was one of the shortest stories in the book. I liked it, but it's too short to talk about. It's mostly dialogue.
The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer by John Ajvide Lindqvist (5 stars) Ooh this story was good. I've been wanting to read this author for a long time as well. I own "Let Me In", but have a few more of his books on my TBR, so this was a great opportunity to test out his writing. This story is about a father and son who lost the mom/wife and move to a rural house to escape memories of her. What they didn't know is that the house used to belong to a murderer and that was why the house was so cheap. The father soon finds out, that the house is haunted and that the son is seeing "them". The twist at the end really put the cherry on top. Loved this one.
Getting it Wrong by Ramsey Campbell (3.5 stars) This was a weird little story about an antisocial film buff who works at a movie theater. His coworkers don't really talk to him and he doesn't like anyone. One day he gets a phone call from someone who claims to be from a gameshow. a coworker of his is on this gameshow and she has called him as her expert friend. Remember this is a horror, so I won't say anything else except he should have taken the game more seriously.
Alice Through the Plastic sheet by Robert Shearman (4.5 stars) This was another story that reminded me of Ania Ahlborn's writing. This story is about a couple who lives on a nice cookie cutter quiet street. There wonderfully quiet neighbors eventually die (they were old) and our main couple are hopeful that the new family that moves in is just as quiet. However, that is not the case. This new family, at first quiet begins to blast music at all hours of the day/night. The husband finally goes over to speak to the new owners (forced to by his wife). What he sees is unbelievable. Definitely want to try this author again in the future.
The Man in the Ditch by Lisa Tuttle (3 stars) This story is about a couple who has built their new home in the country of Norwich. It starts off with the wife seeing a dead man in a ditch. The husband does not believe her, and with some convincing they turn around to find nothing. This "dead man" seems to pop up more over the months the house is being built, but only the wife ever sees it. This is definitely a strange little story.
A Child's Problem by Reggie Oliver (5 stars) This was one of my favorite stories from the collection. It's set in 1811 at Tankerton Abbey and it's about a couple who drops off their son of 9 to an elder family member who is widowed and without children. The couple are off to India and need the eldest brother to watch their son in between the time he is of age to enter boarding school. The house belongs the the boy's father's family and had been in the family for generations. Over the next few weeks odd things happen that the boy witnesses. The uncle is very strict and aloof. The boy over time, finds out the dark history that shadows the house of St. Maur. This short story was fascinating to read and I loved the ending.
Sad, Dark Thing by Michael Marshall Smith (4 stars) This again was a creepy story about an aimless man who is newly divorced. He likes to take drives (must be nice, gas prices are astronomical) to clear his head and stave off boredom. One day the man drives down a random dirt road and comes to a sign that says, "Stop", the man decides to drive further and comes to another hand written sign that says, "Tourists Welcome". This sign really peaks the mans interest. I would have ran from a hand written sign in the middle of nowhere woods, but that's just me. The man continues and what he finds at the end is not a pot of gold.
Near Zennor, by Elizabeth Hand (4 stars) This story is about a man named Jeffrey who has just lost his wife to a brain aneurysm. He is going through her stuff and comes across unopened letters. At first you might be thinking since these letters are addressed to a man that she had some sort of affair, but when Jeffrey opens the letters he finds letters written to an author and the letters were written when his wife was still in school. Jeffrey is intrigued by the letters and what became of the author, so he visits a childhood friend of the wife that was actually mentioned in the letters and the friend tells him about this strange night when the girls were in the moors. Jeffrey decides to visit this area and see for himself if the story was true. Very fun story to read and I loved what happens when he gets there. I would have given this story a 5 star, but the story ends in a rush with a bit of predictability. I knew who the woman was around the middle of the story or at least I had a feeling and I was correct.
Last Words by Richard Christian Matheson (4.5 stars) The son of the famous Richard Matheson. This short story is very short, but sweet. This is the shortest of all the stories coming in at a total of 2 pages. "The best one I ever heard was..." Don't want to spoil this tiny story, but you might be able to guess.
Overall I really liked this short story collection and I'm very happy I picked it up. I don't have much time this year to read because of school, so I'm happy to have picked up a book that was worth my time.
January 7, 2015
Introduction:- Whatever Happened to Horror? Stephen Jones
The Little Green God of Agony - Stephen King
Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint - Caitlin R. Kiernan
Ghosts with Teeth - Peter Crowther
The Coffin-Maker's Daughter - Angela Slatter
Roots and All - Brian Hodge
Tell Me I'll See You Again - Dennis Etchison
The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Getting it Wrong - Ramset Campbell
Alice Through the Plastic Sheet - Robert Shearman
The Man in the Ditch - Lisa Tuttle
A Child's Problem - Reggie Oliver
Sad, Dark Thing - Michael Marshall Smith
Near Zennor - Elizabeth Hand
Last Words - Richard Christian Matheson
"In his introduction to A Book of Horrors, editor Stephen Jones rails against the ’horror-lite’ nature of today’s genre fiction, decrying the likes of ‘paranormal romance’, ‘urban fantasy’, and ‘steampunk’, possibly with a lit torch in hand. “The time has come to reclaim horror,” he declares, presumably from high atop a mountain of skulls. “If you enjoy the stories within these pages, you can say that you were there when the fight began.” If Jones’s valiant attempt at inspiration has properly stirred your shit up, you may enjoy a few of these honorable mentions:
The Little Green God of Agony, by Stephen King
Although this brand new piece by King was originally published in A Book of Horrors, editor Ellen Datlow included it in Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 4, which received a U.S. release back in May. Green God is vintage King, a gothic healer/exorcism story that commands your full attention for 30 pages before ending so abruptly, it seems like half a story. Oh, those Stephen King endings.
Ghosts with Teeth, by Peter Crowther
Crowther has a way of taking everyday life and tweaking it every so slightly, until you feel like you might be going a little bit crazy. It’s a novella that lies somewhere between the hallucinatory delirium of In the Mouth of Madness and Dead & Buried.
The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer, by John Ajvide Lindqvist
An old fashioned ghost story, expertly penned by the author of Let Me In. After a widower bribes his young son to take piano lessons––well, the title says it all, really. Like much of Lindqvist’s work, the less spoiled, the better. Just read it.
Alice Through the Plastic Sheet, by Robert Shearman
It’s hard to complain about irritating neighbors when you’ve never laid eyes on them, an idea that Robert Shearman explores to surreal, nightmarish effect in this nominee for both the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award. A strangely disturbing story considering its lack of violence or gore.
Sad, Dark Thing, by Michael Marshall Smith
Another excellent, haunting short story by the author of The Straw Men. Aimlessly driving down country roads, a troubled man stumbles across an unusual tourist attraction––a plywood cabin, covered in moss, that houses a “sad, dark thing”. And for only a $1, you can take a peek. Although I loved more than a few of these stories, this one emerged as the clear favorite.
There’s something refreshing about an unthemed anthology like A Book of Horrors. With every page turn, you never know what you’re going to get. With angry ghosts, fire succubae, psychic premonitions, even tree monsters, this anthology is pleasantly all over the place. What’s most notable is the overall strength of the stories Jones has selected––at least half of the tales rank anywhere from great to excellent. Don’t miss this one."
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/319...
Excellent collection with my favourite being the unsettling Victorian Gothic A Child's Problem by Reggie Oliver
The Little Green God of Agony - Stephen King
Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint - Caitlin R. Kiernan
Ghosts with Teeth - Peter Crowther
The Coffin-Maker's Daughter - Angela Slatter
Roots and All - Brian Hodge
Tell Me I'll See You Again - Dennis Etchison
The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Getting it Wrong - Ramset Campbell
Alice Through the Plastic Sheet - Robert Shearman
The Man in the Ditch - Lisa Tuttle
A Child's Problem - Reggie Oliver
Sad, Dark Thing - Michael Marshall Smith
Near Zennor - Elizabeth Hand
Last Words - Richard Christian Matheson
"In his introduction to A Book of Horrors, editor Stephen Jones rails against the ’horror-lite’ nature of today’s genre fiction, decrying the likes of ‘paranormal romance’, ‘urban fantasy’, and ‘steampunk’, possibly with a lit torch in hand. “The time has come to reclaim horror,” he declares, presumably from high atop a mountain of skulls. “If you enjoy the stories within these pages, you can say that you were there when the fight began.” If Jones’s valiant attempt at inspiration has properly stirred your shit up, you may enjoy a few of these honorable mentions:
The Little Green God of Agony, by Stephen King
Although this brand new piece by King was originally published in A Book of Horrors, editor Ellen Datlow included it in Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 4, which received a U.S. release back in May. Green God is vintage King, a gothic healer/exorcism story that commands your full attention for 30 pages before ending so abruptly, it seems like half a story. Oh, those Stephen King endings.
Ghosts with Teeth, by Peter Crowther
Crowther has a way of taking everyday life and tweaking it every so slightly, until you feel like you might be going a little bit crazy. It’s a novella that lies somewhere between the hallucinatory delirium of In the Mouth of Madness and Dead & Buried.
The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer, by John Ajvide Lindqvist
An old fashioned ghost story, expertly penned by the author of Let Me In. After a widower bribes his young son to take piano lessons––well, the title says it all, really. Like much of Lindqvist’s work, the less spoiled, the better. Just read it.
Alice Through the Plastic Sheet, by Robert Shearman
It’s hard to complain about irritating neighbors when you’ve never laid eyes on them, an idea that Robert Shearman explores to surreal, nightmarish effect in this nominee for both the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award. A strangely disturbing story considering its lack of violence or gore.
Sad, Dark Thing, by Michael Marshall Smith
Another excellent, haunting short story by the author of The Straw Men. Aimlessly driving down country roads, a troubled man stumbles across an unusual tourist attraction––a plywood cabin, covered in moss, that houses a “sad, dark thing”. And for only a $1, you can take a peek. Although I loved more than a few of these stories, this one emerged as the clear favorite.
There’s something refreshing about an unthemed anthology like A Book of Horrors. With every page turn, you never know what you’re going to get. With angry ghosts, fire succubae, psychic premonitions, even tree monsters, this anthology is pleasantly all over the place. What’s most notable is the overall strength of the stories Jones has selected––at least half of the tales rank anywhere from great to excellent. Don’t miss this one."
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/319...
Excellent collection with my favourite being the unsettling Victorian Gothic A Child's Problem by Reggie Oliver
February 5, 2016
I'm a big fan of short story collections and anthologies. Anthologies give you a chance to try out some new-to-you authors in an easy (and, let's face it, noncommittal) way. But that's ok! Sometimes all it takes is one or two key authors to pull me into a collection (um, Mr. King) and then I walk away with a slew of new stuff to add to my ever-growing TBR. And such was just the case with this latest from horror anthology master, Stephen Jones.
A Book of Horrors features fourteen all new short stories from the best in the horror business:
"The Little Green God of Agony" by Stephen King
"Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" by Caitlin R. Kiernan
"Ghosts with Teeth" by Peter Crowther
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" by Angela Slatter
"Roots and All" by Brian Hodge
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison
"The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" by John Ajvide Lindqvist
"Getting it Wrong" by Ramsey Campbell
"Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" by Robert Shearman
"The Man in the Ditch" by Lisa Tuttle
"A Child's Problem" by Reggie Oliver
"Sad, Dark Thing" by Michael Marshall Smith
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand
"Last Words" by Richard Christian Matheson
The stories range from classic ghosts and monsters to oddball tales of strange neighbors and stories that reach back to classic folklore.
A few of my favorites:
"Ghosts with Teeth" by Peter Crowther. It's no lie that I'm a sucker for a brilliant ghost story and Crowther's tale was that and more! This creepy story totally blew me away. Crowther is one of the authors I'd never read before so I was definitely pleased to add his Darkness Falling to my immediate must read pile.
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" by Angela Slatter. Um... super weird that I just happened to turn on some Florence & the Machine while reading and then found out that Flo's music inspired Slatter's story!
"Roots and All" by Brian Hodge. Hodge is a Boulderite! This one is classic folklore with a current day twist.
"The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" by John Ajvide Lindqvist. This is perhaps one of the most twisted stories in the entire collection! I find Lindqvist's work to be like a figurative train wreck -- I know something horrible is coming and I can't look away!
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand. I have to admit that I've now got two of Hand's books in my TBR. I loved this story! Loved it! This one was a bit more fantasy for me but no less fantastic.
And don't think that the rest of the stories are any less fabulous. King is one of my favorites of all time and Michael Marshall Smith is always a must read for me. I also really enjoyed Reggie Oliver's tale. This is definitely one of the best anthologies I've had the pleasure of reading in recent years. Key here, too, is the fact that each story also comes with a little behind the scenes explanation from the author. I find that my favorite anthologies include something along these lines and was over the moon to find that it was included here as well.
A Book of Horrors features fourteen all new short stories from the best in the horror business:
"The Little Green God of Agony" by Stephen King
"Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" by Caitlin R. Kiernan
"Ghosts with Teeth" by Peter Crowther
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" by Angela Slatter
"Roots and All" by Brian Hodge
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison
"The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" by John Ajvide Lindqvist
"Getting it Wrong" by Ramsey Campbell
"Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" by Robert Shearman
"The Man in the Ditch" by Lisa Tuttle
"A Child's Problem" by Reggie Oliver
"Sad, Dark Thing" by Michael Marshall Smith
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand
"Last Words" by Richard Christian Matheson
The stories range from classic ghosts and monsters to oddball tales of strange neighbors and stories that reach back to classic folklore.
A few of my favorites:
"Ghosts with Teeth" by Peter Crowther. It's no lie that I'm a sucker for a brilliant ghost story and Crowther's tale was that and more! This creepy story totally blew me away. Crowther is one of the authors I'd never read before so I was definitely pleased to add his Darkness Falling to my immediate must read pile.
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" by Angela Slatter. Um... super weird that I just happened to turn on some Florence & the Machine while reading and then found out that Flo's music inspired Slatter's story!
"Roots and All" by Brian Hodge. Hodge is a Boulderite! This one is classic folklore with a current day twist.
"The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" by John Ajvide Lindqvist. This is perhaps one of the most twisted stories in the entire collection! I find Lindqvist's work to be like a figurative train wreck -- I know something horrible is coming and I can't look away!
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand. I have to admit that I've now got two of Hand's books in my TBR. I loved this story! Loved it! This one was a bit more fantasy for me but no less fantastic.
And don't think that the rest of the stories are any less fabulous. King is one of my favorites of all time and Michael Marshall Smith is always a must read for me. I also really enjoyed Reggie Oliver's tale. This is definitely one of the best anthologies I've had the pleasure of reading in recent years. Key here, too, is the fact that each story also comes with a little behind the scenes explanation from the author. I find that my favorite anthologies include something along these lines and was over the moon to find that it was included here as well.
September 5, 2013
For the most part I really enjoyed this anthology.
King's "The Little Green God of Agony" tells the story of a rich man in rehabilitation for his pain after a plane crash. It was an enjoyable story, looking at why we feel pain.
Kiernan's "Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" is about a mysterious hitchhiker and fire. It was a strange story, but enjoyable. Crowther's "Ghosts with Teeth" is one of the novellas here about strange occurrences in a New England town, and I thought this one of the best stories.
Slatter's "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" was one of my favorites about a world where building coffins is an art form, and coupled with the main character being haunted by the ghost of her father was a fun read.
Hodge's "Roots and All" follows two cousins who go back to their recently deceased grandmother's house, and recall memories of their cousin who died years ago and tales of the Woodwalker. Another good read.
Etchison's "Tell Me If I'll See You Again" is about some kids who fake their own deaths, but there's something special about one of the kids, and his friend is trying to understand what it is. I found really interesting even though I felt I didn't really understand it.
Lindqvist's "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" was definitely my favorite. It's a ghost story about a father, who after losing his wife, has his son learn to play his wife's piano. But having moved to a new house where an alleged child murderer hanged himself, it makes for a captivating ghost story and a real page turner.
Campbell's "Getting It Wrong" is about a man who gets a call from a coworker who has chosen him as a phone a friend for a game show, only that the consequences are more serious. It was interesting, but I felt there could of been more to it.
Shearman's "Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" is a dark comedy, although still creepy, about dealing with new neighbors. A fun read.
Tuttle's "The Man in the Ditch" is about a young wife's uncertainty in her marriage where the tension is tied to the man she saw in the ditch on the way to their new house.
Oliver's "A Child's Problem" I have to say was not for my tastes, it's an old school ghost story,and I had to motivate myself to get through this novella, but it is very well-written.
Smith's "Sad, Dark Thing" is about an aimless man whose wife and daughter left him so he wanders until he finds a "sad, dark thing" in a cabin. It's a very ambiguous story, but I liked it.
Hand's "Near Zennor" is the longest story, following an architect who recently lost his wife and ventures out to a village in England after hearing an intriguing story from his wife's friend. This was one of my favorites in the anthology.
Finally Matheson's "Last Words" is a nice piece about a serial killer's monologue about his victim's last words.
King's "The Little Green God of Agony" tells the story of a rich man in rehabilitation for his pain after a plane crash. It was an enjoyable story, looking at why we feel pain.
Kiernan's "Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" is about a mysterious hitchhiker and fire. It was a strange story, but enjoyable. Crowther's "Ghosts with Teeth" is one of the novellas here about strange occurrences in a New England town, and I thought this one of the best stories.
Slatter's "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" was one of my favorites about a world where building coffins is an art form, and coupled with the main character being haunted by the ghost of her father was a fun read.
Hodge's "Roots and All" follows two cousins who go back to their recently deceased grandmother's house, and recall memories of their cousin who died years ago and tales of the Woodwalker. Another good read.
Etchison's "Tell Me If I'll See You Again" is about some kids who fake their own deaths, but there's something special about one of the kids, and his friend is trying to understand what it is. I found really interesting even though I felt I didn't really understand it.
Lindqvist's "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" was definitely my favorite. It's a ghost story about a father, who after losing his wife, has his son learn to play his wife's piano. But having moved to a new house where an alleged child murderer hanged himself, it makes for a captivating ghost story and a real page turner.
Campbell's "Getting It Wrong" is about a man who gets a call from a coworker who has chosen him as a phone a friend for a game show, only that the consequences are more serious. It was interesting, but I felt there could of been more to it.
Shearman's "Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" is a dark comedy, although still creepy, about dealing with new neighbors. A fun read.
Tuttle's "The Man in the Ditch" is about a young wife's uncertainty in her marriage where the tension is tied to the man she saw in the ditch on the way to their new house.
Oliver's "A Child's Problem" I have to say was not for my tastes, it's an old school ghost story,and I had to motivate myself to get through this novella, but it is very well-written.
Smith's "Sad, Dark Thing" is about an aimless man whose wife and daughter left him so he wanders until he finds a "sad, dark thing" in a cabin. It's a very ambiguous story, but I liked it.
Hand's "Near Zennor" is the longest story, following an architect who recently lost his wife and ventures out to a village in England after hearing an intriguing story from his wife's friend. This was one of my favorites in the anthology.
Finally Matheson's "Last Words" is a nice piece about a serial killer's monologue about his victim's last words.
March 25, 2013
As anthologies go, A Book of Horrors is uneven. There are a few nearly excellent stories, among them "A Child's Problem" and "Near Zennor," that will keep coming back to me in bits and pieces for some time to come. There are some really very good stories: Stephen King's "The Little Green God of Agony," interesting in the way it deftly (but not unfairly) manipulates the reader into a yo-yo sympathy switch, and Angela Slatter's "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter," which made me feel, for no easily identifiable reason, that I was in a slow steampunk almost-but-not-quite-nightmare ... and a handful of others. And unfortunately, there were some I didn't enjoy much at all—like "Alice Through the Plastic Sheet," "Getting It Wrong," "Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint"—because in one way or another they cheated their way out of that promise a story makes when you start reading it that it is going to tell you something real.
When a story reneges on its promise to tell you something, anything, real—not necessarily something true, which is a different thing—then that, to me, is a story not worth reading. Unfortunately, horror stories are among the worst offenders. They fail often and in all sorts of ways that mostly aren't very interesting. The authors build disjointed worlds that make no sense in order to stage plays that have no meaning. They love a particular turn of phrase so much that rather than excise it as they should have—"kill your darlings" indeed—they build up a dandelion fluff narrative around it. Or (and I think this might be the worst) they heap horror upon horror onto the head of their poor doomed protagonists, escalating to either a pointless, predictable Very Bad Ending or simply pulling up short and avoiding the whole messy need to end at all. And the most maddening thing about these bad, bad stories is that I always get the feeling that the authors think they have been very clever. Which just means they're going to pull the same tired tricks again. Bah.
But ... like I said, there are quite a few stories in here that work and work well. You just have to suffer through some dreck to get to them.
When a story reneges on its promise to tell you something, anything, real—not necessarily something true, which is a different thing—then that, to me, is a story not worth reading. Unfortunately, horror stories are among the worst offenders. They fail often and in all sorts of ways that mostly aren't very interesting. The authors build disjointed worlds that make no sense in order to stage plays that have no meaning. They love a particular turn of phrase so much that rather than excise it as they should have—"kill your darlings" indeed—they build up a dandelion fluff narrative around it. Or (and I think this might be the worst) they heap horror upon horror onto the head of their poor doomed protagonists, escalating to either a pointless, predictable Very Bad Ending or simply pulling up short and avoiding the whole messy need to end at all. And the most maddening thing about these bad, bad stories is that I always get the feeling that the authors think they have been very clever. Which just means they're going to pull the same tired tricks again. Bah.
But ... like I said, there are quite a few stories in here that work and work well. You just have to suffer through some dreck to get to them.
Want to read
June 8, 2013Going to leave little reviews as I make my way through the stories. May or may not be in order.
LITTLE GREEN GOD OF AGONY
- STEPHEN KING **** Four Stars
Even though the premise and resolution is a bit silly in hindsight, Stephen King does a great job pulling the reader into the tale and keeping the chills going up until the last word. This is the best thing I've read by King in a long while; though not essential by any means, I found it to be far more enjoyable than Throttle, Mile 81 or In the Tall Grass. An easy one-sitting read.
CHARCLOTH, FIRESTEEL AND FLINT
- CAITLIN KIERNAN **** Four Stars
This tale of the dark fantastic, not horror by any means, could be the younger sister of Elizabeth Hand's (another author featured in this book with the novella, FROM ZENNOR) short story CLEOPATRA BRIMSTONE, at least in its literate flowing style and references to fiery things. It's a very short read, with a slightly historical macabre flavor, and reminded me a little bit as well of the old Twilight Zone episode, THE HITCHHIKER (though the story is quite different). I enjoyed this one, and will be checking out more work by this author, whose style I adored.
NEAR ZENNOR
- ELIZABETH HAND ***** Five Stars
Again, another story that barely could be considered horror (especially given the promise of the book's title and the gruesome cover), but a wonderfully told tale nonetheless.
NEAR ZENNOR is a novella that moves slowly and gracefully, like a symphony of words that evokes a sense of place and feeling that is at once understated and profound, but never lags with forward momentum and the desire to read on. Elizabeth Hand's writing is like a sensual massage for the eyes and the mind. My brain feels all relaxed and awash in happiness. If hardcore horror and thrills are what you crave, this is not the story for you. If you liked THE WOMAN IN BLACK, then you will likely enjoy this, too.
ROOTS AND ALL
- BRIAN HODGE ***** Five Stars
Finally, some true horror - and as poetic as the previous stories. I've not read anything by Brian Hodge before, but I guarantee you I will. Loved this story and the writing so much!
LITTLE GREEN GOD OF AGONY
- STEPHEN KING **** Four Stars
Even though the premise and resolution is a bit silly in hindsight, Stephen King does a great job pulling the reader into the tale and keeping the chills going up until the last word. This is the best thing I've read by King in a long while; though not essential by any means, I found it to be far more enjoyable than Throttle, Mile 81 or In the Tall Grass. An easy one-sitting read.
CHARCLOTH, FIRESTEEL AND FLINT
- CAITLIN KIERNAN **** Four Stars
This tale of the dark fantastic, not horror by any means, could be the younger sister of Elizabeth Hand's (another author featured in this book with the novella, FROM ZENNOR) short story CLEOPATRA BRIMSTONE, at least in its literate flowing style and references to fiery things. It's a very short read, with a slightly historical macabre flavor, and reminded me a little bit as well of the old Twilight Zone episode, THE HITCHHIKER (though the story is quite different). I enjoyed this one, and will be checking out more work by this author, whose style I adored.
NEAR ZENNOR
- ELIZABETH HAND ***** Five Stars
Again, another story that barely could be considered horror (especially given the promise of the book's title and the gruesome cover), but a wonderfully told tale nonetheless.
NEAR ZENNOR is a novella that moves slowly and gracefully, like a symphony of words that evokes a sense of place and feeling that is at once understated and profound, but never lags with forward momentum and the desire to read on. Elizabeth Hand's writing is like a sensual massage for the eyes and the mind. My brain feels all relaxed and awash in happiness. If hardcore horror and thrills are what you crave, this is not the story for you. If you liked THE WOMAN IN BLACK, then you will likely enjoy this, too.
ROOTS AND ALL
- BRIAN HODGE ***** Five Stars
Finally, some true horror - and as poetic as the previous stories. I've not read anything by Brian Hodge before, but I guarantee you I will. Loved this story and the writing so much!
July 4, 2015
Anthologies tend to be a mixed bag of treats, and this one from Stephen Jones is no different. Having read a few of the anthologies Jones has edited over the years, I had high expectations for this, but they ended up falling a bit flat. I was hoping for a lot more from Stephen King's story 'The Little Green God of Agony,' but it was still good. And while I've seen a lot of praise for Reggie Oliver's 'A Child's Problem,' it didn't work for me, but I think it was more of a stylistic preference.
I did enjoy the stories by Caitlin R Kiernan, Lisa Tuttle, Michael Marshall Smith, and Elizabeth Hand's novella, 'Near Zennor.' John Ajvide Lindqvist's novella 'The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer' was excellent, though it seems that one has had some mixed reviews as well. The two I felt stood out the most were the stories featured back-to-back: 'The Coffin-Maker's Daughter' by Angela Slatter and 'Roots and All' by Brian Hodge. Slatter's story was the first of hers that I've read, and I've already bought one of her short story collections, so it will not be the last. And as for Hodge...anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge fan of his work. Once again, he fails to disappoint me.
And one last note: the final story in this collection - 'Last Words' by Richard Christian Matheson - was a very fitting ending. I'm also glad I didn't read it before I went to bed. I read it this morning, and it still gave me chills.
I did enjoy the stories by Caitlin R Kiernan, Lisa Tuttle, Michael Marshall Smith, and Elizabeth Hand's novella, 'Near Zennor.' John Ajvide Lindqvist's novella 'The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer' was excellent, though it seems that one has had some mixed reviews as well. The two I felt stood out the most were the stories featured back-to-back: 'The Coffin-Maker's Daughter' by Angela Slatter and 'Roots and All' by Brian Hodge. Slatter's story was the first of hers that I've read, and I've already bought one of her short story collections, so it will not be the last. And as for Hodge...anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge fan of his work. Once again, he fails to disappoint me.
And one last note: the final story in this collection - 'Last Words' by Richard Christian Matheson - was a very fitting ending. I'm also glad I didn't read it before I went to bed. I read it this morning, and it still gave me chills.
November 25, 2013
While all horror anthologies are ultimately a mixed bag, this collection is particularly solid, certainly more successful than the baffling Peter Straub-edited "Poe's Children" from 2008 ('I've yet to read the other two-volume set edited by Straub, "American Fantastic Tales", but have higher hopes). The stand-outs are Stephen King's "The Little Green God of Agony", (which continues his trip to well of physical pain since his car accident in 1999), the truly original "Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" by Robert Shearman, and Reggie Oliver's "A Child's Problem", a traditionally told, incredibly well-written tale of innocence lost and revenge gained amongst the landed gentry in 19th-century rural England. Other favorites include "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" by Angela Slatter and the eerie, disorienting "Ghosts With Teeth" by Peter Crowther. The least successful tales are Ramsey Campbell's predictable "Getting It Wrong" and the unfocused "Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" by John Ajvide Lindqvist (whose novels, including the highly-rated "Let the Right One In" I'm still interested in reading). Your mileage may vary, of course, but most of the stories are solid and well-written, and well worth your time.
December 6, 2014
I knew that this would be my kind of horror as soon as I read the sentence "What the hell happened to the horror genre?"I agree with Stephen Jones that horror has been corrupted by romance. Jones was right to say that not every story was to my liking, in fact I still fail to see how the stores "Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" and "Alice Through the Plastic Sheet" are considered horror. I did however find several on the stories very creepy, with "Ghosts with Teeth", "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter", "Roots and All", and "The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" making the most impression on me.
"The Little Green God of Agony" had less of a horror affect on me and more of a saddening affect, I suffer from chronic pain and I've faced pain specialists who are out of touch with what real chronic pain is like. It was very sad to be reminded of how many people think those with chronic pain are lazy rather than having a true understand of what it's like to be in so much pain it makes taking a breath hard.
Not every story in this book will be to everyone's liking but there are without a doubt at least one or two that every true horror fan will like.
"The Little Green God of Agony" had less of a horror affect on me and more of a saddening affect, I suffer from chronic pain and I've faced pain specialists who are out of touch with what real chronic pain is like. It was very sad to be reminded of how many people think those with chronic pain are lazy rather than having a true understand of what it's like to be in so much pain it makes taking a breath hard.
Not every story in this book will be to everyone's liking but there are without a doubt at least one or two that every true horror fan will like.
October 5, 2012
As with all collections from multiple authors, some stories work better for some readers and others don't. I don't claim to be an expert, but some of the stories in this collection didn't really feel like horror stories at all. Stephen King's 'The Little Green God of Agony' was great, 'Ghosts with Teeth' by Peter Crowther was outstanding, and 'The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer' by John Ajvide Lindqvist did creep me out a bit. There are others that I enjoyed, and a few that I'm afraid I just didn't get. Not a bad read for those of us who enjoy stories of things that go bump in the night, but I think if I had it to do over I'd get a copy from the library rather than spend $15.99 for the paperback.
November 8, 2014
While lacking in scares, the overall collection was appealing. It played more on the horror of human nature than on the paranormal (which, I admit, is what I was after). There were only two stories I didn't finish: "A Child's Problem" and "Near Zennor." The latter was too descriptive of surroundings and therefore didn't keep me in suspense. The ending to King's story left me wanting, although I enjoyed the overall tale. My favorites include: "Roots and All," "The Music of...," "The Man in the Ditch" and "Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint."
December 1, 2015
As you would already know, this is an anthology of horror stories from various horror and fantasy writers such as Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell and Brian Hodge, just to name a few. The compilation of the writers were amazing, however the stories some were good and some not worth mentioning. So here are some of the stories that I personally enjoyed!...
Well, I truly hope you enjoy reading this book. There's a couple of stories I didn't mention in this review, please skip those!
Overall three stars!
Full Review at:- http://rastagurl27.blogspot.my/
Well, I truly hope you enjoy reading this book. There's a couple of stories I didn't mention in this review, please skip those!
Overall three stars!
Full Review at:- http://rastagurl27.blogspot.my/
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November 20, 2019
Quite good anthology of horror fiction, with excellent stories by King, Campbell, Shearman, Lindqvist, Tuttle, Hodge, Smith, Kiernan, and Hand. This last one, titled Near Zennor, is perhaps the most unsettling in the book; an atmospheric piece of folk horror that never quite lets the reader in on what exactly is happening.
July 3, 2014
Solid horror anthology with only a couple of mediocre stories. Two must-read contributions are Michael Marshall Smith's beautiful and concise 'Sad Dark Thing' and Elizabeth Hand's atmospheric and intriguing 'Near Zennor'.
May 15, 2023
Stephen Jones begins this 2011 collection of horrors with the question, "WHAT THE HELL happened to the horror genre?" (emphasis his or the typesetter's...either/or)
He then goes on to complain about the way the horror genre has been taken over by...that's right...Twilight [no, he does not name it as such, but yes he does pretty clearly reference it, along with such stuff like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies]. I mean, how dare those teenage girls read about vampires and romance!? DOWN WITH THAT SORT OF THING! (emphasis, mine)
The overblown get-off-my-lawn-ism—alongside Jones's claim that the time has come to reclaim the horror genre—might have hit a bit harder or at least been played off as cheeky Over-the-Top marketing bravado if the first story out of the gate was not essentially a mediation on pain with a hint of horror story tacked on by Stephen King ("The Little Green God of Agony"). And the second story, Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Charcloth, Firesteel, and Flint," is very much so in line with the kind of urban fantasy that Jones is shouting about from his horror house front porch. Damn those kids and their different tastes, even when they are the same tastes as our own!
It is not really until Pete Crowther's "Ghost with Teeth" that we see sort of a classic style horror tale, one that is a bit weird and uneasily pasted together to well-crafted effect.
Ah, bless us curmudgeons.
Gatekeeping is always a bad look for horror because horror is one of the cornerstone genres of human expression: tied up with myths and folklore long before the written word was conceived. Horror, like romance and tall tales and humor, will endure because they are the basic building blocks of worldbuilding. Every generation has its own way of doing it. I actually look forward to seeing what the kids come up with to frighten their future generations.
All this rant is just to say: this is a goodly collection of horror stories with no real theme outside of being a snapshot of 2011's horror circles, at least as represented by Stephen Jones's contributors. You have the aforementioned King, Kiernan, and Crowther [bigly names all three] and later you get Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Tuttle, Reggie Oliver, Elizabeth Hand, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Angela Slater, Michael Marshall Smith, etc etc. If nothing else, this becomes a primer of numerous top talents that were writing in 2011 (and, well, mostly are still writing now, over a decade later).
Several of these stories have been anthologized past this collection and a couple I have read in later collections before this one—Oliver's in Flowers of the Sea, Campbell's in Holes for Faces—making it a bit "timey-wimey". If you read a lot of these authors, you might have already chewed a few of these bones.
Because I did know many of these authors (and some of these stories) beforehand, it does deprive me slightly of the joy that this kind of collection can bring: a shopping list, of sorts. There were a couple, though, that piqued my interest. While aware of Elizabeth Hand's Wylding Hall, it has tended to be shifted around my to-be-read pile instead of picked up. After reading her long and perfectly moody "Near Zennor," here, I think I need to fix that mistake. Michael Marshall Smith is the closest to a proper new-to me and his "Sad, Dark Thing" is one of my favorites in this collection so I would like to read more by him.
For those that do not quite yet feel convinced, you have Angela Slater's strange body-horror-punk "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" and Brian Hodge's "Roots and All" which is rural-America folk horror of sorts. There's Richard Christian Matheson's final little short ditty about finals words (probably the weakest story in the whole collection, but also the shortest, good at least for a tiny twinge) and Rob Shearman's "Alice through the Plastic Sheet"* surreal descent into destruction brought on by neighbors beyond any normal understanding (mashing together, as it does, the sort of vibes of Bentley Little and Robert Aickman). And that's not even all.
If you liked the sort of horror written by the (slightly) old hats of 2011, you'll like this book.
Bonus fact, the painting Reggie Oliver describes in the opening of "A Child's Problem" is a real painting by Richard Dadd (referencing how youth will be able to solve the issue of slavery versus the sleepy old guard that maintain it as tradition). The fact that, in the story, there isn't really any connection between the story and Dadd to justify why a series of private scene should be painted should not detract from Oliver's inversion of the young-boy's-adventure tale retelling of M. R. James' "Lost Hearts".
====
* Funnily enough, I just now got the Alice through the Looking Glass reference. I am very smart and very attentive.
He then goes on to complain about the way the horror genre has been taken over by...that's right...Twilight [no, he does not name it as such, but yes he does pretty clearly reference it, along with such stuff like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies]. I mean, how dare those teenage girls read about vampires and romance!? DOWN WITH THAT SORT OF THING! (emphasis, mine)
The overblown get-off-my-lawn-ism—alongside Jones's claim that the time has come to reclaim the horror genre—might have hit a bit harder or at least been played off as cheeky Over-the-Top marketing bravado if the first story out of the gate was not essentially a mediation on pain with a hint of horror story tacked on by Stephen King ("The Little Green God of Agony"). And the second story, Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Charcloth, Firesteel, and Flint," is very much so in line with the kind of urban fantasy that Jones is shouting about from his horror house front porch. Damn those kids and their different tastes, even when they are the same tastes as our own!
It is not really until Pete Crowther's "Ghost with Teeth" that we see sort of a classic style horror tale, one that is a bit weird and uneasily pasted together to well-crafted effect.
Ah, bless us curmudgeons.
Gatekeeping is always a bad look for horror because horror is one of the cornerstone genres of human expression: tied up with myths and folklore long before the written word was conceived. Horror, like romance and tall tales and humor, will endure because they are the basic building blocks of worldbuilding. Every generation has its own way of doing it. I actually look forward to seeing what the kids come up with to frighten their future generations.
All this rant is just to say: this is a goodly collection of horror stories with no real theme outside of being a snapshot of 2011's horror circles, at least as represented by Stephen Jones's contributors. You have the aforementioned King, Kiernan, and Crowther [bigly names all three] and later you get Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Tuttle, Reggie Oliver, Elizabeth Hand, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Angela Slater, Michael Marshall Smith, etc etc. If nothing else, this becomes a primer of numerous top talents that were writing in 2011 (and, well, mostly are still writing now, over a decade later).
Several of these stories have been anthologized past this collection and a couple I have read in later collections before this one—Oliver's in Flowers of the Sea, Campbell's in Holes for Faces—making it a bit "timey-wimey". If you read a lot of these authors, you might have already chewed a few of these bones.
Because I did know many of these authors (and some of these stories) beforehand, it does deprive me slightly of the joy that this kind of collection can bring: a shopping list, of sorts. There were a couple, though, that piqued my interest. While aware of Elizabeth Hand's Wylding Hall, it has tended to be shifted around my to-be-read pile instead of picked up. After reading her long and perfectly moody "Near Zennor," here, I think I need to fix that mistake. Michael Marshall Smith is the closest to a proper new-to me and his "Sad, Dark Thing" is one of my favorites in this collection so I would like to read more by him.
For those that do not quite yet feel convinced, you have Angela Slater's strange body-horror-punk "The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" and Brian Hodge's "Roots and All" which is rural-America folk horror of sorts. There's Richard Christian Matheson's final little short ditty about finals words (probably the weakest story in the whole collection, but also the shortest, good at least for a tiny twinge) and Rob Shearman's "Alice through the Plastic Sheet"* surreal descent into destruction brought on by neighbors beyond any normal understanding (mashing together, as it does, the sort of vibes of Bentley Little and Robert Aickman). And that's not even all.
If you liked the sort of horror written by the (slightly) old hats of 2011, you'll like this book.
Bonus fact, the painting Reggie Oliver describes in the opening of "A Child's Problem" is a real painting by Richard Dadd (referencing how youth will be able to solve the issue of slavery versus the sleepy old guard that maintain it as tradition). The fact that, in the story, there isn't really any connection between the story and Dadd to justify why a series of private scene should be painted should not detract from Oliver's inversion of the young-boy's-adventure tale retelling of M. R. James' "Lost Hearts".
====
* Funnily enough, I just now got the Alice through the Looking Glass reference. I am very smart and very attentive.
January 22, 2022
A mixed bag from editor Stephen Jones, who says in the introduction that he (commendably) wants to bring back full-blooded horror, and yet most of the tales collected here are anything but. There's a bit of whimsy, a lot of folk stuff, some nasty serial killers, a touch of post-modernism, and that's about it. I didn't like it as much as other Jones anthologies I've read, but perhaps that says something about the state of modern horror short fiction, or at least my reaction to it.
There were no stand-out tales for me here, but some above average ones. Stephen King is on form with THE LITTLE GREEN GOD OF AGONY, an old-fashioned monster story based around his own experiences of pain management and personal care. Caitlin R. Kiernan comes up trumps again with CHARCLOTH, FIRESTEEL AND FLINT, in which a mysterious fire-enchanted woman stalks the Iowa desert, phoenix-like. THE MUSIC OF BENGT KARLSSON, MURDERER sees the renowned John Ajvide Lindqvist tackling the haunted house genre but laying in plenty of extra detail and atmosphere.
Lisa Tuttle's THE MAN IN THE DITCH is another ghostly one, but this time with a novel and prehistoric foe, while Reggie Oliver's A CHILD'S PROBLEM is a historical saga that felt like an old CBBC serial from the 1980s (for me that's a good thing). SAD, DARK THING shows us that Michael Marshall Smith hasn't lost his touch when depicting a subtle kind of dread, while Elizabeth Hand's NEAR ZENNOR brings in an enchanting depiction of the Cornish landscape with a bit of history and folk horror added in.
Slipping down in quality slightly, we have Dennis Etchison's TELL ME I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN, which has some good King-style childhood reminisences but not much of anything else. And GETTING IT WRONG sees Ramsey Campbell bringing himself into the tale of a curmudgeonly old-timer whose misidentification of a prank call spells disaster for one unlucky woman.
Then there are the ones I didn't like: Angela Slatter's THE COFFIN-MAKER'S DAUGHTER, which has a bit of imagery but not much else; Brian Hodge's ROOTS AND ALL, a very long-winded story mixing predictable folk horror with meth dealers in the American wilderness; Robert Shearman's ALICE THROUGH THE PLASTIC SHEET, an obtuse look at noisy neighbours which feels like it goes on forever; and Richard Christian Matheson's LAST WORDS, an unremarkable serial killer-focused short-short. The one I liked the least was Peter Crowther's GHOSTS WITH TEETH, which I found almost unreadable due to the style.
There were no stand-out tales for me here, but some above average ones. Stephen King is on form with THE LITTLE GREEN GOD OF AGONY, an old-fashioned monster story based around his own experiences of pain management and personal care. Caitlin R. Kiernan comes up trumps again with CHARCLOTH, FIRESTEEL AND FLINT, in which a mysterious fire-enchanted woman stalks the Iowa desert, phoenix-like. THE MUSIC OF BENGT KARLSSON, MURDERER sees the renowned John Ajvide Lindqvist tackling the haunted house genre but laying in plenty of extra detail and atmosphere.
Lisa Tuttle's THE MAN IN THE DITCH is another ghostly one, but this time with a novel and prehistoric foe, while Reggie Oliver's A CHILD'S PROBLEM is a historical saga that felt like an old CBBC serial from the 1980s (for me that's a good thing). SAD, DARK THING shows us that Michael Marshall Smith hasn't lost his touch when depicting a subtle kind of dread, while Elizabeth Hand's NEAR ZENNOR brings in an enchanting depiction of the Cornish landscape with a bit of history and folk horror added in.
Slipping down in quality slightly, we have Dennis Etchison's TELL ME I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN, which has some good King-style childhood reminisences but not much of anything else. And GETTING IT WRONG sees Ramsey Campbell bringing himself into the tale of a curmudgeonly old-timer whose misidentification of a prank call spells disaster for one unlucky woman.
Then there are the ones I didn't like: Angela Slatter's THE COFFIN-MAKER'S DAUGHTER, which has a bit of imagery but not much else; Brian Hodge's ROOTS AND ALL, a very long-winded story mixing predictable folk horror with meth dealers in the American wilderness; Robert Shearman's ALICE THROUGH THE PLASTIC SHEET, an obtuse look at noisy neighbours which feels like it goes on forever; and Richard Christian Matheson's LAST WORDS, an unremarkable serial killer-focused short-short. The one I liked the least was Peter Crowther's GHOSTS WITH TEETH, which I found almost unreadable due to the style.
March 4, 2023
2.5 stars.
I've read quite a few single-author horror short story collections and I've noticed this trend where often the shittier stories are the ones the authors penned SPECIFICALLY for inclusion in an anthology or at the behest of a friend. It's not always the case, but often when I encounter a dud in an otherwise smooth-sailing collection, I'll flip to the Author's notes to find 'such and such was written for a zombie themed anthology,' usually an old idea brushed off and made up in the course of two weeks and... anyways. All I'm saying is they're just usually not as good as stories that evolve 'naturally.'
Obviously, anthologies are a good thing, and I'll keep reading them, as they get authors' names out there, but they can be REALLY hit or miss, and I generally prefer the curated stuff like Datlow's 'Best of the Year' collections to 'Horror-y, Horror-y Hippos: A Hippo-Themed Horror Collection.' 'A Book of Horrors' doesn't really have a uniting theme other than 'be scary,' which is nice, but it's still... largely a miss (for me). Most of the stories are just okay, and none of them are what I'd call absolute bangers.
Two of them, Ghosts with Teeth and Near Zennor, had good starts but went on wayyyyy too long.
Near Zennor, in particular, had an amazing premise, ripe with potential, and I was captivated for the first act, but gradually the story loses sight of itself. I honestly feel like the author had no idea where she was going with this one. In the Notes, she reveals that the 'spooky lights' central to the mystery were inspired by real events, which, cool, but... that doesn't mean they belong in THIS story! There's no grand, underlying metaphor to Near Zennor, it's just a random, prettily-worded identity crisis, which is a damned shame.
Anyways, Green God was decent, but certainly not King at his best. Charcloth, engh. Unique, just a little too 'out there' for me. Roots and All and Coffin, both relatively quick, adequate, 3/5s. Man in the Ditch is a fast-paced, if underwhelming and a little cliche. Music was dark, but I found it too detached. A Child's Problem reminded me of some of the old stuff you'd find in a Valancourt collection.
I'm rambling. Besides Near Zennor, the only other standout premise was the movie buff game show one (I can't remember the name). Unfortunately, the main character's such a dick that it doesn't really land.
Sad, Dark Thing was my favourite of the bunch, simply because it was short, evocative, and packed a punch.
I've read quite a few single-author horror short story collections and I've noticed this trend where often the shittier stories are the ones the authors penned SPECIFICALLY for inclusion in an anthology or at the behest of a friend. It's not always the case, but often when I encounter a dud in an otherwise smooth-sailing collection, I'll flip to the Author's notes to find 'such and such was written for a zombie themed anthology,' usually an old idea brushed off and made up in the course of two weeks and... anyways. All I'm saying is they're just usually not as good as stories that evolve 'naturally.'
Obviously, anthologies are a good thing, and I'll keep reading them, as they get authors' names out there, but they can be REALLY hit or miss, and I generally prefer the curated stuff like Datlow's 'Best of the Year' collections to 'Horror-y, Horror-y Hippos: A Hippo-Themed Horror Collection.' 'A Book of Horrors' doesn't really have a uniting theme other than 'be scary,' which is nice, but it's still... largely a miss (for me). Most of the stories are just okay, and none of them are what I'd call absolute bangers.
Two of them, Ghosts with Teeth and Near Zennor, had good starts but went on wayyyyy too long.
Near Zennor, in particular, had an amazing premise, ripe with potential, and I was captivated for the first act, but gradually the story loses sight of itself. I honestly feel like the author had no idea where she was going with this one. In the Notes, she reveals that the 'spooky lights' central to the mystery were inspired by real events, which, cool, but... that doesn't mean they belong in THIS story! There's no grand, underlying metaphor to Near Zennor, it's just a random, prettily-worded identity crisis, which is a damned shame.
Anyways, Green God was decent, but certainly not King at his best. Charcloth, engh. Unique, just a little too 'out there' for me. Roots and All and Coffin, both relatively quick, adequate, 3/5s. Man in the Ditch is a fast-paced, if underwhelming and a little cliche. Music was dark, but I found it too detached. A Child's Problem reminded me of some of the old stuff you'd find in a Valancourt collection.
I'm rambling. Besides Near Zennor, the only other standout premise was the movie buff game show one (I can't remember the name). Unfortunately, the main character's such a dick that it doesn't really land.
Sad, Dark Thing was my favourite of the bunch, simply because it was short, evocative, and packed a punch.
May 13, 2022
Quite an eclectic blend of short stories that ranges from demons and ghosts to eerie and weird. The wide variety of authors keeps the pieces from ever landing too closely to anything alike and this causes each entry to feel entirely different than the previous. A great showcase of literary voices.
The horror moniker lacks a bit of potency by the end of the book. While each of the stories focuses on something that fits the horror category technically, there isn't a heavy load of horrifying in the book. There are a few stories that land firmly in gruesome and/or violent. But those are the outliers in a book that is much more oriented around strange and unsettling. With that said the book has enough sex and violence throughout that it should be considered mature.
As far as pacing goes, the stories are often intermittently short and concise, followed by a lengthy slog, followed by another short and quick bit. This presents a bit of a push and pull of momentum where a reader can rapidly consume a story, even if it isn't great or mind-blowing and then slam right into a 60 page slow cooker that takes a while to get to anything particularly interesting.
Fairly tame over all. A small bit of incredibly gross or gruesome. Good overall spread of talent, but nothing truly horrifying or particularly unnerving.
The horror moniker lacks a bit of potency by the end of the book. While each of the stories focuses on something that fits the horror category technically, there isn't a heavy load of horrifying in the book. There are a few stories that land firmly in gruesome and/or violent. But those are the outliers in a book that is much more oriented around strange and unsettling. With that said the book has enough sex and violence throughout that it should be considered mature.
As far as pacing goes, the stories are often intermittently short and concise, followed by a lengthy slog, followed by another short and quick bit. This presents a bit of a push and pull of momentum where a reader can rapidly consume a story, even if it isn't great or mind-blowing and then slam right into a 60 page slow cooker that takes a while to get to anything particularly interesting.
Fairly tame over all. A small bit of incredibly gross or gruesome. Good overall spread of talent, but nothing truly horrifying or particularly unnerving.
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