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The Mammoth Book of Nightmare Stories: Twisted Tales Not to Be Read at Night!
Winner of the British Fantasy Award
Sixteen rare terror tales not to be read at night!
To sleep, perchance to dream . . . of horrors! Here are some of the stories that gave their own authors nightmares—things that go bump at night, hauntings that lurk in the back of the mind, skin-crawling moments between the realms of wakefulness and sleep. In this somnambulistic collection, award-winning editor Stephen Jones asks many of the biggest names in horror fiction to choose their own favorite stories and novellas which, for one reason or another, have been unjustly overlooked or ignored.
From Hugh B. Cave’s 1930s “shudder pulp” tale to Ramsey Campbell’s stunning novella of barely concealed hysteria and grim black humor, these are the “forgotten” stories ripe for rediscovery, by such acclaimed authors as Poppy Z. Brite, Basil Copper, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Caítlin R. Kiernan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Tanith Lee, and Michael Marshall Smith.
Be warned: do not try to read this book at night, because these superior horror stories—both supernatural and psychological—will leave a lasting chill down your spine long after you have put it down, shut off the lights, and ducked under the covers. As you try to get off to sleep, who knows what dreams may come . . .?
Sixteen rare terror tales not to be read at night!
To sleep, perchance to dream . . . of horrors! Here are some of the stories that gave their own authors nightmares—things that go bump at night, hauntings that lurk in the back of the mind, skin-crawling moments between the realms of wakefulness and sleep. In this somnambulistic collection, award-winning editor Stephen Jones asks many of the biggest names in horror fiction to choose their own favorite stories and novellas which, for one reason or another, have been unjustly overlooked or ignored.
From Hugh B. Cave’s 1930s “shudder pulp” tale to Ramsey Campbell’s stunning novella of barely concealed hysteria and grim black humor, these are the “forgotten” stories ripe for rediscovery, by such acclaimed authors as Poppy Z. Brite, Basil Copper, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Caítlin R. Kiernan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Tanith Lee, and Michael Marshall Smith.
Be warned: do not try to read this book at night, because these superior horror stories—both supernatural and psychological—will leave a lasting chill down your spine long after you have put it down, shut off the lights, and ducked under the covers. As you try to get off to sleep, who knows what dreams may come . . .?
469 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 19, 2019
About the author
Stephen Jones
280 books349 followersStephen Jones is an eighteen-time winner of the British Fantasy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 14, 2021
Between a 3.5 stars and a 4 stars Horror short stories collection. Like often with collections I liked some more and some less but I got intrigued enough to look for more "Mammoth books of.." in the future. A nice way getting to know some authors
December 3, 2024
Ugh, such a thick book and not a single one gave me nightmares. 😢
October 10, 2020
This is a really great collection of short stories. I picked it up because I so thoroughly enjoyed the last collection I read that was put together by this editor. Out of the whole collection there were very stories that I didn’t enjoy, and the ones I didn’t enjoy weren’t terrible, just not my taste. I really loved that there was a lot of variety in this collection, it had so many different kinds of stories and subjects. It really explored it all, from gruesome and gory to just downright bone chilling. I discovered a few new authors who’s work I want to check out and enjoyed new stories from some already beloved authors with this collection. Horror fans, you don’t want to miss out on this one!
September 8, 2020
Presto sul BLOG !
April 23, 2019
Dear gods, this was a struggle.
I usually like anthologies - they can be a great way of trying out new authors without having to commit to a whole novel. Editors usually curate a good mix of stories that conform to the theme of the anthology, with a combination of established and less well-known authors. There are often a couple within the collection which have been previously published, usually within other anthologies, magazines, or purely online.
I picked this up partly due to the title (yay, scary horror!), and partly due to two of "my" authors being included (Neil Gaiman and Tim Lebbon). Sadly, neither Gaiman's nor Lebbon's story was new, but they are both still good. In fact, not a single story offered in this anthology is new - every single one has been taken from elsewhere. There's not much in the way of horror, either, let alone fuel for nightmares. The majority of the tales fall in to the 1/5 to 2/5 bracket, with only three (Lebbon's The Unfortunate, Gaiman's Feeders and Eaters, and Kim Newman's Is There Anybody There?) being above average.
The star rating I've given to the anthology applies purely to the anthology itself, not to the individual stories within it.
I usually like anthologies - they can be a great way of trying out new authors without having to commit to a whole novel. Editors usually curate a good mix of stories that conform to the theme of the anthology, with a combination of established and less well-known authors. There are often a couple within the collection which have been previously published, usually within other anthologies, magazines, or purely online.
I picked this up partly due to the title (yay, scary horror!), and partly due to two of "my" authors being included (Neil Gaiman and Tim Lebbon). Sadly, neither Gaiman's nor Lebbon's story was new, but they are both still good. In fact, not a single story offered in this anthology is new - every single one has been taken from elsewhere. There's not much in the way of horror, either, let alone fuel for nightmares. The majority of the tales fall in to the 1/5 to 2/5 bracket, with only three (Lebbon's The Unfortunate, Gaiman's Feeders and Eaters, and Kim Newman's Is There Anybody There?) being above average.
The star rating I've given to the anthology applies purely to the anthology itself, not to the individual stories within it.
March 23, 2023
Not very nightmareish
April 26, 2019
Just finished reading this - the companion to Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories by the same editor.
Jones asked his contributors to select a story they felt had been unjustly ignored - hence, this collection. As my last review stated, the beauty of anthologies is the fact that some stories will generate a frisson of fear, while others - a yawn.
MMS' "Dear Alison" would make a great companion piece with Aickman's "Pages from a Young Girl's Journal"....depicting a slow descent into vampirism. Copper's "The Gossips"....the ending in the final punch in the guts....Hugh B. Cave's "Invasion from Inferno"....stay away if you have a thing for....spiders. Tanith Lee's "These Beasts" - always be careful robbing the dead and their gods....
I admit having some problems reading Ramsey Campbell....his long "Needing Ghosts" closes out the volume, and left me feeling...meh. Same with Dennis Etchison's "One of Us"....
Still...an enjoyable collection.
Jones asked his contributors to select a story they felt had been unjustly ignored - hence, this collection. As my last review stated, the beauty of anthologies is the fact that some stories will generate a frisson of fear, while others - a yawn.
MMS' "Dear Alison" would make a great companion piece with Aickman's "Pages from a Young Girl's Journal"....depicting a slow descent into vampirism. Copper's "The Gossips"....the ending in the final punch in the guts....Hugh B. Cave's "Invasion from Inferno"....stay away if you have a thing for....spiders. Tanith Lee's "These Beasts" - always be careful robbing the dead and their gods....
I admit having some problems reading Ramsey Campbell....his long "Needing Ghosts" closes out the volume, and left me feeling...meh. Same with Dennis Etchison's "One of Us"....
Still...an enjoyable collection.
August 20, 2020
3.75⭐
Ottima raccolta di racconti che spaziano dall'horror al weird.
Alcuni racconti bellissimi (ho apprezzato particolarmente Chi nutre e chi mangia, Lo sfortunato, C'è qualcuno? Cara Alison e Piccoli punti stretti nella schiena di un uomo morto) altri un po' meno efficaci e potenti, ma comunque di piacevole lettura. Solo un paio, su 16, non li ho apprezzati appieno.
Belle atmosfere, racconti estremamente evocativi che riescono a trasmettere tanto al lettore. Non fanno troppa paura (e questo per me è un grande merito) ma riescono comunque ad inquietare.
Una raccolta eterogenea che consiglio assolutamente
Voto: 7/8
Ottima raccolta di racconti che spaziano dall'horror al weird.
Alcuni racconti bellissimi (ho apprezzato particolarmente Chi nutre e chi mangia, Lo sfortunato, C'è qualcuno? Cara Alison e Piccoli punti stretti nella schiena di un uomo morto) altri un po' meno efficaci e potenti, ma comunque di piacevole lettura. Solo un paio, su 16, non li ho apprezzati appieno.
Belle atmosfere, racconti estremamente evocativi che riescono a trasmettere tanto al lettore. Non fanno troppa paura (e questo per me è un grande merito) ma riescono comunque ad inquietare.
Una raccolta eterogenea che consiglio assolutamente
Voto: 7/8
June 23, 2026
“I told her of this dream that came to me nightly. There would be darkness, and our of this darkness would come a swirl of glowing clouds, and the clouds would meld into a mushroom shape, and out of that—torpedo-shaped, nose pointing skyward, striding on ridiculous cartoon legs—would step The Bomb.
“There was a face painted on The Bomb, and it was my face. And suddenly the dream’s point of view would change, and I would be looking out of the eyes of that painted face. Before me was my daughter. Naked. Lying on the ground. Her legs wide apart. Her sex glazed like wet canyon.
“And I/The Bomb, would dive into her, pulling those silly feet after me, and she would scream. I could hear it echo as I plunged through her belly, finally driving myself out of the top of her head, then blowing to terminal orgasm.”
This is a quote from Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back by Joe R. Landdale, which was originally published in an anthology called Nukes before being posted here. According to Landdale himself, this story is “one of [his] best.”
This is a short, post-apocolyptic story about the life of a man and his miserable wife living in this underground asylum with only about 1,100 people who escaped this mysterious, unspecified bomb drop. the main character Paul and his wife grieving over their daughter, Rae, who did not have the opportunity to escape into the underground bunk. Paul recalls a recent memory in which he walks in on her in the bathroom and sees her naked, adult body. Now grieving, he seems to only be capable of remembering her like this…no clothes on.
I’d been giving this anthology multiple chances, but it seems that most of the male authors in this novel were incapable of writing women without mentioning sex in some way, often in relation to the main character.
There were so many ways you could explore grief and tragedy. There is literally no reason or justification for using sex with your daughter as symbolism for feeling guilt towards her death. Absolutely none. As much as this story had some great horror elements, it also sickened me (in a bad way).I felt that a lot of it was just highly-sexualizing women for no reason, and outside of that it didn't really feel like the stories themselves were all that good.
"The Viaduct" felt a bit amauterish in how it was written, but a fine story. "Spindleshanks" and "Nothing of Him that Doth Fade" featured queer characters and(unsurprisingly) were pretty good. Latter one isn't really much of horror though, just deeply sad, and apparently was part of a gay erotica collection that was designed to get wet, lmao.
"The Unfortunate" is a long one. I loved the descriptions of this Hell-like island, but other than that, it dragged on for way to long and didn’t really have much to say. Yeah he talks about sex with his wife, gets horny randomly at the park. The former isn’t too bad, but also he cheats on her. Twice.
"One of Us" in my opinion, was so pointless and lacked any horror aspects. I googled other reviews to see what the hell it was about and the first blog post about it said the same thing. It's nothingsauce.
"Is Anybody There" was a really interesting time-travelly modern-but-also-old-fashioned twist on the ouji genre.
In "Dear Alison", I thought this dude was gonna confess to cheating on his wife, only to be pleasantly surprised by its gorey, vampiric reveal, which is probably less than half-way through but still a spoiler in my opinion. Oh, and we find out he did cheat on her anyway. A lot of “I’m human” “it was a small mistake” spiels as well. And from the way it’s written, I can say with certainty that he’s supposed to gain sympathy from the reader.
"The Gossips" was crazy boring. Like the most boring thing I've read in a while. And it involves a freaky orgy sex-cult. It's like the author intentionally tried to make it as banal and mind-dumbingly dull as possible.
"Invasion of the Inferno" could have been really good if not for two things. Firstly, why does Arachne's sister rips open her chest to reveal her breast? It made no sense in the goddamn scene. The next is the sister herself: a jealous, conniving, ugly, desperate disabled woman who wants the main character all to herself. Why the hell is this how we’re potraying the only disabled character in this entire novel? Hard no from me. It's also pretty obvious from the getgo that she isn't a good character because of how disgusting and unlikable she's written. But hey apparently her betrayal was a twist.
"The Art Nouveu Fireplace" and "These Beast" (the second of only two stories written by women in this) were good, not great, but good. "Needing Ghosts" had a cool ending but dragged with nothing foreverrrr. "Feeders and Eaters" by Gaiman was pretty good actually. "Homecoming" had such an awesome Frankenstein premise but decides to pointless sexualize a teenaged girl.
I honestly would have rated this anthology much higher if they just hadn't included the trash that was "Tight Little Stitches". And maybe even higher if they just cut out some weird ass misogynistic lines that literally would not change the story one bit by being gone. Hell Tight Little Stitches had the best horror fantasy setting I've ever read but the grief-stricken incest was so disgusting and heavily justified by the narrative that it completely turned me off from this whole anthology.
“There was a face painted on The Bomb, and it was my face. And suddenly the dream’s point of view would change, and I would be looking out of the eyes of that painted face. Before me was my daughter. Naked. Lying on the ground. Her legs wide apart. Her sex glazed like wet canyon.
“And I/The Bomb, would dive into her, pulling those silly feet after me, and she would scream. I could hear it echo as I plunged through her belly, finally driving myself out of the top of her head, then blowing to terminal orgasm.”
This is a quote from Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back by Joe R. Landdale, which was originally published in an anthology called Nukes before being posted here. According to Landdale himself, this story is “one of [his] best.”
This is a short, post-apocolyptic story about the life of a man and his miserable wife living in this underground asylum with only about 1,100 people who escaped this mysterious, unspecified bomb drop. the main character Paul and his wife grieving over their daughter, Rae, who did not have the opportunity to escape into the underground bunk. Paul recalls a recent memory in which he walks in on her in the bathroom and sees her naked, adult body. Now grieving, he seems to only be capable of remembering her like this…no clothes on.
I’d been giving this anthology multiple chances, but it seems that most of the male authors in this novel were incapable of writing women without mentioning sex in some way, often in relation to the main character.
There were so many ways you could explore grief and tragedy. There is literally no reason or justification for using sex with your daughter as symbolism for feeling guilt towards her death. Absolutely none. As much as this story had some great horror elements, it also sickened me (in a bad way).I felt that a lot of it was just highly-sexualizing women for no reason, and outside of that it didn't really feel like the stories themselves were all that good.
"The Viaduct" felt a bit amauterish in how it was written, but a fine story. "Spindleshanks" and "Nothing of Him that Doth Fade" featured queer characters and(unsurprisingly) were pretty good. Latter one isn't really much of horror though, just deeply sad, and apparently was part of a gay erotica collection that was designed to get wet, lmao.
"The Unfortunate" is a long one. I loved the descriptions of this Hell-like island, but other than that, it dragged on for way to long and didn’t really have much to say. Yeah he talks about sex with his wife, gets horny randomly at the park. The former isn’t too bad, but also he cheats on her. Twice.
"One of Us" in my opinion, was so pointless and lacked any horror aspects. I googled other reviews to see what the hell it was about and the first blog post about it said the same thing. It's nothingsauce.
"Is Anybody There" was a really interesting time-travelly modern-but-also-old-fashioned twist on the ouji genre.
In "Dear Alison", I thought this dude was gonna confess to cheating on his wife, only to be pleasantly surprised by its gorey, vampiric reveal, which is probably less than half-way through but still a spoiler in my opinion. Oh, and we find out he did cheat on her anyway. A lot of “I’m human” “it was a small mistake” spiels as well. And from the way it’s written, I can say with certainty that he’s supposed to gain sympathy from the reader.
"The Gossips" was crazy boring. Like the most boring thing I've read in a while. And it involves a freaky orgy sex-cult. It's like the author intentionally tried to make it as banal and mind-dumbingly dull as possible.
"Invasion of the Inferno" could have been really good if not for two things. Firstly, why does Arachne's sister rips open her chest to reveal her breast? It made no sense in the goddamn scene. The next is the sister herself: a jealous, conniving, ugly, desperate disabled woman who wants the main character all to herself. Why the hell is this how we’re potraying the only disabled character in this entire novel? Hard no from me. It's also pretty obvious from the getgo that she isn't a good character because of how disgusting and unlikable she's written. But hey apparently her betrayal was a twist.
"The Art Nouveu Fireplace" and "These Beast" (the second of only two stories written by women in this) were good, not great, but good. "Needing Ghosts" had a cool ending but dragged with nothing foreverrrr. "Feeders and Eaters" by Gaiman was pretty good actually. "Homecoming" had such an awesome Frankenstein premise but decides to pointless sexualize a teenaged girl.
I honestly would have rated this anthology much higher if they just hadn't included the trash that was "Tight Little Stitches". And maybe even higher if they just cut out some weird ass misogynistic lines that literally would not change the story one bit by being gone. Hell Tight Little Stitches had the best horror fantasy setting I've ever read but the grief-stricken incest was so disgusting and heavily justified by the narrative that it completely turned me off from this whole anthology.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2019
Overall, this was a good collection but not a great one. Some of the stories just didn't feel properly horrific. Some were good but I didn't like them much.
The Viaduct by Brian Lumley was pretty good.
Spindleshanks (New Orleans, 1956) by Caitlin R. Kiernan was good, but didn't get me as much as most of her stuff does.
Homecoming by Syndey J. Bounds was good.
Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman was very good. I've read it before, but it's still good.
Nothing of Him That Doth Fade by Poppy Z. Brite was good and heartbreaking.
The Unfortunate by Tim Lebbon wasn't one I particularly liked.
One of Us by Dennis Etchison was interesting. It didn't do what I thought it was going to.
Is There Anybody There? by Kim Newman was lovely.
Dear Alison by Michael Marshall Smith was interesting, but didn't feel like much of a nightmare story to me.
The Gossips by Basil Copper was very interesting. It had a very 'cosmic horror' sort of feel to it, which I was adoring, but the ending really cut that off.
In the Fourth Year of the War by Harlan Ellison was interesting.
Invasion from Inferno by Hugh B. Cave was not to my taste. It felt silly, but not really horror.
The Art Nouveau Fireplace by Christopher Fowler was pretty good.
These Beasts by Tanith Lee was good.
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Landsdale was very lovecraftian horror and nightmarish. I didn't like it much, but it was a very well done story.
Needing Ghosts by Ramsey Campbell was interesting. I had very little idea of what was happening through most of the story. Even at the end, it felt like I'd gotten the parts of the story and I just hadn't put them together correctly.
The Viaduct by Brian Lumley was pretty good.
Spindleshanks (New Orleans, 1956) by Caitlin R. Kiernan was good, but didn't get me as much as most of her stuff does.
Homecoming by Syndey J. Bounds was good.
Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman was very good. I've read it before, but it's still good.
Nothing of Him That Doth Fade by Poppy Z. Brite was good and heartbreaking.
The Unfortunate by Tim Lebbon wasn't one I particularly liked.
One of Us by Dennis Etchison was interesting. It didn't do what I thought it was going to.
Is There Anybody There? by Kim Newman was lovely.
Dear Alison by Michael Marshall Smith was interesting, but didn't feel like much of a nightmare story to me.
The Gossips by Basil Copper was very interesting. It had a very 'cosmic horror' sort of feel to it, which I was adoring, but the ending really cut that off.
In the Fourth Year of the War by Harlan Ellison was interesting.
Invasion from Inferno by Hugh B. Cave was not to my taste. It felt silly, but not really horror.
The Art Nouveau Fireplace by Christopher Fowler was pretty good.
These Beasts by Tanith Lee was good.
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Landsdale was very lovecraftian horror and nightmarish. I didn't like it much, but it was a very well done story.
Needing Ghosts by Ramsey Campbell was interesting. I had very little idea of what was happening through most of the story. Even at the end, it felt like I'd gotten the parts of the story and I just hadn't put them together correctly.
November 23, 2019
Some good stories, others tedious
A few of these stories were good, but many of them were tedious or felt dated. One story (by the author with the surname Cave) was so childish, it was like somethong written by a 5th grader rather than an adult. Several stories were apparently written on demand for earlier anthologies, and felt rushed or contrived : not these authors' best works, judging by the awards included in each author's credentials.
My favorite story in this collection appears second to last -- the one titled something about "Stitches in a Man's Back." Even that one is dated, in that the author describes tattoos as involving actual threads as if being sewn. Unless that's how tattoos were really made in the past, it sounds odd to a modern reader, now that tatoos are so common that a lot of us know how they are made. Other than the parts about tatooing, that story is pretty good, with elements of a zombie apocalypse.
If not for the few good stories here, I'd have to give this collection only 1 or 2 stars. The last story (by Ramsey Campbell or Clark) was so tedious I had to skim the final pages to get it over with.
A few of these stories were good, but many of them were tedious or felt dated. One story (by the author with the surname Cave) was so childish, it was like somethong written by a 5th grader rather than an adult. Several stories were apparently written on demand for earlier anthologies, and felt rushed or contrived : not these authors' best works, judging by the awards included in each author's credentials.
My favorite story in this collection appears second to last -- the one titled something about "Stitches in a Man's Back." Even that one is dated, in that the author describes tattoos as involving actual threads as if being sewn. Unless that's how tattoos were really made in the past, it sounds odd to a modern reader, now that tatoos are so common that a lot of us know how they are made. Other than the parts about tatooing, that story is pretty good, with elements of a zombie apocalypse.
If not for the few good stories here, I'd have to give this collection only 1 or 2 stars. The last story (by Ramsey Campbell or Clark) was so tedious I had to skim the final pages to get it over with.
February 25, 2021
Una raccolta che non ha un tema portante, non segue un filo conduttore; ciò che accomuna i racconti di questa antologia è il senso di inquietudine, disagio e terrore che diffondono nel lettore, mostrando, oltre all'ovvia capacità degli autori e all'ampia varietà di argomenti trattati, i diversi modi in cui si può trasmettere la paura.
Tra tavole ouija, demoni, fantasmi, statue, vampiri, streghe, ragni o semplici umani, che sia sovrannaturale o psicologico, l'orrore permane in ogni singola pagina analizzando in ogni modo la psiche umana.
La morale è padrona delle storie che, ovviamente, non hanno il solo scopo di impaurire il lettore ma di portarlo il più delle volte ad una riflessione costante.
Molto interessante è l'introduzione del libro che spiega da dove nasce l'idea di questa raccolta e le brevi biografie che seguono ogni racconto, accompagnate da un aneddoto degli autori legato alla creazione dello stesso.
Altro dettaglio molto apprezzato sono le spettacolari illustrazioni che accompagnano i racconti: cupe, angoscianti e malatissime, degne delle forti sensazioni che le storie stesse trasmettono.
Tra tavole ouija, demoni, fantasmi, statue, vampiri, streghe, ragni o semplici umani, che sia sovrannaturale o psicologico, l'orrore permane in ogni singola pagina analizzando in ogni modo la psiche umana.
La morale è padrona delle storie che, ovviamente, non hanno il solo scopo di impaurire il lettore ma di portarlo il più delle volte ad una riflessione costante.
Molto interessante è l'introduzione del libro che spiega da dove nasce l'idea di questa raccolta e le brevi biografie che seguono ogni racconto, accompagnate da un aneddoto degli autori legato alla creazione dello stesso.
Altro dettaglio molto apprezzato sono le spettacolari illustrazioni che accompagnano i racconti: cupe, angoscianti e malatissime, degne delle forti sensazioni che le storie stesse trasmettono.
December 29, 2022
This is a great anthology of horror stories of differing lengths (there are at least two novellas), blending newer tales with older, more classic stories from a superb array of writers. I should note that this book was originally published in hardcover as Keep Out the Night and By Moonlight Only in hardcover (PS Publishing). It is dedicated to Christine Campbell Thomson who edited twelve volumes of the Not At Night series, originally published between 1926 and 1937. Stephen Jones has assembled the tales in The Mammoth Book of Nightmare Stories in honour of the original series.
There are some classics here, with such well known entries as Joe R Lansdale's Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back, Neil Gaimon's Feeders and Eaters, Needing Ghosts by Ramsey Campbell and In the Fourth Year of the War by Harlan Ellison. But there are several stories that I hadn't encountered before which I absolutely loved - Christopher Fowler's The Art Nouveau Fireplace, Dear Alison by Michael Marshall Smith, and The Viaduct by Brian Lumley.
The anthologies edited by Stephen Jones are always worth reading, and this book is no different. Recommended.
There are some classics here, with such well known entries as Joe R Lansdale's Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back, Neil Gaimon's Feeders and Eaters, Needing Ghosts by Ramsey Campbell and In the Fourth Year of the War by Harlan Ellison. But there are several stories that I hadn't encountered before which I absolutely loved - Christopher Fowler's The Art Nouveau Fireplace, Dear Alison by Michael Marshall Smith, and The Viaduct by Brian Lumley.
The anthologies edited by Stephen Jones are always worth reading, and this book is no different. Recommended.
October 29, 2024
So, I didn’t remember I had this one stacked, but I had hope it would be good, or at least, entertaining. And overall, it entertained me for different reasons except the last story, that one was way too long for my taste, like too fucking long, like too inexplicably long. However, the rest had or great narrations, or good plot twists, or twisted backgrounds or slow building arcs.
THE ANGELS.
This one started great, then it became annoyingly eternal, until finally it turned into a great conclusion. The increasing fear of alien like creatures that transformed in to the gruesome truth of a cheating husband who got everything he wanted for absolutely no reason. It left you with the feeling of a nonstop curse.
THE DYSTOPIA.
Ok, so, where do I start? From the beginning we had this gross incestuous vibe from the father mixed with the most authentic body horror I have ever read in an American novel that reminded me of Junji Ito in some way. This was a mix of the most twisted nature and the most terrifying outcome for humanity. I hated it and I loved it at the same time.
THE ANGELS.
This one started great, then it became annoyingly eternal, until finally it turned into a great conclusion. The increasing fear of alien like creatures that transformed in to the gruesome truth of a cheating husband who got everything he wanted for absolutely no reason. It left you with the feeling of a nonstop curse.
THE DYSTOPIA.
Ok, so, where do I start? From the beginning we had this gross incestuous vibe from the father mixed with the most authentic body horror I have ever read in an American novel that reminded me of Junji Ito in some way. This was a mix of the most twisted nature and the most terrifying outcome for humanity. I hated it and I loved it at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2023
This was an excellent book to start with horror. Like all anthologies, some are good, while others are boring or meaningless. Some notable stories are Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back which was slightly gory, but the story was well-paced and did not drag long.
Spindleshanks ended way too fast; the build-up and atmosphere were great, but it ended with so many questions and not enough development in the story, but still fairly spine-chilling.
Needing Ghosts was way too long, and even though the ending was quite nice, the journey to get to that end was not worth the read and often felt like I was dragged through a never-ending nightmare, but not in a scary way but more like a tedious experience that I wanted to end.
My personal favorites were The Art Nouveau Fireplace and One of Us, all frightening and had no fillers, unlike some of the others.
Overall I think it's a good book to get your palette wet for more horror.
Spindleshanks ended way too fast; the build-up and atmosphere were great, but it ended with so many questions and not enough development in the story, but still fairly spine-chilling.
Needing Ghosts was way too long, and even though the ending was quite nice, the journey to get to that end was not worth the read and often felt like I was dragged through a never-ending nightmare, but not in a scary way but more like a tedious experience that I wanted to end.
My personal favorites were The Art Nouveau Fireplace and One of Us, all frightening and had no fillers, unlike some of the others.
Overall I think it's a good book to get your palette wet for more horror.
April 1, 2022
Some very good stories. ‘The Unfortunate’. Imaginative and gripping.
Some very poor. Really superficial. Sensationalism and attitude standing in for any talent and inspiration. Two of the most flaccid, pointless, and disappointing are ‘Spindleshanks’ and the pretentiously-titled-yet-void, ‘Nothing of Him Doth Fade’. The former seems to end right where a well-crafted story would begin. And what there is of it is hackneyed. No humanity. Blasé cocktail drinking and ‘ice clicking against teeth’ as a substitute for a personality. The latter is just horrible, not horror. Ejaculating their sperms into the ocean and then melodramatically deciding to just… drown. I don’t think drowning works like that. And the flippancy of the gesture certainly doesn’t work as reflective of any genuine human emotion. It’s always the ones with the absolute least who talk the most about their personal literary qualities. Don’t read at night? More like don’t read if you’ve just eaten.
Read the intros. The better the stories, the less the authors talk about THEMSELVES and how profound they are and more about the story itself.
Also: Ramsey Campbell is one of the most overrated authors I’ve ever encountered. BORING.
Some very poor. Really superficial. Sensationalism and attitude standing in for any talent and inspiration. Two of the most flaccid, pointless, and disappointing are ‘Spindleshanks’ and the pretentiously-titled-yet-void, ‘Nothing of Him Doth Fade’. The former seems to end right where a well-crafted story would begin. And what there is of it is hackneyed. No humanity. Blasé cocktail drinking and ‘ice clicking against teeth’ as a substitute for a personality. The latter is just horrible, not horror. Ejaculating their sperms into the ocean and then melodramatically deciding to just… drown. I don’t think drowning works like that. And the flippancy of the gesture certainly doesn’t work as reflective of any genuine human emotion. It’s always the ones with the absolute least who talk the most about their personal literary qualities. Don’t read at night? More like don’t read if you’ve just eaten.
Read the intros. The better the stories, the less the authors talk about THEMSELVES and how profound they are and more about the story itself.
Also: Ramsey Campbell is one of the most overrated authors I’ve ever encountered. BORING.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2020
Vintage Horror At It’s Best
Stephen Jones knows his stuff. In this wide-ranging anthology are stories the writers of which thought deserved more attention than they’d received first time out. There are many novellas of excellent quality, well-written and darkly conceived. Stand-outs for me include the Lansdale and the Campbell but there is no clunker and the variety of approach keeps you reading and surprised. The Ellison, the Gaiman. Too many offer superlative entertainment and most delve deeper. Recommended. / Gene Stewart
Stephen Jones knows his stuff. In this wide-ranging anthology are stories the writers of which thought deserved more attention than they’d received first time out. There are many novellas of excellent quality, well-written and darkly conceived. Stand-outs for me include the Lansdale and the Campbell but there is no clunker and the variety of approach keeps you reading and surprised. The Ellison, the Gaiman. Too many offer superlative entertainment and most delve deeper. Recommended. / Gene Stewart
July 8, 2025
Some of the stories are not exactly horror, as in creatures, spooks etc
Horror in bad situations for instance.
Poppy Brites Nothing Of Him That Doth fade was particularly good.
Two guys on holiday diving Great Barrier come up to find the boat has left them....
Yes they are Nightmares all right!
The worst were the silly creature stories actually.
Some as with all anthologies are better than others but overall a good collection.
Horror in bad situations for instance.
Poppy Brites Nothing Of Him That Doth fade was particularly good.
Two guys on holiday diving Great Barrier come up to find the boat has left them....
Yes they are Nightmares all right!
The worst were the silly creature stories actually.
Some as with all anthologies are better than others but overall a good collection.
January 1, 2021
Better than average
Unique twisted tales. Most well written. None gave me nightmares. Recommended for those who just want some quick reads to take your mind off the real nightmare of COVID-19
Unique twisted tales. Most well written. None gave me nightmares. Recommended for those who just want some quick reads to take your mind off the real nightmare of COVID-19
March 19, 2022
Extremely disappointing. Especially the last story, "Needing Ghosts," which was absolutely EXCRUCIATING to get through. Even if every story before that one had been excellent, that last story would have ruined and lain waste to everything that came before it.
August 16, 2023
Just Like
Just like any short story collection/anthology some stories you really like and some you don't like as much. One or two you love. Not going name any simply because another readers choice won't the same as mine. Mind you I did like revisiting some old friends.
Just like any short story collection/anthology some stories you really like and some you don't like as much. One or two you love. Not going name any simply because another readers choice won't the same as mine. Mind you I did like revisiting some old friends.
November 25, 2023
Great spooky collection! I wouldn’t class many of these stories as “nightmare” worthy though - just creepy at best. There were a couple of stories that didn’t hook me, but I enjoyed the majority - in particular The Viaduct, Feeders and Eaters, and The Art Nouveau Fireplace
Did Not Finish
May 28, 2026An impulse buy, confused the editor’s name with someone else.
I did read the stories by Kiernan, Gaiman, Ellison and Lansdale and they were ok.
I just don’t see myself reading the rest, or giving myself any credit on this app
I did read the stories by Kiernan, Gaiman, Ellison and Lansdale and they were ok.
I just don’t see myself reading the rest, or giving myself any credit on this app
April 20, 2019
As with most anthologies, I really liked some, really didn’t care for others, & the rest fell somewhere in between. But on the whole I was more entertained than not.
April 23, 2019
Love horror short stories like these. Dear Alison was so very good.
April 28, 2019
Great collection
The last story was so bizarre. Like peering into madness. The rest of the stories were enjoyable. Good times. Fun read.
The last story was so bizarre. Like peering into madness. The rest of the stories were enjoyable. Good times. Fun read.
June 17, 2019
Only story I didnt care for was the last one. But loved the book.
August 15, 2019
No nightmares
I am actually giving this book zero stars, as it did not justify the title. Nothing remotely frightening about any of the stories
I am actually giving this book zero stars, as it did not justify the title. Nothing remotely frightening about any of the stories
Read
January 6, 2020En samling på det jævne. Der er nogle gode noveller i, men der mangler lidt en rød tråd måske. Skæmmes desuden af et par lidt for lange historier og nogle lidt kedelige illustrationer.
January 23, 2020
An adult version of Scary Stories To Read In The Dark. Some stories I had read and some I hadn’t. Good book but not as scary as I would have liked
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