The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Eleventh Annual Collection

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror #11

by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor)

For more than a decade, readers have turned to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror to find the most rewarding fantastic short stories. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling continue their critically acclaimed and award-winning tradition with another stunning collection of stories. The fiction and poetry here is culled from an exhaustive survey of the field, nearly four dozen stories ranging from fairy tales to gothic horror, from magical realism to dark tales in the Grand Guignol style. Rounding out the volume are the editors' invaluable overviews of the year in fantasy and horror, a new Year's Best section, on comics, by Charles Vess, and on anime and manga, by Joan D. Vinge, and a long list of Honorable Mentions, making this an indispensable reference as well as the best reading available in fantasy and horror.
Contents:

Summation 1997: Fantasy • essay by Terri Windling
Summation 1997: Horror • essay by Ellen Datlow
Horror and Fantasy in the Media: 1997 • essay by Edward Bryant
Comics: 1997 • essay by Seth Johnson
Obituaries: 1997 • essay by James R. Frenkel
The Tale of the Skin (1997) / short story by Emma Donoghue
Beauty and the Beast (1997) • poem by Jaimes Alsop
Gulliver at Home (1997) / novelette by John Kessel
It Had to Be You (1997) / novelette by Nancy Pickard
The Skull of Charlotte Corday (1995) / short story by Leslie Dick
I Am Infinite; I Contain Multitudes (1997) / short story by Douglas Clegg
Coffee Jerk at the Gates of Hell (1997) • poem by Christopher Jones
Riding the Black (1997) / novelette by Charles L. Grant
In the Fields (1997) / short story by Christopher Harman
Mbo (1997) / short story by Nicholas Royle
Winner Take All (1997) / short story by Jeffrey Shaffer
Safe (1997) / novella by Gary A. Braunbeck
El Castillo de la Perseverancia (1995) / novelette by Howard Waldrop
The Sin-Eater's Tale (1997) / short story by Brennen Wysong
A Visit (1997) / short story by Steven Millhauser
A Globe of Glass (1997) / short story by Sonia Gernes
The Fall of the Kings [The World of Riverside] (1997) / novelette by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
Coyote and the White Folks (1997) • poem by Bill Lewis
Sheela Na Gig (1997) • poem by Bill Lewis
The Flounder's Kiss (1997) / short story by Michael Cadnum
Residuals (1997) / novelette by Paul J. McAuley and Kim Newman
The Psychomantium (1997) / short story by Molly Brown
In the Black Mill (1997) / short story by Michael Chabon
Dust Motes (1997) / short story by P. D. Cacek
La Muerte (1997) • poem by Pat Mora
Spanky's Back in Town [Spanky] (1997) / novelette by Christopher Fowler
Marriage (1997) • poem by Denise Duhamel
Kingyo No Fun (1997) / novelette by Nicholas Royle
Bucket of Blood (1997) / short story by Norman Partridge
Mermaid (1997) • poem by A. Alvarez
Estate (1997) / short story by Caitlín R. Kiernan
The Sin of Elijah (1997) / short story by Steve Stern
Driving Blind [Green Town] (1997) / novelette by Ray Bradbury
The Sky-Blue Ball (1997) / short story by Joyce Carol Oates
The Black Fairy's Curse (1997) / short story by Karen Joy Fowler
The Last Song of Sirit Byar [World of The Innkeeper's Song] (1996) / novelette by Peter S. Beagle
Marina's Fragrance (1997) / short story by Mayra Santos-Febres
Setting Celestial Signs on Terrestrial Beings (1996) • poem by Emily Warn
Rabbit Hole (1997) / short story by Jane Yolen
Wild Horses [Newford] (1997) / novelette by Charles de Lint
Princess (1997) • poem by Matthew Sweeney
Audience (1997) / short story by Jack Womack
Merlin (1997) / short story by Robert Clinton
The Crawl (1997) / novelette by Stephen Laws
The Remains of Princess Kaiulani's Garden (1997) / short story by Katherine Vaz
Dharma (1994) / short story by Vikram Chandra
Honorable Mentions: 1997 • essay by the editors

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Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story Collection

503 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 90's fantasy is not my thing... I'll need to look into that later.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed more stories than usual in this edition, including a couple that just blew me away.

It Had to Be You, Nancy Pickard
The Skull of Charlotte Corday, Leslie Dick
Mbo, Nicholas Royle
Winner Take All, Jeffrey Shaffer
Safe, Gary A. Braunbeck (wow... this one... just wow)
A Visit, Steven Millhauser
Coyote and the White Folks, Bill Lewis
The Flounder's Kiss, Michael Cadnum
In the Black Mill, Michael Chabon
Dust Motes, P.D. Cacek (this one was also particularly good)
Marriage, Denise Duhamel (from a whole book of Barbie-based poems that I now want to read)
Bucket of Blood, Norman Partridge
Driving Blind, Ray Bradbury
Rabbit Hole, Jane Yolen
Wild Horses, Charles de Lint
The Crawl, Stephen Laws

[Audrey Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some years can be better than others but I always enjoy any anthology Ellen Datlow has worked on. This year did not disappoint.

[Moon Captain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this whole thing but about ten recommended stories from it. The Peter Beagle made me cry at least three times. So good

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in the long-running series of best of the year anthologies showcases the authors favorite stories from 1997. There are some really good stories in here.

My favorite by far was Safe by Gary A Braunbeck. This story was about a shooting and its ramifications and it actually made me cry – a rare thing with her story. This is horrible remember for a long time.

Another good story was Mbo by Nicholas Royale, which was about an African vampire type creature that preys off tourists.

The Psychomantium by Molly Brown was about a woman who becomes trapped in an alternate universe after looking into a mirror.it is also a powerful story.

In the Black Mill is another one of my favorites – it's set in a small town where a young college professor is conducting an archaeological dig learning about an extinct ride that seemed to have no religion, but which apparently practiced human sacrifice. All of the men in the town seem to work at a mill, but the college professor cannot get any information about what is made there. All he knows is that many people in the town are missing parts of their bodies – limbs, fingers, feet, etc. – and these accidents are attributed to the mill. The story has a very powerful ending.

Wild Horses by the ever talented Charles de Lint is about a woman who possesses a magical set of cards, similar to tarot cards, which show the holder what they want to know. The story revolves around a young woman's search for her brother.

I Am Infinite, I Contain Multitudes was another very good story – prisoners in a mental hospital for the criminally insane are offered a way to escape their confinement by an old man who was also a prisoner – but of course there is a catch.

Bucket of Blood capitalized it tells the story of two friends on a road trip who encounter danger after one of the finds a discarded quarter and uses it to when thousands of dollars in gambling. The quarter's owner wants the money – and he'll stop at nothing to get it.

Dust Motes is the story of a woman who is dying of cancer and encounters ghosts in a library. The idea was good but I found the means to release the ghosts to be problematic.

The Crawl by Stephen Laws tells the harrowing story of a couple that encounter a supernatural evil that stalks them on the roadway.

Kinyo no fun tells the story of a gay couple who are terrorized by a man with the power to invade another's body.

The Last Song of Sirit Bayar is a tale set in the distant past were traveling musician plays magical music. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl who accompanies him

There were many other good stories in this book, and only a few stories that I didn't like. I recommend it.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really a review, just notes for myself. I did start to skip the horror stories and poetry - maybe I'll go back to them one day.

The Tale of the Skin, Emma Donoghue (well-written but doesn't give anything new to the tale)
Beauty and the Beast (poem), Jaimes Alsop
Gulliver at Home, John Kessel
It Had to Be You, Nancy Pickard (recommend)
The Skull of Charlotte Corday, Leslie Dick (started then skimmed)
I Am Infinite, I Contain Multitudes, Douglas Clegg (maybe I'm not swayed by body horror?)
Coffee Jerk at the Gates of Hell (poem), Christopher Jones (skipped)
Riding the Black, Charles Grant (skipped)
In the Fields, Christopher Harman (so bored)
Mbo, Nicholas Royle (skipped)
Winner Take All, Jeffrey Shaffer
Safe, Gary A. Braunbeck (skipped)
El Castillo de la Perseverancia, Howard Waldrop (recommend)
The Sin-Eater's Tale, Brennen Wysong (completely lost me)
A Visit, Steven Millhauser
A Globe of Glass, Sonia Gernes
The Fall of the Kings, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman (skipped)
Coyote and the White Folks (poem), Bill Lewis
Sheela Na Gig (poem), Bill Lewis
The Flounder's Kiss, Michael Cadnum
Residuals, Paul J. McAuley and Kim Newman (recommend?)
The Psychomantium, Molly Brown
In the Black Mill, Michael Chabon (skipped)
Dust Motes, P. D. Cacek (recommend)
La Muerte (poem), Pat Mora (skipped)
Spanky's Back in Town, Christopher Fowler (skipped)
Marriage (poem), Denise Duhamel
Kingyo no fun, Nicholas Royle (blah)
Bucket of Blood, Norman Partridge (skipped)
Mermaid (poem), A. Alvarez
Estate, Caitlin R. Kiernan (skipped)
The Sin of Elijah, Steve Stern (recommend?)
Driving Blind, Ray Bradbury
The Sky-Blue Ball, Joyce Carol Oates (recommend?)
The Black Fairy's Curse, Karen Joy Fowler
The Last Song of Sirit Byar, Peter S. Beagle (skipped)
Marina's Fragrance, Mayra Santos-Febres
Setting Celestial Signs on Terrestrial Beings (poem), Emily Warn
Rabbit Hole, Jane Yolen
Wild Horses, Charles de Lint
Princess (poem), Matthew Sweeney (skipped)
Audience, Jack Womack
Merlin, Robert Clinton
The Crawl, Stephen Laws (blah)
The Remains of Princess Kaiulani's Garden, Katherine Vaz (recommend?)
Dharma, Vikram Chandra

[bluetyson]

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (11th Annual Collection) (Paper) by Ellen Datlow (1998)