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Little Deaths: 22 Tales of Horror and Sex
A World Fantasy Award–winning anthology of erotic horror stories, including dark tales of desire by Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Dedman, Harry Crews, and others.
The title of this acclaimed anthology comes from the French term “la petite mort,” a seventeenth-century euphemism for orgasm. It was thought that part of a man’s life-force was drained from him each time he climaxed. In Little Deaths, renowned horror editor Ellen Datlow collects twenty-two stories that explore the connection between sex and death.
These stories range from the erotic to the psychological, all against a backdrop of horror. Authors include Lucy Taylor, Nicola Griffith, Kathe Koja, Richard Christian Matheson, Lucius Shepard, and many more.
The title of this acclaimed anthology comes from the French term “la petite mort,” a seventeenth-century euphemism for orgasm. It was thought that part of a man’s life-force was drained from him each time he climaxed. In Little Deaths, renowned horror editor Ellen Datlow collects twenty-two stories that explore the connection between sex and death.
These stories range from the erotic to the psychological, all against a backdrop of horror. Authors include Lucy Taylor, Nicola Griffith, Kathe Koja, Richard Christian Matheson, Lucius Shepard, and many more.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1994
24 people are currently reading
449 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Datlow
276 books1,875 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 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 14, 2017
Hit and miss - lots of clunky sexuality and only mild chills throughout most of these stories, though a few of the best stories do strike the right balance. Dan Simmons' "Dying in Bangkok" is easily the best thing here, and it was one of the highlights of his own collection, Lovedeath. Clive Barker's "On Amen's Shores" feels slight; Kathe Koja & Barry N. Malzberg's "The Careful Geometry of Love" is hallucinatory and rather effective. Most of these are readable but unexceptional, and yet I enjoyed spending six months picking this up when the mood struck.
August 18, 2023
3.5 stars. Some okay stories here but nothing that really knocked me out.
November 22, 2019
It's the final Dell/Abyss imprint book! I made it!
(That's not counting the Dell Horror novels that followed, after the Abyss imprint folded. It follows the same ethos and features some of the same writers, just without Cavelos or the name. I plan on reading those, too, but I'm going to wait a bit, and they aren't officially Abyss anyway.)
Four stars is a slightly generous for this anthology; it's more like 3.5, but I rounded up because the good stories are REALLY good. The first three stories ("The Lady of Situations" by Stephen Dedman, "Hungry Skin" by Lucy Taylor, and "Becky Lives" by Harry Crews) set an admirable stage for the rest of the book, but also create high expectations that are hard to follow. Other highlights include Ruth Rendell's "An Outside Interest" and Dan Simmons' Dying in Bangkok (both reprints).
The stories avoid the misogyny and sexism found among most of the other Abyss books, and I have to credit Datlow for not taking that route. She's always had a reputation for finding the best among the horror authors, and looking beyond cliches, and this anthology represents that ethos. This is a strong book to finish out the Abyss line.
Abyss #47
(That's not counting the Dell Horror novels that followed, after the Abyss imprint folded. It follows the same ethos and features some of the same writers, just without Cavelos or the name. I plan on reading those, too, but I'm going to wait a bit, and they aren't officially Abyss anyway.)
Four stars is a slightly generous for this anthology; it's more like 3.5, but I rounded up because the good stories are REALLY good. The first three stories ("The Lady of Situations" by Stephen Dedman, "Hungry Skin" by Lucy Taylor, and "Becky Lives" by Harry Crews) set an admirable stage for the rest of the book, but also create high expectations that are hard to follow. Other highlights include Ruth Rendell's "An Outside Interest" and Dan Simmons' Dying in Bangkok (both reprints).
The stories avoid the misogyny and sexism found among most of the other Abyss books, and I have to credit Datlow for not taking that route. She's always had a reputation for finding the best among the horror authors, and looking beyond cliches, and this anthology represents that ethos. This is a strong book to finish out the Abyss line.
Abyss #47
February 2, 2020
3 stories I really liked in this anthology.
1) Becky Lives- Harry Crews
2) An Outside Interest- Ruth Rendell
3) Dying In Bangkok- Dan Simmons
1) Becky Lives- Harry Crews
2) An Outside Interest- Ruth Rendell
3) Dying In Bangkok- Dan Simmons
February 6, 2020
I have bought and read many of Ellen Datlow's anthologies, mostly in the fantasy genre. The quality ranged from good to great and there was always at least one superb story to be found in each. This little gem was quite a surprise, though. Almost every story included is excellent.
"Erotic horror stories" usually equates to vampire sex, a la paranormal romance. Not so here. This collection has many experienced horror writers included, such as Clive Barker, Doug Clegg and Christian Matheson. The stories are definitely erotic, but they also lean heavily into the horror aspect as well.Fans of Anne Rice and Tanya Huff can both find much to enjoy here. And, I just love the title. A more perfect sobriquet could not be found!
"Erotic horror stories" usually equates to vampire sex, a la paranormal romance. Not so here. This collection has many experienced horror writers included, such as Clive Barker, Doug Clegg and Christian Matheson. The stories are definitely erotic, but they also lean heavily into the horror aspect as well.Fans of Anne Rice and Tanya Huff can both find much to enjoy here. And, I just love the title. A more perfect sobriquet could not be found!
December 11, 2018
I usually thoroughly enjoy all of Ellen Datlow's collections, but had never heard of this one before, so when I saw it, I had to grab it. The subject matter, erotic horror, was intriguing in theory, but the compilation wasn't. The stories were so-so at best, and they didn't really fit the central theme, in my opinion. All in all, I had hoped for more, considering her past work, but not every collection can be a hit.
July 15, 2019
top stories are Barker, Matheson, & Eskridge; however even then below the typical Datlow quality mix (IMHO)
May 28, 2024
All excellent stories, and surprisingly queer as a whole.
April 15, 2022
One of the few themed horror collections to inspire a little bite and adventure from its contributors—especially Lucius Shepard!—and Datlow does well to include so many female voices.
July 6, 2008
Another excellent collection from Ellen Datlow, featuring "Hungry Skin" by Lucy Taylor, "The Swing" by Nicholas Royle, and "The Lady of Situations" by Stephen Dedmen.
Read
June 3, 2025could not finish-made it to the 4th story and was so creeped out and disturbed that I just couldn't finish
July 17, 2025
the scariest part of this anthology is the editing. maybe it’s just the kindle version, but spelling errors and strange punctuation abound.
Want to read
June 21, 2009elgin got this for me. he is the best.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews