Borderlands

by Thomas F. Monteleone (Editor)

Borderlands is a horror anthology series not concerned with traditional elements of horror fiction. Borderlands is about breaking the mold and pushing the genre and its finest writers to the edge. Hailed as the anthology series of the 90s, Borderlands will remind you that horror can indeed be horrific. Read about a farmer who disdains his wife for a giant potato...women's clothing made from fetal tissue..an executive who slowly slips into the reality he sells...and more.

CONTENTS
'Introduction' -- Thomas F. Monteleone
"The Calling" -- David B. Silva
"Scartaris, June 28th" -- Harlan Ellison
"Glass Eyes" -- Nancy Holder
"The Grass of Remembrance" -- John DeChancie
"On the Nightmare Express" -- Francis J. Malozzo
"The Pounding Room" -- Bentley Little
"Peeling It Off" -- Darrell Schweitzer
"The Raw and the Cooked" -- Michael Green
"His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood" -- Poppy Z. Brite
"Oh What a Swell Guy Am I" -- Jeffrey Osier
"Delia and the Dinner Party" -- John Shirley
"Suicide Note" -- Lee Moler
"Stillborn" -- Nina Kiriki Hoffman
"Ladder" -- T.E.D. Klein
"Muscae Volitantes" -- Chet Williamson
"The Man in the Long Black Sedan" -- Ed Gorman
"His Frozen Heart" -- Jack Hunter Daves Jr.
"Evelyn Grace" -- Thomas Tessier
"By The Light of the Silvery Moon" -- Les Daniels
"A Younger Woman" -- John Maclay
"But You'll Never Follow Me" -- Karl Edward Wagner
"Stephen" -- Elizabeth Massie
"Alexandra" -- Charles L. Grant
"The Good Book" -- G. Wayne Miller
"By Bizarre Hands" -- Joe R. Lansdale

This edition signed by 26 contributors.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Canon

284 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Evans Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating not final. Will update as I read through.

Stories by:

Michael Green--first thing I've read by him, even though both of his novels are on my shelves. The story was well written and had potential, but the ending was pretty silly.

Poppy Z. Brite--incredibly overwritten, simultaneously try-hard edgy and pretentious. I'd probably have loved this story if I'd read it back way back when it was written, when Nine Inch Nails was fresh and new and thrilling. Now, not so much.

Jeffrey Osier--Amazing story. I looked him up and apparently he was well respected, never moved beyond writing short stories and eventually quit writing altogether. Nothing wrong with that. I'll be digging out other anthologies in search of his work for certain.

[Kristine Muslim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Borderlands books are the horror connoisseur’s most basic requirement. These books contain none of the typical, mass-media mishmash of genre elements (lolling zombies, red-eyed vampires, etc.) interspersed with writing that resembles material meant for showbiz tabloid magazines. There are limitless great stories out there. But it’s rare seeing them in one book together.

Here are some of my favorite stories in the first book of the Borderlands series:

David B. Silva’s "The Calling" - This psychological horror story of a man and his dying mother forces the reader to confront mortality head-on: “She showed him the colostomy pouch for the first time. He couldn't bring himself to see how it was attached to her.”

John deChancie’s "The Grass of Remembrance" - This story of a man named Kirby, a toxic chemical dump, and urban chaos may have been funny in retrospect since I’ve read the book a decade ago. But I can never forget how it made my skin crawl. This is one of those stories that people with paranoid tendencies must never read as they will never look at a patch of grass the same way again. Here’s a spoiler: “Kirby noticed an amazing thing before he died. The bottommost parts of the grass stems were green! The grass wasn't dead; it was waiting.”

Francis J. Matozzo’s "On the Nightmare Express" - I’m not keen on horror train stories. There are only three exceptions: that one written a long time ago by Charles Dickens, Clive Barker’s “The Midnight Meat Train,” and this extremely well-written "On the Nightmare Express."

Bentley Little’s "The Pounding Room" - This is, well, about a “pounding” room and the most powerful men in history “pounding” therein. The main character, an ordinary person, catches a glimpse of such room. This is the story that introduced me to a brilliant writer named Bentley Little.

Darrell Schweitzer’s "Peeling It Off" - A grisly account of body mutilation, obsession, and hate -- that timeless motivation of a character trapped in a true horror tale. The first line reads: "I've done something to Joanne." And it gets so much better…

Michael Green’s "The Raw and the Cooked" - If a religion is built around the fast-food industry and its own pantheon of gods, then what will those gods ask from us? And how are we supposed to prepare those offerings? I think this story answers these questions.

John Shirley’s "Delia and the Dinner Party" – Meet Delia, a child who sees the true forms of the people around her. They manifest as monsters: “Her Dad--she knew him by his clothes, they all wore their human clothes--had a second face on the side of his head that was snapping its jaws at Mama like a vicious little dog barely kept leashed. Mama's head was triple faced; the one facing Daddy was angry and frightened, one of its eyes had been gnawed away.”

Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s "Stillborn" - Lucid yet dreamlike. Reminiscent of Saki’s Sredni Vashtar, "Stillborn" is a fantastic story about a boy who found comfort in a mummified thing (possibly his mother’s aborted fetus) he had dug up. Passages like this one amp the creep factor to topnotch horror: "Eat me," whispered Little Brother. "Once I'm inside you, nobody can ever hurt you again. I'll be there to protect you."

T.E.D. Klein’s "Ladder" - The most ambitious and the most complex story in this anthology. What if a person realizes that everything (names, dates, places, etc.) has a pattern?

Chet Williamson’s "Muscae Volitantes" - This is a story of a guy (who is cheating on his wife) with another man. Then throw in a case of muscae volitantes, that telltale tic in the eye when you see spots in your vision until you can’t stop blinking. Not for the squeamish.

Thomas Tessier’s "Evelyn Grace" - Not an ordinary story about necrophilia. This has converted me to become a full-fledged Tessier fan.

John Maclay’s "A Younger Woman" - This is for the Hugh Hefners of the world. Look again at all those younger women whom the typical alpha male (even the beta ones, too) lust after. They may not be that young after all. A pleasant spoiler: “It must be the strain of the trip--if not on her, on me, he thought again, as if grasping at a last, rational hope. My eyes, my mind must be tired, must be playing tricks on me. She can't have ... aged right before them. ...”

Joe R. Lansdale’s "By Bizarre Hands" - Hands down, the best story in this anthology. Yes, it has child molestation, racial epithets, and all those things that nobody in his right mind will put in one story. Maybe, just one or two, but not all of them. Then it tells about hogs eating a grandmother. I am even embarrassed to admit how much I love the story. It is so sick, so offensive, so powerful down to that explosive ending. The prose -- I don’t know how Lansdale learned to write, but whatever staple diet he’s on, I’ll give an arm to get a piece of it.

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borderlands is chock full of a who’s who of horror stalwarts from the 90s/00s, and the quality shows. Cover to cover, this thing has some fantastic tales, which is so rare to see in anthologies. Normally you get a couple of good ones, a couple more decent, and then the rest is fluff. No so here.


The Calling - David B. Silva

A gut-wrenching 1st person account of a son taking care of his mother in the final throws of cancer. Powerful.

5 stars out of 5


Glass Eyes - Nancy Holder

When you’re an artist and diagnosed with cancer of the eyes, you’ll start to see all sorts of shit. Dot sure did. Weird and hallucinogenic story.

2 stars out of 5


The Grass of Remembrance - John DeChancie

Kirby is obsessed with obtaining the perfect lawn, so obsessed he loses his wife and his job. Oh, but Kirby gets a shipment of some grass seed that can never die, even when everything else around him does.

4.5 stars out of 5


On The Nightmare Express - Francis J. Matozzo

A beautiful artist is more than meets the eye when she’s hunted down by a passenger on the train. A fun take on an old classic trope.

5.0 stars out of 5


The Pounding Room - Bentley Little

The first day on the job can be a stressful one, but for Charles Nichols, this one is beyond words. What the hell did he sign up for? Little takes the corporate world and injects a whole lot of bizarro.

5.0 stars out of 5


Peeling It Off - Darrell Schweitzer

When Frank met Sam for drinks, he could tell his friend was still not over his wife leaving him. But instead of his normal whining, he told Frank a story so insane, he was sure Sam had to be cracking up. Or was he on to something?

5.0 stars out of 5


The Raw and the Cooked - Michael Green

Worship thee palace of fast food and thy clown god statue. Disturbing on many levels.

4.0 stars out of 5


His Mouth Will Taste Of Wormwood - Poppy Z Brite

Wow. Just wow! This story blew me away. Grave robbers get more than they bargained for when they steal an amulet from a New Orleans grave. Poppy’s use of the perfect verb and adjectives in every sentence is incredible. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go reread this sucker again!

5.0 emphatic stars out of 5


Oh, What A Swell Guy Am I - Jeffrey Osier

Donald left his wife and moved into a crummy apartment. He knew he was going to go through changes. Oh, but how could ever know they’d be like this? I felt like I was watching an old White Zombie animated video.

3.5 stars out of 5


Deliah And The Dinner Party - John Shirley

Deliah and her dead friend, The Telling Boy, have a special gift, the ability to look through walls and see what people are really doing and saying.

4.0 stars out of 5


Suicide Note - Lee Moler

A stream of consciousness rambling from a man who can’t inflict enough pain while having sex.

4.0 stars out of 5


Stillborn - Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Little Brother isn’t content until Big Brother and him are close. Real close.

4.5 stars out of 5


Ladder - T.E.D. Klein

Life takes you on a journey of random steps, or are these steps a predestined trip on the rungs of a ladder?

3.5 stars out of 5



Muscae Volitantes - Chet Williamson

Alan wants his lover, Randy, to leave his wife and live with him. Randy knows that can’t happen. But even when Randy thinks he’s solved his problem, Alan refuses to leave Randy’s sight. Very Twilight Zone-ish. Love it.

5.0 stars out of 5.0


The Man in the Long Black Sedan - Ed Gorman

Tom is convinced death has come to his small town to give his son an incurable disease. He has visions, and his latest premonition told him so. But is the man he’s cornered in a local motel actually death or a traveling salesman named Larry? Another great Twilight Zone-ish tale.

5.0 stars out of 5


His Frozen Heart - Jack Hunter Daves, Jr.

Running over a boy changes a man’s life. 15 years later, he’s still running from the boy.

4.5 stars out of 5


Evelyn Grace - Thomas Tessier

Tim goes to the wake of a classmate he hardly knew, Evelyn Grace. She was a beautiful girl that Tim never was good enough to hang around with her or her circle. When he discovers that very few people are attending the wake and her parents have been estranged from her for the last 20 years, he innocently concocts a story to comfort them, but the lies keep falling out of his mouth. He should’ve kept them bottled up.

5.0 stars out of 5


By The Light Of The Silvery Moon - Les Daniels

A unique take on a werewolf tale in that we’re left to watch as the reverse happens, a wolf turns into a human during the full moon and must attempt to coexist with other humans in order to feed his family.

4.5 stars out of 5


A Younger Woman - John Maclay

When a man leaves his wife for a much younger woman, he can’t stop the hands of time as they drive across the country.

3.5 stars out of 5


But You’ll Never Follow Me - Karl Edward Wagner

The burden of taking care of his elderly parents with their failing health has fallen on Michael. Maybe he wasn’t the right choice.

4.5 stars out of 5


Stephen - Elizabeth Massie

When Anne started her volunteer work at the hospital, she expected to help people like Michael. What she didn’t expect was to encounter was Michael’s roommate, Stephen. Such a wonderfully twisted story.

5.0 stars out of 5


Alexandria - Charles L.Grant

Grant’s quiet horror is on full display as an elderly doctor retells his encounter with the woman in the cameo.

3.5 stars out of 5


The Good Book - G. Wayne Miller

The owner of a rural gas station comes out one morning to find a dead body impaled 30 feet up on the flag pole. How he got there or who he was? No one knows.

4.0 stars out of 5


By Bizzarre Hands - Joe R. Lansdale

A preacher travels around the Texas countryside looking for intellectually disabled children to save. His motives harken back to when he had a younger sister that was the same. No holds barred tale that only Lansdale can write. Though the writing was excellent, the ending wasn’t my favorite.

3.5 stars out of 5


Overall: 4.29 stars out of 5

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This horror antho from 1990 has quite the reputation, and rightfully so—it’s maybe the best horror story collection I’ve read. The contents range from fiction by horror/SF heavy-hitters (Joe Lansdale, Harlan Ellison, Charles L Grant, Bentley Little, T.E.D. Klein) as well as many unknown or little-known authors. According to the editor’s notes, a few of these stories are from authors previously unpublished.

What’s amazing is this collection manages to be consistent in quality. A couple of the stories didn’t work for me (will I ever grow to like the fiction of Charles L Grant? looks unlikely, though maybe that’ll eventually change) but I can still recognize them for they are: well-written, quality stories of the strange and unknown. Thomas F Monteleone is a fantastic editor and I can’t wait to continue on with the Borderlands series.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borderlands was a very good series of anthologies of original short horror fiction that Monteleone edited beginning with this first volume that originally appeared in 1990, when the genre was enjoying its King-driven apex. Monteleone made an effort to avoid antiquated tropes and to introduce horrors that would resonate with the modern day. Many readers found many of the stories to be too edgy or gory or gritty, but they're well written and definitely different and mostly memorable. My White Wolf mass market edition suffers from bizarre typography and a dark cover that makes Dave McKean's cover fade into a murky shadow. I particularly liked the stories by Joe R. Lansdale, Harlan Ellison, Bentley Little, Karl Edward Wagner, and Elizabeth Massie. The Poppy Z. Brite is definitely memorable, perhaps too much so.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 Book #36:
Borderlands (1990), edited by Thomas F. Monteleone

While definitely not as famous as Dangerous Visions, Borderlands is a short-story anthology that positions itself along the same rhetorical lines. The editor’s introduction claims that this is the “new thing” in horror and dark-fantasy fiction. Here, there are no ghosts, no slashers, no archetypal monsters (and, perhaps significantly, nothing Stephen-King-esque). Instead, we get a turn toward the weird and the psychological, hallmarks of some of the best horror fiction of the 1990s. This isn’t to say that the stories in Borderlands all feel the same, though. In fact, the anthology mostly succeeds in how distinctive and unexpected its offerings are. The best tales – those by Klein, Massie, Little – show the breadth of this collection. Klein’s story of neo-Lovecraftian paranoia is one of the best pieces of cosmic horror I’ve ever read, but it’s totally unlike Massie’s searing rumination on psychological and physical trauma. Bentley Little, on the other hand, offers an almost entirely inscrutable, Kafkaesque corporate hellscape (I’m not sure if this story makes any sense, but it’s certainly memorable). Praise aside, the bad stories in Borderlands exemplify the same issues I have with a lot of horror from this era: first-person, edgelord narratives of depravity that come off as pretentious and melodramatic (but see the stories by Osier and Brite for depravity well executed). Borderlands is a testament to the fact that if you want to do the “new thing,” make sure you do it tastefully and that you have something interesting to say. Star-ratings for all stories are below; as usual, high-three and above are worth checking out:

***** T. E. D. Klein, “Ladder”
***** Elizabeth Massie, “Stephen”

**** Bentley Little, “The Pounding Room”
**** Poppy Z. Brite, “His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood”
**** Darrell Schweitzer, “Peeling It Off”
**** Thomas Tessier, “Evelyn Grace”
**** John Shirley, “Delia and the Dinner Party”
**** Chet Williamson, “Muscae Volitantes”
**** Jeffrey Osier, “Oh What a Swell Guy Am I”
**** Les Daniels, “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”

*** Karl Edward Wagner, “But You’ll Never Follow Me”
*** Nina Kiriki Hoffman, “Stillborn”
*** Harlan Ellison, “Scartaris, June 28th”
*** Nancy Holder, “Glass Eyes”
*** David B. Silva, “The Calling”
*** Michael Green, “The Raw and the Cooked”
*** Ed Gorman, “The Man in the Long Black Sedan”
*** Francis J. Matozzo, “On the Nightmare Express”
*** Charles L. Grant, “Alexandra”
*** Joe R. Lansdale, “By Bizarre Hands”
*** Jack Hunter Daves, “His Frozen Heart”
*** John DeChancie, “The Grass of Remembrance”

** G. Wayne Miller, “The Good Book”
** John Maclay, “A Younger Woman”
** Lee Moler, “Suicide Note”

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Thank you to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.**

Borderlands Volume 1 may be an older anthology, but that makes it no less potent. I enjoyed every story in this collection and also enjoyed the introduction Thomas F. Monteleone wrote for each tale. If you're looking for a great horror anthology with stories from some of the best in the genre, then you'll definitely want to get your hands on a copy of this one.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every reader has their favorite authors. When I saw that this anthology contained stories by Bentley Little and Poppy Brite I knew I had to read it, but the best part of such a collection is the ability to read not only your favorites but to discover works by authors you may not have otherwise read.
I enjoyed most of the stories but the ones that stood out as favorites for me were-
The Grass of Remembrance" by John DeChancie about a man who sends away for a very unique grass seed after his failed attempts to keep his lawn alive. "The Pounding Room" by Bentley Little in which starting a great new job isn't all its cracked up to be, "The Raw and the Cooked" by Michael Green was a dark and satirical look at how the makers of your happy meal stay so happy. "The Man in the Long Black Sedan" by Ed Gorman involves a family man who takes a day off work to protect his family.
I think all horror lovers will find something to enjoy in this volume. Borderlands is a symphony of dark and disturbing fiction and I hope there will be future installments.
I received a complimentary copy for review.

[Perry Ruhland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn good stuff. The rare anthology that's mostly hits.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Borderlands" anthologies purport to collect the most innovative, strange, and disturbing weird fiction that is submitted to them. Between the covers of these books you may be perplexed, confused, and outright disgusted but you will certainly never be bored. I was first introduced to these books through "From the Borderlands" which went into Mass Market Print due to it containing a story by Stephen King. Since that fateful day I had been looking for the rest of the anthologies. Thanks to them going into print once more last year I can finally get my hands on them.

This first foray into the Borderlands was published in 1994 and to some extent does show its age. Some of the shock horror, here's looking at your Lansdale, isn't particularly interesting to me; Poppy Z. Brite also falls a bit flat, but these are pretty much personal taste. Your mileage will vary. Nevertheless, there is more than enough to hold my interest in the tales between the covers. "The Pounding Room" has stuck with me rather strongly. "His Frozen Heart" as well, which is surprising given how basic a premise it holds.

I'd recommend this book to people interested in horror fiction, although with some reservations. The stories are strange - the publication lives up to its claim of publishing only the most original - at least by my estimation. There's certainly a fair bit of the odd to be found in here.

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely strong anthology with the only stories i didn’t fully vibe w falling short bc of taste reasons, not necessarily bc they’re terrible ... rare!!!! mb i’ll do story by story reviews later

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strong collection of horror that veers off the beaten path. The goal of this anthology is to avoid the typical horror cliches and delve into unexplored corners of fright, and it certainly succeeds. A few stories miss, but more often they hit dead between the eyes. Having already read Borderlands 3, I look forward to tracking down the other volumes in this series. Its a shame these aren't still in print...

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on the cheap because it has one of T.E.D. Klein's short stories in it (Klein is apparently notorious for the dearth of his fiction material).

I totally enjoyed this odd, scattershot anthology. Monteleone's taste, though in no ways perfect, is pretty good. I would definitely pick up one of the other collections that he edits...if it's cheap and has a T.E.D. Klein story in it...

[Grace]

DNF, got halfway through. There are some stories I’m going to go back and read by writers I’ve heard good things about (T.E.D Klein, Joe Lansdale, Thomas Tessier, Charles L Grant) but mostly this is just not the style of horror I enjoy, most of the stories were quite gory and violent and just not particularly well done besides. I love horror short stories but almost all of what I read (up to the Poppy Z Brite story where I stopped) was underwhelming despite the editor’s blurbs hyping up how fantastic and amazing these writers were.

one story that stuck out though was Harlan Ellison’s Scartaris, June 28. it reminded me a bit of Gaiman’s American Gods (which I absolutely hated), but I enjoyed it because Ellison seems to actually be a good writer. in Ellison’s story, a god of the ancient world is dealing with the modern world and it poses an interesting question— what happens to the old gods when they get “replaced” by something else? it was an interesting sort of sci-fi/horror story and was a good introduction to Ellison, who I’ve wanted to read for a while.

[Cassandra Glissadevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars!
Off the beaten path, into the borderlands.
n 1989, editor Thomas Monteleone put out the message, "Wanted... totally original horror short stories! No ghosts, vampires, zombies, or werewolves." Shockingly, the horror community was up to task. Only 3 duds out of 24 tales and I'll admit those stories may have fell flat because of my personal tastes.

Surprise! Several stories made me laugh out loud and creeped me out! Goth, splatter-punk, philosophical horror, relationship terror all well written. Top tier tales by John deChancie, Francis J. Matozzo, Charles L. Grant, Darrell Schweitzer, John Shirley, Nina Kiriki, T.E.D. Klein, Les Daniels, Chet Williamson, Thomas Tessier, and Harlan Ellison.

Published in 1990, Borderlands gives us early peak into the genius of Joe R. Lansdale, Poppy Z. Brite and Bentley Little, writers who ended up horror icons of the 90's and 2000's. T.E.D. Klein's Rubik cube horror tale is worth the price of the collection- all by itself.

Excellent edition to any serious horror anthology collection.

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borderlands is an anthology of horror/dark fantasy edited by Thomas Mobteleone. When he put out a request for author submissions, he requested that the authors push the boundaries of the typical HDF genre; thus the title. There are 24 short tales in this compilation, but before reading, I only recognized three names, Bentley Little, Poppy Z Brite and Charles L Grant, of which only Little have I previously read.
.
These stories range from true horror to the purely psychological chiller that will keep you shaking and thinking long after the story is told. Mobteleone included a short biography of each author before the stories, which comes in handy, since several of the writers are ones whose works I would like to continue reading. Some of the stories seemed a bit obtuse, but others were incredibly crafted. Overall, a great way to pass the time, either a story at a time or all at once.
.
My Rating: 4.25/5 stars

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borderlands is a volume of short stories that aims to chill your bones and disturb you. Some of them were intriguing and delectable, like dessert served to you after a warm dinner and makes you go “ah, now I’m ready to sleep”. Ones that made an impression were The Calling, Delia and the Dinner Party, Stephen, By Bizzare Hands, and some others I can’t quite recall. But I do remember most of the good ones were mostly in the middle of the book, and had they not come sooner enough, I would probably have put down the book.
The others were less interesting, or I don’t really get what the writer is trying to portray. I recall looking at the % of reading progress and wondering when will this book ever end.

Therefore, this stands at a 3 star rating- good enough to pick up and not regret the read, but not exceptional enough for me to remember it few years down the road.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in awhile I get assigned an absolute gem of a book, one that is thought provoking, fun, and just a little bit uncomfortable. Borderlands, Volume One : The Anthology of Weird Fiction is that kind of assignment.

When I say uncomfortable I mean it. There are many elements in these chosen tales which are gruesome and a few are definitely not traditional in our politically correct, constantly offended culture we are sadly immersed in – which is not that surprising because this was originally released three decades ago.

You can read Jennifer's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was genuinely disappointed with the heavy themes of sexual violence that rely on shock and depravity to craft horror when you have brilliant works by Ellison, Brite, Holder, Matozzo, Williamson, and Gorman. It really cheapens these great writers' additions to the anthology to me. I don't hate the concept of sexual violence in horror, but the stories that were contingent on that theme in this anthology really only relied on the disgust of the act and had a repetitive narrative of violence against women without adding anything new to me, especially when it's half the stories in the whole collection. Worth finding for $3 in a store for the exceptional additions, but Joe Lansdale in particular needs therapy.

[Ryan Pidhayny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borderlands is a decent collection of horror, dark fiction, and suspense, but while many of the stories are fairly good, I don't believe the anthology as a whole quite lives up to the hype. I feel too many stories within try to go for over-the-top and offensive just for the shock value. I'm not sure if it is limited to this specific Kindle edition, but the editing was pretty horrific throughout. Nevertheless, there were a good number of strong stories here, especially 'Ladder' by T.E.D. Klein, 'The Pounding Room' by Bentley Little, and 'The Man in the Long Black Sedan' by Ed Gorman.

[Nate Dawg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy a good short story especially in the horror genre. I regularly listen to podcasts that tell a few short stories per episode. I like to read anthologies as they give a glimpse of what an author’s writing style and voice are like. Most anthologies I’ve read have a few standout stories that are memorable in each. Borderlands, edited by Thomas Monteleone is full of dark tales that stuck with me. It has hit after hit after hit. I definitely recommend checking out this awesome anthology.
5 💀’s

[Estevam (Impish Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, what to say about this collection of short stories of the bizarre, they are pretty good there some that make you really think in what exactly it was portraying, but i have to say that there were some that i really couldn't quite grasp what was the creepy factor, but that was quite rare, if i should give a note to this book overall it would be a solid 4.5.

I do highly recommend reading this anthology if you're fan of the bizarre and macabre there some pretty bone chilling on this one.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strong collection, well selected to a brief (stories well-written and 'extreme') by Monteleone, and containing, amongst many others, the acknowledged classics, Poppy Z Brite's literary modern Gothic His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood and Joe Lansdale's off-colour but striking Southern Gothic By Bizarre Hands.

[Michael O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars.

Very ordinary stuff.

[Megan Hex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some really good bizarre stuff in here, but over half the stories have men abusing women in some way. Horror writers, can we get past that, because it's not creative or fun...

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A high school favorite!

[Sam Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few (very few) stories contained here that I am unsure why they are classified as horror or even weird fiction. Even then, the stories were entertaining. All the rest are amazing.

[Chuck Kechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short horror tales!

[Christopher Gadomski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of weird horror. I'm so glad I bought this series back when I did.

[Bill Borre]

"Delia and the Dinner Party" by John Shirley - wc
"Evelyn Grace" by Thomas Tessier - wc