Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural

by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Nathan Ballingrud (Contributor), Laird Barron (Contributor)

For Inferno, Ellen Datlow asked some of her favorite authors to write stories that, as she says in her introduction, “provide a frisson of shock or a moment of dread so powerful it might cause the reader outright physical discomfort; or a sensation of fear so palpable as to compel the reader to turn on bright lights and play music or seek the company of others to dispel the fear. . . .”

Twenty masterful authors, including Elizabeth Bear, Pat Cadigan, Paul Finch, Jeffrey Ford, Christopher Fowler, Stephen Gallagher, Glen Hirshberg, K. W. Jeter, Joyce Carol Oates, and Lucius Shepard, to name but a few, answered her call. These powerful, deeply affecting, sometimes disturbing tales confirm Datlow’s standing as a preeminent editor of modern horror.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fantasy, Fiction, Supernatural, Paranormal

381 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 2007

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

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

O antologie de proza scurta despre teroare si supranatural coordonata de Ellen Datlow, o mare iubitoare de literatura horror. Contine 20 de povestiri, unele mai reusite, unele mai putin, cititorul avand libertatea de a-si selecta favoritele cu care isi doreste sa-si petreaca timpul. Mi-a placut in mod special coperta, pe care am considerat-o nimerita, interesanta si infricosatoare.
Asadar sa selectam, sa citim si sa ne bucuram de experienta apasatoare, light horror, in care povestirile ne invaluie. Am folosit termenul 'light horror' in mod voit pentru ca nu am fost chiar terifiata, nici macar infricosata, dar asta ramane la latitudinea fiecarui cititor. O sa dezvolt aici cateva dintre povestirile care mi-au placut:
Prima, "Ghinion" de Stephen Gallagher este despre o echipa de muncitori insarcinata cu renovarea unei sali de sport ce are un vestiar si un bazin. Fiind inca in functiune ei pot lucra doar noaptea si nici nu va imaginati cat de sinistre pot deveni locurile dupa lasarea serii, in liniste, chiar daca aprindeti toate luminile. Curand muncitorii incep sa vada tot felul de lucruri bizare, chiar si fantome. A fost o poveste excelenta cu stafii care mi-a placut.
A doua, "Nepoftitii" de Christopher Fowler, o foarte interesanta si originala intamplare despre niste petreceri ale unor vedete de la Hollywood, la care isi face aparitia frecvent un grup de 4 persoane: "Nepoftitii". Acestia sunt adeptii raului si intentia lor este de a crea haos in jurul lor. Merita citita.
Urmatoarea se numeste "Vieti" si este scrisa de John Grant, o foarte interesanta intamplare despre Christopher, un pusti care pare sa supravietuiasca miraculos unor serii de accidente mortale, insa de cate ori isi poate forta el norocul? Pana la urma chiar si pisicile au numai 9 vieti si mor de curiozitate la final.
"Ghorla" de Mark Samuels mi-a atras atentia in mod special fiind bizara si incitanta. Avem in prim plan un om obsedat de un scriitor mort: Julius Ghorla. Acesta reuseste sa gaseasca pe singura ruda ramasa a scriitorului, sora lui, pe care doreste sa o traga de limba despre trecutul decedatului. Sora insa nu e ceea ce pare, fiind foarte bizara si in curand aflam ca are un al 3-lea ochi in frunte.
Ultima este "Dormi in pace" de Simon Bestwick. Aceasta a devenit preferata mea dintre toate povestirile, fiind despre razbunare, dreptate si adevar. Naratiunea se face la persoana intai de catre un ins obisnuit care intr-o zi cand se plimba observa un copil care este molestat de un pedofil. Acesta reuseste sa scape si eroul alerteaza politia insa acestia nu fac nimic deoarece vinovatul este fiul unui om instarit. El alege sa faca dreptate singur si avem parte si de un strop de supranatural in ceea ce-l priveste pe faptas.
In concluzie va recomand antologia cuprinzand unele thrillere carora merita sa le acordati atentie, insa fanii care isi doresc sa citeasca horror in adevaratul sens al cuvantului probabil ca nu vor fi prea satisfacuti cu aceasta culegere.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. "The Monsters of Heaven" by Nathan Ballingrud is one of the best short stories I have ever read. It haunts me to this day. The rest of the stories are okay to excellent, but if you have a chance, seek out Ballingrud's story.

[Liviu Szoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Așa-și-așa. Câteva povestiri foarte bune, câteva povestiri bune și câteva care nu știu ce caută aici. Un volum destul de bun per ansamblu, dar care nu e chiar atât de horror pe cât lasă de înțeles editoarea în prefață: că a ales povestiri terifiante, care să te bântuie mult timp după ce le-ai citit. Sunt mai mult povestiri care te fac să te simți mai degrabă incomfortabil, decât să te sperie, parcă autorii au vrut să mizeze mai mult pe poveste, decât pe atmosferă, ori asta parcă nu e chiar scary!

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been an admirer of ghost stories and the "quiet horror" (although I never used to know it under that name) ever since I started reading fiction. Violence, especially if that is described to be taking place in the commonest possible circumstances (e.g. within the four walls of a drab room occupied by a family not that different from mine), or which involves loss & pain to people who can be actually felt for in everyday life (e.g. someone's children or wife getting lost or murdered or tortured) is not preferred by me while trying to acquire that pleasing chill by going through printed words. Perhaps that is not a very literate thing to do, esp. since I have been reading horror for many-many years now. But this collection, often dealing with exactly those issues which I detest, succeeded in moving me and compelling me to read every one of them, often against my own wishes. After reading these stories, I was forced to conclude that the editor has been supremely successful in her objective: giving the readers an idea about how it really might feel while burning in the fires of own hell. I had gone through it during the reading!

The contents are:

1) Riding Bitch by K.W. Jeter
2) Misadventure by Stephen Gallagher
3) The Forest by Laird Barron
4) The Monsters of Heaven by Nathan Ballingrud
5) Inelastic Collisions by Elizabeth Bear
6) The Uninvited by Christopher Fowler
7) 13 o'clock by Mike O'Driscoll
8) Lives by John Grant
9) Ghorla by Mark Samuels
10) Face by Joyce Carol Oates
12) An Apiary of White Bees by Lee Thomas
13) The Keeper by P.D. Cacek
14) Bethany's Wood by Paul Finch
15) The Ease With Which We Freed the Beast by Lucius Shepard
16) Hushabye by Simon Bestwick
17) Perhaps the Last by Conrad Williams
18) Stilled Life by Pat Cadigan
19) The Janus Tree by Glen Hirshberg
20) The Bedroom Light by Jeffrey Ford
21) The Suits at Auderlene by Terry Dowling.

Many of these stories (among which I would like to draw your attention towards those by Glen Hirshbirg, Lucius Shepard, Paul Finch, Laird Barron and Stephen Gallagher) have later got reprinted into different thematic anthologies and have found their individual (eminently justified) accolades. But I am, nevertheless, determined to knock-off a star from the rating, because that is the least that I can do after burning myself in INFERNO!

[Nora Peevy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inferno was okay, not my favorite anthology edited by my favorite editor, Ellen Datlow. The concept was interesting. She wanted to edit a collection of horror stories not themed. She succeeded at this, but I just didn't find myself reading many of the stories and being really excited about them. I liked that the collection didn't include your typical horror monsters like vampires and werewolves. The stories are not bad; they just weren't really my favorites. The author selection was a good one; it included Lucius Shepard, Jeffrey Ford, Glenn Hirshberg, and Lee Thomas.

A few stories did stand out. I really liked Bethany's Wood by Jeffrey Ford, which was about a child's reunion with his "back from the dead" author mother. I also enjoyed 13 O'Clock by Mike Driscoll and The Suits of Auderlene by Terry Dowling, but my top pick from this anthology would have to be The Keeper by P.D. Cacek. I have never read any of the author's writing and found their short story about a young girl holocaust survivor very disturbing. It was the only story in the book that really lived up to Ellen's quote in the introduction, "Perhaps you will have one of those great memories that will stay with you always, a memory of something dark, dangerous, and brooding." I did with that one, but not the others. It takes a lot to disturb or scare me. Maybe, I'm just jaded after reading horror for so many years. I recommend this as light reading for horror enthusiasts.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice collection of short horror and supernatural stories from very different authors, with each bringing their own style and touch to the subject.

[Răzvan Ursuleanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Există o distanță apreciabilă între supranatural, horror, thriller precum și alte forme similare de literatură și preferințele mele literare, dar dacă mi se întâmplă totuși să mai citesc astfel de texte, atunci aproape de fiecare dată autorii lor se numesc Stephen King, John Saul sau Dean Koontz, pentru că ei sunt maeștrii acestor genuri literare pe care i-am citit și nu am fost vreodată dezamăgit de creațiile lor.

Peste antologia “Inferno” am dat la un anticariat obscur și după ce am studiat cuprinsul fără să recunosc numele vreunui autor, am hotărât că mai bine o pun la loc pe raft, dar anticarul mi-a spus că dacă o să cumpăr altă carte de la el îmi dă “Inferno” cadou.

Și ce cadou frumos am primit, trebuie să recunosc acest lucru… Ellen Datlow, cea care s-a ocupat de selecția textelor, cu excepția primei povestiri, “Pe șaua din spate” de K. W. Jeter, care îmi pare a fi doar un balast fără noimă, le-a ales pe celelalte cu o grijă deosebită, și aș remarca în mod special povestirile “Vieți” de John Grant, “Ghorla” de Mark Samuels, “Pădurea lui Bethany” de Paul Finch, “Dormi în pace” de Simon Bestwick și “Copacul Janus” de Glen Hirshberg.

Dacă se va întâmpla să nu aveți răbdare nici măcar pentru aceste texte remarcabile, atunci aș putea plusa cu “Viață încremenită” de Pat Cadigan și “Armurile de la Auderlene” de Terry Dowling, pe care le consider excepționale, nestematele acestei antologii.

Iar dacă nici acestea nu reușesc să convingă, atunci nu-mi rămâne decât să vă invit să citiți “În ceasul al treisprezecelea” de Mike O’Driscoll, o povestire de mare risc pentru cititor, care se poate pomeni după doar câteva pagini că a devenit dependent de “teroare și supranatural”…

http://www.bucurestifm.ro/2024/06/12/...

[Lord Humungus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I labored under the delusion for YEARS that this was another one of Ellen Datlow's "themed" collections, focusing on hell, angels and demons. I was so excited when I finally scored a copy signed by Ellen herself (woot!). Turns out his collection was actually a prototype for Datlow's Best Horror of the Year series. That is to say, it might contain stories of hell, angels and demons but the stories were not at all thematically related except that they're horror and essentially the best of the crop.

Though I was a little disappointed it wasn't the themed collection I imagined from the title, it was still a solid group of stories. In her foreword, Datlow basically outlined her mission statement for the collection, a game plan that essentially also describes the Best Horror of the Year series that started a couple of years later. She envisioned this collection as a spiritual successor to the milestone _Dark Forces_ horror collection of years past.

I especially liked the foreword because it gave some insight into how Datlow chooses stories for her collections. Her selections are deliberately spellbinding, haunting, even disturbing because in the end she wants the stories to stay with you, however they manage it.

I will say some of the stories in this collection where more disturbing and f**ked up than the submissions to the Best Horror and those particular stories weren't necessarily the best. However the collection also contained some truly excellent works that made me want to find more stories by those authors. "Ghorla", "Riding Bitch" and "The Janus Tree" in particular were my favorites.

Recommended.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Îmi plac povestirile şi nuvelele horror. Pentru mine reprezintă cele mai intense şi mai importante forme de literatură horror, întrucât, de cel puţin două sute de ani, proza scurtă s-a dovedit un teren extrem de fertil pentru literatura sumbră care explorează profunzimile fricii şi ale răului ce pot sălăşlui în sufletele oamenilor.
Fără îndoială, romanele lui Stephen King şi alte asemenea cărţi tenebroase, precum Călugărul de Matthew Gregory Lewis, Dracula de Bram Stoker, Frankenstein de Mary Shelley şi cele ale lui H.P. Lovecraft, sunt foarte populare. Povestirea a fost însă forma literară cea mai renumită din istoria genului horror britanic şi american. Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, M.R. James, Robert Bloch, Robert Aickman, Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Ramsey Campbell şi Dennis Etchison, pentru a aminti doar câţiva mari scriitori din domeniu, se numără printre cei care ne vin în minte când ne gândim la autorii care au şlefuit multe dintre povestirile noastre favorite de horror şi teroare.
Eu consider că ficţiunea supranaturalului acţionează mai bine în formele literare scurte pentru simplul motiv că acestea se pretează cu mare uşurinţă şi flexibilitate la o varietate enormă de stiluri şi strategii narative. Deşi pot fi cutremurător de eficiente, romanele reprezintă cu totul altceva. Foarte puţine texte lungi au cu adevărat forţa necesară pentru a-l sili pe cititor să menţină suspendarea neîncrederii necesară pentru efectul paralizant, dătător de fiori sau pur şi simplu terifiant, al unei proze scurte excelente.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one just didn't hit for me. There were definitely some stories I quite enjoyed, but overeall it was in a style I have to be in the mood for, and even then I need to expect it. Most of the stories were done in a style that could be referred to as "older British horror." Story with lots of background, some of which is important, most of which isn't annnnnd twist ending. If you read a collection from 100 years ago, exact same style. Now sometimes I am indeed in the mood for that, obviously I wasn't this time. And I certainly didn't see it coming in a 21st century anthology. If you like that style, and you're in the mood for it, it's a good and competent anthology, like I said, it's on me, I wasn't in the mood for it.

[Vermillion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have found this anthology to be quite the let down. I am now wondering if Ellen Datlow hasn’t lost her mojo when it comes to recognizing what makes for good horror or terror. I read the introduction to the book and feel like she pulled a used car sales con on me. I think none of them have lived up to what the publisher’s summary states.This stuff seems too “artsy-fartsy” and reads as if it were made for the stage. there is nothing here which will give anyone nightmares, or require the lights to be left on.

[Bill Borre]

"Face" by Joyce Carol Oates - An old woman appears to have something like a second head growing out of her neck. Fifty years later, long after the old woman has died, a woman remembers when she was a girl riding her bike talking with the old woman by the side of the road as her neck begins to itch.

[Non Pantalones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ellen Datlow's work - that is all. :)

[Lovian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole plot is too incredible

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of obsessed with this editor Ellen Datlow now. This is the second book of her curated stories that I have read. A few of my favorite stores were the Uninvited, Misadventure and the Keeper.

[Valerie Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were ok, even good (horror is particularly hard to get just right, I know). The Keeper,, The Forest, and Stilled Life stood out.

[Rielly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another quality set of stories it seems only Ellen Datlow can put together. Well done.

[Jarrod Scarbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably would've given us three stars, simply because I'm not a huge fan of short stories when I comes to her. I love them I just can't take an entire anthology it wants most of the time. This collection however really stood out, and is actually one of the better horror collections I've read in a while. And I had some real gems in it, and of course it had the usual flops that just bored me to tears. Overall this was a really good collection, and there are definitely some moments that even a seasoned horror aficionado like myself sound quite chilling quite spooky.

[[on hiatus, probably forever] The rockabilly werewolf from Mars · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually, Datlow can be relied upon to edit quality anthologies with quite a few good stories. For some reason, this one didn't work for me. For the life of me, I can't remember what most of these stories are about, even though I have taken it out from the library twice (I don't have it checked out right now). I find that if I know that I read a story, but can't remember what it's about when I read the title, it usually doesn't bode well for the story, but I will mention the ones that stand out in my memory: The Forest, The Janus Tree, The Suits At Auderline, The Bedroom Light, The Ease With Which We Freed The Beast, and Inelastic Collisions. I want to say that
there was a story about angels that was kind of weird, and one about a cursed bottle of some sort of alcoholic beverage, but I might be thinking of another book. As for the rest, I can't remember too much about them, which probably means that I didn't like them much, but I think that they were mostly non-supernatural stories, or stories that were so abstract that they failed to actually provide any fear, which generally don't tend to stick with me very much. However, there were three stories which I thought were excellent: The Janus Tree, The Bedroom Light, and The Forest; the last of these being one of only two stories that I have encountered in all my reading of horror (the other being The House On The Borderland) which have come close to inducing in me the supposed "cosmic dread" that is so often discussed in relation to certain types of horror. I'm still skeptical of the existence of the phenomenon, though.

[Josh Hedgepeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid collections of weird stories with a couple creepy gems. All in all though, it was a disappointment as most of these felt lacking in the horror and terror I had hope to get out of it.

3.5/5 stars rounding up

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories were interesting; some of them were just...odd. None of them really clicked with me, though. Maybe the genre just isn't my "thing."

[Hesper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exceptional, but not terrible. Closer to 2.5 stars, but that's not an option.

The anthology's tile is the loosest of thematic underpinnings for this collection, which in itself is a far cry from the editor's stated aim of giving readers "a frisson of shock." Most of the stories are solidly written, but few sustain the kind of creepy, atmospheric suspense that can lead to the chills and thrills you'd expect from quality horror.

The better reads were "The Ease with Which We Freed the Beast" and "Stilled Life," both of which meander down dark avenues successfully. "The Keeper" (edit the final line out of this one, and you have a much better story), "The Janus Tree" and "Monsters of Heaven" also deserve mention.

As for the real stinkers, they were "Bethany's Wood," in which a terrified model trips while running from a thing in a dark forest at night (for reals!), "The Bedroom Light," whose sole stab at horror rests with shoddy writing, and "The Face," in which Joyce Carol Oates parodies Joyce Carol Oates.

Everything else is kind of just ok. Even the better ones mentioned above. An all right diversion, but nothing worth holding on to, so off to bookswap this one goes.

[Daryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ellen Datlow co-edited my favorite set of anthologies, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (21 volumes, 1987-2007), editing/choosing the horror half. Lots of good stories therein over the years, so I had high hopes for this collection. The cover copy states that her goal was stories (all original to this anthology) that "provide a frisson of shock or a moment of dread so powerful it might cause the reader outright physical discomfort; or a sensation of fear so palpable as to compel the reader to turn on bright lights and play music or seek the company of others to dispel the fear." Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, I didn't experience such a sensation even once while reading these tales. Most of the stories were only okay, with only four of the twenty really standing out as something special. My favorite was "Lives" by John Grant, the story of a young man (he's nine years old at the beginning of the story, but an adult by the end) who somehow manages to survive one disaster after another, often as the sole survivor. I also enjoyed "Stilled Life" by Pat Cadigan (human statues); "The Janus Tree" by Glen Hirshberg, a story concentrating on some high school misfits in small-town Montana; and a sweet little, somewhat chilling ghost story titled "The Bedroom Light" by Jeffrey Ford.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

More later. There's some good stories, but I thought the quality or better, edge, faded down the stretch. The collection started out great, with some pretty dark stuff, but by the end, with Datlow's old anthology, Terri Downing, delivering a by the numbers bore-fest, "The Suits Auderlene," I had had enough. In with a bang, out with a whimper. Stories to read:

"Riding Bitch," by KW Jeter
"The Forest," by Laird Barron
"The Monsters of Heaven," by Nathan Ballingrud

(Note: These 3 great stories are in the first 4, which had me thinking early that this would be a special collection.)

"Ghorla," by Mark Samuels
"An Apiary of White Bees," by Lee Thomas
"Hushabye," by Simon Bestwick* (I'm not so sure this is worth a reread, but I loved the energy.)
"The Janus Tree," by Glen Hirschberg.* I'm kind of vague as to what exactly happened between the boys in the story. But it's fine writing, and I wouldn't be surprised if this evolved into a longer work. I was reminded a bit of Bradbury.

There are some other good stories in the collection, but the above are ones worth revisiting -- more than once.

[Dirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies like this are about the only place to find horror short stories these days, which is unfortunate because I think scary short stories are pretty awesome. The perfect length to read before turning off the light at night. And reading one right before bed is like dropping a little bit of mental lsd into your dreams.

Ellen Datlow has been doing the horror thing for a couple of decades now. She’s edited over 50 anthologies and won a ton of awards for doing so. The point is, if you are gonna pick somebody to take you by the hand and show you what’s good in horror short fiction these days, she’s the one you wanna pick.

This anthology doesn’t have a theme. It’s 20 stories that Datlow chose “to showcase the range of subjects imagined by a number of my favorite writers inside and outside the horror field”. When I looked through the contents I saw only half a dozen or so authors whose names were familiar to me.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

All short stories in this anthology were written by award-winning authors, young and older. Most write for horror magazines where their stories are regularly featured, as well as write novels, many of which win the Bram Stoker Award. I love short horror/thriller fiction anthologies as the variety is excellent and the editor(s) are so dedicated to getting the anthology published.

Authors include: Terry dowling,(the suits at auderlene, 2007, Paul finch, Bethany's Wood , 2007Laird barron, The Forrest, 2007, and christopher fowler, the Uninvited, 2007.

So far, my favorite stories are "The Forrest", "Stilled Life" (Pat cadigan), "Misadventure", "Riding Bithch" by K.W. Jeter, and "13 O'clock", by Mike O'Driscoll. Highly recommend it for a plane ride, car trip or lying on the beach or poolside, wherever you happen to be and have some free time.

[Res · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a rule for short stories: if I get to the end of the second page and I haven't encountered a human being whose fate I care about, I stop reading. This saves me a lot of time reading The New Yorker, and it means that of the twenty stories in this collection, I only read twelve all the way through.

I only liked four: Stephen Gallagher's "Misadventure," a quiet little story about a man who used to see ghosts; Joyce Carol Oates' "Face," which seems to be mostly about our horror of old age; Lucius Shepard's "The Ease With Which We Freed the Beast," whose true craziness only creeps up on you afterwards; and best of all, P.D. Cacek's "The Keeper," which has one of the best last pages I've ever read.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent! The premise is that these stories will be more unnerving than necessarily scary. The book really kicks in a few stories in. Laird Barron's story was reliably entertaining and unsettling, even if it doesn't hit the heights of some of his other ones (such as "The Men from Porlock"). There is a story in here, though, that is one of my all-time favorites (can't remember the name, unfortunately). It begins when a family finds out that their son died on a bus crash...except he soon returns home and tells them he never got on the bus. No spoilers, but damn it is good.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent collection.

My favorites:

"The Monsters of Heaven," by Nathan Ballingrud, which is a story that I wish I'd written.

"Ghorla," by Mark Samuels, a horror story as if written by John Kennedy Toole and Guy de Maupassant.

"Face," by Joyce Carol Oates...part of her power as a horror writer is that you get the sense that no matter how horrific the things she writes are, she's pulling punches.

"Bethany's Wood," by Paul Finch, which I won't spoil but is a particularly fine example of a particular type of twist story.

The others were all at least good.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A terrific book of contemporary horror stories, amongst which Pat Cadigan's 'Stilled Life,' and stories by Lee Thomas, Lucius Shepherd and Paul grant especially stand out.

There's a full review at Suite101