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Fearful Symmetries
So what can you look forward to in Fearful Symmetries? There are monsters—human and non-human. There are children—those who victimize, and those who are victims. There are supernatural horrors, psychological terrors, nourish dark fantasies, and downright weird fictions. Featuring Nathan Ballingrud, Laird Barron, Pat Cadigan, Siobhan Carroll, Terry Dowling, Brian Evenson, Gemma Files, Jeffrey Ford, Carole Johnstone, Stephen Graham Jones, Caitlín R Kiernan, John Langan, Catherine MacLeod, Helen Marshall, Bruce McAllister, Gary McMahon, Garth Nix, Robert Shearman, Michael Marshall Smith, and Kaaron Warren. Come on in, and make yourself a cozy little nook in the dark, and enjoy.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2014
387 people are currently reading
1686 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Datlow
278 books1,879 followersEllen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
October 25, 2021
A wish from a bone / Gemma Files -- A tv crew of trash archaeologists (think The History Channel) soon regret actually finding something interesting. This is fine as a standalone, but ties into the larger world-building of the excellent We Will All Go Down Together.
The Atlas of hell / Nathan Ballingrud -- Interesting and violent. I felt like I was supposed to know the MC already -- anyone know if this is part of a series?
The Witch moth / Bruce Mcallister -- Very surreal, blurred experience in which time and memory are unreliable.
Kaiju / Gary McMahon -- Even in monster attack disasters, narcissists are all about themselves. This isn't even a metaphor, I mean, read the news.
Will the real psycho in this story please stand up? / Pat Cadigan -- Odd, thought-provoking story about a boy who is a scapegoat(?). I was confused by the title because I didn't think anyone in the story seemed especially psycho. Maybe that means I'm the crazy one?
In the year of omens / Helen Marshall -- Strange, sad coming-of-age story in which everyone dies.
(Well, I guess everyone DOES die, don't we?)
The Four darks / Terry Dowling -- This felt imbalanced to me. There's the setting of the psychiatric hospital, and some long rather intellectual discussion about the nature of night, and then the actual horror plot. This has some character overlap with two stories in Dowling's Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear
The spindly man / Stephen Graham Jones -- Traumatized People Book Club. I will not join, thank you. This was creepy and probably would have read differently had I been familiar with the Stephen King story the book clubbers are discussing.
The window / Brian Evenson -- A solid, creepy example of the "is there something or is the pov character imagining it?" genre of horror.
Mount Chary galore / Jeffrey Ford -- One of the more active and oddball stories in this collection, with the kids of two people who've run off together being bribed to spy on a possible-witch in a small rural town.
Ballad of an echo whisperer / Caitlin R. Kiernan -- My brain was trying to make this be connected to that other Kiernan story with a writer and the writer's girlfriend in New Orleans, but I don't think it is. Trains, night, time, memories, ghosts.
Suffer little children / Robert Shearman -- Unexpected re-use of the classic Governess Gothic. You never know where danger will turn out to be lurking.
Power / Michael Marshall Smith -- Asshole rich techie with asshole wife builds asshole robots.
Bridge of sighs / Kaaron Warren -- As usual, I enjoyed Warren's prose. The ideas were intriguing and I liked how the gradual reveals happened. Wasn't so into the actual plot (which I'm not describing because it would spoil things).
The worms crawl in / Laird Barron -- This was an interesting story, but sadly I can't think of a lot to say without giving too much away. I did appreciate the pairing of a familiar trope with something very different.
The attic / Catherine Macleod -- I really liked this. I've only read one other story by Macleod, and she didn't have any longer works listed when this was published, but I'll keep an eye out.
Wendigo nights / Siobhan Carroll -- Why do people even go on Arctic expeditions? It's like begging to be horribly slain. Worse odds than attending an English weekend house party.
Episode Three: On the great plains, in the snow / John Langan -- Is this actually part 3 of something? It was neat.
Catching flies / Carole Johnstone -- Were there actually flies? Who killed who and why? I was confused, but that's not a criticism.
Shay Corsham worsted / Garth Nix -- Slaughter monsters are scary but the real horror is how incompetent the government is.
The Atlas of hell / Nathan Ballingrud -- Interesting and violent. I felt like I was supposed to know the MC already -- anyone know if this is part of a series?
The Witch moth / Bruce Mcallister -- Very surreal, blurred experience in which time and memory are unreliable.
Kaiju / Gary McMahon -- Even in monster attack disasters, narcissists are all about themselves. This isn't even a metaphor, I mean, read the news.
Will the real psycho in this story please stand up? / Pat Cadigan -- Odd, thought-provoking story about a boy who is a scapegoat(?). I was confused by the title because I didn't think anyone in the story seemed especially psycho. Maybe that means I'm the crazy one?
In the year of omens / Helen Marshall -- Strange, sad coming-of-age story in which everyone dies.
(Well, I guess everyone DOES die, don't we?)
The Four darks / Terry Dowling -- This felt imbalanced to me. There's the setting of the psychiatric hospital, and some long rather intellectual discussion about the nature of night, and then the actual horror plot. This has some character overlap with two stories in Dowling's Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear
The spindly man / Stephen Graham Jones -- Traumatized People Book Club. I will not join, thank you. This was creepy and probably would have read differently had I been familiar with the Stephen King story the book clubbers are discussing.
The window / Brian Evenson -- A solid, creepy example of the "is there something or is the pov character imagining it?" genre of horror.
Mount Chary galore / Jeffrey Ford -- One of the more active and oddball stories in this collection, with the kids of two people who've run off together being bribed to spy on a possible-witch in a small rural town.
Ballad of an echo whisperer / Caitlin R. Kiernan -- My brain was trying to make this be connected to that other Kiernan story with a writer and the writer's girlfriend in New Orleans, but I don't think it is. Trains, night, time, memories, ghosts.
Suffer little children / Robert Shearman -- Unexpected re-use of the classic Governess Gothic. You never know where danger will turn out to be lurking.
Power / Michael Marshall Smith -- Asshole rich techie with asshole wife builds asshole robots.
Bridge of sighs / Kaaron Warren -- As usual, I enjoyed Warren's prose. The ideas were intriguing and I liked how the gradual reveals happened. Wasn't so into the actual plot (which I'm not describing because it would spoil things).
The worms crawl in / Laird Barron -- This was an interesting story, but sadly I can't think of a lot to say without giving too much away. I did appreciate the pairing of a familiar trope with something very different.
The attic / Catherine Macleod -- I really liked this. I've only read one other story by Macleod, and she didn't have any longer works listed when this was published, but I'll keep an eye out.
Wendigo nights / Siobhan Carroll -- Why do people even go on Arctic expeditions? It's like begging to be horribly slain. Worse odds than attending an English weekend house party.
Episode Three: On the great plains, in the snow / John Langan -- Is this actually part 3 of something? It was neat.
Catching flies / Carole Johnstone -- Were there actually flies? Who killed who and why? I was confused, but that's not a criticism.
Shay Corsham worsted / Garth Nix -- Slaughter monsters are scary but the real horror is how incompetent the government is.
April 22, 2014
Ellen Datlow can always be counted on to select some good writing. This collection simply further cements her already-stellar reputation. These are all strong stories, and all appear here for the first time. A must-read for any horror fan - or indeed, any fan of dark, weird fiction.
The editor's guidelines for submission to this anthology: "This is a non-theme, all original anthology of about 125,000 words of terror and supernatural horror. I’m looking for all kinds of horror, but if you’re going to use a well worn trope, try to do something fresh with it. If you’ve read any volumes of The Best Horror of the Year, you’ll know that my taste is pretty eclectic, that I like variety, and that while I don’t mind violence, I don’t think it should be the point of a story. I don’t want vignettes but fully formed stories that are about something. I want to be creeped out."
“A Wish From a Bone” by Gemma Files
A fine entry into the 'cursed tomb' subgenre. A TV show crew gets more than they bargained for when they enter an ancient Middle Eastern crypt in search of some good documentary fodder.
“The Atlas of Hell” by Nathan Ballingrud
A mafia boss sends his minions out into the bayou in search of a man who's been holding out on him; selling occult artifacts. But even experts in the arcane may get more than they bargained for.
“The Witch Moth” by Bruce McAllister
A young boy believes that he lives in a beautiful home with his family. But his mother may be a witch whose emotional instability will tear away all that he holds dear. Or is the witch someone else altogether? Or is there a witch at all? Layers of ambiguity are wrapped around this tale.
“Kaiju” by Gary McMahon
Probably the best take on a Godzilla-type scenario that I've read. In the aftermath of a monster's passing, survivors wander through the flattened ruins left by the devastating footsteps of its trail. And there's a nice bit of a twist...
“Will The Real Psycho In This Story Please Stand Up?” by Pat Cadigan
A high school girl's best friend (a bit belatedly) goes out of her way to befriend the one guy who's been bullied and picked on throughout their years at the school. She asks him out to prom, on a double-date. They're nervous that the bullies will ruin the dance - but when disaster strikes, it's not from the expected quarter.
“In the Year of Omens” by Helen Marshall
A weird and disturbing story. Strange omens presaging death have begun appearing to many, many people. A teenage girl, in her self-involved world-view, strangely envies those who have received a 'special' omen.
“The Four Darks” by Terry Dowling
An old-fashioned-feeling tale which weaves together a man with strange dreams, a declining mental health facility, and an investigation into a 19th-century theory about the nature of the universe involving the 'Fuligin Braid.'
“The Spindly Man” by Stephen Graham Jones
Meta-horror: a book club meets to discuss a Stephen King short story. They're joined by the uninvited 'spindly man,' who brings up uncomfortable and eerie experiences from the members' pasts.
“The Window” by Brian Evenson
Classic ghost-story lovers should appreciate this one. A man is woken by a strange noise in the night. Intruder? Or something less tangible and more terrifying?
“Mount Chary Galore” by Jeffrey Ford
Kids from a broken family spy on the old woman who's locally rumored to be a witch. She invites them in - and they get more than they bargained for. Southern gothic, with a hint of the classic tall-tale, and some extreme weirdness that's all Jeffrey Ford.
“Ballad of an Echo Whisperer” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
A writer and a photographer, on a cross-country train journey to New Orleans. Gradually, perspective and personality fragment, mixing past, present, and might-have-been. Vividly written and richly evocative.
“Suffer Little Children” by Robert Shearman
After a scandal, a young governess is dismissed from her position. Her prospect of gaining a new job seem dim - but then, a remote school offers her a teaching position, sight unseen. Since this is a horror anthology, creepy events are bound to ensue... and creepy they are.
“Power” by Michael Marshall Smith
A tech geek who's also an abusive husband and all-around jerk is obsessed with building successively bigger and better robotic pool cleaners. Naturally, he tests them out at his home. And all does not end well.
“Bridge of Sighs” by Kaaron Warren
Post-mortem photography is a bit of a curiously morbid thing all on its own - but when mixed with ghost-hunting, by a practitioner who's a bit of a devious pervert? Super-creepy.
“The Worms Crawl In,” by Laird Barron
A jealous man's (literally) monstrous nature is revealed. For me, a bit over-the-top, but I'm sure fans of Barron will be pleased.
“The Attic” by Catherine MacLeod
This might be my favorite in this collection. A young woman has escaped the clutches of her Mafia boss, for whom she did enforced work as a thief/locksmith. Seeking a totally different life, she's happy to marry a rural man and join his family - following a simple, traditional lifestyle in his isolated village. However, her instincts start telling her something is being kept from her... perhaps the practices of a religious cult? She slowly begins to feel like Bluebeard's wife.
The story is nicely thought-provoking, with commentary of responsibility, demands, and what is properly owed...
“Wendigo Nights” by Siobhan Carroll
Arctic research team goes crazy. This reminded me quite a lot of a less-fleshed-out version of something else I've read... but I can't quite place it. Later update to come? I did like it, though.
“Episode Three: On the Great Plains, In the Snow” by John Langan
Ghosts versus Dinosaurs! A spirit is thrust into a violent afterlife, his regular landscape populated by warring cowboys and Indians, bloody accident scenes, and yes, a rampaging T-Rex. It seems a bit silly - but the possible explanation offered at the end gives the piece an unexpected pathos.
“Catching Flies” by Carole Johnstone
Emergency workers grab a young girl and her baby brother from their home, rescuing them from a horrible scene. They're unwilling to talk to the girl about what happened to her mother. But the girl knows more about the horror than any of them. Really effective; well-done.
“Shay Corsham Worsted” by Garth Nix
Garth Nix is always excellent; and this tale closes the collection on a strong note. A retired secret service agent has been watching a certain house for thirty years. But when the threat that's been feared for all these decades erupts, the weapon has been forgotten, and bureaucracy gets in the way.
The editor's guidelines for submission to this anthology: "This is a non-theme, all original anthology of about 125,000 words of terror and supernatural horror. I’m looking for all kinds of horror, but if you’re going to use a well worn trope, try to do something fresh with it. If you’ve read any volumes of The Best Horror of the Year, you’ll know that my taste is pretty eclectic, that I like variety, and that while I don’t mind violence, I don’t think it should be the point of a story. I don’t want vignettes but fully formed stories that are about something. I want to be creeped out."
“A Wish From a Bone” by Gemma Files
A fine entry into the 'cursed tomb' subgenre. A TV show crew gets more than they bargained for when they enter an ancient Middle Eastern crypt in search of some good documentary fodder.
“The Atlas of Hell” by Nathan Ballingrud
A mafia boss sends his minions out into the bayou in search of a man who's been holding out on him; selling occult artifacts. But even experts in the arcane may get more than they bargained for.
“The Witch Moth” by Bruce McAllister
A young boy believes that he lives in a beautiful home with his family. But his mother may be a witch whose emotional instability will tear away all that he holds dear. Or is the witch someone else altogether? Or is there a witch at all? Layers of ambiguity are wrapped around this tale.
“Kaiju” by Gary McMahon
Probably the best take on a Godzilla-type scenario that I've read. In the aftermath of a monster's passing, survivors wander through the flattened ruins left by the devastating footsteps of its trail. And there's a nice bit of a twist...
“Will The Real Psycho In This Story Please Stand Up?” by Pat Cadigan
A high school girl's best friend (a bit belatedly) goes out of her way to befriend the one guy who's been bullied and picked on throughout their years at the school. She asks him out to prom, on a double-date. They're nervous that the bullies will ruin the dance - but when disaster strikes, it's not from the expected quarter.
“In the Year of Omens” by Helen Marshall
A weird and disturbing story. Strange omens presaging death have begun appearing to many, many people. A teenage girl, in her self-involved world-view, strangely envies those who have received a 'special' omen.
“The Four Darks” by Terry Dowling
An old-fashioned-feeling tale which weaves together a man with strange dreams, a declining mental health facility, and an investigation into a 19th-century theory about the nature of the universe involving the 'Fuligin Braid.'
“The Spindly Man” by Stephen Graham Jones
Meta-horror: a book club meets to discuss a Stephen King short story. They're joined by the uninvited 'spindly man,' who brings up uncomfortable and eerie experiences from the members' pasts.
“The Window” by Brian Evenson
Classic ghost-story lovers should appreciate this one. A man is woken by a strange noise in the night. Intruder? Or something less tangible and more terrifying?
“Mount Chary Galore” by Jeffrey Ford
Kids from a broken family spy on the old woman who's locally rumored to be a witch. She invites them in - and they get more than they bargained for. Southern gothic, with a hint of the classic tall-tale, and some extreme weirdness that's all Jeffrey Ford.
“Ballad of an Echo Whisperer” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
A writer and a photographer, on a cross-country train journey to New Orleans. Gradually, perspective and personality fragment, mixing past, present, and might-have-been. Vividly written and richly evocative.
“Suffer Little Children” by Robert Shearman
After a scandal, a young governess is dismissed from her position. Her prospect of gaining a new job seem dim - but then, a remote school offers her a teaching position, sight unseen. Since this is a horror anthology, creepy events are bound to ensue... and creepy they are.
“Power” by Michael Marshall Smith
A tech geek who's also an abusive husband and all-around jerk is obsessed with building successively bigger and better robotic pool cleaners. Naturally, he tests them out at his home. And all does not end well.
“Bridge of Sighs” by Kaaron Warren
Post-mortem photography is a bit of a curiously morbid thing all on its own - but when mixed with ghost-hunting, by a practitioner who's a bit of a devious pervert? Super-creepy.
“The Worms Crawl In,” by Laird Barron
A jealous man's (literally) monstrous nature is revealed. For me, a bit over-the-top, but I'm sure fans of Barron will be pleased.
“The Attic” by Catherine MacLeod
This might be my favorite in this collection. A young woman has escaped the clutches of her Mafia boss, for whom she did enforced work as a thief/locksmith. Seeking a totally different life, she's happy to marry a rural man and join his family - following a simple, traditional lifestyle in his isolated village. However, her instincts start telling her something is being kept from her... perhaps the practices of a religious cult? She slowly begins to feel like Bluebeard's wife.
The story is nicely thought-provoking, with commentary of responsibility, demands, and what is properly owed...
“Wendigo Nights” by Siobhan Carroll
Arctic research team goes crazy. This reminded me quite a lot of a less-fleshed-out version of something else I've read... but I can't quite place it. Later update to come? I did like it, though.
“Episode Three: On the Great Plains, In the Snow” by John Langan
Ghosts versus Dinosaurs! A spirit is thrust into a violent afterlife, his regular landscape populated by warring cowboys and Indians, bloody accident scenes, and yes, a rampaging T-Rex. It seems a bit silly - but the possible explanation offered at the end gives the piece an unexpected pathos.
“Catching Flies” by Carole Johnstone
Emergency workers grab a young girl and her baby brother from their home, rescuing them from a horrible scene. They're unwilling to talk to the girl about what happened to her mother. But the girl knows more about the horror than any of them. Really effective; well-done.
“Shay Corsham Worsted” by Garth Nix
Garth Nix is always excellent; and this tale closes the collection on a strong note. A retired secret service agent has been watching a certain house for thirty years. But when the threat that's been feared for all these decades erupts, the weapon has been forgotten, and bureaucracy gets in the way.
May 30, 2014
I received an advanced reading copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley.
Ellen Datlow's name to me is synonymous with horror anthology. I see the two together so often, and usually with accolades, that I decided I really did need to just read one of her collections. This one really impressed me in its variety and its quality. I typically enjoy reading horror stories like these around Halloween time, and this collection would be suited well for that kind of celebration. The hard decision will be whether to reread this one or try out another one of her collections.
A review of each single story seems excessive, and there isn't a single story that failed here. There are no common themes uniting this collection other than the very general fitting into the category of horror or dark tales. They range from very realistic to paranormal, from gruesome gore-filled feasts to nuanced, atmospheric tales, from pulp to literary. Fairly well-ranged in background and style, this is an ideal volume to discover new authors or names that you may merely recognize.
Frankly, it is hard to even pick out favorites from this. For someone like me who has a wide range of tastes across the genre, each of these represents top contributions to their respective category of story type. If you are discriminating regarding the type of horror you like then this may not be the best collection. There will certainly be some or several stories here that you like, but others may hold no interest, in which case you might search elsewhere for a themed collection or just read certain selections here. But for those wanting an intro or return to the range that the horror genre has available, "Fearful Symmetries" is absolutely perfect.
Ellen Datlow's name to me is synonymous with horror anthology. I see the two together so often, and usually with accolades, that I decided I really did need to just read one of her collections. This one really impressed me in its variety and its quality. I typically enjoy reading horror stories like these around Halloween time, and this collection would be suited well for that kind of celebration. The hard decision will be whether to reread this one or try out another one of her collections.
A review of each single story seems excessive, and there isn't a single story that failed here. There are no common themes uniting this collection other than the very general fitting into the category of horror or dark tales. They range from very realistic to paranormal, from gruesome gore-filled feasts to nuanced, atmospheric tales, from pulp to literary. Fairly well-ranged in background and style, this is an ideal volume to discover new authors or names that you may merely recognize.
Frankly, it is hard to even pick out favorites from this. For someone like me who has a wide range of tastes across the genre, each of these represents top contributions to their respective category of story type. If you are discriminating regarding the type of horror you like then this may not be the best collection. There will certainly be some or several stories here that you like, but others may hold no interest, in which case you might search elsewhere for a themed collection or just read certain selections here. But for those wanting an intro or return to the range that the horror genre has available, "Fearful Symmetries" is absolutely perfect.
March 28, 2024
This was a pretty solid collection. There were a few stories that didn't land for me, but they all had something interesting going on. The broad theme meant that there were a lot different approaches and styles, and sometimes that made getting through this a little slow. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed this one.
I didn't get a chance to post an update on the last story in the collection (Shay Corsham Worsted by Garth Nix), but I really enjoyed how quickly and effectively Nix introduced his idea, and how engrossing it was. I'm a little mad it ended, tbh. I'll have to check out his work soon.
I didn't get a chance to post an update on the last story in the collection (Shay Corsham Worsted by Garth Nix), but I really enjoyed how quickly and effectively Nix introduced his idea, and how engrossing it was. I'm a little mad it ended, tbh. I'll have to check out his work soon.
May 10, 2014
I love anything Edith Datlow works on. I have one too many times attempted to read a compilation, only to find nothing but a collection of mediocre to bad stories. That is NEVER the case with Datlow edited works. This is no exception. The stories in the beginning were a bit weaker to me than those in the middle and at the end, ending with a particularly amazing offering by Garth Nix. Horror is not my genre, not in the slightest, but the grand majority of the stories compiled in this work were mostly more cerebral than your classic monster movie. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys more than just blood, guts and gore in their horror. Those things are in some of the stories, but they all are smart. Excellent editing job.
July 18, 2016
One of the best anthologies I've read... period. A real page turner that terrified and enthralled me from start to finish. The highlights included stories from Dale Bailey, Laird Barron, Gemma Files and Garth Nix.
Highly recommended for all genre readers.
Highly recommended for all genre readers.
April 23, 2014
ARC for review.
So, short story anthologies versus collections. If you are reading a collection it's probably because it's by an author you already love. If you are reading an anthology there are bound to be stories by writers who have a style you don't particularly care for, but then you also get the opportunity to find a great new author. From a rating standpoint you're nearly always going to end up running the gamut - lots of twos you don't love, some fours you like and, if you are lucky, maybe a surprise five here and there.
All that said, that's exactly what I found here. Datlow did a great job curating a broad selection of scary stories. There's no real over-riding theme, and, as always, there were some I thought I didn't work at all, and some I really enjoyed - my own personal standouts were "The Witch Moth" by Bruce McAllister (loved the line "some people who love see only the light. My grandmother saw the darkness too, and still loved. That made me feel safe...." (56), "Kaiju" by Gary McMahon (the banality of evil), "Mount Chary Galore" by Jeffrey Ford (if for nothing more than for the description of something smelling like "a home permanent on the Devil's ass hair" (144) and "Shay Corsham Worsted" by Garth Nix (loved the description of aging combined with horror, "it was a good day to die, if it came to that, if you were eighty and getting tired of the necessary props to a continued existence. The medicines and interventions, the careful calculation of probabilities before anything resembling activity. (313)).
Overall quite successful if you like discovering new dark fiction authors.
So, short story anthologies versus collections. If you are reading a collection it's probably because it's by an author you already love. If you are reading an anthology there are bound to be stories by writers who have a style you don't particularly care for, but then you also get the opportunity to find a great new author. From a rating standpoint you're nearly always going to end up running the gamut - lots of twos you don't love, some fours you like and, if you are lucky, maybe a surprise five here and there.
All that said, that's exactly what I found here. Datlow did a great job curating a broad selection of scary stories. There's no real over-riding theme, and, as always, there were some I thought I didn't work at all, and some I really enjoyed - my own personal standouts were "The Witch Moth" by Bruce McAllister (loved the line "some people who love see only the light. My grandmother saw the darkness too, and still loved. That made me feel safe...." (56), "Kaiju" by Gary McMahon (the banality of evil), "Mount Chary Galore" by Jeffrey Ford (if for nothing more than for the description of something smelling like "a home permanent on the Devil's ass hair" (144) and "Shay Corsham Worsted" by Garth Nix (loved the description of aging combined with horror, "it was a good day to die, if it came to that, if you were eighty and getting tired of the necessary props to a continued existence. The medicines and interventions, the careful calculation of probabilities before anything resembling activity. (313)).
Overall quite successful if you like discovering new dark fiction authors.
July 23, 2014
Ellen Datlow does it again! Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this, as a big fan of Ms Datlow's previous anthologies I was excited to read this latest one. It is to be highly recommended, as always in an anthoology there are some hits and some misses but you cannot deny that Ms Datlow has some of the biggest names in ficiton lining up to be included in her anthologies and this is because she picks the best stories and lines them up beautifully. Each book feels like a labour of love and this is no exception.
November 19, 2021
A tremendously fun collection of dark fiction. The fact that the collected wasn’t themed means both that the stories were quite original and strange, but few of them really resonated with me.
In particular I enjoyed A Wish from a Bone, In the Year of Omens, The Spindly Man, The Window, The Attic, and Shay Corsham Worsted.
In particular I enjoyed A Wish from a Bone, In the Year of Omens, The Spindly Man, The Window, The Attic, and Shay Corsham Worsted.
November 24, 2014
I was keen to pick up this book in part because I like the taste of Ellen Datlow as an editor and in part because the range of writers in the collection appealed to me. Caitlin Kiernan and Jeffrey Ford are two of my favorite writers and I basically seek out everything that they publish. Nathan Ballingrud left a real impression on me with the few of his stories I have read as had the stories I had read by several of the other writers in the volume such as Brian Evenson. On top of that many of the other writers were writers who I had heard great things about and was eager to check out.
The first story I read was the Caitlin Kiernan. Often when I read stories due to my fatigue I do not follow them 100% and I do find with Kiernan many of her stories benefit from a second reading. At the same time they have an almost Lynchian element to them in which they are more about how things feel than actually making any sort of literal sense anyway. This story was beautifully written and whilst it feels very familiar territory for Kiernan with its struggling writer protagonist it was very effective, engaging and memorable. I enjoyed the New Orleans atmosphere of the piece.
The Gemma Files is the first time I have read her and I found the story to be well written, exciting and creepy all at the same time. Although I didnt fall in love with the story it was a very effective tale of the creepy/sinister archaeological discovery type. Didnt feel to be making any new ground but I always have time for a well and interestingly told tale.
The Nathan Ballingrud was superbly entertaining. I got a feeling of an entire dark fantastic world with hell creatures and hellish influences as well as the seedy underbelly of society interested in them. Hugely enjoyable and whilst the story felt complete in itself I could happily devour a whole novel in this type of world/setting.
The Bruce McAllister was quite short and the Gary Mcmahon was very short, both were by writers new to me and whilst they were quite well written they were not to my taste particularly in style or content. Still they were enjoyable enough and made a refreshing change from the two before in content and theme.
The Pat Cadigan was was set in a American high school and involved a prom. This is a setting that in my 30s I am increasingly uninterested in and a bit tired of. Still Cadigan came up with a fresh and interesting tale using this setting and I thought it was a memorable tale that I liked if not loved. I do feel with short fiction that anything that leaves an impression on you, unless its disappointment in the author has succeeded.
Thats where I am up to thus far.
The first story I read was the Caitlin Kiernan. Often when I read stories due to my fatigue I do not follow them 100% and I do find with Kiernan many of her stories benefit from a second reading. At the same time they have an almost Lynchian element to them in which they are more about how things feel than actually making any sort of literal sense anyway. This story was beautifully written and whilst it feels very familiar territory for Kiernan with its struggling writer protagonist it was very effective, engaging and memorable. I enjoyed the New Orleans atmosphere of the piece.
The Gemma Files is the first time I have read her and I found the story to be well written, exciting and creepy all at the same time. Although I didnt fall in love with the story it was a very effective tale of the creepy/sinister archaeological discovery type. Didnt feel to be making any new ground but I always have time for a well and interestingly told tale.
The Nathan Ballingrud was superbly entertaining. I got a feeling of an entire dark fantastic world with hell creatures and hellish influences as well as the seedy underbelly of society interested in them. Hugely enjoyable and whilst the story felt complete in itself I could happily devour a whole novel in this type of world/setting.
The Bruce McAllister was quite short and the Gary Mcmahon was very short, both were by writers new to me and whilst they were quite well written they were not to my taste particularly in style or content. Still they were enjoyable enough and made a refreshing change from the two before in content and theme.
The Pat Cadigan was was set in a American high school and involved a prom. This is a setting that in my 30s I am increasingly uninterested in and a bit tired of. Still Cadigan came up with a fresh and interesting tale using this setting and I thought it was a memorable tale that I liked if not loved. I do feel with short fiction that anything that leaves an impression on you, unless its disappointment in the author has succeeded.
Thats where I am up to thus far.
October 6, 2014
"Fearful Symmetries is a mixed bag, but intentionally so. When you combine the editorial talent of Ellen Datlow and the publishing talent behind ChiZine Publications, good things are going to happen, but unpredictably.
Few readers are going to like every story here, but it will be a matter of readers' taste rather than writers' talent. I've been waiting a long time to read something by the immensely gifted Gemma Files in which I'd feel like I'm part of the intended audience, and I thank her for letting me in with "A Wish from a Bone". I also enjoyed the works representing Bruce McAllister, Jeffrey Ford, Robert Shearman, Michael Marshall Smith, Laird Barron and John Langan. The last couple stories, by Carole Johnstone and Garth Nix, are virtual companion pieces that should have anchored a collection of their own -- one about Britons who face bizarre adversity with innate courage and plucky aplomb.
If "Fearful Symmetries" has a persistent flaw, it's that too many of the authors seemed intent on building a world in which further adventures could be had. Nothing wrong with that in a short story, but when you string too many of them together it starts reading like a SyFy Channel pitch session.
Overall, though, I'm glad I backed the Kickstarter campaign for it (even though I didn't get credit in the back -- sniff!) and would support further Datlow-CZP collaborations in future.
Few readers are going to like every story here, but it will be a matter of readers' taste rather than writers' talent. I've been waiting a long time to read something by the immensely gifted Gemma Files in which I'd feel like I'm part of the intended audience, and I thank her for letting me in with "A Wish from a Bone". I also enjoyed the works representing Bruce McAllister, Jeffrey Ford, Robert Shearman, Michael Marshall Smith, Laird Barron and John Langan. The last couple stories, by Carole Johnstone and Garth Nix, are virtual companion pieces that should have anchored a collection of their own -- one about Britons who face bizarre adversity with innate courage and plucky aplomb.
If "Fearful Symmetries" has a persistent flaw, it's that too many of the authors seemed intent on building a world in which further adventures could be had. Nothing wrong with that in a short story, but when you string too many of them together it starts reading like a SyFy Channel pitch session.
Overall, though, I'm glad I backed the Kickstarter campaign for it (even though I didn't get credit in the back -- sniff!) and would support further Datlow-CZP collaborations in future.
October 30, 2015
Really solid anthology with established names as well as up-and comers.
My favorite story, by far, is Jeffrey Ford's MOUNT CHARY GALORE, which is the first story I've ever read from him and made me go out and buy every single book he's written. His prose is gorgeous, characters perfectly anchored in a story that makes sense and has a satisfying ending. One beautiful thing about anthologies is that they help readers find new authors.
My other absolute favorite was Catherine MacLeod's THE ATTIC. Haunting, great story arc and tension, and beautiful prose. I'll also be searching out more of her work.
My favorite story, by far, is Jeffrey Ford's MOUNT CHARY GALORE, which is the first story I've ever read from him and made me go out and buy every single book he's written. His prose is gorgeous, characters perfectly anchored in a story that makes sense and has a satisfying ending. One beautiful thing about anthologies is that they help readers find new authors.
My other absolute favorite was Catherine MacLeod's THE ATTIC. Haunting, great story arc and tension, and beautiful prose. I'll also be searching out more of her work.
July 27, 2014
Usually when I read an anthology I expect to find maybe 3 stories out of 20 that are really outstanding, an couple of maybe-I-won't-finish-this-ones, and the balance fine enough. In this collection I'd say it was more like 17 outstanding and 3 fine enough. I finish even the ones that weren't my usual cup of tea.
Shockingly good stuff.
Shockingly good stuff.
July 18, 2021
I enjoyed some of the stories but, as often happens with these kinds of collections, the inconsistency was a little maddening. Some were great, some were skippable, and some were mediocre. Also, maybe it's a horror thing, but a lot of the endings baffled me. I felt like I had missed something. Maybe I did.
August 30, 2014
Standouts:
"A Wish From a Bone" by Gemma Files
"The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud
“Ballad of an Echo Whisperer” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"the worms crawl in," by Laird Barron
"Episode Three: On the Great Plains, In the Snow" by John Langan
"A Wish From a Bone" by Gemma Files
"The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud
“Ballad of an Echo Whisperer” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"the worms crawl in," by Laird Barron
"Episode Three: On the Great Plains, In the Snow" by John Langan
May 31, 2014
I received an advance copy from Netgalley. Loved this collection. Not a dud among them. Especially liked Will the Real Psycho in This Story Please Stand Up.
August 19, 2014
All stories are good, most are genuinely disturbing. A couple are more like sketches.
November 1, 2014
No horror editor comes close to Ellen Datlow. In this book, we have some brilliant works by excellent writers. The final story is perhaps the one that stayed with me the longest...
March 28, 2018
Dipped a little in the middle but overall yet another fantastic compilation of stories from Ellen Datlow.
The Attic, by Catherine MacLeod and Shay Corsham Worsted, by Garth Nix, were absolutely fantastic, and stood out even over other great stories - I was left wishing for more of both of them.
The Attic, by Catherine MacLeod and Shay Corsham Worsted, by Garth Nix, were absolutely fantastic, and stood out even over other great stories - I was left wishing for more of both of them.
September 15, 2018
These were all a little wacky for my tastes. 2.5 stars.
September 7, 2015
"A Wish From a Bone" by Gemma Files
4 stars for a story that didn't do a lot of original things, but did what it did with good visuals and language. It's a little bit Lora Croft meets Hellraiser… which isn't easy to dismiss as a bad idea. Well done.
"The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud
4 stars for some good imagery, but I don't know how many John Constantine, Titus Crow, Sandman Slim characters the world has room for. The likable occult anti-hero who stumbles into world-threatening trouble a few times a week is less fresh than it was. Hellboy seemed to have signaled that the age to parody the form had arrived… but no - on it goes. Hey, if the stories are good - I'll give them some time, but I'm eager to see what follows this increasingly loaded cliche. I get it - we all liked this stuff when we were young, and now the geeks are ascendent.
"The Witch Moth" by Bruce McAllister
2.5 stars - there's some "who's who, and what's reality" play going on, but not enough time, space, or interest for me to put in the effort to track it cleanly. The opening pages seemed like they were written by a different writer - one with less skill with words (maybe this was to represent the protagonist's younger age?), and some elements were asides more interesting than the main story - but it all get's pretty brown and mushy rather than resolved and satisfying. Meh.
"Kaiju" by Gary McMahon
2 stars - Pretty weak, although it did something enjoyable by saying the protagonist couldn't remember why they'd liked giant monster stories when they were young, after being faced with the reality of one in their adulthood. That sentiment sunk in, rather than feeling like cheesy sentiment. There's a Twilight Zone twist tossed in for 3 paragraphs that feels half-baked and uninteresting.
"In the year of omens: only annoying 1 star
The four darks: occult gumshoe. The pretentiousness of this one is off the chart, and not in a good way. My trust in the Shirley Jackson award, and the taste of Ellen Datlow, is low right now. To the point of considering bailing on the anthology." 2 stars
The Spindly Man - 5 stars, now that's what I'm talking about. Reread this story immediately. So many good elements. Would make a killer one act play or low budget film.
Mount Chary Galore - 5 stars - comes across like it was written for a "re-envisioned fairy tales" anthology. In a very good way. Really well written.
The Window - 3 stars, not a bad effort, contemporary Lovecraftian
Ballad of an Echo Whisperer - 2 stars
Suffer Little Children - 3 stars
Power - 3 stars
Bridge of Sighs - 3 stars
The Worms Crawl In - 2 stars
The Attic - 2 stars
Wendigo Nights - 3 stars
Episode Three: On the Greeat Plains, In the Snow - 2 stars - urgh, please only include supernatural detectives if the story is half decent. 1 star if not for the T Rex.
Catching Flies - 2 stars - plots are useful in stories
Shay Corsham Worsted - 4 stars - a sci fi story tucked in at the end. Pretty strong finish. Well written - good idea. Very Warren Ellis/comic bookish
54.5 divided by 20 = 2.7 Stars overall
As anthologies go, I can't say whether or not this is typical, but it falls short of 3 stars.
Save yourself some time with this one - just read A Wish From A Bone, Atlas of Hell, The Spindly Man, Mount Chary Galore, and Shay Corsham Worsted.
Especially The Spindly Man, and Mount Chary Galore
Many of the other offerings were ponderously poor choices, and I would definitely hesitate to read another Datlow anthology. Maybe it's because I bought the book for horror - and the premise isn't *quite* horror. Maybe one of her "Year's Best Horror" anthologies would suit me better.
For now, I'll be reading more from Stephen Graham Jones, and Jeffrey Ford thanks to this book - so it's a net gain.
4 stars for a story that didn't do a lot of original things, but did what it did with good visuals and language. It's a little bit Lora Croft meets Hellraiser… which isn't easy to dismiss as a bad idea. Well done.
"The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud
4 stars for some good imagery, but I don't know how many John Constantine, Titus Crow, Sandman Slim characters the world has room for. The likable occult anti-hero who stumbles into world-threatening trouble a few times a week is less fresh than it was. Hellboy seemed to have signaled that the age to parody the form had arrived… but no - on it goes. Hey, if the stories are good - I'll give them some time, but I'm eager to see what follows this increasingly loaded cliche. I get it - we all liked this stuff when we were young, and now the geeks are ascendent.
"The Witch Moth" by Bruce McAllister
2.5 stars - there's some "who's who, and what's reality" play going on, but not enough time, space, or interest for me to put in the effort to track it cleanly. The opening pages seemed like they were written by a different writer - one with less skill with words (maybe this was to represent the protagonist's younger age?), and some elements were asides more interesting than the main story - but it all get's pretty brown and mushy rather than resolved and satisfying. Meh.
"Kaiju" by Gary McMahon
2 stars - Pretty weak, although it did something enjoyable by saying the protagonist couldn't remember why they'd liked giant monster stories when they were young, after being faced with the reality of one in their adulthood. That sentiment sunk in, rather than feeling like cheesy sentiment. There's a Twilight Zone twist tossed in for 3 paragraphs that feels half-baked and uninteresting.
"In the year of omens: only annoying 1 star
The four darks: occult gumshoe. The pretentiousness of this one is off the chart, and not in a good way. My trust in the Shirley Jackson award, and the taste of Ellen Datlow, is low right now. To the point of considering bailing on the anthology." 2 stars
The Spindly Man - 5 stars, now that's what I'm talking about. Reread this story immediately. So many good elements. Would make a killer one act play or low budget film.
Mount Chary Galore - 5 stars - comes across like it was written for a "re-envisioned fairy tales" anthology. In a very good way. Really well written.
The Window - 3 stars, not a bad effort, contemporary Lovecraftian
Ballad of an Echo Whisperer - 2 stars
Suffer Little Children - 3 stars
Power - 3 stars
Bridge of Sighs - 3 stars
The Worms Crawl In - 2 stars
The Attic - 2 stars
Wendigo Nights - 3 stars
Episode Three: On the Greeat Plains, In the Snow - 2 stars - urgh, please only include supernatural detectives if the story is half decent. 1 star if not for the T Rex.
Catching Flies - 2 stars - plots are useful in stories
Shay Corsham Worsted - 4 stars - a sci fi story tucked in at the end. Pretty strong finish. Well written - good idea. Very Warren Ellis/comic bookish
54.5 divided by 20 = 2.7 Stars overall
As anthologies go, I can't say whether or not this is typical, but it falls short of 3 stars.
Save yourself some time with this one - just read A Wish From A Bone, Atlas of Hell, The Spindly Man, Mount Chary Galore, and Shay Corsham Worsted.
Especially The Spindly Man, and Mount Chary Galore
Many of the other offerings were ponderously poor choices, and I would definitely hesitate to read another Datlow anthology. Maybe it's because I bought the book for horror - and the premise isn't *quite* horror. Maybe one of her "Year's Best Horror" anthologies would suit me better.
For now, I'll be reading more from Stephen Graham Jones, and Jeffrey Ford thanks to this book - so it's a net gain.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2016
More of a 3 and a half really.
*I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you’re anything like me, you like your horror in small doses. :D When I was younger, I used to love horror novels – I devoured anything by Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz and the like. Now, I like ‘em short and sweet.
So Ellen Datlow’s new anthology, Fearful Symmetries, was right up my alley. And as I’ve mentioned many times before, anthologies by various authors will always be a hit’n’miss. You’re gonna like some, hate others, get totally lost in confusion about some, be “meh” about a few, and fall in love with a couple. So I always figure that rating of various authors anthologies is hard – is that one stand-out superb story worth the price of the book? Do you feel justified in spending money on it if you can get a few rippers out of it, while the rest are just so-so? It’s a personal opinion, and people’s tastes will vary on it.
Me, I figure that if I had paid for this in paperback, I would have felt justified in it. I liked quite a few of the stories, was bored silly in a couple, and flat out didn’t understand some. Which is one of my pet hates in the short story form actually – I really dislike shorts that don’t really “finish”, where you’re left wondering whether she really did get eaten by the slime monster, or did she in fact, marry it?? The ones I call “arty-farty” stories, where the emphasis is more on the pretty prose than actually telling us what happened.
There were only two names here that I recognized – Garth Nix and Pat Cadigan, with the rest being unknown to me. I quite liked Cadigan’s tale – “Will the Real Psycho In This Story Please Stand Up?” – a great tale of a high school girl and her night at the Prom, with her boyfriend, best friend and the date of the BF, an unpopular boy who has been bullied and picked on all his life by schoolmates and his family. It didn’t go where I was expecting it to go, and if you’re expecting that old chestnut of a redemptive tale of unpopular kid finally making friends..well, it ain’t happening here.
Kaiju by Gary McMahon is another good one, although I did feel it lacked a little bit of something, of perhaps “completedness”. Main character wandering his home neighbourhood in the aftermath of a giant monster wrecking havoc. Had me thinking, we are innundated with movies and books about the actual destruction when it comes to Godzilla type monsters…but we never see stories about what happens afterward. But there’s a neat little twist in the tale here…
I skipped through a couple of the stories – they weren’t holding my interest, or were more of those “arty farty” type ones. But all in all, if you’re a horror fan, you’re probably going to like these offerings.
*I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you’re anything like me, you like your horror in small doses. :D When I was younger, I used to love horror novels – I devoured anything by Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz and the like. Now, I like ‘em short and sweet.
So Ellen Datlow’s new anthology, Fearful Symmetries, was right up my alley. And as I’ve mentioned many times before, anthologies by various authors will always be a hit’n’miss. You’re gonna like some, hate others, get totally lost in confusion about some, be “meh” about a few, and fall in love with a couple. So I always figure that rating of various authors anthologies is hard – is that one stand-out superb story worth the price of the book? Do you feel justified in spending money on it if you can get a few rippers out of it, while the rest are just so-so? It’s a personal opinion, and people’s tastes will vary on it.
Me, I figure that if I had paid for this in paperback, I would have felt justified in it. I liked quite a few of the stories, was bored silly in a couple, and flat out didn’t understand some. Which is one of my pet hates in the short story form actually – I really dislike shorts that don’t really “finish”, where you’re left wondering whether she really did get eaten by the slime monster, or did she in fact, marry it?? The ones I call “arty-farty” stories, where the emphasis is more on the pretty prose than actually telling us what happened.
There were only two names here that I recognized – Garth Nix and Pat Cadigan, with the rest being unknown to me. I quite liked Cadigan’s tale – “Will the Real Psycho In This Story Please Stand Up?” – a great tale of a high school girl and her night at the Prom, with her boyfriend, best friend and the date of the BF, an unpopular boy who has been bullied and picked on all his life by schoolmates and his family. It didn’t go where I was expecting it to go, and if you’re expecting that old chestnut of a redemptive tale of unpopular kid finally making friends..well, it ain’t happening here.
Kaiju by Gary McMahon is another good one, although I did feel it lacked a little bit of something, of perhaps “completedness”. Main character wandering his home neighbourhood in the aftermath of a giant monster wrecking havoc. Had me thinking, we are innundated with movies and books about the actual destruction when it comes to Godzilla type monsters…but we never see stories about what happens afterward. But there’s a neat little twist in the tale here…
I skipped through a couple of the stories – they weren’t holding my interest, or were more of those “arty farty” type ones. But all in all, if you’re a horror fan, you’re probably going to like these offerings.
January 29, 2023
Short story compilation of weird, slightly off balance realities.
1. A Wish from a Bone by Gemma Files (4/5 stars)
A film crew for History Channel stumble upon old old entities as old as god himself. The story starts off smooth, just your typical exploring film crew. In my opinion the story has too much substance it’s hard to cram all information in a short story. I think there’s a good potential for this to be lengthened to a book. I felt claustrophobia the entire time I was reading this.
2. The Atlas of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud (4/5 stars)
Speakeasy bars, dusty old book stores and thieves ALWAYS make a good story. The concept of an atlas of hell is too good and interesting a subject. I also loved the astronauts in this story. It’s so original. This story had a John Constantine feel to it.
3. The Witch Moth by Bruce McAllister (1/5 stars)
I get that there may be meaning in all of this story about the fish, the sailor, the moth, the grandmother, etc but I fell short in understanding any of it. I feel like if a story is too vague to understand because of all the metaphors and symbolisms then it defeats the purpose of telling the story…. Or maybe I’m just too thick to understand such deep literature.
4. Kaiju by Gary McMahon (4/5 stars)
One word. Godzilla. However, the story wouldn’t be in this book compilation if it stops there. Obviously, there’s more to it. I loved the concept of this monster wrecking havoc in this story.
5. Will the Real Psycho in this Story Please Stand Up? By Pat Cadigan (3/5 stars)
Religion, like love and money can turn someone into something rather despicable. The story started out pretty tame. The anticipation was good, making me curious and speculate. Gradually, the light, teen story turns darker and by the end it makes you wonder who is the real bloody psycho in this story???
6. In the Year of Omens by Helen Marshall (1/5 stars)
This story I just did not understand. Thus, my 1 star rating of it. I didn’t understand what the omen symbolises.
7. The Four Darks by Terry Dowling (3/5 stars)
I loved the setting of this story. It was easy to place the town, the asylum and the community. This story made me think of the 1st story in this book A Wish from a Bone but obviously it’s a different concept. This was a good solid story.
8. The Spindly Man by Stephen Graham Jones (2/5 stars)
Telling a story off a real published story as a book club topic? Yes, please. It was a nice play on Stephen King’s story. However, where this story fell to me was the ending. It just fell short, like the author basically just decided a cliche ending.
9. The Window by Brian Evenson (1/5 stars)
An intruder in the night described by the home occupant to a friend. I feel like this story was so incomplete that is why I didn’t understand the point of it.
10. Mount Charry Galore by Jeffrey Ford (3/5 stars)
At some point in the book I thought it was a dark take on Hansel and Gretel. This story was vivid and easy to imagine which is always nice. I think the only thing that turned me off was the pig. I didn’t understand that part.
11. Ballad of an Echo Whisper by Kaitlin Kiernan (1/5 stars)
What was the whole point of this story?
12. Suffer Little Children by Robert Shearman (4/5 stars)
This story was proper creepy. I wish the story expounded more on the old gods though. It would have been more interesting to feast on their tale.
13. Power by Michael Marshall Smith (4/5 stars)
Straightforward story about a machine with a sinister undertone. I really liked this one. I guess because there wasn’t a lot of modern themed evil in the book so this was refreshing to read.
14. Bridge of Sighs by Kaaron Warren (3/5 stars)
Interesting take on playing god. A refreshing take on ghosts and mists. It was just a tad bit anticlimactic in the end but that’s ok. In my opinion I would not want to have that last shot. It would just prolong the pain for me.
15. The Worms Crawl In by Laird Barron (3/5 stars)
Marriage problem, woods and primitive beings. I don’t know why but I liked this story. I appreciate that it’s not too decorated with useless adjectives. It’s a straightforward story and then vengeance happens. The primitive being POV was also entertaining. I wish there was more of that.
16. Attic by Catherine McLeod (4/5 stars)
A runaway, a community and immortality. The story had a feel of the movie Population 436. It was told simply and without fuss. It was an easy and interesting read.
17. Wendigo Night by Siobhan Carroll (2/5 stars)
I was so excited when I read the title because I love Wendigo stories. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much Wendigo action in this story. However, because of its strong and popular belief I admit I had to think twice when the narrator mentioned that even reading this story made me susceptible to becoming a Wendigo myself. My fear of Wendigo is so real.
18. Episode 3: On the Great Plains in the Snow by John Langan (3/5 stars)
Lost souls and where to find them. The writing wasn’t complicated. The story was seemingly effortless. There was a part in the story where I thought this is definitely a young boy’s dream! What with having soldiers, native Americans warriors AND a dinosaur? Come on! Somehow, all of that made sense in the end.
19. Catching Flies by Carole Johnstone (3/5 stars)
I believe the metaphor here indicated trauma? I’m not sure about this but that’s what I gathered from the flies. The scene set in story was from a young girl’s POV. It was pleasant to see the surroundings from a child’s perspective amidst the very adult undertones.
20. What Corstam Worsted by Garth Nix (5/5 stars)
Old military secret forgotten. I was so glad this was the last story of the book. This one was really good. I don’t know if it’s the writer’s skill in writing or just my brain. Nevertheless, this story was cream of the crop for me because reading it was effortless yet gripping with a satisfying cliffhanger ending.
1. A Wish from a Bone by Gemma Files (4/5 stars)
A film crew for History Channel stumble upon old old entities as old as god himself. The story starts off smooth, just your typical exploring film crew. In my opinion the story has too much substance it’s hard to cram all information in a short story. I think there’s a good potential for this to be lengthened to a book. I felt claustrophobia the entire time I was reading this.
2. The Atlas of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud (4/5 stars)
Speakeasy bars, dusty old book stores and thieves ALWAYS make a good story. The concept of an atlas of hell is too good and interesting a subject. I also loved the astronauts in this story. It’s so original. This story had a John Constantine feel to it.
3. The Witch Moth by Bruce McAllister (1/5 stars)
I get that there may be meaning in all of this story about the fish, the sailor, the moth, the grandmother, etc but I fell short in understanding any of it. I feel like if a story is too vague to understand because of all the metaphors and symbolisms then it defeats the purpose of telling the story…. Or maybe I’m just too thick to understand such deep literature.
4. Kaiju by Gary McMahon (4/5 stars)
One word. Godzilla. However, the story wouldn’t be in this book compilation if it stops there. Obviously, there’s more to it. I loved the concept of this monster wrecking havoc in this story.
5. Will the Real Psycho in this Story Please Stand Up? By Pat Cadigan (3/5 stars)
Religion, like love and money can turn someone into something rather despicable. The story started out pretty tame. The anticipation was good, making me curious and speculate. Gradually, the light, teen story turns darker and by the end it makes you wonder who is the real bloody psycho in this story???
6. In the Year of Omens by Helen Marshall (1/5 stars)
This story I just did not understand. Thus, my 1 star rating of it. I didn’t understand what the omen symbolises.
7. The Four Darks by Terry Dowling (3/5 stars)
I loved the setting of this story. It was easy to place the town, the asylum and the community. This story made me think of the 1st story in this book A Wish from a Bone but obviously it’s a different concept. This was a good solid story.
8. The Spindly Man by Stephen Graham Jones (2/5 stars)
Telling a story off a real published story as a book club topic? Yes, please. It was a nice play on Stephen King’s story. However, where this story fell to me was the ending. It just fell short, like the author basically just decided a cliche ending.
9. The Window by Brian Evenson (1/5 stars)
An intruder in the night described by the home occupant to a friend. I feel like this story was so incomplete that is why I didn’t understand the point of it.
10. Mount Charry Galore by Jeffrey Ford (3/5 stars)
At some point in the book I thought it was a dark take on Hansel and Gretel. This story was vivid and easy to imagine which is always nice. I think the only thing that turned me off was the pig. I didn’t understand that part.
11. Ballad of an Echo Whisper by Kaitlin Kiernan (1/5 stars)
What was the whole point of this story?
12. Suffer Little Children by Robert Shearman (4/5 stars)
This story was proper creepy. I wish the story expounded more on the old gods though. It would have been more interesting to feast on their tale.
13. Power by Michael Marshall Smith (4/5 stars)
Straightforward story about a machine with a sinister undertone. I really liked this one. I guess because there wasn’t a lot of modern themed evil in the book so this was refreshing to read.
14. Bridge of Sighs by Kaaron Warren (3/5 stars)
Interesting take on playing god. A refreshing take on ghosts and mists. It was just a tad bit anticlimactic in the end but that’s ok. In my opinion I would not want to have that last shot. It would just prolong the pain for me.
15. The Worms Crawl In by Laird Barron (3/5 stars)
Marriage problem, woods and primitive beings. I don’t know why but I liked this story. I appreciate that it’s not too decorated with useless adjectives. It’s a straightforward story and then vengeance happens. The primitive being POV was also entertaining. I wish there was more of that.
16. Attic by Catherine McLeod (4/5 stars)
A runaway, a community and immortality. The story had a feel of the movie Population 436. It was told simply and without fuss. It was an easy and interesting read.
17. Wendigo Night by Siobhan Carroll (2/5 stars)
I was so excited when I read the title because I love Wendigo stories. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much Wendigo action in this story. However, because of its strong and popular belief I admit I had to think twice when the narrator mentioned that even reading this story made me susceptible to becoming a Wendigo myself. My fear of Wendigo is so real.
18. Episode 3: On the Great Plains in the Snow by John Langan (3/5 stars)
Lost souls and where to find them. The writing wasn’t complicated. The story was seemingly effortless. There was a part in the story where I thought this is definitely a young boy’s dream! What with having soldiers, native Americans warriors AND a dinosaur? Come on! Somehow, all of that made sense in the end.
19. Catching Flies by Carole Johnstone (3/5 stars)
I believe the metaphor here indicated trauma? I’m not sure about this but that’s what I gathered from the flies. The scene set in story was from a young girl’s POV. It was pleasant to see the surroundings from a child’s perspective amidst the very adult undertones.
20. What Corstam Worsted by Garth Nix (5/5 stars)
Old military secret forgotten. I was so glad this was the last story of the book. This one was really good. I don’t know if it’s the writer’s skill in writing or just my brain. Nevertheless, this story was cream of the crop for me because reading it was effortless yet gripping with a satisfying cliffhanger ending.
August 18, 2016
Although I'm normally more interested in themed anthologies, I was excited to read this collection, for which the only connecting theme is essentially "scary stories that Ellen Datlow liked".
There were, unfortunately, very few stories that spoke to me. Although nothing here was poorly written by any stretch, I actively liked fewer than half (particular favorites included entries from Jeffrey Ford, Catherine MacLeod, Carole Johnstone, and Garth Nix). A handful more were just alright and about the same number I did not care for at all.
An uneven collection, though one that does show a wide variety of contemporary horror themes and styles. I was leaning towards a 2-star "it was ok" rating for this, but my favorite stories certainly helped kick it up a notch.
** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley **
There were, unfortunately, very few stories that spoke to me. Although nothing here was poorly written by any stretch, I actively liked fewer than half (particular favorites included entries from Jeffrey Ford, Catherine MacLeod, Carole Johnstone, and Garth Nix). A handful more were just alright and about the same number I did not care for at all.
An uneven collection, though one that does show a wide variety of contemporary horror themes and styles. I was leaning towards a 2-star "it was ok" rating for this, but my favorite stories certainly helped kick it up a notch.
** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley **
July 5, 2014
I feel like I should be up front about the reason I chose only 3 stars for this collection of horror short stories. I've read dozens of Datlow's previous anthologies and have enjoyed all of them.
The writing of each work is excellent and highly polished, the subject matter is diverse with smatterings of dark fiction from many different realms and the collection itself is impressive.
I guess I was a bit disappointed by the overall impact of the stories. While well-written in every case, none of the short fiction really "did" anything for me. In fact, I felt that several of the stories were overly purple with the prose and focused more on psychological horror, which isn't a style I particularly care for.
I hate to say it, but was just a bit underwhelmed. I will likely give it another shot later on this year.
The writing of each work is excellent and highly polished, the subject matter is diverse with smatterings of dark fiction from many different realms and the collection itself is impressive.
I guess I was a bit disappointed by the overall impact of the stories. While well-written in every case, none of the short fiction really "did" anything for me. In fact, I felt that several of the stories were overly purple with the prose and focused more on psychological horror, which isn't a style I particularly care for.
I hate to say it, but was just a bit underwhelmed. I will likely give it another shot later on this year.
August 25, 2016
a fine collection of stories full of tension, discomfort, and horror. my favorite was probably the first story, 'wish from a bone' by gemma files. though there were many strong contenders for the favorite spot.
surprisingly enough one of the least compelling was from brian evenson, an author who i enjoy very much. perhaps because this story wasn't as focused on style as my favorite evenson pieces.
surprisingly enough one of the least compelling was from brian evenson, an author who i enjoy very much. perhaps because this story wasn't as focused on style as my favorite evenson pieces.
November 16, 2014
I've always been a fan of Datlow's collections and this one did not disappoint. In my opinion, most of the stories here were good to excellent, with some brilliantly inspired material and at least one truly disturbing story. I felt the first story was the only one that fell short of the rest, and that was only in its writing/execution; the premise was great.
Highly recommended for fans of horror, Lovecraft and the surreal.
Highly recommended for fans of horror, Lovecraft and the surreal.
January 21, 2023
Well-written but utterly 'Meh' and wordy stuff dominate this book to such an extent that crisp or sharp pieces can be hardly dug out. Nevertheless, the worthies, according to me, were~
1. Gemma Files's 'A Wish From a Bone' had a superb setting.
2. Gary McMahon's 'Kaiju' is deliciously nasty.
3. Caitlin R. Kiernan's 'Ballad of An Echo Whisperer' invokes a primal sort of dread.
4. Siobhan Carroll's 'Wendigo Nights' is brightly visceral.
The rest were... forgettable.
1. Gemma Files's 'A Wish From a Bone' had a superb setting.
2. Gary McMahon's 'Kaiju' is deliciously nasty.
3. Caitlin R. Kiernan's 'Ballad of An Echo Whisperer' invokes a primal sort of dread.
4. Siobhan Carroll's 'Wendigo Nights' is brightly visceral.
The rest were... forgettable.
January 9, 2015
Nearly every story in this anthology leaves me feeling haunted, which is my favourite sort of horror, and overall the writing itself, stylistically, is exceptional. The stories show you what's happening and leave you with the implicit or explicit perception that the worst is yet to come. Maybe to you.
July 8, 2014
Very good collection of disquieting stories for an 'unthemed' collection. Joe Lansdale did not end up contributing to this - bad for Lansdale fans - but the stories that did make the cut should be more than satisfactory.
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