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The Best British Fantasy 2013
From the post-apocalyptic American West to the rural terror in New Zealand, this major anthology has evil spirits, bin-Laden style assassinations, steampunk, sexual dysfunction, a twisted version of Peter Pan, the folklore of standing stones, mermaids, alien tour guides, zombies, gruesome beasts, voice-controlled police states, environmental disasters and off world penal colonies. Unmissable.Featuring (among others) Simon Bestwick, Joseph D'Lacey, Cate Gardner, Carole Johnstone, Tyler Keevil, Kim Lakin-Smith, Alison Littlewood, Cheryl Moore, Mark Morris, Adam Neville, Lavie Tidhar, Sam Stone, Steph Swainston, E.J. Swift, Lisa Tuttle, Simon Unsworth, Jon Wallace.
309 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
About the author
Steve Haynes
4 books1 followerLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 14, 2013
This rating pertains to the 16 stories in this collection which I didn’t write.
And it’s five stars because the anthology is so damn eclectic and so damn good. Steve Haynes has, very consciously I suspect, edged out onto an untested limb of the Fantasy Tree when choosing these tales. He’s an editor who favours the dark side of literature and that bent is very plain here. I think he took a big risk and, in my opinion, it has more than paid off.
Anthologies are a tricky thing to put together and, quite honestly, I can’t see myself ever wanting such a responsibility. But SALT/Proxima got this book right. I enjoyed every single story and felt I’d taken a hell of a ride by the end. Brilliant stuff.
I can see BBF becoming a successful and respected series; one authors will trip over themselves to be included in.
Favourite story: Keevil’s ‘Fearful Symmetry’. That guy can write. Seriously.
Memorable others: Bestwick’s ‘Dermot’ and Lakin-Smith’s ‘The Island of Peter Pandora’.
That said, I was transported by every single work. A wonderful book which I’m proud to have been a part of.
And it’s five stars because the anthology is so damn eclectic and so damn good. Steve Haynes has, very consciously I suspect, edged out onto an untested limb of the Fantasy Tree when choosing these tales. He’s an editor who favours the dark side of literature and that bent is very plain here. I think he took a big risk and, in my opinion, it has more than paid off.
Anthologies are a tricky thing to put together and, quite honestly, I can’t see myself ever wanting such a responsibility. But SALT/Proxima got this book right. I enjoyed every single story and felt I’d taken a hell of a ride by the end. Brilliant stuff.
I can see BBF becoming a successful and respected series; one authors will trip over themselves to be included in.
Favourite story: Keevil’s ‘Fearful Symmetry’. That guy can write. Seriously.
Memorable others: Bestwick’s ‘Dermot’ and Lakin-Smith’s ‘The Island of Peter Pandora’.
That said, I was transported by every single work. A wonderful book which I’m proud to have been a part of.
July 18, 2013
So...this says it's the best british fantasy of 2013....
Well, this is a bit of a curate's egg, to be honest: there are some excellent stories in here, & some that are just-well, ordinary, frankly. The best tales here are from Lisa Tuttle, Alison Littlewood, & Simon Bestwick, with good efforts from E J Swift & Mark Morris.
However, where are the tales from people like Sarah Pinborough, Christopher Fowler, Gareth L Powell? I would have expected to see more "names" in a volume proclaiming it "The Best....of 2013".
Good effort, but not quite there.
Well, this is a bit of a curate's egg, to be honest: there are some excellent stories in here, & some that are just-well, ordinary, frankly. The best tales here are from Lisa Tuttle, Alison Littlewood, & Simon Bestwick, with good efforts from E J Swift & Mark Morris.
However, where are the tales from people like Sarah Pinborough, Christopher Fowler, Gareth L Powell? I would have expected to see more "names" in a volume proclaiming it "The Best....of 2013".
Good effort, but not quite there.
September 30, 2019
I won this in a raffle run by a local writer's club a few months ago. My rating isn't so much a reflection on the quality of the stories, more on their inclusion in an anthology of fantasy. From a collection of seventeen stories; the first five are pure sci-fi, and the last eight are horror. Again, the quality of the writing isn't an issue, but the way the collection is organised, one can't help but feel that the majority of it is padding - works that couldn't be shoe-horned into an more appropriate anthology.
Of the four that remain, the two stories that I found epitomise the cover title were Cheryl Moore's 'Corset Wings' and Cate Gardener's 'Too Delicate for Human Form'. Steph Swainton's contribution 'The Wheel of Fortune' was very evocative too. If the rest of the stories had been in similar veins, my rating would be much higher.
Of the remainder: 'Armageddon Fish Pie' (Joseph d'Lacey) and 'Fearful Symmetry' (Tyler Keevil) both deserve special mention. The former for its sensitive execution of a time honoured sci-fi trope and the latter for its wonderfully bleak sense of isolation.
Of the four that remain, the two stories that I found epitomise the cover title were Cheryl Moore's 'Corset Wings' and Cate Gardener's 'Too Delicate for Human Form'. Steph Swainton's contribution 'The Wheel of Fortune' was very evocative too. If the rest of the stories had been in similar veins, my rating would be much higher.
Of the remainder: 'Armageddon Fish Pie' (Joseph d'Lacey) and 'Fearful Symmetry' (Tyler Keevil) both deserve special mention. The former for its sensitive execution of a time honoured sci-fi trope and the latter for its wonderfully bleak sense of isolation.
May 24, 2020
Uninspiring. I quite enjoyed Tyler Keevil's "Fearful Symmetry" but the rest were either average of below.
October 2, 2022
A strong set of stories, starting out in the sci-fi/steampunk arena, but gradually moving—and resolutely staying—in the realms of supernatural/horror. As per editor Hayne's introduction, his definition of fantasy is so broad as to be functionally useless—especially so, as Salt similarly published volumes of The Best British Horror—so this seems a wasted opportunity for exposure of the genre advertised.
But what is collected here, irrespective of genre, is largely strong, capable stuff.
But what is collected here, irrespective of genre, is largely strong, capable stuff.
August 3, 2013
I'm grateful to the publisher for letting me have a copy of this book.
"The Best British Fantasy 2013" is an engaging collection of 17 stories, with "fantasy" being interpreted generously - I've seen endless nitpicking discussions about the differences between fantasy, SF and other genres. If you wanted to you could argue that some of these stories are equally SF, or horror, or ghost stories, or... but really that misses the point. They all feature the fantastical. The stories are all well chosen and - while inevitably in a collection like this, different stories will appeal to different readers - I'd give most of them, individually, four or five stars: five for the collection as a whole to reflect its breadth and the overall curation which manages to produce a slight air of bleakness, menace and claustrophobia.
While it's perhaps not wise to pick out favourites, I have to say that the stories I enjoyed most were "Dermot" by Simon Bestwick in which the police strike a very nasty bargain with an informant, and "The Island of Peter Pandora" by Kim Lakin-Smith which manages to combine JM Barrie's, HG Wells and steampunk in a single carefully observed story. But there's something in each of these stories.
In "Lips and Teeth", Jon Wallace imagines a prison camp in (I think) North Korea, where a prisoner has a strange ability (and a strange, talking tool).
"The Last Osama" by Lavie Tidhar is a strange, myth laden blend of the Old West and Middle East with a quest not unlike that in "Heart of Darkness" / "Apocalypse Now".
"Armageddon Fish Pie" by Joseph D'Lacey is less about the coming destruction - we never learn for sure what is to happen - but about how one might behave and respond if such a thing threatened.
"The Complex" (EJ Swift) is very SF, telling the story of a time served convict on a distant penal colony.
"God of the Gaps" by Carol Johnstone is rather weird - a student, mentoring a younger pupil, gets into something very dark ('Try the manacles, Miss Daisy!') while accompanying him on a school trip.
Cheryl Moore's "Corset Wings" again has steampunk overtones, imagining the plight of a young woman exploited in an alt-Victorian London, and how she might dream of escape.
"The Wheel of Fortune" by Steph Swainston also has, as its main protagonist, a woman, an apothecary (I think) in a metropolis (but a fantasy one, this time) who has made a bargain with a bunch of scoundrels, and wants out of it.
"Too Delicate for Human Form" (Cate Gardner) concerns a dead aunt and some fish.
"Imogen" by Sam Stone has a twist - it would give too much away to say any more.
Alison Littlewood's "In the Quiet and in the Dark" induces the kind of shudders one would expect from her: very creepy.
"The Scariest Place in the World" by Mark Morris really brings the fear home, as does Simon Kurt Unsworth's "Qiqirn".
In "The Third Person" by Lisa Tuttle, another Imogen unwillingly helps out a friend who wants to conduct an affair, but things get out of hand.
"Fearful Symmetry" (Tyler Keevil) reads like the opening of a series: at some unspecified point in the near future, the earth is mucked up, with "the cough" spreading and mutant animal species emerging.
Finally, Adam G Nevill's "Pig Thing" reminded me somewhat of The House on the Borderland in the way that it bleeds the fantastical into the lives of the unsuspecting.
All great stories, and a good way to sample authors you might not otherwise pick up.
"The Best British Fantasy 2013" is an engaging collection of 17 stories, with "fantasy" being interpreted generously - I've seen endless nitpicking discussions about the differences between fantasy, SF and other genres. If you wanted to you could argue that some of these stories are equally SF, or horror, or ghost stories, or... but really that misses the point. They all feature the fantastical. The stories are all well chosen and - while inevitably in a collection like this, different stories will appeal to different readers - I'd give most of them, individually, four or five stars: five for the collection as a whole to reflect its breadth and the overall curation which manages to produce a slight air of bleakness, menace and claustrophobia.
While it's perhaps not wise to pick out favourites, I have to say that the stories I enjoyed most were "Dermot" by Simon Bestwick in which the police strike a very nasty bargain with an informant, and "The Island of Peter Pandora" by Kim Lakin-Smith which manages to combine JM Barrie's, HG Wells and steampunk in a single carefully observed story. But there's something in each of these stories.
In "Lips and Teeth", Jon Wallace imagines a prison camp in (I think) North Korea, where a prisoner has a strange ability (and a strange, talking tool).
"The Last Osama" by Lavie Tidhar is a strange, myth laden blend of the Old West and Middle East with a quest not unlike that in "Heart of Darkness" / "Apocalypse Now".
"Armageddon Fish Pie" by Joseph D'Lacey is less about the coming destruction - we never learn for sure what is to happen - but about how one might behave and respond if such a thing threatened.
"The Complex" (EJ Swift) is very SF, telling the story of a time served convict on a distant penal colony.
"God of the Gaps" by Carol Johnstone is rather weird - a student, mentoring a younger pupil, gets into something very dark ('Try the manacles, Miss Daisy!') while accompanying him on a school trip.
Cheryl Moore's "Corset Wings" again has steampunk overtones, imagining the plight of a young woman exploited in an alt-Victorian London, and how she might dream of escape.
"The Wheel of Fortune" by Steph Swainston also has, as its main protagonist, a woman, an apothecary (I think) in a metropolis (but a fantasy one, this time) who has made a bargain with a bunch of scoundrels, and wants out of it.
"Too Delicate for Human Form" (Cate Gardner) concerns a dead aunt and some fish.
"Imogen" by Sam Stone has a twist - it would give too much away to say any more.
Alison Littlewood's "In the Quiet and in the Dark" induces the kind of shudders one would expect from her: very creepy.
"The Scariest Place in the World" by Mark Morris really brings the fear home, as does Simon Kurt Unsworth's "Qiqirn".
In "The Third Person" by Lisa Tuttle, another Imogen unwillingly helps out a friend who wants to conduct an affair, but things get out of hand.
"Fearful Symmetry" (Tyler Keevil) reads like the opening of a series: at some unspecified point in the near future, the earth is mucked up, with "the cough" spreading and mutant animal species emerging.
Finally, Adam G Nevill's "Pig Thing" reminded me somewhat of The House on the Borderland in the way that it bleeds the fantastical into the lives of the unsuspecting.
All great stories, and a good way to sample authors you might not otherwise pick up.
September 6, 2013
Hayes sets out his stall in the introduction: specifically, that he's interpreting the word 'fantasy' in a broad sense to create a diverse and interesting collection, a goal he largely achieves with seventeen entries ranging from classic ghost stories to steampunk. Really the most 'traditional' fantasy story here is Steph Swainston's entry, a tie-in to her 'Fourlands' works - and if Swainston is your 'traditional' fantasy, you know your compilation is going to the edges.
It's hard to pick out best stories here: there truly isn't a dud. Some are wonderfully atmospheric ('The Pig Thing', 'Too Delicate For Human Form', 'Imogen'), others original and striking ('Lips and Teeth', set in North Korea: 'Fearful Symmetry', an ecological thriller set in a near-future Russia). 'The Last Osama', by Lavie Tidhar, isn't particularly original but the prose is spectacular: 'The Third Person', by Lisa Tuttle, is a tight, evocative psychological horror. But my favourite overall is probably 'Armageddon Fish Pie' by Joseph D'Lacey - a smart, well-written, striking piece that really hits a chord.
Very strong collection. Recommended.
It's hard to pick out best stories here: there truly isn't a dud. Some are wonderfully atmospheric ('The Pig Thing', 'Too Delicate For Human Form', 'Imogen'), others original and striking ('Lips and Teeth', set in North Korea: 'Fearful Symmetry', an ecological thriller set in a near-future Russia). 'The Last Osama', by Lavie Tidhar, isn't particularly original but the prose is spectacular: 'The Third Person', by Lisa Tuttle, is a tight, evocative psychological horror. But my favourite overall is probably 'Armageddon Fish Pie' by Joseph D'Lacey - a smart, well-written, striking piece that really hits a chord.
Very strong collection. Recommended.
January 16, 2014
This was an excellent collection. I really enjoyed the majority of the stories, and even the ones I didn't enjoy that much were still average rather than bad or, in one case, too disturbing for my tastes. I will say that I'm not sure how I feel about calling this a collection of the best fantasy stories, since the editor seems to have a fairly loose definition of fantasy. It would perhaps be better called The Best British Speculative Fiction or some such. However, I'm actually kinda glad to see the wide variety of genres presented here. I also really like the way the book is organized, with adjacent stories having some sort of loose connection in terms of theme or plot elements so that there's a natural flow from one story to the next. This made the wide range of genres seem natural rather than jarring. I've definitely found a few authors I want to look into further. I think my favorite stories were The Wheel of Fortune and The Island of Peter Pandora, the latter being an absolutely brilliant reworking of Peter Pan. All in all I had a lot of fun with this anthology and I look forward to seeing what the 2014 volume contains.
February 10, 2015
I was very disappointed in this book. Considering it's a fantasy anthology, there's very little actual fantasy in it. Had it been named The Best of Contemporary British Fantasy or something similar, I may have been more forgiving but, well, it wasn't and so I'm not in a forgiving mood.
There are still a few decent stories in there, but too many rely on similar themes and predictable twists (what is it with short stories relying on twists as a hook?) so it just felt a chore to read a lot of the time.
There are still a few decent stories in there, but too many rely on similar themes and predictable twists (what is it with short stories relying on twists as a hook?) so it just felt a chore to read a lot of the time.
August 22, 2013
An absolutely cracking collection that mixes fantasy, horror and science fiction in what are often very dark but well- conceived stories. Not a single one was a failure, though there were a couple that felt more like tasters for novels than true short stories.
My favourite was a steam punk retelling of Peter Pan with more than a little Island of Dr Moreau thrown in. Delicious.
My favourite was a steam punk retelling of Peter Pan with more than a little Island of Dr Moreau thrown in. Delicious.
April 19, 2017
The authors featured in this anthology are not remotely f*****g about. Thrills, chills and twists aplenty. Just don't go in expecting lots of Trad. High Fantasy.
Currently Reading
July 14, 2024"Dermot" by Simon Bestwick - Detectives sacrifice children to Dermot in exchange for location data of incubating creatures.
"Imogen" by Sam Stone - wc
"Lips and Teeth" by Jon Wallace - wc
"Imogen" by Sam Stone - wc
"Lips and Teeth" by Jon Wallace - wc
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews