New York State of Fright: Horror Stories from the Empire State

by James Chambers (Editor), April Grey (Editor), Robert Masterson (Editor)

Enter the shadows of New York’s dark secrets and haunted past! From a city and state that have witnessed all manner of menace—from serial killers and corrupt political machines to natural disasters and terrorist attacks—come twenty-four visions of dread from New York horror authors—all to benefit the next generation of New York writers. Presenting stories set in New York locations, A NEW YORK STATE OF FRIGHT gathers tales by new and established writers who give voice to New York’s everyday fears, macabre mysteries, and worst nightmares. To help New York’s rich literary tradition endure into the future, the authors, editors, and publisher of A NEW YORK STATE OF FRIGHT pledge to contribute all proceeds to New York City’s Girls Write Now non-profit organization, which pairs at-risk teen women interested in writing with professional writing and career mentors. Find out more at www.girlswritenow.org.

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2018

About the author

James Chambers writes tales of horror, crime, fantasy, and science fiction. He is the author of The Engines of Sacrifice, a collection of four Lovecraftian-inspired novellas published in 2011 by Dark Regions Press which Publisher’s Weekly described as “…chillingly evocative….” He is also the author of the short fiction collection Resurrection House (Dark Regions Press, 2009). Most recently, Dark Quest Books published The Dead Bear Witness and Tears of Blood, volume one and two in his Corpse Fauna novella series. Volume three, The Dead in Their Masses, will be published in late 2013. In August 2005 Die Monster Die Books published his first short story collection, The Midnight Hour: Saint Lawn Hill and Other Tales, created in collaboration with illustrator Jason Whitley.

His short stories have been published in the anthologies Bad-Ass Faeries, Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad, Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory, Bad Cop No Donut, Barbarians at the Jumpgate, Breach the Hull, By Other Means, Crypto-Critters (Volume 1 and Volume 2), Dark Furies, The Dead Walk, The Dead Walk Again, Deep Cuts, The Domino Lady: Sex as a Weapon, Dragon’s Lure, The Green Hornet Chronicles, Hardboiled Cthulhu, Hear Them Roar, Hellfire Lounge, In An Iron Cage, Lost Worlds of Space and Time (Volume 1), Mermaids 13, New Blood, No Longer Dreams, Sick: An Anthology of Illness, So It Begins, To Hell in a Fast Car, Walrus Tales, Weird Trails, and Warfear; the chapbook Mooncat Jack; and the magazines Bare Bone, Cthulhu Sex, and Allen K’s Inhuman.

His tale “A Wandering Blackness,” one of two published in Lin Carter’s Doctor Anton Zarnak, Occult Detective, received an honorable mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Sixteenth Annual Collection.

He has also written numerous comic books including Leonard Nimoy’s Primortals, the critically acclaimed “The Revenant” in Shadow House, and most recently a Midnight Hour story for the comics anthology Negative Burn.

He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the current chairperson of its membership committee.

He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Randee Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid collection of dark fiction, some straight up horror and some more dancing around the edges.

Even when the execution falters, the ideas are generally sound and worthy of exploration. Some of these stories are definitely staying with me, even after having finished!

[Joseph VanBuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a horror lover from New York, I don't know why it took me so long to read this anthology. This is a great collection of dark stories that draws inspiration from the history, folklore, and cultural diversity of NY state. A lot of these stories weave horrific, fantastic elements into everyday modern life with entertaining and often thought-provoking results. I was already familiar with a handful of the authors, many were new to me, and all delivered. Though there were only two or three stand-out stories to me, they were all well-written, and each had a unique take on some kind of trope or legend that held my interest throughout. My only complaint is that more of NY state wasn't featured. Almost every story takes place in one of the five boroughs of NY city. That minor gripe aside, this is a solid anthology sure to please horror readers, especially if you are familiar with NY and its haunted history.

[Jeff D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 amazing stories, 3 ok stories and the rest were meh at best. It was worth the read and i did find a 2 authors that were new to me that I will read more of their work (Alp Beck and Lisa Manetti) but the best by far was one of my favorite authors Jack Ketchum.