Little Deaths

by Ellen Datlow (Editor)

A touch of skin. A gasp of pleasure. The exquisite danger of nakedness...

In Little Deaths some of the most gifted writers inside and outside the horror genre have come together to peer into this realm of desire and dread, love and violence, tenderness and shame in a stunning collection that takes its title from the French phrase for orgasm: le petit mort.

The lady of situations / Stephen Dedman --
Hungry skin / Lucy Taylor --
Becky lives / Harry Crews --
The swing / Nicholas Royle --
Lover doll / Wayne Allen Sallee --
The careful geometry of love / Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg --
The pain barrier / Joel Lane --
Ménage à trois / Richard Christian Matheson. On Amen's shore / Clive Barker --
Fever blisters / Joyce Carol Oates --
An outside interest / Ruth Rendell --
And Salome danced / Kelley Eskridge --
That old school tie / Jack Womack --
Ice palace / Douglas Clegg --
Serial monogamist / Pat Cadigan --
Dying in Bangkok / Dan Simmons

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Erotica, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

380 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit and miss - lots of clunky sexuality and only mild chills throughout most of these stories, though a few of the best stories do strike the right balance. Dan Simmons' "Dying in Bangkok" is easily the best thing here, and it was one of the highlights of his own collection, Lovedeath. Clive Barker's "On Amen's Shores" feels slight; Kathe Koja & Barry N. Malzberg's "The Careful Geometry of Love" is hallucinatory and rather effective. Most of these are readable but unexceptional, and yet I enjoyed spending six months picking this up when the mood struck.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some okay stories here but nothing that really knocked me out.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the final Dell/Abyss imprint book! I made it!

(That's not counting the Dell Horror novels that followed, after the Abyss imprint folded. It follows the same ethos and features some of the same writers, just without Cavelos or the name. I plan on reading those, too, but I'm going to wait a bit, and they aren't officially Abyss anyway.)

Four stars is a slightly generous for this anthology; it's more like 3.5, but I rounded up because the good stories are REALLY good. The first three stories ("The Lady of Situations" by Stephen Dedman, "Hungry Skin" by Lucy Taylor, and "Becky Lives" by Harry Crews) set an admirable stage for the rest of the book, but also create high expectations that are hard to follow. Other highlights include Ruth Rendell's "An Outside Interest" and Dan Simmons' Dying in Bangkok (both reprints).

The stories avoid the misogyny and sexism found among most of the other Abyss books, and I have to credit Datlow for not taking that route. She's always had a reputation for finding the best among the horror authors, and looking beyond cliches, and this anthology represents that ethos. This is a strong book to finish out the Abyss line.

Abyss #47

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stories I really liked in this anthology.
1) Becky Lives- Harry Crews
2) An Outside Interest- Ruth Rendell
3) Dying In Bangkok- Dan Simmons

[J'aime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have bought and read many of Ellen Datlow's anthologies, mostly in the fantasy genre. The quality ranged from good to great and there was always at least one superb story to be found in each. This little gem was quite a surprise, though. Almost every story included is excellent.

"Erotic horror stories" usually equates to vampire sex, a la paranormal romance. Not so here. This collection has many experienced horror writers included, such as Clive Barker, Doug Clegg and Christian Matheson. The stories are definitely erotic, but they also lean heavily into the horror aspect as well.Fans of Anne Rice and Tanya Huff can both find much to enjoy here. And, I just love the title. A more perfect sobriquet could not be found!

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually thoroughly enjoy all of Ellen Datlow's collections, but had never heard of this one before, so when I saw it, I had to grab it. The subject matter, erotic horror, was intriguing in theory, but the compilation wasn't. The stories were so-so at best, and they didn't really fit the central theme, in my opinion. All in all, I had hoped for more, considering her past work, but not every collection can be a hit.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

top stories are Barker, Matheson, & Eskridge; however even then below the typical Datlow quality mix (IMHO)

[Drac · Rating 5 out of 5]

All excellent stories, and surprisingly queer as a whole.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few themed horror collections to inspire a little bite and adventure from its contributors—especially Lucius Shepard!—and Datlow does well to include so many female voices.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent collection from Ellen Datlow, featuring "Hungry Skin" by Lucy Taylor, "The Swing" by Nicholas Royle, and "The Lady of Situations" by Stephen Dedmen.

[Bev]

could not finish-made it to the 4th story and was so creeped out and disturbed that I just couldn't finish

[Holl Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

the scariest part of this anthology is the editing. maybe it’s just the kindle version, but spelling errors and strange punctuation abound.

[kimberly]

elgin got this for me. he is the best.