Horror: Lo mejor del terror contemporáneo

by Charles L. Grant (Editor), Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell

20 Super Relatos reunidos en un volumen de los autores contemporáneos más famosos, y más premiados, por sus historias de terror.

Stephen King, considerado "el maestro de lo macabro", es el más popular escritor de literatura de terror en el mundo. Entre sus best-sellers, convertidos en éxitos cinematográficos, se cuentan: "Carrie", "El misterio de Salem's Lot", "Christine", "Cujo", "Los niños del maíz"...
Ramsey Campbell, galardonado con los premios más acreditados de la literatura fantástica.
T.E.D Klein, director de la revista Twilight Zone, cuyos relatos se han hecho famosos en la serie de televisión "Dimensión desconocida".
Dennis Etchison, reciente ganador del Bristish Fantasy Award.
Todos ellos y muchos otros, como Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Bloch, Tannith Lee, William F. Nolan, Joseph Payne Brennan, Stephen R. Donaldson, Alan Ryan, Bernard Taylor, Gardner Dozois, Jack Dann, John Coyne, Michael Bishop, David Morrell, Steve Rasnic Tem, Eric Van Lustbader, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro y Craig Shaw Gardner, nos ofrecen lo mejor de su producción actual.

Índice de contenidos:
* Introducción [Horror] (Introduction [The Dodd, Mead Gallery of Horror]) [Prólogo/Epílogo] 1983 - Charles L. Grant
* Algo repelente (Something nasty) [Relato corto] 1983 - William F. Nolan
* El patio trasero de Canavan (Canavan's back yard) [Relato corto] 1958 - Joseph Payne Brennan
* El gusano conquistador (The conqueror worm) [Relato corto] 1983 - Stephen R. Donaldson
* ¡Muerte al conejito de Pascua! (Death to the Easter Bunny!) [Relato corto] 1983 - Alan Ryan
* El cuarto de goma (The rubber room) [Relato corto] 1980 - Robert Bloch
* Petey (Petey) [Novela corta] 1979 - T. E. D. Klein
* Destemple (Out of sorts) [Relato corto] 1983 - Bernard Taylor
* El Club del Sol (The Sunshine Club) [Relato corto] 1983 - Ramsey Campbell
* Entre los muertos (Down among the dead men) [Relato] 1983 - Gardner R. Dozois | Jack Dann
* El chino loco (The crazy chinaman) [Relato corto] 1983 - John Coyne
* Bebés grávidos (Gravid babies) [Relato corto] 1983 - Michael Bishop
* La silla (The chair) [Relato] 1983 - Dennis Etchison
* La máquina de escribir (The typewriter) [Relato] 1983 - David Morrell
* Nunc Dimittis (Nunc Dimittis) [Relato] 1983 - Tanith Lee
* Pordioseros (Derelicts) [Relato corto] 1983 - Steve Rasnic Tem
* En las tinieblas ángeles (In Darkness, angels) [Relato] 1986 - Eric Van Lustbader
* Las flechas (The arrows) [Relato corto] 1983 - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
* Talento (Talent) [Relato corto] 1953 - Theodore Sturgeon
* Siempre al corazón (Aim for the heart) [Relato ccorto] 1983 - Craig Shaw Gardner
* Nona (Nona) [Relato] 1978 - Stephen King

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Fantasy, Horror Thriller, Contemporary

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Charles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.

Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

GALLERY OF HORROR was anything but that for me. Luckily the last story was by Steven King.

I picked this up figuring that it would be a good spooky read with Halloween being this month, but sadly it wasn't. There were 20 short stories here, but to tell the truth, none of them stood out except for King's. I complained to my wife about my disappointment and told her that most of the stories went into all this detail setting the scene, and then just quickly ended. In most cases the reveal at the end was a letdown. No blood and guts, the story just ended. One pretentious author used so many fancy words I found myself skimming over them rather than looking them up. My wife, in her wisdom, said that the authors felt like the telling of the story was more important than the story. I had to agree. There was one story where I thought the mad man was going to kill a child and I was biting my nails over concern, but it was just some guy's imagination. Now I can't even recall what the real monster was in that story.

Steven King's short story "Nona" kept my interest like an action movie. Bearing in mind this was a short story, he gives you just enough detail to set the scene. I didn't have to read very far before things started happening, as one would expect in one of his works. He kept me from giving this a single star rating.

[Evans Light]

Will leave reviews on each story as I read it, not necessarily in order (and I may choose to not read them all)

**** Something Nasty, by William F. Nolan

Wow. I shouldn't have skipped ahead in this collection, because the first story was incredible. I think this might be my first time reading anything by William F. Nolan, but if his other writings are anything like this you can bet it won't be my last.

A little girl's uncle harrasses her with scary tales, until she turns the tables. Just the right amount a creepiness with a twinkle and a knowing grin, a story you could read to the kids and yet still savor as a horror fan.

** The Crazy Chinaman, by John Coyne

A three-page little ditty that didn't really do much for me. The ending was baffling at best.


***** The Typewriter, by David Morrell

I absolutely loved this story! Everything about it. It would make a great episode of The Twilight Zone, and reminded me a little bit of one of my own stories, Whatever Possessed You.
A starving poseur of a writer buys a strange typewriter that types out bestsellers no matter what keys he hits, it seems to have a mind of its own. I'll let you read the rest for yourself.

Wonderful writing on dispay here, will be looking for more by this author.


*** The Rubber Room, by Robert Bloch

A man is in custody, being kept in the padded cell, going crazy - or is he. Lots of Nazi-related delusions ensue. A nicely written, tightly-spun tale, but doesn't really bring anythong fresh or new to the table.

(Next up: Petey, by T.E.D. Klein.

Haven't read anything by Klein before, looking forward to it. I have his DARK GODS and a novel coming in soon from Amazon. This story is 50+ pages, so going to save it for another night.)

**** Petey, by T.E.D. Klein

Okay, the amount of praise that has been heaped on this author over the years by everyone is staggering, and puts this Mr. Klein in the position of being a sacred cow. Maybe that's why he quit writing - stop while you're ahead. This was my first time reading anything by this hyped scribe, and so my expectations were through the roof. How could anything live up to that?

I must in all fairness warn you, I have an ingrained response that causes me to hate anything I've been told I MUST love.

So on to the review.

This was a black-and-white story. Not in the sense of morality, but in the sense that I could only picture it in black-and-white in my mind's eye. It had a sense of age to it, like an episode of I Love Lucy mixed with Alfred Hitchcock presents. Older than The Twilight Zone, none of the cool jazz nodding, snapping fingers and knowing winks that series often had.

It took me three nights to finish this very long short story - or is it a novella? I feel asleep while reading it the first two nights.

It was not a great story, plotwise - people getting together at a party and much time spent listening into the uncomfortable idle chatter of old friends trying to make an awkward evening fun. Little glimpses of another story at an insane asylum flashed here and there throughout the tale, told in italics, provide hope that something darker liay beneath. Jars containing fetuses and who-knows-what else in the frigid attic adds the creep factor that things are not quite as they seem.

I do give credit that this story was told in a very original way, and the sense of dread and unease creeps insidiously from along the edges as you read, the comfort found in human company seems hollow and in the isolated countryside of the farmhouse where this tale plays out, the vulnerability to the unknown is acutely felt.

But for me, while this story was very differently told and effective in giving chills that ran down your spine in an authentic way, the big climax was underwhelming and unworthy of the enormous amount of buildup that preceded it. I was not impacted by the ending in any other way than feeling like, "Hmmm. That's it? Really?"

I'm going to go out on a very thick limb and say that this story is quite possibly more brilliant than I have the capacity to appreciate. Maybe one of you smarter people can educate me on why exactly this good story is praised for being the pinnacle of short horror fiction that it is, because I clearly am not smart enough to understand.

I feel confident that the majority of casual horror readers would not have the endurance to make it more than twenty pages into this tale before giving up and finding something else more immediately entertaining.

I've got the full DARK GODS collection and the novel THE CEREMONIES coming in the mail any day now, so I am reserving my final judgement of the venerable Mr. Klein's writing until I have read more, which I will. Until then, I remain somewhat puzzled by the idol worship he receives. Maybe the excessive praise and homage was a requirement back in the day to get published in The Twilight Zone Magazine, and passed down to subsequent generations of horror writers? I may never know.

Commence hate mail to me now. I stand beside your sacred cow, knife drawn - but blood has not yet been shed.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Muestra bastante representativa de los gustos en el género hace treinta años.-

Género. Relatos.

Lo que nos cuenta. Recopilación de relatos de terror, de diferentes autores, no todos originales para esta publicación, seleccionados por Charles L. Grant, y que tocan temas muy diversos que van del enfrentamiento con amenazas sobrenaturales populares, un cuartito en el que se manifiesta el mal, un insecto que empeora un problema doméstico, varios tipos de vampiros, los problemas de un centro médico para el tratamiento de la Hebefrenia Licantrópica avanzada, la inspiración de un escritor y la tensión de un cazador de vampiros bajo presión, entre otros.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Char]

Setting aside 5.24.15. at 54%

[Saki-chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

De momento la peor antología que he leído. Los relatos que salvo de la quema son:

- El patio trasero de Canavan.
- El cuarto de goma.
- Entre los muertos.
- La máquina de escribir.
- Las flechas.

Quiero hacer una mención especial a "Petey", no por bueno, sino por malo! Es el peor relato de la colección y tiene nada más y nada menos que 47 páginas!!!. Hasta dan ganas de dejar de leer el libro. Llegado a cierto punto solo pasaba mis ojos por las páginas y captaba una que otra frase, pensé que quizás el autor me estaba preparando psicológicamente para el final, pero no: el final es tan aburrido y sin emoción como el resto de la historia.

Las demás cuentos son o prescindibles o muy malos.

[Ignacio Senao f · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un nivel medio que no es poco en estas recopilaciones, ya que siempre hay basuras que matan al libro. Estas antologías de “supero terror” es un clásico en estos ámbitos. El terror más ochentero real aquí, es que mira que portada, ya solo ella te abre el apetito.

[Chrystal Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good collection, a broad range. I bought it for one story in particular, Canavan's Backyard, which is most excellent. I discovered I had read it in the past...true of many of these stories, as theya re all good enough to be anthologized in more than one collection. However, it brings together some good stuff.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this one, but I think I'm to blame since my expectations were so high going in. They were mostly the type of stories some readers love, but I usually just find them confusing. I prefer my horror a little more straightforward, while here you have some stories that are surreal and ambiguous. It wasn't bad, just something that I had heard about and I expected more.

[David Veith · Rating 4 out of 5]

With most books of short stories, you get some good, bad, and inbetween. Most of these were pretty good, and even if not they were all written very well for the most part. Good fun for this time of year!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like with most anthologies, this was a mixed bag. There were several stories I liked and several I was indifferent to. One or two that I loved, and one story that I loathed.

[Prity Malhotra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this Book was a Mistake. Apart from some weird Bizzare stories most of the Stories were Boring, Bland, Childish & Cliched. A Bad After-taste.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

None of these stories were any good. The longer stories made me mad that I wasted that much time on a story that went nowhere.

[Temucano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nunca he sido muy amigo del terror contemporáneo sangriento, aquel horror alimentado en medios urbanos, ya sean hogares, escuelas, malls u oficinas donde surge violento sin mucho asidero. Aguardaba más de eso al empezar este libro, interesado por algunos nombres pero sin mayores expectativas terroríficas, lo que es bueno cuando yerro, ya que ahora terminado puedo decir fue mejor de lo que esperaba, con varios relatos sobre la media, nada descollante, pero de temáticas variadas que hicieron amena su lectura.

El que más me gustó, justo el único que conocía: "Entre los muertos" de Gardner Dozois y Jack Dann, terror en un campo de concentración nazi, buenísima relectura. Después me quedo con los tránsitos de locura liderados por "El cuarto de goma" de Robert Bloch, relato bien desasosegante, y con "El patio trasero de Canavan" de Joseph Payne Brennan, el más elegante, sutil y antiguo (1958), un autor al que le prestaré más atención de aquí en más. Luego siguen los amores malditos sufrientes con "Nunc Dimittis" de Tanith Lee y "En las tinieblas, ángeles" de Eric van Lustbader, así también la parte de amor desquiciado que le toca a "Nona" de Stephen King. Y por último me quedo con "La máquina de escribir" de David Morrell , de corte más clásico, me pareció el más simpático e instructivo.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me but this is the second collection of short stories that I've read in the last month which hasn't done much for me. OK, yeah, some of the stories were pretty good but at times it seemed to be really dragging and I didn't feel like finishing the book. That's pretty weird to have happen since I generally like to read the entire book. Plus a lot of collections save the best stories for last. This time I wasn't too impressed over all, except for the ones below.

"The Conqueror Worm" by Stephen R. Donaldson - A bug helps to destroy a marriage

"Out of Sorts" by Bernard Taylor - A wife helps her husband to end an affair

"The Typewriter" by David Morrell - A writer gets helped and hurt by a unique typewriter

"Talent" by Theodore Sturgeon - A gifted child meets Precious

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The late Charles L Grant knew how to pick them. Grant edited an anthology called Gallery of Horror (originally titled the Dodd Mead Gallery of Horror and published in 1983) and it has been on my shelves, patiently awaiting its' turn to be read, for around two decades, give or take. So the stories here are actually over three decades old. Most of them still pack a wallop, happily, and there are a lot of famous contributors such as Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, William F Nolan, Robert Bloch, and Theodore Sturgeon. Most horrifying story in this collection hands down is Alan Ryan's Death to the Easter Bunny! This was a nice lead in to the month of October. Like the song says, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

[Ken Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stories here really stood out for me:

PETEY by T.E.D. Klein is just fantastic and worth the cover price alone. I was skeptical because I was not crazy about his The Ceremonies (too wacky for me to take seriously) but this is folk horror perfection.

THE CHAIR by Dennis Etchison is a great high school reunion thriller.

NUNC DIMITTIS by Tanith Lee is a kind of vampire story I've read before, but so beautifully written that I was totally captivated.

DERELICTS by Steve Rasnic Tem is a wonderful, creepy recognition of the emerging traits of the baby boomers!

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection just barely makes it to two stars and probably only because it took me so long to read that I’m remembering the earlier stories as being better than they were. The later stories in the book were middling to just plain bad. And the stories from the heavy hitters in this collection were mediocre at best. Not a great collection by any means. Moreover, the horror moniker in the title needs to be removed, there was little to nothing scary in this book.

[Ari Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ Something Nasty WILLIAM F. NOLAN
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Canavan's Back Yard JOSEPH PAYNE BRENNAN
⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Conqueror Worm STEPHEN R. DONALDSON
⭐⭐⭐ Death to the Easter Bunny! ALAN RYAN
⭐⭐⭐ The Rubber Room ROBERT BLOCH
⭐⭐ Petey T. E. D. KLEIN
⭐⭐ Out of Sorts BERNARD TAYLOR
⭐⭐ The Sunshine Club RAMSEY CAMPBELL
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Down Among the Dead Men JACK DANN / GARDNER DOZOIS
⭐⭐⭐ The Crazy Chinaman JOHN COYNE
⭐⭐ Gravid Babies: A Novel of Horrific Menace in Considerable Synopsis MICHAEL BISHOP
⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Chair DENNIS ETCHISON
⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Typewriter DAVID MORRELL
⭐⭐⭐ Nunc Dimittis TANITH LEE
⭐⭐⭐ Derelicts STEVE RASNIC TEM
⭐⭐⭐ In Darkness, Angels ERIC VAN LUSTBADER
⭐⭐ The Arrows CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO
⭐⭐⭐ Talent THEODORE STURGEON [Read once before]
⭐⭐⭐ Aim for the Heart CRAIG SHAW GARDNER
⭐⭐⭐ Nona STEPHEN KING

[Carlos Patiño · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antología de relatos de terror publicada en 1983. Selección irregular de valles y picos, con unos cuentos planos y otros bastante buenos.

De los 20 relatos, destaco 9: "El gusano conquistador", un ciempiés demoníaco empeñado en interrumpir una discusión marital; "Destemple", sobre los esfuerzos de domesticación de un hombre lobo infelizmente casado; "Entre los muertos", brillante relato sobre la supervivencia de un vampiro judío en un campo de concentración nazi; "La silla", un terrorífico reencuentro de ex alumnos con silla eléctrica incluida; "La máquina de escribir", y la pose del escritor que no escribe; "Pordioseros", la negación de la crisis social hasta fundirse en la masa; "Las flechas" y el obsesivo afán perfeccionista de los artistas; "Talento"; una cátedra de cómo escribir fantasía siniestra; y finalmente "Nona", un cuento psicológico y "gore" de un King en ascenso.

[Hector Marquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta es una antología de cuentos que no envejecieron tan bien. ¡SIN EMBARGO! Hay algunos que son mas que rescatables, he aquí mi opinión subjetiva de cuentos que valen la pena leer dentro de esta antología:

El patio trasero de Canavan (No diría que me asusto pero me puso nerviosillo).
¡Muerte al Conejito de Pascua! (Este me encanto).
El cuarto de goma
Destemple
Bebes grávidos (genera cierta incomodidad, vale la pena leerlo).
La máquina de escribir
En las tinieblas, angeles
Las flechas
Talento
Siempre al corazon
Nona (Este es de Stiphen King, un maestro. Final bastante predecible, pero vamos, es de 1978).

Todos los demás, no me parece que hayan valido la pena leer.

[Daniel Peña · Rating 3 out of 5]

"En el mundo sin fin del campo de concentración había aprendido a ofrecerse cosas deseables. Mejor soñar con pan que perderse en el presente."

"Cuando alguien se halla esclavizado por una intensa emoción tiende a perder la perspectiva, el control… O, en vez de eso, entrega el control a otra persona."

Mejores relatos:
Algo repelente
El patio trasero de Canavan
El gusano conquistador
El cuarto de goma
Destemple
Entre los muertos(El mejor)
La silla
La máquina de escribir
Las flechas
Siempre al corazón
Nona

[Isabella Henao Páez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba historias más aterradoras o intersantes pero sólo me gustaron tres historias de 20. La historia del conejo de pascua me pareció un cuento original para contar el paso de la niñez a la adultez. 'Petey' me pareció un lectura exquisita de una fiesta que poco a poco se va volviendo sombría y por último la 'Maquina de escribir' me fascinó en todos sus sentidos hasta el punto de que afecta un poco al lector.

[Marsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una recopilación irregular en sus relatos.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of the tales and some I did not. To describe this collection in one word: "uneven."

[Marina Gareis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Por favor lo mucho que me costó leer este libro.
Tiene un par de cuentos buenos, pero.......

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Must read for young horror writers.

[Michael Fierce]

Joseph Payne Brennan

[David Catagua · Rating 3 out of 5]

La verdad es q he leído mejores compilaciones de historias de terror. Creo q solo 2 o 3 son rescatables, él resto demasiado aburridas.

[Román Hernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primer antología de relatos de Terror por parte de Martínez Roca que reune a autores como T. E. D. Klein, Charles L. Grant y por supuesto a Stephen King que cierra con la historia de "Nona" un extraño enamora-miento de un joven autopista hacia una joven llamada Nona que despierta en él misteriosas pasiones y sentimientos que jamás imaginaría mostrar.
La mayoría de los relatos que conforman la antología corresponden a los clásicos monstruos como los Vampiros y Licantropos que son llevados a las letras de una forma inusual. Por ejemplo el relato que más destaco es "Entre los muertos", de los autores Gardner y Jack Dann, donde un prisionero judío descubre que hay un vampiro aprisionado en los campos de concentración, haciendo que dude quién es el verdadero monstruo si los nazis o el vampiro. Además lo que me encantó este relato es que rescata la tradición del vampiro energético, el vampiro no es el cadáver reanimado sino la fuerza que lo posee. Y el relato "Bebés gravidos" que trata sobre una institución donde internan a Licantropos, pero el final termina siendo un fiasco a pesar de tener una buena idea.
Ahora de los relatos que más me encantaron fueron:
1. "Algo repelente" nos hace comprender hasta donde nos creemos nuestras propias mentiras, en especial cuando se pretende dañar a un niño.
2. "Destemple" donde la seducción es solo una herramienta para atrapar a incautos
3. "La máquina de escribir" de David Morrell, el autor de Rambo. En esta historia nos describe como la ambición de los escritores puede ser su peor perdición
4. "Las flechas" el arte no solo es producto de la creatividad, también de las obsesiones más insanas en el ser humano
Y obviamente destaco "Entre muertos" que es el que más me fascinó
Los demás relatos se me hicieron muy sosos, o con giros demasiado mediocres. Pero que esto no desanime, al contrario, motive a continuar viendo más propuestas de horror literario

[Liam Strong · Rating 1 out of 5]

This sucks. Apart from three-ish stories, this anthology of twenty horror short stories is absolutely abysmal. I may be over-reacting, considering how dated this book is (and feels, my GOD), but the author's notes as epigraphs for every story make this book feel as if Charles L. Grant just asked his friends if they would include their wet dog poop stories they've been saving in their one journal smothered with next-to-naked anime girl stickers and then decided to jerk each one of his author friends off by saying every single of them if the premiere "Dark Fantasy" writer of our time.

I haven't even FINISHED this anthology and I'm inspired in my belief that nothing will save this. This is merely a preemptive attempt at my own wretched journey reading this book when I know the finish line won't award anything redeeming.