Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird

by Jonathan Maberry

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first issues of Weird Tales Magazine, 100 Years of Weird is a masterful compendium of new and classic stories, flash fiction, essays, and poems from the giants of speculative fiction, including R. L. Stine, Laurell K. Hamilton, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, Tennessee Williams, and Isaac Asimov.

Marking a century of uniquely peculiar storytelling, each part of this anthology features a different genre from Cosmic Horror, Sword and Sorcery, Space Opera, to the Truly Weird—things too strange to publish elsewhere, and the magazine’s raison d’etre. Landmark stories such as “The Call of Cthulhu”, “Worms of the Earth”, and “Legal Rites” stand beside original stories and insightful essays from today’s masters of speculative fiction.

This visually stunning hardcover edition is a collector’s dream, illustrated throughout with classic full color and black & white art from past issues of Weird Tales Magazine.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction, Collections

669 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2023

About the author

JONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hardcover edition is 487 pages long.
Table of Contents:
-The Eyrie by Jonathan Maberry
-The Third Guy by Scott Sigler
-Weird Tales at 100 A Century of Weird (Essay) by Lisa Morton
-The Game (Poem) by Marge Simon
-Disappear Donna by R.L. Stine
-Up from Slavery by Victor LaValle
-The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
-The Circle: Shared Worlds (Essay) by Lisa Diane Kastner
-Worms of the Earth by Robert E. Howard
-Swords and Sorcery Weird Tales and Beyond (Essay) by Charles R. Rutledge
-Cosmic Horror (Essay) by James A. Moore
-Arched Bridges--Blackout Poetry (Poem) by Jessica McHugh
-Black God's Kiss by C.L. Moore
-Legal Rites by Isaac Asimov and James MacCreagh (aka Frederik Pohl)
-The Scythe by Ray Bradbury
-Who Ya Gonna Call? The Evolution of Occult Detective Fiction (Essay) by Henry L. Herz
-Blood Moon by Owl Goingback
-The Vengeance of Nitocris by Tennessee Williams
-Dead Jack and the Case of the Bloody Fairy by James Aquilone
-Slaughter House by Richard Matheson
-The World Breaker by Blake Northcott
-Scratch-off Universe by Hailey Piper
-Church at the Bottom of the Sea by Michael A. Arnzen
-Prezzo by Keith DeCandido
-How to Make the Animal Perfect? by Linda D. Addison
-Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck
-Bait by Dana Fredsti
-The Damp Man by Allison V. Harding
-NecronomiCommedia: Dante, Dore, and the Root of Lovecraftian Horror (Essay) by Jacopo della Quercia and Christopher Neumann
-Lady Cataract Comes to the Mosque by Usman T. Malik
-Cupid is a Knavish Lad by Laurell K. Hamilton
-Vampire Chaser by Anne Walsh Miller
---
My thoughts on the stories:
-Scott Sigler's story is a great starter. If you're not familiar with him, check out Infected. Also, if you're not a fan of his work because there's quite a bit of cussing--it's toned down quite a lot.
-R.L. Stine is a surprise showing and if you we're curious if he can do adult horror, he nailed it.
-Victor LaValle is another excellent choice and does a great contemporary take on Lovecraft. If you like this story, check out LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom
-What else can be said about Lovecraft? Should Maberry have chosen a different one of Lovecraft's stories? Obviously, with the front dustcover, emblem on the front, and some of the artwork inside, The Call of Cthulhu makes the most sense. I'm not always sure if this story is the best representation of his work, but nevertheless I'm a fan of the story.
-This is probably Robert E Howard's (Conan) best work depicting the Lovecraftian mythos with his pulp sword and sorcery style.
-"Black God's Kiss" is another sword and sorcery tale with a very similar plot to "Worms of the Earth." I'm not sure I would have put these two back to back.
-"Legal Rites" was ok. Probably my least favorite of the collection so far. If you want a dark science fiction novel though, Frederik Pohl's Gateway is great.
-Ray Bradbury's "The Scythe" is probably the most "highbrow" of the works so far, and makes me want to checkout more of his short stories.
-I didn't know Tennessee Williams wrote an ancient Egyptian horror story. His style and approach comes across very Poe-like.
-"Dead Jack and the Case of the Bloody Fairy" resides in the realm of every mythical creature is real crossed with a hardboiled detective. Quite a fun read. Not sure I could read a lot of it though.
-Richard Matheson has better stories than the somewhat generic haunted house story that is "Slaughter House." I'd recommend I Am Legend, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," or "Button, Button."
-"Scratch-off Universe" was a fun Lovecraftian read.
-"Jagannath" is a great body-horror story. I may check out the rest of Karin Tidbeck's short stories in Jagannath.
-I thoroughly enjoyed "The Damp Man." I'll have to seek out more of Allison V. Harding's work.
-"Lady Cataract Comes to the Mosque" fits the definition of weird and just a slice of what could be the future.
-I've never been a fan of Laurell K. Hamilton, but if you enjoy her stories, no doubt you'll enjoy this one as well.
---
Aesthetics:
The dust cover is great with the foil text on the front and spine. The front of the book and spine have silver imprint on them that has a similar effect of the foil. My only gripe is that "TM" is right under the Cthulhu-like imprint on the front in the same shiny silver. The decorative paper between the front cover and back cover of the book is great with two different poses of "Bat-Woman" by Margaret Brundage; though the "Weird Tales" issue in the front is black and white, and the one in the back is full color. Nearly all of the artwork inside is fully color. All of the reprinted stories include the original cover of the Weird Tales issue they appeared in as well as any artwork that may have been with the story. Even the new stories come with some sort of artwork. Most of the poems are white text on dark background with an image associated with the poem. There are quite a few Weird Tales covers depicted throughout the essays. Overall, it's a very beautiful book.
---
Last thoughts:
There's a long list of fan favorite Weird Fiction writers missing from this volume (Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, August Derleth, etc.) but one can only fit so much into a book, and it was probably difficult to pick which authors to celebrate from the 100 year old magazine. I'm glad Jonathan Maberry didn't play it completely safe by only celebrating the early contributors, and picked contemporary ones as well (how many horror story collections have included "The Call of Cthulhu" at this point?). Obviously, I didn't always agree with Maberry's picks to represent the authors. The editing could have used another once over as there were several missing ending quotes, spacing mistakes, and the letter "a" was misplaced with an ^ in one of the stories. Overall, I'd say, if you're a horror fan, this book is a no-brainer and is going to look great on your shelf. Also, how are there not more reviews on this already? Amazon show's this on "Science Fiction Anthologies" list at #100, it should also be on the "Horror Anthologies" list, which it's completely missing from. This should be getting a bit more attention than currently getting.

[Dona's Books]

I found an audiobook copy of WEIRD TALES, edited by Jonathan Maberry, on Libby. Read by multiple narrators. All views are mine.

DNF @ 48%

I didn't at all care for the readings of these stories. So much unnecessary effect– falsetto, poorly delivered accents, actual harumphs. Likewise, the older story selection on display here from this wonderful genre, the Weird genre, swells with superfluous words and sentences and syllables. I just didn't care for these stories enough to continue with the collection, although I did enjoy the essays about the Weird Tales publication and the Weird genre in general.

Rating: DNF @ 48%
Finished: Jun 28 '24
Format: Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
👻 H. P. Lovecraft
👹 weird fiction
✒️ fiction essays
🕰 literary history

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as research for a program I want to put together for the library about The Weird Tale (in general) and Weird Tales Magazine (specifically). While this didn't necessarily give me more history about the magazine, it was a great collection of short stories that fit in the Weird Tale genre (basically a mix of horror, fantasy, sword and sorcery, sci-fi, occult detective fiction, etc.), as well as some wonderful essays about those different genres that feed into the Weird Tale. Not all the stories were great, some were incredible, some were just old reprints of famous stories that saw their fist printing in the old Weird Tales magazine of 1923-1954. The essays were particularly useful for my purposes as well as being very interesting. Definitely worth a read if you have any interest in the weird fiction/Weird Tales Magazine.

[Richard]

Initially I looked toward the release of this book with eager anticipation. Next, the table of contents gave me pause. Too many names that show up all too often. Such as Neil Gaiman. Finally the initial praise for the book swayed me once more. I sorely wanted to own a copy, but alas, I waited too long and it was no longer available. Which was in fact a boon. I bought the audiobook on the cheap at Christmas, and while it is bloated with essays and names well-known for writing and audio performances—I thought the whole thing sucked.Not for me.

[TayterTot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of stories, but loses a star due to all the typos that got past editing.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! There are a couple of essays that didn’t feel valuable at all, while others were great to read. Most of the stories and poems were top tier! There were a couple I didn’t care for, but that’s only my opinion.

There’s also a ton of spelling and grammatical errors, including author names.

This is still a fantastic book and would rate it 4.5 stars if I could.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah! Weird Tales indeed. Includes pulp reprints like Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu up to present day. I skimmed thru many of the older stories, they didn't age well. Same as with the more modern stories, they were OK but I didn't read any that really wowed me.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has all the hallmarks of what makes a collection a frustrating experience. A handful of great stories surrounded by less interesting or, at the very least less engaging, ones. An array of typos, formatting errors, and a general lack of attention to detail are enough to annoy you and disengage even the most forgiving of readers. This feels like it needed another two or three passes in editing just to clean up the errors.

That said, there's several stories that really piqued my interest and I'm glad to have gotten some exposure to writers I wasn't previously familiar with. Highlights were "Black God's Kiss" by C.L. Moore and "Dead Jack and the Case of the Blood Fairy" by James Aquilone.

[Stijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute must-read for anyone seriously investigating in weird stories. It's a easy accessible collection of both old and new stories, essays, poetry, covers and illustrations, all located in realm of the Weird. The references and names are so broad that it will bring value to anyone, and further investigate in it. Because it is so broad, it might very well be that some content might not be your liking, but like me, you might very well appreciate it nonetheless.
Great work all around. To the next 100y!

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great collection, I loved all the stories and really appreciated the essays giving context and the history of the magazine. Found many more authors to explore!

[Storm Bookwyrm · Rating 3 out of 5]

100 Years of Weird is "The Official Anthology Celebrating the First Century of the Unique Magazine" (according to the back of the jacket). In smaller text beneath it, it says 'Classic and New Tales'.
When my wife bought me this book for my birthday, I think she was hedging more upon the 'classic' than the 'new', hoping to fulfill my desire to read some old issues of Weird Tales Magazine. The end result of this book is an INTERESTING (dare I say 'weird') hodgepodge of new stories, classic stories, poems, and editorials pieces and essays all thrown together with something of the feel of a project that someone on a budget said "Hey, let's get together a 100 years anniversary book! Anyone else interested? ...C'mon guys, it's 100 years! C'moooon." ...and then it came together with moderate success.

What I didn't like:
I guess it's mandatory that you HAVE to include 'the Call of Cthulhu' in any anthology collection that even touches Lovecraft. Fair enough, in a way, that being the most famous piece of weird fiction ever created. But this would probably bring the number of anthologies I have that feature 'the call of cthulhu' in it up to double digits now, because that's what EVERYONE thinks. "Oh, we're making a horror anthology? Well, we HAVE to have the Call of Cthulhu in it!" I do LIKE the Call of Cthulhu, but c'mon, I would like to read some new stuff.
The same held true for a couple of other big-and-famous tales in here, that I already HAD them in other collections, and not only that but had recently read them. This is, perhaps, my problem, where someone less versed in weird-tales might get a thrill out of reading 'black god's kiss' or 'worms of the earth' for the first time.
Among the 'new' stories (those listed in the appendix as appearing in this book for its first time in print'), there were a few that didn't quite seem worthy of appearing in a '100 year celebration' book standing side-by-side with the best of the best. In particular were the modern attempts to write occult noir in the form of "Dead Jack and the Case of the Bloody Fairy" and "Cupid is a Knavish Lad" ("The World Breaker" was only marginally better, feeling like a plot lifted out of a Harry Dresden novel. ...An EARLY novel, before they got good), the latter being particularly amateurish. The proliferation of these 'occult detective' stories, paired with an overly long, rambling, and unenlightening essay called "Who Ya Gonna Call? The Evolution of Occult Detective Fiction" definitely seemed to give the impression that the editor of this book (or whoever was choosing what went into it) had a bias towards that brand of story greater than a dedication to 'Celebrating 100 years'.
So, in summary, my gripes amount to the wish that this collection would have just contained more classic stories from weird tales that I hadn't heard of.

What I liked:
- The first story, 'The Third Guy", was pretty tantalizing, and I liked the personable voice of the author. It was a good way to open the book, even if it was NEW fiction, first published in this book and not a classic, like I was hoping for.
- "Disappear Donna" by RL Stine was cute and creepy. Of anyone putting new stuff into the book, I give RL Stine a pass, just because I feel like he is so quintessentially 'new weird fiction'.
- "Up From Slavery" is one I had read before in a previous anthology collection, but it was so nice I read it twice. A fun interpretation and twist on some Lovecraftian lore, and it's always fun to see Nyarlathotep (I suppose he wasn't explicitly NAMED in the story, but you know it's him).
- "Legal Rites" was the story of a ghost taking someone to court to demand that they stop trying to inhabit HIS house. If that sounds farcical and humorous that's because it was.
- "The Scythe" by Ray Bradbury, seems to encapsulate the very idea of a 'weird tale'. Ray Bradbury had the unique power to look around, focus his attention on an innocuous THING, and write a story that is, at the very least, weird and thought-provoking.
- I was glad to have been given the note 'Written at 16 years of age' at the beginning of the story "The Vengeance of Nitocris". Though I always believe a story should have merits on its own, a little context can be nice once in a while. Telling the story of a pharaohess' vengeance against a mob of power-hungry priests, it's a story that, were it written in the prime of a legendary writer's career I would have said was a touch simplistic and weak. But for a teenager it felt like a very imaginative and evocative piece.
- "Slaughter House" did what few other ghost stories have done, and actually gave me a few chills. On the whole it's a fairly simple story (I suspect if Lovecraft had edited it he would have insisted upon adding in that the former residents of the house were owners of the necronomicon, and had been magic-users studying with atlanteans and all that kid of jazz), but its simplicity allowed the author to convincingly convey the discomforts and terrors of the narrator in a way that actually reached me.
- "Jagganath" was pretty great. I think if I was reading nothing BUT stories like it (I want to call it 'trans-humanist'? I dunno what that means exactly, but it SOUNDS right) I would have tired of its matter-of-fact way of presenting unfamiliar, alien settings. But as one story in an anthology of more standard fare, I liked it for its imagination and unrelenting strangeness. Also all the flesh and implications of mutation fed the body-horror-fiend in me that usually only Junji Ito and Clive Barker can adequately scratch.
- I liked the FIRST chunk of "The Damp Man". It built suspense pretty fabulously, and I actually got creeped out by the growing dread of two people unable to rid themselves of their horrifying stalker. BUT, I was immediately disappointed with the various revelations of what the 'damp man' was, who he was, and how the tale ended.
- "Lady Cataract Comes to the Mosque". I was confused, I didn't get it, but I kind of liked it from what I sort of guessed was happening.

On the WHOLE I might like to give this book a 2.5 rather than a straight-up 3 stars. Half of it were things I'd already read, things I didn't like, or less-than-eloquent essays that seemed padded to fill space. But I did find a couple good nuggets of new things in here, so... I suppose I'd recommend this to someone who wants to break into Weird Tales, knowing nothing about 'The Lovecraft Circle' or weird fiction, and might like a neat little introduction to it all.

[Jude Samson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It might have good stories if you can dig through alllllllll the unnecessarily blathering and history. The long self-aggrandizing introduction was bad enough but then a seemingly never-ending history/story-genre introduction immediately following the first story (which went on longer than the first story itself) I gave up. First, that much in between blathering is absolutely unneeded and ruins it for the reader being able to just get into the worlds being written by constantly being pulled back out just to hear/read editors wanting to, essentially, hear themselves speak. Second, when your segments are longer than the stories maybe you’re too verbose and need to shut up. Third, whoever was doing the in between narration kept gasping and either needs to find an inhaler or learn how to breath properly if they’re going to do narration. Skip.

Update may 2024 - I chapterized the audiobook and it made it much more tolerable to skip passed the annoying blather. Still a fair amount of lackluster tales especially after all the build up of it being the 100 years of such a grand periodical but once you can dig through and skip the yadda yadda some of the stories were entertaining enough.

[myreadingescapism · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an insanely long collection of stories… some lulled and some were great. It’s kind of the common thing with collections that some are good and some are bad.



Thanks hoopla for the 4x the speed otherwise, I don’t think I’d have gotten through it. 😂

[Joan Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one gets a bit slow at times. Could have used a blue pencil.

[Ryan A. Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, edited by Jonathan Maberry, showcases some of the best stories published throughout its history. It also unfortunately has a lot of essays that diminish them.

Had this book been just confined to the stories published by the magazine, it would have been the perfect encapsulation of how many of these genres have evolved, and sometimes even begun, on those pages. Selecting them from throughout that century shows the changing of the guard of the authors too. The essays that are peppered throughout the collection undermine the impact of the stories themselves. The ways that they do this include spoilers given in essays for stories that come later in the collection. They also sometimes discuss their subject matter in an overly pretentious way or make glaring omissions. There’s only so many times someone can read the modern writers pussyfoot around Lovecraft’s racism, too. However, the stories themselves are what matters in the collection. Amongst those that stood out to this reader were “The Third Guy” by Scott Sigler; “Disappear Donna” by R. L. Stine; “Up From Slavery” by Victor LaVelle; “The Call of Cthulhu” by H. P. Lovecraft; “Worms of the Earth” by Robert E. Howard; and “Jagannath” by Karin Tidbeck.

The collection is well curated covering many authors throughout many years and across multiple genres. It must have been difficult to keep to just one per author. Some of the authors selected can be a statement in themselves. This reader was surprised to find a story by Tennessee Williams included amongst the pages of this collection. Again, though the overall package lets down its excellent components. The essays manage to make this feel less a celebration of its centennial and more a dissection. The stories could have stood with perhaps a small afterword each rather than these genre analyses that take one out of the journey. The poems that are also included would have been good to break up the stories on their own too. The stories cover a great variety of genre and subgenre too though there is a tilt towards horror. Sigler’s entry is a great opener in that regard since it would probably not be what anyone would imagine as a ‘typical’ weird tale but is a perfect encapsulation of the variety on offer in any single issue.

The prose varies as might be expected in a collection with so many different authors from different backgrounds, levels of experience when they wrote the stories in question, and some of whose lives are separated by an entire century. As a curated collection though there are none that are poorly written, even if they don’t all resonate with every reader. It can be a bit jarring however going from those written almost a century ago to those written in the past few years. This reader wondered if the book might have been better organised into eras, which would have shown the evolution of style as one read through the anthology. There are always arguments to be made for the placement of stories in an anthology. Chronological has its plus points, as does organising by thematic elements. Then there’s something to be said for how this anthology is organised, where you have authors from the early years like Lovecraft, Howard, and Williams placed next to stories by Sigler, Tidbeck, and Hailey Piper.

Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird is a perfect showcase of some of the best stories that have appeared on the pages of that magazine, if only those editing had faith in the stories to stand on their own merits.

[Ionfarmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird," edited by the accomplished Jonathan Maberry, is a splendid anthology that pays homage to a century of storytelling from the iconic Weird Tales magazine. This collection is not just a literary feast but also a visual delight, thanks to its rich illustrations and images that bring the stories to life.

Jonathan Maberry, a renowned name in horror and speculative fiction, has meticulously curated a selection of stories that encapsulate the essence of the weird and wonderful world of Weird Tales. The anthology showcases a diverse range of authors, from the legendary to the lesser-known, each contributing their unique voice to this rich tapestry of bizarre and fantastical tales.

One of the most striking features of this collection is the inclusion of vivid illustrations and images accompanying each story. These artistic elements enhance the reader's experience, adding an extra layer of depth and atmosphere to the narratives. The illustrations are not merely decorative but are integral to the storytelling, often capturing the mood and essence of the tales in a way that words alone cannot.

The stories themselves are a testament to the enduring appeal of the weird fiction genre. From eerie tales of the supernatural to unsettling accounts of the unknown, each story is a masterful blend of imagination and intrigue. Maberry's expertise as an editor is evident in the seamless flow of the anthology, with each story complementing the next, yet standing strong on its own merit.

The anthology also serves as a historical journey through the evolution of speculative fiction. Readers will find themselves transported from the early days of Gothic horror to the modern era of psychological thrillers, witnessing the transformation of the genre over the decades. This historical perspective is enriched by the accompanying illustrations, which often reflect the period's artistic styles and cultural contexts.

In summary, "Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird," edited by Jonathan Maberry, is an exceptional anthology that is as much a visual treat as it is a literary one. The rich illustrations and images paired with a meticulously curated selection of stories make this book a must-have for fans of the genre. It is not just a collection of stories; it is an immersive experience into the weird, eerie, and wonderfully strange world of one of the most influential magazines in speculative fiction.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird is an uneven but mostly enjoyable anthology collecting an assortment of short stories and poems that were published in the titular magazine over the past century, as well as a few critical essays contextualizing the work of writers like H.P. Lovecraft--who was a racist, by the way, as every critical essay seems contractually obligated to remind us--Robert Bloch, Robert E. Howard, and other 20th century authors working in the vein of weird fiction. Some of the stories are great, especially Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu," Isaac Asimov's "Legal Rites," Richard Matheson's "Slaughter House," Ray Bradbury's "The Scythe," and the modern "The Third Guy" by Scott Sigler, while a few others are less successful or mostly forgettable. The critical essays sometimes get too deep in the weeds about their respective topics--Lovecraft's friend group or unique subgenres or even Italian art--but they nicely break up the format of sometimes similar stories. As an anthology, Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird feels less essential than hodgepodge, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of enjoyable genre fiction here. I had a good time reading it.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a mess, this ambitious tribute(?) to the centenary of WEIRD TALES magazine's initial issue, seems to have had a number of goals. Jonathan Maberry's introduction is a fine essay that speaks to the history of the magazine, its importance, and his commitment to it, but the rest of the non-fiction content is less stellar, some of it hardly related to the book's ostensible subject. Some of the classic reprints, notably "The Call of Cthulhu," are easily found elsewhere and the new stories are almost entirely disappointing.

Bestselling authors may not be the best fit for an anthology dedicated to a publication that called itself "The Unique Magazine."

The dealbreaker for me though is the cosmic horror of the proofreading and copyediting. There are a couple of sentences so mangled by errors that they might actually summon something eldritch.

The cover and overall design on the book are fine, though some of the material inside feels like clip art. I did like Maberry's essay and I seized the opportunity to read "Up from Slavery," by Victor LaValle. I've been wanting to read some of LaValle's work and this is a great place to start. I also really enjoyed the reprint of Allison V. Harding's "The Damp Man," from a 1947 issue of WT. Her story is still original, eerie, and told with style.

On the whole though, this isn't much of a celebration for 100 years of weirdness.

[Marion Schloemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for ME, which doesn’t mean it’s not a good book. But it’s an anthology and, while edited by one of my favorite sci-fi authors, was not *written* by him.

What makes this a must-read for true sci-fi aficionados is the history and detail of the multiple sub genres. Sometimes I felt that this would make a useful textbook in an undergraduate course. I learned a lot! And one of the things I learned is that I don’t much care for H.P. Lovecraft (gasp! BLASPHEMY!) or the Chuthulu mythos.

[Aaron Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book, and frankly, I am a bit disappointed. Not in the contents; the stories are an excellent selection from the history of the magazine. But there is a demonstrable lack of proofreading, with a number of obvious and glaring typos that likely came from scanning older copies of the stories into the new print.

To me, for a book celebrating 100 years of a magazine that helped shape modern horror, fantasy, and science fiction, it seems disrespectful of those who came before. And for a $30 hardback book, it seems unprofessional.

[Epiphany Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Weird Tales Magazine in the late 1980's - early 1990's, and it's not an exaggeration to say it changed my life. Gave me purpose. This anniversary edition, edited by the magazine's current editor, Jonathan Maberry, is pure delight. Stories by new and current authors blend with classic reprints, and critical and contextual essays explain the importance of Weird Tales in the development of the genre—and several sub-genres. It's a great launching point for readers unfamiliar with "weird" literature. For anyone who knows and loves Weird Tales magazine, it's a must-buy.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2.5/5]

Weird Tales ranked:

- The Call of Ctulu
- The Third Guy
- Disappear Donna
- The World Breaker
- Black God’s Kill
- Up from Slavery
- Bait
- Church at the Bottom of the Sea
- The Damp Man
- Dead Jack and the Case of the Blood Fairy
- The Game
- Blood Moon
- Prezzo
- Legal Rites
- The Vengeance of Nitocris
- Jagannath
- Worms of the Earth
- The Scythe
- How to Make the Animal Perfect?
- Slaughter House
- Cupid is a Knavish Lad
- Vampire Chaser
- Lady Cataract Comes to the Mosque

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 tentacles out of five.

A selection of various short stories from different authors, both old and new. This was really hit and miss for me. I lean more toward liking the classic authors of weird fiction and therefore enjoyed those in the book most. It was also my first time reading Robert E Howard and now I want more. However, some of the tales in this entry are duds. They came across as trying too hard to be “modern” weird fiction or were just uninteresting to me. Also, there is a marked difference in the sheer volume of swearing between the old and new. It was a bit annoying at times. Lastly, there is some outdated concepts in the older works that may get a rise out of some contemporary readers.

[Jameson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fucking horrible. I should have paid more attention to the advert. Because this is a beautiful book which reprints a few classic tales from WT but it dilutes the overall package with an equal amount of horrible new stories and lame ass poetry. Some of the new stories have to be read to be believed. The editor should be ashamed of himself. Fuck you, Jonathan Maberry. Your name is as good as a Stop sign in my mind so I have no fear of buying anything you’ve edited ever again.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have given this 5 stars.

This is a reflection on the book being an anthology celebrating Weird Tales and how hard it is to encompass the great literary tradition of that periodical.

As a reader of many of the authors, it ran into the pitfall of either already read, or would have chosen another emblematic tale and so on.

Having said that for anyone interested in weird fiction it is a magnificent edition and would be great for a person new to this genre.

[Willem]

Everything you might expect from a 100 year anniversary celebration and more. Classic reprints, modern tales, essays on the varying genres, biographical notes, even poetry. In short, all the weird tales one might hope for and interspersed with old ads and gorgeous (cover) art of the magazine! With such a wide range of content, certain stories simply stick out more than others, but there were few stories that seemed out of place or not worth the time. Wonderfully weird.

[Christopher Pate · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often, if at all, you can pick up a volume and read the works of master storytellers like Lovecraft, Howard, Piper, Moore, Bradbury, Asimov, Pohl, Matheson and more! With stories spanning 100 years, all with that vibrantly indefinable weird fiction tenor. A glorious collection of tales put together by Jonathan Maberry.

[Neil B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice anthology with a collection of short weird stories. A broad mix of older (1940-1960s)ish cosmic and fantasy stories mixed with a few newer ones that made modern references to things like tiktok. I enjoyed them all, the stories were short but not cliffhangers. I picked this up at the library and wasn't disappointed.

[Myles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointed with this collection. A collection of stories celebrating 100 years of Weird Tales was really a mixed bag, severely lacking in the quality of contemporary stories aside from a handful. Also, maybe there was a formating issue on my kindle, but there were numerous typos in almost every story. I really expected more.

[Andrew Padbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have rated higher if the ‘poetry’ wasn’t included. Maybe I just don’t understand poetry, but this compilation makes me think that I hate it. A lot of great works here like Black God’s Kiss and Worms of the Earth. Notable crap to avoid reading are Jagannath and Vampire Chaser that brought the entire compilation down in innumerable terms.