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Weird Horror #8
Weird Horror, Issue 8, Spring 2024
Contents (fiction):
- Gary McMahon "All the Things We Never Said"
- Jacob Steven Mohr "Calcium"
- RJ Taylor "On the Occasion of a Bloodletting"
- Jack Klausner "Any Kind of Friend"
- Elin Olausson "Aster"
- Jess Koch "Ecdysis"
- Alison Moore "Rigor"
- Perry Ruhland "Long Scissors, Black Candles"
- Aimee Ogden "Patience is the Virtue"
- John Patrick Higgins "Hello"
- David Ebenbach "The Haunting House"
Includes also: opinion from Simon Strantzas ("What is Anti-Horror?"); commentary from Orrin Grey ("Fungus of Terror: How Fungal Horror Grew on Me"); reviews by Lysette Stevenson.
- Gary McMahon "All the Things We Never Said"
- Jacob Steven Mohr "Calcium"
- RJ Taylor "On the Occasion of a Bloodletting"
- Jack Klausner "Any Kind of Friend"
- Elin Olausson "Aster"
- Jess Koch "Ecdysis"
- Alison Moore "Rigor"
- Perry Ruhland "Long Scissors, Black Candles"
- Aimee Ogden "Patience is the Virtue"
- John Patrick Higgins "Hello"
- David Ebenbach "The Haunting House"
Includes also: opinion from Simon Strantzas ("What is Anti-Horror?"); commentary from Orrin Grey ("Fungus of Terror: How Fungal Horror Grew on Me"); reviews by Lysette Stevenson.
- GenresHorror
124 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2024
4 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Michael Kelly
74 books67 followersMichael Kelly is the Series Editor for the Year's Best Weird Fiction, and author of Undertow and Other Laments, and Scratching the Surface; as well as co-author of the novel Ouroboros.
His short fiction has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including All Hallows, Best New Horror, Black Static, Dark Arts, the Hint Fiction Anthology, PostScripts, Space & Time, Supernatural Tales, Tesseracts 13, and Weird Fiction Review.
Michael is a World Fantasy Award, Shirley Jackson Award and British Fantasy Award Nominee.
His short fiction has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including All Hallows, Best New Horror, Black Static, Dark Arts, the Hint Fiction Anthology, PostScripts, Space & Time, Supernatural Tales, Tesseracts 13, and Weird Fiction Review.
Michael is a World Fantasy Award, Shirley Jackson Award and British Fantasy Award Nominee.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 23, 2024
This might be the best one yet. Every one of these stories was thoroughly enjoyable.
March 20, 2024
A fantastic collection of short stories.
March 18, 2024
Always a great read. I am a HUGE fan of this Undertow publication.
March 29, 2024
Weird Horror 8 (Spring 2024) is - I'm embarrassed to say - the first of these biannual anthologies of original strange fiction that I've read. Over the past few years has seen me verge into crime fiction, both classic and contemporary, and so my appetite for the darkest genre of all felt a little diminished. This was probably because my personal life over the past few years has been a difficult one to circumnavigate. But I've always been a fan of Undertow Publications, the award-winning indie press from Canada, headed up so admirably by Michael Kelly, and so I decided to dip my toe back into the horror genre. I'm delighted to say that this was a decision I do not regret.
Weird Horror 8 features 11 short stories, two interesting essays on aspects of the horror genre from Simon Strantzas and Orrin Grey, and book reviews by Lysette Stevenson. The stories themselves are all excellent, and there's a nice variety to the tone and style. Gary McMahon's 'All the Things We Never Said' begins with a surreal premise before veering off into a darker, more introspective place, heartbreaking and imbued with regret. 'Ecdysis' by Jess Koch appears on first impression to be a traditional ghost story, but the quality of writing elevates the tale into something much more sinister and disturbing. Alison Moore's 'Rigor' is a deceptively straightforward story about a man who is desperate to converse with the dead, with so much left unsaid in its final lines as to give the story a glorious shift of perspective. In 'Hello' by John Patrick Higgins, our narrator buys an old Bakelite telephone from a car-boot sale, and soon finds that he is receiving calls from long-forgotten voices from his past.
I've picked out a few of my favourites here, but the fact is that all of the entries are excellent. This really is a superb anthology, and one I enjoyed so much that it's prompted me to subscribe (and to seek out the previous editions). If you're a fan of contemporary short horror fiction, you'll be well-advised to check out Weird Horror. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Weird Horror 8 features 11 short stories, two interesting essays on aspects of the horror genre from Simon Strantzas and Orrin Grey, and book reviews by Lysette Stevenson. The stories themselves are all excellent, and there's a nice variety to the tone and style. Gary McMahon's 'All the Things We Never Said' begins with a surreal premise before veering off into a darker, more introspective place, heartbreaking and imbued with regret. 'Ecdysis' by Jess Koch appears on first impression to be a traditional ghost story, but the quality of writing elevates the tale into something much more sinister and disturbing. Alison Moore's 'Rigor' is a deceptively straightforward story about a man who is desperate to converse with the dead, with so much left unsaid in its final lines as to give the story a glorious shift of perspective. In 'Hello' by John Patrick Higgins, our narrator buys an old Bakelite telephone from a car-boot sale, and soon finds that he is receiving calls from long-forgotten voices from his past.
I've picked out a few of my favourites here, but the fact is that all of the entries are excellent. This really is a superb anthology, and one I enjoyed so much that it's prompted me to subscribe (and to seek out the previous editions). If you're a fan of contemporary short horror fiction, you'll be well-advised to check out Weird Horror. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.
September 17, 2024
I'm going to talk about the non-fiction pieces in this excellent magazine.
On Horror-- Simon Strantzas writes about a very interesting genre of horror called, anti-horror. He explains what it is, and it got me very curious. I know that I'd like it.
Grey's Grotesqueries-- Orrin Grey writes about fungal horror. That ooky, squishy, fantastical stuff a lot of us love.
The Macabre Reader-- Lysette Stevenson always finds the most wonderful books to write about.
My 2 favourite stories in this issue are...
~Calcium by Jacob Steven Mohr
~On the Occasion Of A Bloodletting by R.J. Taylor
I'll say it again...this magazine is a treasure for weird horror lovers.
On Horror-- Simon Strantzas writes about a very interesting genre of horror called, anti-horror. He explains what it is, and it got me very curious. I know that I'd like it.
Grey's Grotesqueries-- Orrin Grey writes about fungal horror. That ooky, squishy, fantastical stuff a lot of us love.
The Macabre Reader-- Lysette Stevenson always finds the most wonderful books to write about.
My 2 favourite stories in this issue are...
~Calcium by Jacob Steven Mohr
~On the Occasion Of A Bloodletting by R.J. Taylor
I'll say it again...this magazine is a treasure for weird horror lovers.
March 30, 2024
Another great issue of Weird Horror.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews