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Never Again
'Never Again' is an attempt to voice the collective revulsion of writers in the weird fiction genre against political attitudes that stifle compassion and deny our collective human inheritance. The imagination is crucial to an understanding both of human diversity and human ground.
- GenresAnthologiesHorrorFiction
314 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 6, 2011
Favourite stories were 'In the Arcade' by Lisa Tuttle, 'A Flowering Wound' by John Howard, 'Methods of Confinement' by Gary McMahon, 'The Death of Dreams' by Thana Niveau, 'Malachi' by Simon Bestwick, 'A Place for Feeding' by Simon Kurt Unsworth, 'Rediffusion' by Rhys Hughes, and my favourite was 'Sense' by Tony Richards.
January 10, 2021
And that must be what one takes from this book. It is a morning star, a great swingeing collection of Fiction. Not Weird Fiction. But Fiction. And if it sells well, I trust that the causes that the editors support by dint of the cover’s banner will also do well. I trust in these editors’ choices because I have met them and I do trust them. I do not need to read the introduction to know that.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
dipped-in
October 28, 2018Read Nina Allan's story 'Feet of Clay'. Not one of my favourites of hers and felt like a step back from the wonderful The Silver Wind, which was published around the same time. Having read more about the anthology, I understand why: it was written to address a theme rather than to fit into Allan's existing universe of stories. I also really struggled to get the relationships between the characters straight. All of which is not to say that this is a bad story – I liked it, it just doesn't live up to the author's best.
February 17, 2011
Before I start this review I should mention that I have a story in this collection.
"Never Again" is an anthology of 'Weird Fiction Against Racism And Facism' with proceeds going to Amnesty International, PEN, and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. All the stories in some way touch upon those topics, some more effective than others, some reprints and some original to this collection. As in any anthology, different stories will appeal to different readers, so I will simply focus on those which I preferred rather than those I didn't.
In Nina Allen's "Feet Of Clay" a Holocaust survivor passes on a golem as a legacy to her granddaughter. Like all of Nina's work, this is a quiet story with a hard beating heart: subtle and effective.
In "Sense" by Tony Richards a longstanding immigrant in the UK gradually sees ethnic minorities whittled away until even his previously secure position is threatened. This is a powerful story centering on identity and what it means to belong (or to not belong).
"In On The Tide" by Alison J Littlewood deals with commonplace racism in a small seaside setting, where ethnic minorities are few and far between - demonstrating how childhood peer pressure and ignorance can create uncomfortable divisions.
"Rediffusion" by Rhys Hughes takes the scenario of an unpaid television license to a ridiculous conclusion, demonstrating the restraints bureaucracy can place on us.
"Night They Missed The Horror Show" by Joe R Lansdale is a horribly realistic portrayal of small town racism and ignorance.
"After The Ape" by Stephen Volk is the standout story in this book. Dealing with the aftershock of King Kong's fall from the Empire State Building, the main character - Fay Wray (one presumes, as she is not named) - comes to terms with the perception of the ape, the story set against the background of facism and approaching war. It's an astonishing story which works on multiple levels and is highly recommended.
Some of the other stories broach standard horror fare which isn't to my personal taste, but overall this is an enjoyable and varied collection which doesn't ram its themes down your throat, yet provides interesting and insightful fiction supporting these good causes.
"Never Again" is an anthology of 'Weird Fiction Against Racism And Facism' with proceeds going to Amnesty International, PEN, and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. All the stories in some way touch upon those topics, some more effective than others, some reprints and some original to this collection. As in any anthology, different stories will appeal to different readers, so I will simply focus on those which I preferred rather than those I didn't.
In Nina Allen's "Feet Of Clay" a Holocaust survivor passes on a golem as a legacy to her granddaughter. Like all of Nina's work, this is a quiet story with a hard beating heart: subtle and effective.
In "Sense" by Tony Richards a longstanding immigrant in the UK gradually sees ethnic minorities whittled away until even his previously secure position is threatened. This is a powerful story centering on identity and what it means to belong (or to not belong).
"In On The Tide" by Alison J Littlewood deals with commonplace racism in a small seaside setting, where ethnic minorities are few and far between - demonstrating how childhood peer pressure and ignorance can create uncomfortable divisions.
"Rediffusion" by Rhys Hughes takes the scenario of an unpaid television license to a ridiculous conclusion, demonstrating the restraints bureaucracy can place on us.
"Night They Missed The Horror Show" by Joe R Lansdale is a horribly realistic portrayal of small town racism and ignorance.
"After The Ape" by Stephen Volk is the standout story in this book. Dealing with the aftershock of King Kong's fall from the Empire State Building, the main character - Fay Wray (one presumes, as she is not named) - comes to terms with the perception of the ape, the story set against the background of facism and approaching war. It's an astonishing story which works on multiple levels and is highly recommended.
Some of the other stories broach standard horror fare which isn't to my personal taste, but overall this is an enjoyable and varied collection which doesn't ram its themes down your throat, yet provides interesting and insightful fiction supporting these good causes.
May 23, 2012
Biased, as I'm one of the contributors, but I'd recommend Stephen Volk's "After the Ape", Rosanne Rabinowitz's "Survivor's Guilt", Nina Allan'S "Feet of Clay", Rhys Hughes' "Rediffusion", and "A Flowering Wound" by John Howard as my favourites.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews