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The Dark: Ghost Stories
This award-winning horror anthology is the “yardstick by which future ghost fiction will be measured”—featuring Tanith Lee, Joyce Carol Oates, and others (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Award-winning anthologist Ellen Datlow—praised by William Gibson as “the genre’s sharpest assembler of strange, dark fictions”—is determined to prove that ghost stories still possess the power to chill modern readers to the marrow. So she reached out to a list of varied and talented authors and invited them to scare the heck out of her.
The resulting anthology redefines the ghost story, venturing beyond the accustomed tropes and into horror’s true the unknown. The Dark takes a nuanced and disquieting look at the tormented and unquiet dead; the darkness in us, the living; and the sometimes tenuous boundary between the two.
Under the covers of The Dark, you will find a gathering of sixteen unique ghost stories, deftly penned by authors versed in the argot of the damned, including Ramsey Campbell, Jeffrey Ford, Glen Hirshberg, Kelly Link, Sharyn McCrumb, Lucius Shepard, and Gahan Wilson. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Winner of the International Horror Guild Award for Best Anthology of the Year
Award-winning anthologist Ellen Datlow—praised by William Gibson as “the genre’s sharpest assembler of strange, dark fictions”—is determined to prove that ghost stories still possess the power to chill modern readers to the marrow. So she reached out to a list of varied and talented authors and invited them to scare the heck out of her.
The resulting anthology redefines the ghost story, venturing beyond the accustomed tropes and into horror’s true the unknown. The Dark takes a nuanced and disquieting look at the tormented and unquiet dead; the darkness in us, the living; and the sometimes tenuous boundary between the two.
Under the covers of The Dark, you will find a gathering of sixteen unique ghost stories, deftly penned by authors versed in the argot of the damned, including Ramsey Campbell, Jeffrey Ford, Glen Hirshberg, Kelly Link, Sharyn McCrumb, Lucius Shepard, and Gahan Wilson. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Winner of the International Horror Guild Award for Best Anthology of the Year
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
128 people are currently reading
1295 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Datlow
274 books1,874 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 65 reviews
February 4, 2010
Though there are a few small duds, the majority of the stories here were genuinely creepy.
Jeffrey Ford's "The Trentino Kid" starts things off on a slightly creepy note. It's about a guy who has frittered his youth away in what he thought was an easier route. He's regretting the choices he's made when he comes across a ghost that will force his hand in a new direction. This is a story that will resonate with anyone who wishes they had taken a different path years earlier. I know it certainly struck a nerve with me!
Tanith Lee's "The Ghost In The Clock" is atmospheric as is her usual style and features a tale of a clock with a horrific past, a ghost and a good dose of madness. Descriptive writing and a creeping sense of unease make this one a chill inducing read.
"The Thing About the Night" just wasn't my taste. Too scientific, me thinks. I skimmed, things went way over my head and then it was done.
"The Silence of the Falling Stars is about a park ranger whom I didn't care for at all. I can't pinpoint where it went wrong. I just found it dull and slow going.
Gahan Wilson's "The Dead Ghost" was a short and to the point recounting of an injured man's encounter with an overweight, naked ghost. I enjoyed this one, maybe because it was a nice breather after the previous two stories which I thought were both tedious and overly long.
Oates "Subway" This is a haunting but somewhat familiar story of tragedy and a woman's never-ending search for love.
The Seven Sisters is a story about seven formerly grand homes now falling to ruin. This one didn't resonate with me in any way and I can't really remember much else about it.
Doctor Hood was more accessible than the previous story. It's about a woman returning to her childhood home because she's worried about her increasingly distant father. It's about loss, letting go and features a good dose of ghost-busting. I enjoyed the originality of the end of this one.
An Amicable Divorce is a story rooted in tragedy and is deeply emotional. It's about a man still deeply in love with his ex-wife. Sadly, she isn't at all in a good place to return his love but calls him often and begs for help with a creature that is inhabiting their home late at night. This one gets under your skin and lives up to the promises made by the editor and, despite its gloominess, was probably my favorite of the bunch.
Feeling Remains This is about a young boy whose feminist mom is completely disinterested in him. After forcing him to care for an aging neighbor who then dies, he's haunted by the old lady's treasured book of photo's. This story about the neglect of the child and the over-the-top selfishness of the mother annoyed the heck out of me.
The Gallow's Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb was a "past coming back to haunt you" type of ghost story that was very enjoyable. The idea of the Gallow's Necklace was so utterly chilling it won't be something easily forgotten.
Brownie, and Me Charles Grant has always been a difficult read for me. His quiet style of horror didn't work for me when I was younger and more into the likes of Clive Barker and Poppy Z. Brite but this story, about a group of elderly friends who are all experiencing strange haunting phenomena is disquieting in a way that kept me turning the pages. Or, maybe I'm finally old enough to appreciate him ;) I'll have to track down his other work.
Velocity Unlike Grant, I adored Kathe Koja's earlier work (Cipher and Skin especially) even though her style is somewhat of an acquired taste. I worked my through her books of body modification and love affairs gone sour and always looked forward to more. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with her work and no longer have patience for the fractured writing style when I try to go back and re-read them. This story wasn't nearly as difficult as her longer novels but it didn't move me and isn't one I'll remember come tomorrow.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard is a novella length tale of a former criminal finding love. Or so he thinks. I loved the revenge theme of this one and how it all tied together so nasty-like at the end.
The Hortlak by by Kelly Link is the kind of weirdly quirky short story that I really enjoy. It's sort of a David Lynch-like version of "clerks". The world has been turned upside down, zombie's wander through convenience stores, a strange clerk revels in bizarre pajamas, and a woman gives homeless dogs one last glimpse of fun and freedom. It's all very strange and doesn't always come together in a cohesive way but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Dancing Men by Glenn Hirshberg's is a coming of age/innocence lost type of story where one young boy has to face his grandfather's horrific memories of the Holocast. This one is a gut-wrencher because the horror here isn't of the invented variety.
Jeffrey Ford's "The Trentino Kid" starts things off on a slightly creepy note. It's about a guy who has frittered his youth away in what he thought was an easier route. He's regretting the choices he's made when he comes across a ghost that will force his hand in a new direction. This is a story that will resonate with anyone who wishes they had taken a different path years earlier. I know it certainly struck a nerve with me!
Tanith Lee's "The Ghost In The Clock" is atmospheric as is her usual style and features a tale of a clock with a horrific past, a ghost and a good dose of madness. Descriptive writing and a creeping sense of unease make this one a chill inducing read.
"The Thing About the Night" just wasn't my taste. Too scientific, me thinks. I skimmed, things went way over my head and then it was done.
"The Silence of the Falling Stars is about a park ranger whom I didn't care for at all. I can't pinpoint where it went wrong. I just found it dull and slow going.
Gahan Wilson's "The Dead Ghost" was a short and to the point recounting of an injured man's encounter with an overweight, naked ghost. I enjoyed this one, maybe because it was a nice breather after the previous two stories which I thought were both tedious and overly long.
Oates "Subway" This is a haunting but somewhat familiar story of tragedy and a woman's never-ending search for love.
The Seven Sisters is a story about seven formerly grand homes now falling to ruin. This one didn't resonate with me in any way and I can't really remember much else about it.
Doctor Hood was more accessible than the previous story. It's about a woman returning to her childhood home because she's worried about her increasingly distant father. It's about loss, letting go and features a good dose of ghost-busting. I enjoyed the originality of the end of this one.
An Amicable Divorce is a story rooted in tragedy and is deeply emotional. It's about a man still deeply in love with his ex-wife. Sadly, she isn't at all in a good place to return his love but calls him often and begs for help with a creature that is inhabiting their home late at night. This one gets under your skin and lives up to the promises made by the editor and, despite its gloominess, was probably my favorite of the bunch.
Feeling Remains This is about a young boy whose feminist mom is completely disinterested in him. After forcing him to care for an aging neighbor who then dies, he's haunted by the old lady's treasured book of photo's. This story about the neglect of the child and the over-the-top selfishness of the mother annoyed the heck out of me.
The Gallow's Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb was a "past coming back to haunt you" type of ghost story that was very enjoyable. The idea of the Gallow's Necklace was so utterly chilling it won't be something easily forgotten.
Brownie, and Me Charles Grant has always been a difficult read for me. His quiet style of horror didn't work for me when I was younger and more into the likes of Clive Barker and Poppy Z. Brite but this story, about a group of elderly friends who are all experiencing strange haunting phenomena is disquieting in a way that kept me turning the pages. Or, maybe I'm finally old enough to appreciate him ;) I'll have to track down his other work.
Velocity Unlike Grant, I adored Kathe Koja's earlier work (Cipher and Skin especially) even though her style is somewhat of an acquired taste. I worked my through her books of body modification and love affairs gone sour and always looked forward to more. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with her work and no longer have patience for the fractured writing style when I try to go back and re-read them. This story wasn't nearly as difficult as her longer novels but it didn't move me and isn't one I'll remember come tomorrow.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard is a novella length tale of a former criminal finding love. Or so he thinks. I loved the revenge theme of this one and how it all tied together so nasty-like at the end.
The Hortlak by by Kelly Link is the kind of weirdly quirky short story that I really enjoy. It's sort of a David Lynch-like version of "clerks". The world has been turned upside down, zombie's wander through convenience stores, a strange clerk revels in bizarre pajamas, and a woman gives homeless dogs one last glimpse of fun and freedom. It's all very strange and doesn't always come together in a cohesive way but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Dancing Men by Glenn Hirshberg's is a coming of age/innocence lost type of story where one young boy has to face his grandfather's horrific memories of the Holocast. This one is a gut-wrencher because the horror here isn't of the invented variety.
December 30, 2019
Almost a year since I read this one, but I just stumbled across my notes, so let's see how much has stuck with me (and how much sense I can make of said notes). Datlow's introduction says she set out to collect "very scary" ghost stories, but many of these stories don't even make a pretense of trying for that affect (surely Kelly Link did not intend "The Hortlak" to scare anyone, for example, unless they have a morbid fear of pajamas), so I'm not sure how successful she was. That aside, this is kind of a standard collection of freshly-commissioned modern ghost stories, with most of your usual suspects for authors and your usual ratio of great-to-good-to-bad. The standouts were the always-reliable Ford and Lee, the new-to-me O'Driscoll, and Koja.
The Trentino Kid by Jeffrey Ford
A clammer who's afraid that he might have misspent his life encounters the ghost of a drowned boy. I recall that this was all caught up with the death of the narrator's father in some way. Reminiscent of Graham Joyce's "Black Dust" in its use of the ghost story to explore issues of class and work. Existentially scary, but the ghost himself is not scary or even malevolent.
The Ghost of the Clock by Tanith Lee
A young woman goes to live with her mean old aunt in a mansion by the sea. I have “I don’t believe in ghosts.” written down, which I think was the first line of the story, so it's one of those ironical post-modern deals, but it's Lee, so it's a good one, even though it's less baroque/more conversational than I usually expect her work to be. There's a haunted clock, and even now the ghost (the Woman in Yellow, evoking both the wallpaper and the king-in-) sticks out to me as being one of the scarier ones in the collection, and thematically we're concerned with aging (clocks, get it) and, again, work and class. The twists felt a bit forced, though, and apparently I thought the ending was weak. Also it reminded me of "Thurmley Abbey" but I don't remember why.
One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling
A modern-day psychomantium provides a promising set-up - a man had bricked up his house's windows (after his wife and kids died) and created a mirrored hexagonal room, and then vanished, I think, leaving our ghost-hunting protagonists to come investigate. A weird combination of science fiction and horror as they endlessly discuss “mancy words” (ie "sciamancy") and atavism, specifically in terms of humankind's fear of darkness/night. For a horror story revolving around creepy mirrors, you'd be better served by Arthur Porges' "The Mirror" (1966).
The Silence of the Falling Stars by Mike O'Driscoll
An existential Western collides with the Weird Place in Death Valley, the haziness from the heat artfully reflected in the dreamlike and increasingly-distorted narrative. Our emotionally-stunted protagonist, a ranger, encounters a British family visiting the park. Rocks move inexplicably, someone is a ghost(s?), the timeline gets confused, and a sense of wrongness pervades everything, in an almost Kiernan-ish way. I loved this one, need to re-read it, and need to find more by O'Driscoll.
The Dead Ghost by Gahan Wilson
A club story, sort of, about a corporate lawyer in the hospital who sees “not a corpse, but the ghost of corpse.” Aiming for humorous, but it didn't connect (for me, anyway).
Seven Sisters by Jack Cady
I have no memory of this one - my notes tell me it was an oddly-written and tiresome ode to the creative spirit centered on seven mansions in the Pacific Northwest along with something having to do with immortality and ghosts.
Subway by Joyce Carol Oates
Oates at her most oblique, which is not my favorite mode of hers - a teenage runaway, desperately lonely, looks for love in all the wrong places.
Doctor Hood by Stephen Gallagher
A woman visits her widower father, who is a mad scientist researching dark matter and/or death. Full of awkward writing, as in “She sat tight, like someone scared of making an erroneous bid at an auction.” This one was also kind of ghostbuster-y, with the dad refusing to let go of the mom, who just wants to be released.
An Amicable Divorce by Daniel Abraham
An obnoxiously whiny divorced guy blames his ex-wife for the death of their child, which is now possibly haunting her.
Feeling Remains by Ramsey Campbell
The younger halves of dual mother/son pairs break into a dead neighbor's house and get haunted by means of a photo album, which allows Campbell to ruminate on the isolation of the elderly. Absolutely fantastic ghostly stuff unfortunately coupled with absolutely obnoxious characters who are more caricature than anything else.
The Gallows Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb
Another one that hasn't really stayed with me, this was a very old-fashioned English ghost story about a woman whose suitors drowned, the ending of which I found unearned/unconvincing.
Brownie, and Me by Charles L. Grant
A melancholy, low-key affair about a lonely old man planning for death after outliving his wife and son. Another story that weaves in work, this time on trains.
Velocity by Kathe Koja
A question+answer format with a cranky conceptual artist (he crashes bikes into trees), fixated on the memory of his father, who was a famous suicide (who drove into a tree) and toxic asshole and is now a ghost. Interspersed with descriptions of a red house that I think was the father's and now the artist's.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard
Started off well - mobster type on the run starts encountering ghostly stuff in the fog around the rural, lakeside cabin he's hiding out in, he relates more to the dead than the living, etc etc - before a plot twist reveals that his love interest, a survivor of domestic abuse, is actually a monster whose abuser was a victim of her manipulation. Vaguely reminiscent of (but vastly inferior to) M. John Harrison's "The Great God Pan." On paper Shepard seems like he should appeal to me more than he actually does in practice (even the liminal ghostworld we find ourselves in here didn't do much for me).
The Hortlak by Kelly Link
Two convenience store employees - one a young naive guy, the other an older bullshitter - work overnights and plan on changing the face of retail with their new, surreal system of bartering and commodity organization (ie arranging candy by chewiness/meltiness). As usual with Link, I love about 90% of this, but the constant accretion of self-consciously quirky details does wear on me. This one would appear to be more about zombies (consumers) than ghosts, but there are suggestions that all is not as it seems with our narrator and his Turkish coworker.
Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg
A Jewish American teacher shepherding middle schoolers around Europe deals with the legacy of the Holocaust, during which his (still-living, which is the rub) grandfather was interned in Chelmno. There's some questioning of identities, and victim-blaming, and anger and guilt, and a weird collision of the golem story with Native American folklore. I had a rocky start with Hirshberg ("The Two Sams"), but enjoyed "Mr. Dark's Carnival" maybe more than I should have and liked this one even more.
The Trentino Kid by Jeffrey Ford
A clammer who's afraid that he might have misspent his life encounters the ghost of a drowned boy. I recall that this was all caught up with the death of the narrator's father in some way. Reminiscent of Graham Joyce's "Black Dust" in its use of the ghost story to explore issues of class and work. Existentially scary, but the ghost himself is not scary or even malevolent.
The Ghost of the Clock by Tanith Lee
A young woman goes to live with her mean old aunt in a mansion by the sea. I have “I don’t believe in ghosts.” written down, which I think was the first line of the story, so it's one of those ironical post-modern deals, but it's Lee, so it's a good one, even though it's less baroque/more conversational than I usually expect her work to be. There's a haunted clock, and even now the ghost (the Woman in Yellow, evoking both the wallpaper and the king-in-) sticks out to me as being one of the scarier ones in the collection, and thematically we're concerned with aging (clocks, get it) and, again, work and class. The twists felt a bit forced, though, and apparently I thought the ending was weak. Also it reminded me of "Thurmley Abbey" but I don't remember why.
One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling
A modern-day psychomantium provides a promising set-up - a man had bricked up his house's windows (after his wife and kids died) and created a mirrored hexagonal room, and then vanished, I think, leaving our ghost-hunting protagonists to come investigate. A weird combination of science fiction and horror as they endlessly discuss “mancy words” (ie "sciamancy") and atavism, specifically in terms of humankind's fear of darkness/night. For a horror story revolving around creepy mirrors, you'd be better served by Arthur Porges' "The Mirror" (1966).
The Silence of the Falling Stars by Mike O'Driscoll
An existential Western collides with the Weird Place in Death Valley, the haziness from the heat artfully reflected in the dreamlike and increasingly-distorted narrative. Our emotionally-stunted protagonist, a ranger, encounters a British family visiting the park. Rocks move inexplicably, someone is a ghost(s?), the timeline gets confused, and a sense of wrongness pervades everything, in an almost Kiernan-ish way. I loved this one, need to re-read it, and need to find more by O'Driscoll.
The Dead Ghost by Gahan Wilson
A club story, sort of, about a corporate lawyer in the hospital who sees “not a corpse, but the ghost of corpse.” Aiming for humorous, but it didn't connect (for me, anyway).
Seven Sisters by Jack Cady
I have no memory of this one - my notes tell me it was an oddly-written and tiresome ode to the creative spirit centered on seven mansions in the Pacific Northwest along with something having to do with immortality and ghosts.
Subway by Joyce Carol Oates
Oates at her most oblique, which is not my favorite mode of hers - a teenage runaway, desperately lonely, looks for love in all the wrong places.
Doctor Hood by Stephen Gallagher
A woman visits her widower father, who is a mad scientist researching dark matter and/or death. Full of awkward writing, as in “She sat tight, like someone scared of making an erroneous bid at an auction.” This one was also kind of ghostbuster-y, with the dad refusing to let go of the mom, who just wants to be released.
An Amicable Divorce by Daniel Abraham
An obnoxiously whiny divorced guy blames his ex-wife for the death of their child, which is now possibly haunting her.
Feeling Remains by Ramsey Campbell
The younger halves of dual mother/son pairs break into a dead neighbor's house and get haunted by means of a photo album, which allows Campbell to ruminate on the isolation of the elderly. Absolutely fantastic ghostly stuff unfortunately coupled with absolutely obnoxious characters who are more caricature than anything else.
The Gallows Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb
Another one that hasn't really stayed with me, this was a very old-fashioned English ghost story about a woman whose suitors drowned, the ending of which I found unearned/unconvincing.
Brownie, and Me by Charles L. Grant
A melancholy, low-key affair about a lonely old man planning for death after outliving his wife and son. Another story that weaves in work, this time on trains.
Velocity by Kathe Koja
A question+answer format with a cranky conceptual artist (he crashes bikes into trees), fixated on the memory of his father, who was a famous suicide (who drove into a tree) and toxic asshole and is now a ghost. Interspersed with descriptions of a red house that I think was the father's and now the artist's.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard
Started off well - mobster type on the run starts encountering ghostly stuff in the fog around the rural, lakeside cabin he's hiding out in, he relates more to the dead than the living, etc etc - before a plot twist reveals that his love interest, a survivor of domestic abuse, is actually a monster whose abuser was a victim of her manipulation. Vaguely reminiscent of (but vastly inferior to) M. John Harrison's "The Great God Pan." On paper Shepard seems like he should appeal to me more than he actually does in practice (even the liminal ghostworld we find ourselves in here didn't do much for me).
The Hortlak by Kelly Link
Two convenience store employees - one a young naive guy, the other an older bullshitter - work overnights and plan on changing the face of retail with their new, surreal system of bartering and commodity organization (ie arranging candy by chewiness/meltiness). As usual with Link, I love about 90% of this, but the constant accretion of self-consciously quirky details does wear on me. This one would appear to be more about zombies (consumers) than ghosts, but there are suggestions that all is not as it seems with our narrator and his Turkish coworker.
Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg
A Jewish American teacher shepherding middle schoolers around Europe deals with the legacy of the Holocaust, during which his (still-living, which is the rub) grandfather was interned in Chelmno. There's some questioning of identities, and victim-blaming, and anger and guilt, and a weird collision of the golem story with Native American folklore. I had a rocky start with Hirshberg ("The Two Sams"), but enjoyed "Mr. Dark's Carnival" maybe more than I should have and liked this one even more.
September 24, 2017
I gave it an extra star for originality. The types of ghost stories in this collection were varied, with alot of unique settings. Most stories rate 3 or 4 stars; a few I couldn't get into and I'd rate as 2 stars. None of the stories were horrifyingly scary, but there was a sense of creepiness to many of them. Recommended for fans of horror short stories.
March 27, 2009
This was a good book of ghost stories. As the blurb on the back says, no two are alike. They take the reader in different directions. I like this anthology because it shows how versatile the the ghost story is. And what defines a ghost is in the eye of the beholder, and the storyteller. None of these stories would keep me up at night, but there is a lingering unease as I remember reading some of them. Various settings are used, and the imagination of the writers seems limitless to me. Read these stories if you want a fresh, different look at ghosts. I definitely think this volume has ghost stories for the millenium. Probably the most unique and arresting stories is by Lucius Shepherd. I cannot even begin to describe his story. It was like Bangsian (fantasy taking place after death) meets The Usual Suspects meets The Last Seduction. I will definitely try to read more by this author.
October 23, 2007
This is full of some incredible ghost stories. It is dedicated solely to ghost stories, not slashers, not blood and guts, but eerie ghost stories.
One of my favorites, One thing about the Night by Terry Dowling, takes place in a psychomantium, indeed has filled me with a desire to visit a quality psychomantium.This was a truly eerie tale.
A truly enjoyable ghost story collection from one of the top regarded editors in the field.
One of my favorites, One thing about the Night by Terry Dowling, takes place in a psychomantium, indeed has filled me with a desire to visit a quality psychomantium.This was a truly eerie tale.
A truly enjoyable ghost story collection from one of the top regarded editors in the field.
January 20, 2013
How did I miss this anthology? I absolutely love these stories. For the last several days I've been sick, but I went out yesterday to stock up on tissues, cold medicine and a good book. This is the one I chose and it's perfect for curling up with.
August 1, 2018
Apart from the Stephen Gallagher and Kelly Link stories, this doesn't have much to reccomend. I enjoyed the little one-paragraph statements following each story in which the author shares their favorite ghost story far more, exponentially more, than I enjoyed the stories themselves.
Overall, I'm just glad to be done.
Skip this one.
Overall, I'm just glad to be done.
Skip this one.
November 4, 2020
Liked it a lot. The Kathe Koja story was fab. 'One Thing About the Night' by Terry Dowling was absolutely terrorising.
October 3, 2020
It will almost make you a believer that ghosts are or at least could be… among us. The author has garnered many awards for her work and she says that she has long been fascinated by ghosts…or at least the possibility. As a result of her fascination she has assembled an original collection of ghost stories for the shivering delight of readers who are ready to be frightened. That is no idle threat. These are not friendly ghost stories. This book is called The Dark because the editor asked her favorite authors specifically for stories that would provoke fear or disquietude… tales that would cause shivers down the spine and make readers want to keep a light on when they retire to bed. The authors who answered her call compose an all-star cast of brilliant storyteller as Ramsey Campbell, Jeffrey Ford, Charles L. Grant, Glen Hirshberg, Kathe Koja, Tanith Lee, Kelly Link, Sharyn McCrumb, Joyce Carol Oates, Lucius Shepard, and Gahan Wilson. Each has submitted a unique tale unlike any of the others. All have cast dark spells that are sure to inspire fear or unease in the hardiest of us. They certainly satisfied this “ghost story junkie”.
February 11, 2019
Another Datlow collection I've picked up, and so far, I'm enjoying it a lot. I'll include a short review of each story as I go (hopefully!):
The Trentino Kid - Jeffrey Ford - This actually gave me goosebumps. Not terrifying but certainly ratchets the tension. 4 stars.
The Ghost of the Clock - Tanith Lee - Sort of The Yellow Wallpaper meets the Addams family. I liked this one very much. 4.5 stars.
One Thing About the Night - Terry Dowling - This got boring, which is hard for a short story. 2.5 stars.
The Silence of the Falling Stars - Mike O'Driscoll - Also boring and I didn't care about the characters at all. 2 stars.
The Dead Ghost - Gahan Wilson - Weird and creepy. Not great, but good. 3.5 stars.
Seven Sisters - Jack Cady - This was really good. Unique and scary. 4 stars.
Subway - Joyce Carol Oates - Ew. And not in a good way. 1 star.
Doctor Hood - Stephen Gallagher - One of the best of this anthology. 5 stars. Loved it.
An Amicable Divorce - Daniel Abraham - Creepy kids again. Why's it have to be creepy kids? 4 stars
Feeling Remains - Ramsey Campbell - Uhhhh not so much. 2 stars.
The Gallows Necklace - Sharyn McCrumb - This was good. Haunting (no pun intended).
Brownie, and Me - Charles L. Grant - Not very inventive, but well written. 3 stars.
Velocity - Kathe Koja - inexplicable. Really. 2 stars.
Limbo - Lucius Shepard - The twists in this one make you think, and that last twist almost stretched the rules of narrative a touch too far. I really enjoyed the characters, setting and writing, though. 3.5 stars
The Hortlak - Kelly Link - um wtf was that?? No. 2 stars.
Dancing Men - Glen Hirshberg -Eerie. Poignant. Not really clear on the denouement but still definitely freaked me out. 4 stars.
The Trentino Kid - Jeffrey Ford - This actually gave me goosebumps. Not terrifying but certainly ratchets the tension. 4 stars.
The Ghost of the Clock - Tanith Lee - Sort of The Yellow Wallpaper meets the Addams family. I liked this one very much. 4.5 stars.
One Thing About the Night - Terry Dowling - This got boring, which is hard for a short story. 2.5 stars.
The Silence of the Falling Stars - Mike O'Driscoll - Also boring and I didn't care about the characters at all. 2 stars.
The Dead Ghost - Gahan Wilson - Weird and creepy. Not great, but good. 3.5 stars.
Seven Sisters - Jack Cady - This was really good. Unique and scary. 4 stars.
Subway - Joyce Carol Oates - Ew. And not in a good way. 1 star.
Doctor Hood - Stephen Gallagher - One of the best of this anthology. 5 stars. Loved it.
An Amicable Divorce - Daniel Abraham - Creepy kids again. Why's it have to be creepy kids? 4 stars
Feeling Remains - Ramsey Campbell - Uhhhh not so much. 2 stars.
The Gallows Necklace - Sharyn McCrumb - This was good. Haunting (no pun intended).
Brownie, and Me - Charles L. Grant - Not very inventive, but well written. 3 stars.
Velocity - Kathe Koja - inexplicable. Really. 2 stars.
Limbo - Lucius Shepard - The twists in this one make you think, and that last twist almost stretched the rules of narrative a touch too far. I really enjoyed the characters, setting and writing, though. 3.5 stars
The Hortlak - Kelly Link - um wtf was that?? No. 2 stars.
Dancing Men - Glen Hirshberg -Eerie. Poignant. Not really clear on the denouement but still definitely freaked me out. 4 stars.
July 19, 2018
Can we talk about the “Limbo” story 👀.
January 24, 2019
"The Subway" by Joyce Carol Oates is a masterpiece in particular that really resonated with me
September 2, 2025
This was a find at the Friends of the Library shop, sounded good, and after a run of disappointing tries at watching some horror flicks on Prime that somehow all turned out to be lamer than a B-movie, I'm craving some good spooky ghost type stuff! Hopefully this collection of shorties will satisfy my spook-tooth xD
The Trentino Kid by Jeffrey Ford is up first. I liked this one, though I suppose it felt more... idk, kinda nice, rather than totally terrifying. I mean, sure, what the narrator character saw and did in the story would definitely be quite terrifying to experience in real life, but the way it all tied up in the end, and the closure of the story, was sort of, well, nice. I loved the setting of the bay, being on a boat, and despite the short format of the story, the author did a great job making me see and feel the bay, the fickle weather, the water in both its nice and more vicious moods, the old-timers on the docks trading tales at the bar. Good story, might look into other works by this author!
Onto The Ghost of the Clock by Tanith Lee. I've read some from this author before, so I was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint! I kinda loved this one! The old, neglected manor house, the cratchety ol' rich bitch of an aunt, the mysterious letter that started it all inviting her niece to stay while she's down on her luck... Lots of people would jump on the chance to take shelter in the fancy estate of a relative while they get their life back in order, but this aunt was not the nice, concerned family member that one would wish for. I liked how the MC handled everything, and how she was like, nope, I'm not here for this shit, and stood up for herself. I would've actually loved for this story to be longer, I wanted to know more about everybody and everything involved, from the MC and her aunt, to the house's history, to the full background of the ghost story. Reinforced for me that this author is one I would read anytime.
One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling, another new-to-me author is number three, so here we go! This one was definitely a different vibe to the previous two. Here, we have a couple of paranormal researchers(? or maybe just enthusiasts? Not sure.) who discover the whereabouts of some sort of special mirrored room for possibly communicating with the dead or seeing into the other realm. The backstory of how the room came about was a little creepy, and interesting, and the house it was in was totally not your expected scary house. I didn't really feel too connected to the characters, though, or even really understand what they were going on about, but then the last bit, where the MC was in the room, trying it out, that was good and creepy. Mirrors after dark always have a bit of a 'I probably shouldn't look in them' feel, and this story hit that idea home.
Onward into The Silence of the Falling Stars by Mike O'Driscoll, yet another new author for me. This one was definitely atmospheric! The desert, the heat, the Old West tourists who have no idea what they're doing out there. I was like, yea, this should be good. It didn't go in any direction I thought it was going to though. The main character got quite strange on me toward the end, in thoughts and behaviour, and, well, really, I guess that was part of the point, perhaps, to show the scariness of the location that's not just the heat and risk of death or injury, but the ancientness of the place itself, and perhaps our own human minds. All in all, I liked it for the most part, despite the weird factor, and the lack of any real explanation or exposition in the end of what actually happened to the Delauneys... or the MC.
Moving on with The Dead Ghost by Gahan Wilson, who also files as a never-tried author. I'm getting all kinds of new-to-me author tastings in this collection, and definitely loving that aspect! This story was a very quick read, and woo, was it suitably horrifying, just putting myself in the shoes of the narrator. Definitely a ghost in this one, and a rather gross ghost at that. I was left wanting to know just a lil more, like, what the heck was going on in that hospital? Was the ghost just coming back again and again, same guy each time, or, with the way the staff reacted, is it just that different ghosts happen to do this there all the time?! I really liked this short, little jab of a story, definitely would check this author out again.
Seven Sisters from Jack Cady (also new for me), coming up next. This one is my major, major favourite of the collection so far! Oh man, I loved this one! The setting, the old-timey feel, the atmosphere of the small, dying Washington town, and all the history that implies, all of the mist and the rain and the chill... Damn! I also loved that our main characters here were not young at all, and how they kind of... idk, story-told amongst themselves in their Historical Society, and figured out what was going on, and what to do, and how it all played out in the end. Best, best part for me was the whole idea and description of the Seven Sisters, each mansion different in look, purpose, and vibe, all becoming decrepit and haunted. As a lover of abandoned houses and such, that part of the story had my imagination going like wildfire! I wanted to be there with our characters, I wanted to see it for myself, and know all the history and lore of the whole place, and explore them all. Wow! Very much loved this one, definitely going right away to see what else this author has to offer!
Joyce Carol Oates is an author I've known of, as far as name recognition for like, literally forever. I, however have never read anything by her before! I dunno why, I think I maybe kinda always associated her name with like... idk... like, maybe in there with the mom/grandma lit, like your Danielle Steel or your Nora Roberts or Mary Higgins Clark type stuff? Dunno! I mean, I never really ever looked into what she actually writes, I just know that I've seen her name on books ever since forever. So, with the next story, Subway being one of hers, and the author bio at the intro saying she's actually prolific in psychological horror and dark suspense, now I'm intrigued! This story ended up being... odd. Haunting, and weirdly striking, as a girl who grew up taught, and believing that getting a soul mate, a person of destiny, was the be-all, end-all goal. The story was not at all what I thought it would be, but... I liked it.
Next! Doctor Hood by Stephen Gallagher, who, you guessed it, is another author I ain't read before! Let's do this. Aight, gotta admit here, I have taken a nearly month-long break in this book, and just now jumped back in with this story. I really liked the style, the author's voice, the set-up of the characters and such. I wasn't sure where it was going, was it her father's house being haunted, was it her mother, was her father just crazy? But then they end up somewhere else, and the realisation of that lady's 'haunting' being, That kinda makes ya think! Obviously, grief is hard to let go of, and nobody wants to forget their beloved ones, but the idea of the living causing the spirits pain and such, because of their wanting to hold on... damn. I liked this story, but it kinda hit hard in a weird way I was not at all expecting... Definitely gonna look into what else this author has written.
Onto An Amicable Divorce by Daniel Abraham. I really liked the set-up, and the feel of this one, the divorced, grieving couple, the way they can't move past the tragedy that had happened to split them apart, and yet both clinging to each other even though it's not healthy for either of them. I really felt like I could know Ian, the way he felt like his life now was just temporary, like, if he could just get everything back in place, everything would be right again. Even his bouts of feeling sorry for himself were totally believable. He was in a tough place to be in a person's life. They both were. The story had me hooked good once the weirdness started happening, I was fully in, like, ooh where's this going? But then... then... that ending. That... twist or whatever you could call it. Dayum! :O But... good, lol. This guy's going on the list I'm making from this collection of author's to read more of.
Next up is Feeling Remains by Ramsey Campbell. I have read a couple books by this one before, so this should be good! Hot dang, I was not disappointed. Creepy build-up throughout, interesting situation, characters you can just totally picture in your mind, and just enough tease of what the heck is going on to make me wish this were a longer, more fully fleshed out tale! Like, my curiosity was piqued, I wanted to know more about Mrs. Hammond, and her husband, I wanted like... investigation into what had happened to her, I would've loved to see more scenes of her while she was still alive, and the time Jeremy, the MC, had spent with her. I wanted to know her story, when did the creepiness start for her, how was it... passed on, for like of a better word. Quite liked this tale, and, yea... I've never quite fully grown out of that scared of the dark thing, so... this one was good.
Sharyn McCrumb is the author of the next story The Gallows Necklace , and yep, you got it, another new for me writer. The author intro mentioning some of her other works has me interested already, those ones sound good, so I'm looking forward to checking her out in this one.
Done. Actually had to re-read, because I read it right after this last little addition to my review, but then didn't put down my thoughts, took another lil week or so break, and then was like, oop, forgot to do that one. So just re-read it, for freshness sake, and I'm saying this ranks among my favourites so far! I loved the historical setting, how the tragedy had happened not a whole lot prior to the turn of the century, and the current time of the story being (and I will admit, no dates are officially stated, so I'm guessing through context) somewhere in the '20s-ish. The setting, the vibe of being kind of quite... traditional English mystery type. Loved! The way it ended, though, had me, like, what the heck are you doing Mungo! Especially since he definitely knew better, but, I suppose, curses will be curses... or something along those lines. As of me currently typing this, this story ranks quite dang high in this collection.
Onto Brownie, and Me from Charles L. Grant. Never read anything from him before, I don't think, (Edit! I have, actually! I read The Pet a few years ago! Dang, my bad.) but I most definitely know his name. This should be interesting! And, oh, man, yea! Really liked this one! Started off with a bit of a kind of laid-back feel, the MCs were all elderly people, kind of gave me a little bit of feel like the characters from Insomnia from SK kind of vibe. Just an old dude, puttering about town, his old haunts, his former workplace, having a drink with his just as old friends.... This one was good, definitely going, like, right now, to make sure to bookmark some other stories from Grant. Really liked the style, and how, in just a few short pages, I started to feel like I knew the characters, could picture them like i was casting a movie adaptation, could see the scenery, and imagine it playing out... definitely will read this guy again!
Getting closer to the end! Next up is Velocity from Kathe Koja, an author that has been on my radar for quite a dang long while, (like long enough for my kid to go from toddler to teenage angst, lulz), but that I've not actually gotten to read as of yet. Quite looking forward to this sample, and gonna shush and go jump in. It's quite short, just a couple pages, so brb with commentary... Aight. Well. That was... interesting. Maybe, just a touch confusing, until I grasped the format. Once I did though, despite its seeming... detached style, like, almost like a transcript of an interview, but interspersed with other stuff, I actually got absorbed. For being so short, and with such a... jumping around, or, at least, not at all really fleshed out type story-telling style, it still actually conveyed a feeling of dread, a certain type of spooky factor that still had me totally feeling it. Made me really want to know more, I wanted more pages, more background or exposition or something. Pretty damn good, even if slightly unconventional feeling in style, and this taste definitely bumps Koja up in priority on my lists.
Only three stories left! This next one up is Limbo by Lucius Shepard. Nice lil chunk of a page count, and was one of my GR friends' faves out of this collection, so I'm looking forward to what this author has in store for me. Oof! Dang. I kinda really liked this one! Had me sitting here trying to piece together what's going on but I still had no idea where it all was going! There were some mystery vibes for sure, mostly about Shellane's background, and why Grace was so sad and such all the time, but also lots of little bits of spookiness, like the fog, and the black house, and all the people, or whatevers within. And, man! I was all absorbed with the small-town feel, even though there was not really any time spent there aside from two specific scenes in the beginning, but the feel was there. The lakeside cabins, the quiet of the woods and the shore. Very nicely set, almost had me feeling like I could've been lakeside in Maine in an SK story instead of U.P. Michigan. The author's style, voice, method, whatever you want to call it.. on point. Very much enjoyed this one, and will look into reading more from them!
The second-to-last story here is The Hortlak from Kelly Link. This story started off interesting as heck. I wasn't sure what was going on, had some kind of apocalypse happened? What the heck was this Ausible Chasm? And the Zombies that weren't like, Walking Dead type zombs, but like, what they were calling the ghosts? I tore through this little story trying to see what was going on, and then, Batu's pajamas, what on Earth was that all about?! Never did really get any answers, though it left my mind aswirl with wondering and theorizing. Strange little story, left me kinda scratching my head, but I also liked it? The author's style also had me perfectly able to see, to imagine the place and the characters. Will check her out again!
Finally reaching the end! Onto the final tale, Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg, an author I've heard good things about. Here we go, merrily into the end! Ouch, maybe should not have said 'merrily into the end' for that story. That was a tough, painful story to close out the collection. Excellent story, as far as building the sense of dread, the dark feeling of approaching doom. I was absolutely enthralled, plunging onward to hear Grandfather's story, to figure out what this ritual was, where the danger was coming from, and the history of it all. The ending, to me, felt a little... ambiguous, a little left open for interpretation. Had it all went as it was supposed to after all? Or was everything messed up? A solid, very well-done story to close out this collection.
All in all, I'm glad I picked this up. Every story was at worst, straight-up decent af, and interesting and enjoyable, and at the best, excellent and stuck into the files of my mind like fine wine. I'm also most pleased with how this collection introduced me to so many new authors, and despite the side-effect of my wantlist growing exponentially, I'm psyched that I have so many new books to check out and enjoy! Solid collection, going into the keep pile for me.
The Trentino Kid by Jeffrey Ford is up first. I liked this one, though I suppose it felt more... idk, kinda nice, rather than totally terrifying. I mean, sure, what the narrator character saw and did in the story would definitely be quite terrifying to experience in real life, but the way it all tied up in the end, and the closure of the story, was sort of, well, nice. I loved the setting of the bay, being on a boat, and despite the short format of the story, the author did a great job making me see and feel the bay, the fickle weather, the water in both its nice and more vicious moods, the old-timers on the docks trading tales at the bar. Good story, might look into other works by this author!
Onto The Ghost of the Clock by Tanith Lee. I've read some from this author before, so I was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint! I kinda loved this one! The old, neglected manor house, the cratchety ol' rich bitch of an aunt, the mysterious letter that started it all inviting her niece to stay while she's down on her luck... Lots of people would jump on the chance to take shelter in the fancy estate of a relative while they get their life back in order, but this aunt was not the nice, concerned family member that one would wish for. I liked how the MC handled everything, and how she was like, nope, I'm not here for this shit, and stood up for herself. I would've actually loved for this story to be longer, I wanted to know more about everybody and everything involved, from the MC and her aunt, to the house's history, to the full background of the ghost story. Reinforced for me that this author is one I would read anytime.
One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling, another new-to-me author is number three, so here we go! This one was definitely a different vibe to the previous two. Here, we have a couple of paranormal researchers(? or maybe just enthusiasts? Not sure.) who discover the whereabouts of some sort of special mirrored room for possibly communicating with the dead or seeing into the other realm. The backstory of how the room came about was a little creepy, and interesting, and the house it was in was totally not your expected scary house. I didn't really feel too connected to the characters, though, or even really understand what they were going on about, but then the last bit, where the MC was in the room, trying it out, that was good and creepy. Mirrors after dark always have a bit of a 'I probably shouldn't look in them' feel, and this story hit that idea home.
Onward into The Silence of the Falling Stars by Mike O'Driscoll, yet another new author for me. This one was definitely atmospheric! The desert, the heat, the Old West tourists who have no idea what they're doing out there. I was like, yea, this should be good. It didn't go in any direction I thought it was going to though. The main character got quite strange on me toward the end, in thoughts and behaviour, and, well, really, I guess that was part of the point, perhaps, to show the scariness of the location that's not just the heat and risk of death or injury, but the ancientness of the place itself, and perhaps our own human minds. All in all, I liked it for the most part, despite the weird factor, and the lack of any real explanation or exposition in the end of what actually happened to the Delauneys... or the MC.
Moving on with The Dead Ghost by Gahan Wilson, who also files as a never-tried author. I'm getting all kinds of new-to-me author tastings in this collection, and definitely loving that aspect! This story was a very quick read, and woo, was it suitably horrifying, just putting myself in the shoes of the narrator. Definitely a ghost in this one, and a rather gross ghost at that. I was left wanting to know just a lil more, like, what the heck was going on in that hospital? Was the ghost just coming back again and again, same guy each time, or, with the way the staff reacted, is it just that different ghosts happen to do this there all the time?! I really liked this short, little jab of a story, definitely would check this author out again.
Seven Sisters from Jack Cady (also new for me), coming up next. This one is my major, major favourite of the collection so far! Oh man, I loved this one! The setting, the old-timey feel, the atmosphere of the small, dying Washington town, and all the history that implies, all of the mist and the rain and the chill... Damn! I also loved that our main characters here were not young at all, and how they kind of... idk, story-told amongst themselves in their Historical Society, and figured out what was going on, and what to do, and how it all played out in the end. Best, best part for me was the whole idea and description of the Seven Sisters, each mansion different in look, purpose, and vibe, all becoming decrepit and haunted. As a lover of abandoned houses and such, that part of the story had my imagination going like wildfire! I wanted to be there with our characters, I wanted to see it for myself, and know all the history and lore of the whole place, and explore them all. Wow! Very much loved this one, definitely going right away to see what else this author has to offer!
Joyce Carol Oates is an author I've known of, as far as name recognition for like, literally forever. I, however have never read anything by her before! I dunno why, I think I maybe kinda always associated her name with like... idk... like, maybe in there with the mom/grandma lit, like your Danielle Steel or your Nora Roberts or Mary Higgins Clark type stuff? Dunno! I mean, I never really ever looked into what she actually writes, I just know that I've seen her name on books ever since forever. So, with the next story, Subway being one of hers, and the author bio at the intro saying she's actually prolific in psychological horror and dark suspense, now I'm intrigued! This story ended up being... odd. Haunting, and weirdly striking, as a girl who grew up taught, and believing that getting a soul mate, a person of destiny, was the be-all, end-all goal. The story was not at all what I thought it would be, but... I liked it.
Next! Doctor Hood by Stephen Gallagher, who, you guessed it, is another author I ain't read before! Let's do this. Aight, gotta admit here, I have taken a nearly month-long break in this book, and just now jumped back in with this story. I really liked the style, the author's voice, the set-up of the characters and such. I wasn't sure where it was going, was it her father's house being haunted, was it her mother, was her father just crazy? But then they end up somewhere else, and the realisation of that lady's 'haunting' being, That kinda makes ya think! Obviously, grief is hard to let go of, and nobody wants to forget their beloved ones, but the idea of the living causing the spirits pain and such, because of their wanting to hold on... damn. I liked this story, but it kinda hit hard in a weird way I was not at all expecting... Definitely gonna look into what else this author has written.
Onto An Amicable Divorce by Daniel Abraham. I really liked the set-up, and the feel of this one, the divorced, grieving couple, the way they can't move past the tragedy that had happened to split them apart, and yet both clinging to each other even though it's not healthy for either of them. I really felt like I could know Ian, the way he felt like his life now was just temporary, like, if he could just get everything back in place, everything would be right again. Even his bouts of feeling sorry for himself were totally believable. He was in a tough place to be in a person's life. They both were. The story had me hooked good once the weirdness started happening, I was fully in, like, ooh where's this going? But then... then... that ending. That... twist or whatever you could call it. Dayum! :O But... good, lol. This guy's going on the list I'm making from this collection of author's to read more of.
Next up is Feeling Remains by Ramsey Campbell. I have read a couple books by this one before, so this should be good! Hot dang, I was not disappointed. Creepy build-up throughout, interesting situation, characters you can just totally picture in your mind, and just enough tease of what the heck is going on to make me wish this were a longer, more fully fleshed out tale! Like, my curiosity was piqued, I wanted to know more about Mrs. Hammond, and her husband, I wanted like... investigation into what had happened to her, I would've loved to see more scenes of her while she was still alive, and the time Jeremy, the MC, had spent with her. I wanted to know her story, when did the creepiness start for her, how was it... passed on, for like of a better word. Quite liked this tale, and, yea... I've never quite fully grown out of that scared of the dark thing, so... this one was good.
Sharyn McCrumb is the author of the next story The Gallows Necklace , and yep, you got it, another new for me writer. The author intro mentioning some of her other works has me interested already, those ones sound good, so I'm looking forward to checking her out in this one.
Done. Actually had to re-read, because I read it right after this last little addition to my review, but then didn't put down my thoughts, took another lil week or so break, and then was like, oop, forgot to do that one. So just re-read it, for freshness sake, and I'm saying this ranks among my favourites so far! I loved the historical setting, how the tragedy had happened not a whole lot prior to the turn of the century, and the current time of the story being (and I will admit, no dates are officially stated, so I'm guessing through context) somewhere in the '20s-ish. The setting, the vibe of being kind of quite... traditional English mystery type. Loved! The way it ended, though, had me, like, what the heck are you doing Mungo! Especially since he definitely knew better, but, I suppose, curses will be curses... or something along those lines. As of me currently typing this, this story ranks quite dang high in this collection.
Onto Brownie, and Me from Charles L. Grant. Never read anything from him before, I don't think, (Edit! I have, actually! I read The Pet a few years ago! Dang, my bad.) but I most definitely know his name. This should be interesting! And, oh, man, yea! Really liked this one! Started off with a bit of a kind of laid-back feel, the MCs were all elderly people, kind of gave me a little bit of feel like the characters from Insomnia from SK kind of vibe. Just an old dude, puttering about town, his old haunts, his former workplace, having a drink with his just as old friends.... This one was good, definitely going, like, right now, to make sure to bookmark some other stories from Grant. Really liked the style, and how, in just a few short pages, I started to feel like I knew the characters, could picture them like i was casting a movie adaptation, could see the scenery, and imagine it playing out... definitely will read this guy again!
Getting closer to the end! Next up is Velocity from Kathe Koja, an author that has been on my radar for quite a dang long while, (like long enough for my kid to go from toddler to teenage angst, lulz), but that I've not actually gotten to read as of yet. Quite looking forward to this sample, and gonna shush and go jump in. It's quite short, just a couple pages, so brb with commentary... Aight. Well. That was... interesting. Maybe, just a touch confusing, until I grasped the format. Once I did though, despite its seeming... detached style, like, almost like a transcript of an interview, but interspersed with other stuff, I actually got absorbed. For being so short, and with such a... jumping around, or, at least, not at all really fleshed out type story-telling style, it still actually conveyed a feeling of dread, a certain type of spooky factor that still had me totally feeling it. Made me really want to know more, I wanted more pages, more background or exposition or something. Pretty damn good, even if slightly unconventional feeling in style, and this taste definitely bumps Koja up in priority on my lists.
Only three stories left! This next one up is Limbo by Lucius Shepard. Nice lil chunk of a page count, and was one of my GR friends' faves out of this collection, so I'm looking forward to what this author has in store for me. Oof! Dang. I kinda really liked this one! Had me sitting here trying to piece together what's going on but I still had no idea where it all was going! There were some mystery vibes for sure, mostly about Shellane's background, and why Grace was so sad and such all the time, but also lots of little bits of spookiness, like the fog, and the black house, and all the people, or whatevers within. And, man! I was all absorbed with the small-town feel, even though there was not really any time spent there aside from two specific scenes in the beginning, but the feel was there. The lakeside cabins, the quiet of the woods and the shore. Very nicely set, almost had me feeling like I could've been lakeside in Maine in an SK story instead of U.P. Michigan. The author's style, voice, method, whatever you want to call it.. on point. Very much enjoyed this one, and will look into reading more from them!
The second-to-last story here is The Hortlak from Kelly Link. This story started off interesting as heck. I wasn't sure what was going on, had some kind of apocalypse happened? What the heck was this Ausible Chasm? And the Zombies that weren't like, Walking Dead type zombs, but like, what they were calling the ghosts? I tore through this little story trying to see what was going on, and then, Batu's pajamas, what on Earth was that all about?! Never did really get any answers, though it left my mind aswirl with wondering and theorizing. Strange little story, left me kinda scratching my head, but I also liked it? The author's style also had me perfectly able to see, to imagine the place and the characters. Will check her out again!
Finally reaching the end! Onto the final tale, Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg, an author I've heard good things about. Here we go, merrily into the end! Ouch, maybe should not have said 'merrily into the end' for that story. That was a tough, painful story to close out the collection. Excellent story, as far as building the sense of dread, the dark feeling of approaching doom. I was absolutely enthralled, plunging onward to hear Grandfather's story, to figure out what this ritual was, where the danger was coming from, and the history of it all. The ending, to me, felt a little... ambiguous, a little left open for interpretation. Had it all went as it was supposed to after all? Or was everything messed up? A solid, very well-done story to close out this collection.
All in all, I'm glad I picked this up. Every story was at worst, straight-up decent af, and interesting and enjoyable, and at the best, excellent and stuck into the files of my mind like fine wine. I'm also most pleased with how this collection introduced me to so many new authors, and despite the side-effect of my wantlist growing exponentially, I'm psyched that I have so many new books to check out and enjoy! Solid collection, going into the keep pile for me.
March 8, 2025
Read the Tanith Lee story: The Ghost Of The Clock.
December 10, 2009
Collections of stories from different authors are always hard to rate. One author could come up with something amazing and another could write a story that requires more expletives than the English language has in order to review it. Luckily, in this case there weren't any in the latter category, though there were several that I found too boring for a collection of ghost stories. In the interest of not being too negative, I will recommend my top three favorites here.
1. Absolutely read The Hortlak by Kelly Link. Having read this story and her collection Stranger Things Happen, I am convinced she is crazy. Crazy in the fun, this-is-the-kind-of-friend-I-always-wanted-to-have sort of way.
2. Velocity by Kathe Koja. I will have to look this woman up to see what else she has done. At first I thought this one would fall squarely in the boring category, but was quickly proven very, very, incorrect with that assumption.
3. Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg. I found it weird, and then when I figured out what was really going on I was severely creeped out, which is precisely the sort of reaction you desire for a ghost story (though "ghost" does not really cover it here).
I think I would recommend this one overall even though I believe there were a couple of stories that will entirely leave my head by tomorrow.
1. Absolutely read The Hortlak by Kelly Link. Having read this story and her collection Stranger Things Happen, I am convinced she is crazy. Crazy in the fun, this-is-the-kind-of-friend-I-always-wanted-to-have sort of way.
2. Velocity by Kathe Koja. I will have to look this woman up to see what else she has done. At first I thought this one would fall squarely in the boring category, but was quickly proven very, very, incorrect with that assumption.
3. Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg. I found it weird, and then when I figured out what was really going on I was severely creeped out, which is precisely the sort of reaction you desire for a ghost story (though "ghost" does not really cover it here).
I think I would recommend this one overall even though I believe there were a couple of stories that will entirely leave my head by tomorrow.
November 12, 2018
Overall, this was a good collection. Most stories were good, even the ones I didn't like. I would say that quite a few of them seemed more fancy than I'm entirely comfortable with, but that's something that happens.
The Trentino Kid by Jeffrey Ford was very good.
The Ghost of the Clock by Tanith Lee was also good.
One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling was fantastic, just lovely.
The Silence of the Falling Stars by Mike O'Driscoll was something that was probably good, but I really didn't like it.
The Dead Ghost by Gahan Wilson was good.
Seven Sisters by Jack Cady was ok; there were parts I liked and parts I wasn't as fond of.
Subway by Joyce Carol Oates was very creepy.
Doctor Hood by Stephen Gallagher was pretty good.
An Amicable Divorce by Daniel Abraham was kind of strange.
Feeling Remains by Ramsey Campbell was also kind of strange.
The Gallows Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb was good.
Brownie, and Me by Charles L. Grant was good, and I'm not sure if I understood it.
Velocity by Kathe Koja was good.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard was also good, and really kind of bizarre.
The Hortlak by Kelly Link is really strange. I think it's good too, but it's mostly really strange.
Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg was also really weird, but good.
The Trentino Kid by Jeffrey Ford was very good.
The Ghost of the Clock by Tanith Lee was also good.
One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling was fantastic, just lovely.
The Silence of the Falling Stars by Mike O'Driscoll was something that was probably good, but I really didn't like it.
The Dead Ghost by Gahan Wilson was good.
Seven Sisters by Jack Cady was ok; there were parts I liked and parts I wasn't as fond of.
Subway by Joyce Carol Oates was very creepy.
Doctor Hood by Stephen Gallagher was pretty good.
An Amicable Divorce by Daniel Abraham was kind of strange.
Feeling Remains by Ramsey Campbell was also kind of strange.
The Gallows Necklace by Sharyn McCrumb was good.
Brownie, and Me by Charles L. Grant was good, and I'm not sure if I understood it.
Velocity by Kathe Koja was good.
Limbo by Lucius Shepard was also good, and really kind of bizarre.
The Hortlak by Kelly Link is really strange. I think it's good too, but it's mostly really strange.
Dancing Men by Glen Hirshberg was also really weird, but good.
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May 4, 2019
A good anthology, focused on ghost stories. The stories here tend to be atmosphere driven, which is generally how I like my horror. After each story, the author lists their favorite ghost story, most of which I have read. As for the individual stories:
The Trentino Kid
A man who believes that he has wasted his life meets the ghost of a drowned teen-ager. Quite well written but not especially frightening.
The Ghost Of The Clock
A woman stays at the house of her unpleasant aunt, which also holds a supposedly haunted clock. Very atmospheric, with an interesting ending.
One Thing About The Night
Some researchers examine a house where the former owner dissapeared, and find a strange mirrored room. Very atmospheric, with some neat images (the bricked up windows, for example).
The Trentino Kid
A man who believes that he has wasted his life meets the ghost of a drowned teen-ager. Quite well written but not especially frightening.
The Ghost Of The Clock
A woman stays at the house of her unpleasant aunt, which also holds a supposedly haunted clock. Very atmospheric, with an interesting ending.
One Thing About The Night
Some researchers examine a house where the former owner dissapeared, and find a strange mirrored room. Very atmospheric, with some neat images (the bricked up windows, for example).
August 15, 2009
This is a good collection of its sort, with some genuinely frightening and strange stories--and it introduced me to Kelly Link. But the real standout for me--and worth the price of the book all on its own--was the story "The Silence of the Falling Stars" by Mike O'Driscoll. This story was a beauty--metaphysically as well as narratively intriguing, elegiac, and also profoundly Western--as, in the American West--despite being by a Londoner. Ghost story aside, this is one of my favorite short stories, period. The author, Mike O'Driscoll, has a collection--"Unbecoming"--that doesn't seem to have come out in the US yet; it's a shame.
December 25, 2019
3.5 stars. I like the first three quarters of this book. The last few long stories I didn't like as much. I especially liked "One Thing About the Night" by Terry Dowling because I had previously read a rather boring book on how to contact the dead that featured the use of mirrors facing mirrors in a separate room or closet: this story refers to the term "Catoptromancy." The best part of this book is the postscript by the various authors telling their favorite ghost story. (One of MY favorites is "Man-Size in Marble" by E. Nesbit. It is included in Edward Gorey's Haunted Looking Glass which is still available--at least via inter-library loan.)
November 16, 2007
Checked it out from the library as one of the stories was by Lucius Sheperd, who I've had strongly recommended to me.
The collection was.... okay. Sheperd's contribution "The Hortlak" was one of the stronger ones, but I didn't get too many really good shivers overall. Decent library read, but I wouldn't have spent any money on it.
The collection was.... okay. Sheperd's contribution "The Hortlak" was one of the stronger ones, but I didn't get too many really good shivers overall. Decent library read, but I wouldn't have spent any money on it.
March 15, 2008
FANTASTIC collection of ghost stories. There were stories I didn't like as well as others, but there are no duds in this collection. Particularly good is Kelly Link's story "The Hortlak." It has zombies!
December 8, 2009
A generally good collection. A few of them were... strange in a not very good way, but for the most part, chilling in the most fabulous sense. Especially "One thing About the Night." That had me leery of mirrors for months!
October 17, 2010
Good stuff! I especially like the segments in which the authors of the included stories describe their favorite horror pieces.
December 5, 2018
Really good:
The Ghost of the Clock—Tanith Lee
Doctor Hood—Stephen Gallagher (wonderful!!)
The Gallows Necklace—Sharyn McCrumb
The Hortlak—Kelly Link (I love her bc she always writes such literal nightmares)
Good:
The Trentino Kid—Jeffrey Ford
Seven Sisters—Jack Cady
An Amicable Divorce—Daniel Abraham
Feeling Remains—Ramsey Campbell
Velocity—Kathe Koja
Dancing Men—Glen Hirshberg
Fine:
One Thing About The Night—Terry Dowling (tbh I skimmed about a quarter of this bc it was mostly Science and not Ghosts)
The Silence of the Falling Stars—Mike O’Driscoll
The Dead Ghost—Graham Wilson
Subway—Joyce Carol Oates (I don’t think I like her and yet I continue to read her on the off chance that this has changed)
Skimmed and didn’t read most of it, sorry:
Brownie, and Me—Charles L. Grant
Limbo—Lucius Shepard
The Ghost of the Clock—Tanith Lee
Doctor Hood—Stephen Gallagher (wonderful!!)
The Gallows Necklace—Sharyn McCrumb
The Hortlak—Kelly Link (I love her bc she always writes such literal nightmares)
Good:
The Trentino Kid—Jeffrey Ford
Seven Sisters—Jack Cady
An Amicable Divorce—Daniel Abraham
Feeling Remains—Ramsey Campbell
Velocity—Kathe Koja
Dancing Men—Glen Hirshberg
Fine:
One Thing About The Night—Terry Dowling (tbh I skimmed about a quarter of this bc it was mostly Science and not Ghosts)
The Silence of the Falling Stars—Mike O’Driscoll
The Dead Ghost—Graham Wilson
Subway—Joyce Carol Oates (I don’t think I like her and yet I continue to read her on the off chance that this has changed)
Skimmed and didn’t read most of it, sorry:
Brownie, and Me—Charles L. Grant
Limbo—Lucius Shepard
October 17, 2024
A surprisingly bland collection of ghost stories. In the introduction, editor Ellen Datlow says she was aiming for ghost stories that were genuinely scary, not heartwarming. While reading them, I became restless, and didn't really enjoy the collection much. But four stories stood out as chilling, if not scary:
- "The Ghost of the Clock" by Tanith Lee
- "Feeling Remains" by Ramsey Campbell
- "Brownie, and Me" by Charles L. Grant
- "Limbo" by Lucius Shepard
After each story, there's an afterward in which the author cites their favorite ghost story. Although I was familiar with some of the stories (The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James were cited multiple times), I'll be sure to look for those stories I haven't read before.
- "The Ghost of the Clock" by Tanith Lee
- "Feeling Remains" by Ramsey Campbell
- "Brownie, and Me" by Charles L. Grant
- "Limbo" by Lucius Shepard
After each story, there's an afterward in which the author cites their favorite ghost story. Although I was familiar with some of the stories (The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James were cited multiple times), I'll be sure to look for those stories I haven't read before.
March 29, 2024
The inimitable Ellen Datlow asks a number of well-known authors to create original ghost stories. I picked up this volume because it has some authors I admire, including Kelly Link, Lucius Shepard, Jack Cady and Jeffrey Ford. Most of the stories are well-executed although perhaps somewhat predictable. The most unpredictable one is also the longest at over 60 pages: Lucius Shepard's 'Limbo'. I should have seen it coming, but didn't. While I have some of the other stories in author collections, I did not have this one in my Shepard collection, and I'm glad to have it.
June 18, 2023
The 1st story was really good, even to the point of being really sad, the rest of the stories are good also but the pay-off's are close to non-existent. I had quit reading halfway through the book but after a few months I went back to it, just to finish it. I also really liked the story about the stolen horse. As I said, the meat of the stories are very good, it's the endings of most of them I have a problem with.....endings aren't satisfying to me. That's just me though.
March 24, 2024
the best story was, predictably, Tanith Lee’s which was excellent and scary.
it was the only one. bizarre, given that the editor in her introduction explicitly states that she was only interested in collecting scary ghost stories for this anthology. we must have very different definitions of scary, for I was nearly bored to tears through nearly all the stories.
very disappointing.
it was the only one. bizarre, given that the editor in her introduction explicitly states that she was only interested in collecting scary ghost stories for this anthology. we must have very different definitions of scary, for I was nearly bored to tears through nearly all the stories.
very disappointing.
October 22, 2017
“The Trentino Kid” by Jeffrey Ford and “The Gallows Necklace” by Sharyn McCrumb were the night only stories I liked from this anthology.
November 15, 2017
Unfortunately, I started this one so long ago that I don't really remember many of the stories very well, though I'm pretty sure I enjoyed most of them to some degree..
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