What do you think?
Rate this book
Deep Cuts
Warning: cuts may be deeper than they appear.
19 short horror stories to give you shivers plus 60 recommendations for powerhouse tales written by women—those bloody stylings and chainsaw rhythms that have lain hidden like deadly gems among other great works.
"Deep Cuts smartly sidesteps the bloody 'women in horror' debate and puts its money where its mouth is. This fantastic collection, featuring both genders, pays tribute to the best dark tales told by women. A deeply cerebral experience that is at times honest and intimate, but always chilling." —Mercedes M. Yardley, author of Beautiful Sorrows
Cover art by Anja Millen.
Contributors include Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, Mehitobel Wilson, Lisa Morton, Sandra Odell, Samael Gyre, Sara Taylor, Michael Haynes, R.S. Belcher, Stephen Woodworth, C.W. Smith, Colleen Anderson, James Chambers, Ed Kurtz, Rachel Karyo, Kelly A. Harmon, Scathe meic Beorh, Patricia Lillie, Satyros Phil Brucato, and Rob M. Miller.
19 short horror stories to give you shivers plus 60 recommendations for powerhouse tales written by women—those bloody stylings and chainsaw rhythms that have lain hidden like deadly gems among other great works.
"Deep Cuts smartly sidesteps the bloody 'women in horror' debate and puts its money where its mouth is. This fantastic collection, featuring both genders, pays tribute to the best dark tales told by women. A deeply cerebral experience that is at times honest and intimate, but always chilling." —Mercedes M. Yardley, author of Beautiful Sorrows
Cover art by Anja Millen.
Contributors include Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, Mehitobel Wilson, Lisa Morton, Sandra Odell, Samael Gyre, Sara Taylor, Michael Haynes, R.S. Belcher, Stephen Woodworth, C.W. Smith, Colleen Anderson, James Chambers, Ed Kurtz, Rachel Karyo, Kelly A. Harmon, Scathe meic Beorh, Patricia Lillie, Satyros Phil Brucato, and Rob M. Miller.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
10 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Angel Leigh McCoy
63 books92 followersStep into enchanting Wyrdwood, where Angel Leigh McCoy's novels of supernatural suspense and mystery unfurl with sass, magick, romance, secrets, and moonlight.
In the Wyrdwood series of interwoven novels, novellas, and short stories, Angel channels captivating tales that will leave you bewitched and craving more.
But writing novels isn’t her only superpower. She’s also a master world-builder. She is the mastermind behind a game-design company that is conjuring up the much-anticipated Dire Multiverse collection of products. You might recognize Angel from her previous escapades as a game writer on White Wolf’s World of Darkness and the AAA video games: Guild Wars 2 and CONTROL.
When Angel isn’t spinning her wordcraft magick, she cuddles kitties and tends to the many mystical creatures who live in her backyard pocket-realm. To unlock more, visit AngelMcCoy.com and embark on a journey like no other into a world of modern myth and magick—Wyrdwood.
In the Wyrdwood series of interwoven novels, novellas, and short stories, Angel channels captivating tales that will leave you bewitched and craving more.
But writing novels isn’t her only superpower. She’s also a master world-builder. She is the mastermind behind a game-design company that is conjuring up the much-anticipated Dire Multiverse collection of products. You might recognize Angel from her previous escapades as a game writer on White Wolf’s World of Darkness and the AAA video games: Guild Wars 2 and CONTROL.
When Angel isn’t spinning her wordcraft magick, she cuddles kitties and tends to the many mystical creatures who live in her backyard pocket-realm. To unlock more, visit AngelMcCoy.com and embark on a journey like no other into a world of modern myth and magick—Wyrdwood.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 3, 2013
As with any short story anthology there were stories I liked and stories I did not like. I particularly enjoyed "Awaiting the Captain's Ghost" (Michael Haynes) and "I am Victim" (Rob Miller). Some stories were downright disturbing, but not in a good, horrific way; more like, "Good Lord, who thinks like this???" sort of way. By and large, most of the stories were entertaining and if you're looking for a horror anthology with more good than bad, this is one to pick up.
March 19, 2013
It’s great to see a horror anthology dedicated to female horror writers, and the recommendations of stories written by these women. The premise was an interesting one and the anthology contained a diverse collection of tales with some well presented recommendations. Typical of any anthology, there were some stories I really enjoyed and others I wasn’t so keen on. In my opinion, the most enjoyable tales were gripping and straight to the point – as Chuck Wendig says:”Plain Stakes, Stabbed Hard Through Breastbone”. I believe a writer can hone in on the terrifying in either an obvious, visceral way or a more subtle, invasive way, and some of the stories achieved that. The stories that didn’t work for me were the ones that were too metaphorical, in some instances chaotically so, with endings that didn’t make much sense to me or seemed unnecessarily abrupt. Other readers may love these stories, but I didn’t. I think the editors may have been looking for a more “artistic” approach to horror with these, but I found them less engaging and less frightening as a result.
Overall, this was an entertaining anthology, but there were a couple of things that disappointed me - first was the number of stories written by men in an anthology dedicated to female horror writers. Submissions were open to all writers, so it didn’t come as a big surprise, and I understand the editors wanted to show female horror writers have influenced both male and female writers alike but I feel the best way to honour females in the genre is to showcase their work, not just praise it. I also didn’t like certain parts of the format. What I consider the best story in the anthology was first in the line-up, lending to a bit of a let-down after that. I also think that the extra recommendations included in the anthology should have been interspersed amongst the stories, rather than all lumped together at the end.
Here are the highlights of the anthology:
The introduction by Lisa Morton was superb, noting discrimination women writers face in the genre and stating examples she has encountered. She also pointed out, in a very passionate way, that successful female horror writers need to be recognized and celebrated or risk being forgotten.
The opening story, “Crash Cart” by Nancy Holder was both disturbing and frightening on many levels. It was a no holds barred story where the horror exists in the villain, the victim and the protagonist alike. This was my favourite story in the anthology.
Other stories I really enjoyed included “Hollow Moments” by R.S. Belcher- a chilling tale bent on striking fear in those of us who spend much of our lives thoughtlessly plodding through the routine and not really living, “Red Is the Colour of my True Love’s Blood” by Colleen Anderson – a vividly frightening story that blends colours and associated emotions and states of mind with unpleasant events, “Beavers” by Rachel Karyo – a disturbing tale that delves into how becoming a new mother without the proper supports in place can lead to mental instability, and “Pinprick” by Scathe meic Beorh - a story I appreciated in particular because of its dark humour.
The story recommendations were real gems and introduced me to writers that are now on my “to-read” list – a proper bonus to the anthology.
While I might have changed a few things about it if I could, I did enjoy this anthology and I’m including it on my recommended reading list.
Overall, this was an entertaining anthology, but there were a couple of things that disappointed me - first was the number of stories written by men in an anthology dedicated to female horror writers. Submissions were open to all writers, so it didn’t come as a big surprise, and I understand the editors wanted to show female horror writers have influenced both male and female writers alike but I feel the best way to honour females in the genre is to showcase their work, not just praise it. I also didn’t like certain parts of the format. What I consider the best story in the anthology was first in the line-up, lending to a bit of a let-down after that. I also think that the extra recommendations included in the anthology should have been interspersed amongst the stories, rather than all lumped together at the end.
Here are the highlights of the anthology:
The introduction by Lisa Morton was superb, noting discrimination women writers face in the genre and stating examples she has encountered. She also pointed out, in a very passionate way, that successful female horror writers need to be recognized and celebrated or risk being forgotten.
The opening story, “Crash Cart” by Nancy Holder was both disturbing and frightening on many levels. It was a no holds barred story where the horror exists in the villain, the victim and the protagonist alike. This was my favourite story in the anthology.
Other stories I really enjoyed included “Hollow Moments” by R.S. Belcher- a chilling tale bent on striking fear in those of us who spend much of our lives thoughtlessly plodding through the routine and not really living, “Red Is the Colour of my True Love’s Blood” by Colleen Anderson – a vividly frightening story that blends colours and associated emotions and states of mind with unpleasant events, “Beavers” by Rachel Karyo – a disturbing tale that delves into how becoming a new mother without the proper supports in place can lead to mental instability, and “Pinprick” by Scathe meic Beorh - a story I appreciated in particular because of its dark humour.
The story recommendations were real gems and introduced me to writers that are now on my “to-read” list – a proper bonus to the anthology.
While I might have changed a few things about it if I could, I did enjoy this anthology and I’m including it on my recommended reading list.
March 1, 2013
"Deep Cuts" is a treasure trove of good horror fiction, both in terms of the stories and the recommendations of ‘further reading’ of women writers to check out supplied by those who submitted pieces to the anthology.
Still, I long for a day when there won’t be a need to have this gender debate, and readers will all agree that gender, whether male or female, doesn’t determine whether someone is a good writer, or if their stories are interesting or compelling.
Here's my full review: http://thedarkeva.com/2013/03/01/frid...
Still, I long for a day when there won’t be a need to have this gender debate, and readers will all agree that gender, whether male or female, doesn’t determine whether someone is a good writer, or if their stories are interesting or compelling.
Here's my full review: http://thedarkeva.com/2013/03/01/frid...
June 12, 2013
The recommendations alone make this interesting anthology worth reading. I must read more Mehitobel Wilson. Her contribution, The Remains, stood out amongst these 19 (mostly) strong horror shorts.
April 23, 2018
A horror anthology meant to "recognize great horror stories by women writers," in which 10 of the 19 included stories were WRITTEN BY MEN.
"Celebrate female writers in horror by paying over half of the contributor money to dudes" is not great for optics or my mood.
I was even more annoyed by the mini-essays recommending various horror stories written by women, since most of those stories aren't even in the book. The overall effect is "This horror story by a woman writer is great! But it's not here, so you can't read it! Instead, here's another story by a dude that likely pales in comparison!"
"Celebrate female writers in horror by paying over half of the contributor money to dudes" is not great for optics or my mood.
I was even more annoyed by the mini-essays recommending various horror stories written by women, since most of those stories aren't even in the book. The overall effect is "This horror story by a woman writer is great! But it's not here, so you can't read it! Instead, here's another story by a dude that likely pales in comparison!"
Read
January 18, 2020These short stories are not for the faint hearted.
November 20, 2013
Deep Cuts is a celebration of the influence of female horror writers, released for Women in Horror Month, 2013. The title refers to “deep cuts” in music – those great tracks on an album that do not get commercial airtime or are overshadowed by the popular hits. In a clever move, the editors required each submission to come with a short recommendation for a story by a woman writer, a deep cut from the history of horror fiction. The result is an anthology that reflects the strength of the female voice in horror today, and reminds us that it has always been present. It was a smart choice, and one that elevates the anthology by giving historical context and providing intriguing suggestions for additional reading – an added value most anthologies don’t provide. The other smart editorial decision was to open the anthology to submissions by men and women. Despite honorable intentions, I am not sure how effectively we promote diversity in writing through exclusionary practices. If women horror writers are every bit as capable as the men they can hold their own in a fair competition just fine. And Deep Cuts is a wonderful demonstration that they can, and always have been able to. The inclusion of male authors also reminds us that it is not only female readers and writers that have been shaped by the great women of horror fiction. The anthology is a great celebration of Women in Horror Month in ways that a simple collection from women authors would not have been.
The stories within come from a diverse group of authors, including many award-winning writers whose work has appeared in top publications. And, by and large, these stories cut quite deep. These are stories filled with fear and pain. Character after character is filled with toxic rage, perverse obsession, or unrelenting need. Horrific sexual violence is frequently present or at least threatened. We see terrible crimes and their lingering aftermath. Relationships are irreparably torn and spirits crushed in a world with little justice or redemption. The monsters within are, at times, demonic or ghostly, and at others merely human. In some cases, it is not possible to say whether the events described are the result of the supernatural or delusion. The prose and narrative voice is generally strong across the board. There is, at most, one story that struck me as relatively undeveloped and unpolished, so that it stood out poorly against the rest of the material. A second, while well-written, seemed thematically inconsistent with the overall bleak worldview of the rest, introducing a discordant element of ultimate light into the universe despite the darkness of the events described. But, as a group, the stories are quite disturbing and compelling, and most mature horror fans should be able to find multiple pieces that they enjoy; more than enough to justify getting a copy. Evaluated as a horror anthology, Deep Cuts is a clear success, and I would not be surprised to see it get some attention at year’s end when award nominations begin to circulate.
As for the deep cuts themselves, the story recommendations reflect a nice mix of historic and contemporary writers, and the editors included an appendix containing the suggestions attached to many submissions that did not make the anthology itself, yielding sixty pieces for the reader’s consideration. The stories described are an intriguing archeology of horror written by women. Even a seasoned horror fan will likely discover something she or he has not read, and will at least be reminded of gems perhaps forgotten from years past. You could argue that a few of these are more chart-toppers than deep cuts (who has not read The Lottery?) but that is a quibble. As a celebration of the female horror writer, this effort has made a unique contribution and is a great achievement.
[Originally published on Hellnotes.com]
The stories within come from a diverse group of authors, including many award-winning writers whose work has appeared in top publications. And, by and large, these stories cut quite deep. These are stories filled with fear and pain. Character after character is filled with toxic rage, perverse obsession, or unrelenting need. Horrific sexual violence is frequently present or at least threatened. We see terrible crimes and their lingering aftermath. Relationships are irreparably torn and spirits crushed in a world with little justice or redemption. The monsters within are, at times, demonic or ghostly, and at others merely human. In some cases, it is not possible to say whether the events described are the result of the supernatural or delusion. The prose and narrative voice is generally strong across the board. There is, at most, one story that struck me as relatively undeveloped and unpolished, so that it stood out poorly against the rest of the material. A second, while well-written, seemed thematically inconsistent with the overall bleak worldview of the rest, introducing a discordant element of ultimate light into the universe despite the darkness of the events described. But, as a group, the stories are quite disturbing and compelling, and most mature horror fans should be able to find multiple pieces that they enjoy; more than enough to justify getting a copy. Evaluated as a horror anthology, Deep Cuts is a clear success, and I would not be surprised to see it get some attention at year’s end when award nominations begin to circulate.
As for the deep cuts themselves, the story recommendations reflect a nice mix of historic and contemporary writers, and the editors included an appendix containing the suggestions attached to many submissions that did not make the anthology itself, yielding sixty pieces for the reader’s consideration. The stories described are an intriguing archeology of horror written by women. Even a seasoned horror fan will likely discover something she or he has not read, and will at least be reminded of gems perhaps forgotten from years past. You could argue that a few of these are more chart-toppers than deep cuts (who has not read The Lottery?) but that is a quibble. As a celebration of the female horror writer, this effort has made a unique contribution and is a great achievement.
[Originally published on Hellnotes.com]
August 23, 2013
It's very rare that I will find myself actually taking notes while reading a book of short stories, but that is exactly what I found myself doing with this one.
The unique premise of this book is that each author that submitted a story to this anthology was asked for a recommendation of a story (a "deep cut," if you will), done by an author of the "weaker sex," along with their own submissions. The result is a book not only filled with great horror stories by some of today's most talented authors, but opening each is a recommendation of yet another story worth reading by a fantastic female author. This, in turn, resulted in me, sitting with pen & paper, making notes on new stories to look into, by authors I'd never read before (a few I have, but many I have not yet had the pleasure), and now I can't wait to check these out!
Getting back to the anthology at hand, however. There are many fantastic stories in this book, as well. A few of my favorites were "Lost Sisters" by James Chambers, which looks at the dangers of what happens when one doesn't pay enough attention to those he loves...
Another story that really spoke to the artist in me is "Red is the Color of My True Love's Blood" by Colleen Anderson. I love that this story is so raw feeling, and so very drenched (pardon the pun) in colors, particularly red (hence, the title).
Deep Cuts is a fantastic read, and I am looking forward to more anthologies in this vein!
The unique premise of this book is that each author that submitted a story to this anthology was asked for a recommendation of a story (a "deep cut," if you will), done by an author of the "weaker sex," along with their own submissions. The result is a book not only filled with great horror stories by some of today's most talented authors, but opening each is a recommendation of yet another story worth reading by a fantastic female author. This, in turn, resulted in me, sitting with pen & paper, making notes on new stories to look into, by authors I'd never read before (a few I have, but many I have not yet had the pleasure), and now I can't wait to check these out!
Getting back to the anthology at hand, however. There are many fantastic stories in this book, as well. A few of my favorites were "Lost Sisters" by James Chambers, which looks at the dangers of what happens when one doesn't pay enough attention to those he loves...
Another story that really spoke to the artist in me is "Red is the Color of My True Love's Blood" by Colleen Anderson. I love that this story is so raw feeling, and so very drenched (pardon the pun) in colors, particularly red (hence, the title).
Deep Cuts is a fantastic read, and I am looking forward to more anthologies in this vein!
August 6, 2013
The premise for this anthology is fantastic. The theme is women in horror, but as the editors stress in the foreward, it is not a collection of female writers. Instead, the themes focus on women as the central force or protagonists. It is supposed to celebrate women in horror, but as I read story after story, I kept asking myself the same question. How?
The collection is divided into three sections just as the title suggests. In the first section “Mayhem” we have stories of battered women, tough-talking thugs, throbbing cocks, and the undertones of misogyny throughout. This is how horror honors women? I lost count of the number of women brutally slaughtered in the stories here. Many of the protagonists were male, even by the female authors. We have the strong mother role here and there, but not much beyond that traditional function. Do women participate in horror or are they spectators and/or punching bags? The one-liner support only? The perpetual rape victim?
Colleen Anderson’s “Red is the Color of My True Love’s Blood” stands out by showing us that women can be as cold, calculated, and methodical a killer as men without dipping into stereotypes, but overall it’s a collection of brutality against women, dominant, violent males, motherhood cliché, and weak females. Very disappointing.
Originally published at Horror Novel Reviews
The collection is divided into three sections just as the title suggests. In the first section “Mayhem” we have stories of battered women, tough-talking thugs, throbbing cocks, and the undertones of misogyny throughout. This is how horror honors women? I lost count of the number of women brutally slaughtered in the stories here. Many of the protagonists were male, even by the female authors. We have the strong mother role here and there, but not much beyond that traditional function. Do women participate in horror or are they spectators and/or punching bags? The one-liner support only? The perpetual rape victim?
Colleen Anderson’s “Red is the Color of My True Love’s Blood” stands out by showing us that women can be as cold, calculated, and methodical a killer as men without dipping into stereotypes, but overall it’s a collection of brutality against women, dominant, violent males, motherhood cliché, and weak females. Very disappointing.
Originally published at Horror Novel Reviews
Currently reading
July 26, 2024“Practical Necromancy” by Sara Taylor - Annie cuts Doug's brake lines because she saw him performing some odd mouth-to-mouth ritual on her sister Mallory who has been acting weird. It is pretty clear to the reader that Mallory is an animated corpse but it never seems to click with Annie even after she discovers Mallory with the book “Practical Necromancy” on her lap.
“Hollow Moments” by R.S. Belcher - A detective encounters an entity that refers to people living hollow lives as Window People that their kind possess in order to escape from their dreary world.
“The Remains” by Mehitobel Wilson - Danielle is haunted by the ghost of the man who murdered her son.
“Hollow Moments” by R.S. Belcher - A detective encounters an entity that refers to people living hollow lives as Window People that their kind possess in order to escape from their dreary world.
“The Remains” by Mehitobel Wilson - Danielle is haunted by the ghost of the man who murdered her son.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2015
Some of these stories will be too extreme for the average reader. These aren't just spooky stories; some include graphic violence or sexual content that some readers will find genuinely disturbing. Having said that, though, this book is an excellent horror collection. I would have rated it highly even without the special theme. But the fact that it celebrates female horror authors and offers many recommendations for further reading bumps this up to a 5!
April 24, 2013
This ebook not having a table of contents was a major drawback for me it is an anthology ffs and I don't get to see a list of the stories in it ??? I have to flip through the whole thing screw that, the stories seemed rather slanted towards the "ghost" story for liking all in all this was a failure of an anthology for me.
May 10, 2013
it was a very good book
March 3, 2014
Muy buena antología. Es un homenaje a las escritoras de horror, pero me hubiera gustado que todos los cuentos fueran de escritoras, aún así encontramos unas verdaderas joyitas.
July 19, 2014
Strong overall, far better than other anthologies I've read
lately.
lately.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews