SUMMATION 2012
First some of the statistics: The twenty-eight stories and poems in this volume have been chosen from anthologies, collections, print magazine, webzines, and single story chapbooks. Unusually, I’ve taken three zombie stories this year, each very different from the other, and each dealing with the trope in unusual ways, showing there’s still life (pun intended) in this staple of horror fiction that I would not have believed possible three years ago.
I took more and shorter stories this time around-only two came in over ten thousand words.
Thirteen of the stories and poems are by writers living in the United States, nine stories or poems are from the United Kingdom, three from Canada, two from Australia, and one from New Zealand. I’ve taken two poems by one poet and two stories by one author. The authors of the three poems and of twelve of the stories have never been in any of my Best of the Year’s before. Eleven and a half of the stories and poems are by women. Seventeen and a half are by men.
AWARDS
The Bram Stoker Awards® for Achievement in Horror are given by the Horror Writers Association. The awards for material appearing during 2011 were presented at the organization’s annual banquet held Saturday evening, March 31, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the World Horror Convention, and marked the 25th Anniversary of the awards.
2011 Winners for Superior Achievement:
Novel: Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle Books); First Novel: Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird (Dark Regions Press); Young Adult Novel (tie): The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder (Razorbill) and Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers); Graphic Novel: Neonomicon by Alan Moore (Avatar Press); Long Fiction: “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” by Peter Straub (Conjunctions: 56); Short Fiction: “Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King (The Atlantic Magazine, May 2011); Screenplay: American Horror Story, episode #12: “Afterbirth” by Jessica Sharzer (20th Century Fox Television); Fiction Collection: The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates (Mysterious Press); Anthology: Demons: Encounters with the Devil and his Minions, Fallen Angels and the Possessed edited by John Skipp (Black Dog and Leventhal); Non-Fiction: Stephen King: A Literary Companion by Rocky Wood (McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers); Poetry Collection: How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend by Linda Addison (Necon Ebooks).
HWA, in conjunction with the Bram Stoker Family Estate and the Rosenbach Museum & Library, also presented a special, one-time only Vampire Novel of the Century Award to Richard Matheson for his modern classic I Am Legend. This award was voted on by a jury chaired by Dracula expert Leslie S. Klinger and was sponsored by Jeremy Wagner.
HWA also presented its annual Lifetime Achievement Awards and its Specialty Press Award. Rick Hautala and Joe R. Lansdale were both on-hand to accept their Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Specialty Press Award went to Derrick Hussey of Hippocampus Press and Roy Robbins of Bad Moon Books. The Silver Hammer Award, for outstanding service to HWA, was voted by the organization’s board of trustees to Guy Anthony DeMarco. The President’s Richard Laymon Service Award was given to HWA co-founder Karen Lansdale.
The Shirley Jackson Award, recognizing the legacy of Jackson’s writing, and with permission of her estate, was established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. The awards were announced at Readercon 23, July 14, 2012 held in Burlington, Massachusetts. Jurors were Laird Barron, Matthew Cheney, Maura McHugh, Kaaron Warren, and Gary K. Wolfe.
The winners for the best work in 2011: Novel: Witches on the Road Tonight, Sheri Holman (Grove Press); Novella: “Near Zennor,” Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors, Quercus/Jo Fletcher Books); Novelette: “ The Summer People,” Kelly Link (Tin House 49/Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, Candlewick Press); Short Story: “The Corpse Painter’s Masterpiece,” M. Rickert (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sept/ Oct, 2011); Single-Author Collection: After the Apocalypse: Stories, Maureen
F. McHugh (Small Beer Press); Edited Anthology: Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers (Harper Voyager).
The World Fantasy Awards were announced Sunday, November 4, 2012 at the annual banquet held at the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto, Canada. Lifetime Achievement recipients Alan Garner and George R. R. Martin were previously announced.
Winners for the best work in 2011: Novel: Osama, Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing); Novella: “A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong”, K.J. Parker (Subterranean Winter 2011); Short Story: “The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11); Anthology: The Weird, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Corvus; Tor, published May 2012); Collection: The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon and Subterranean Press); Artist: John Coulthart; Special Award Professional: Raymond Russell & Rosalie Parker, for Tartarus Press; Non-professional: Eric Lane, for publishing in translation for Dedalus Books.
NOTABLE NOVELS OF 2012
Zone One by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday) is an engrossing, realistic, horrific-with-a-touch of humor, and poignant zombie novel. The zombie plague is under control and the government headquartered in Buffalo is gung ho on reconstruction, especially down in New York City. The story unfolds from the point of view of Mark Spitz, a member of one of several civilian clean-up crews stationed in lower Manhattan, assigned to mop up any surviving zombie squatters after heavy duty artillery has stormed through. As the team does its sweeps, Spitz recalls how he ended up where he is.
The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit) begins in 1919 as a trolley car filled with eleven factory workers dead inside of it rolls into a station. All were alive when they entered the trolley and all were union workers. The eponymous investigator works for the McNaughton Corporation, the powerful and mysterious entity running the United States from the capitol city of Evesden, located in a Pacific Northwest very different from the one we know. An engaging, noirish mystery, the book deservedly won the mystery and suspense field’s Edgar Award in the original paperback category.
The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit), the author’s third novel, is a charming and occasionally harrowing dark fantasy about a sixteen year old pianist traveling from one vaudeville show to another, seeking information about the troupe of the mysterious Heironomo Silenus. Once the boy tracks down the troupe, he discovers that the odd assortment of performers comprise an act that does far more than just entertain.
The Rook by Daniel O’Malley (Little, Brown) is a marvelous first novel that is dark and violent yet laced with humor. It opens with one of the most engaging first lines I’ve read: “Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.” And so, a young woman comes to consciousness with two black eyes, dead people lying on the ground around her, and no memory of who she is or why she’s in the situation in which she finds herself. The rest of the novel doesn’t disappoint, with a secret agency protecting Great Britain from supernatural forces, conspiracies, and plenty of mayhem to keep the reader entertained throughout.
The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi and translated by Shaun Whiteside (Mulholland Books) is an impressive first novel by an Italian television writer, about a person able to persuade ordinary people to kill, serially or not.
The Croning by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books) is the author’s first full-length novel (a novel of about 43,000 words was published in 2011) and the result has been worth the wait. Barron puts his poor innocent schmo of a protagonist through torturous paces in a smashing, horrific retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. The author is an expert at depicting Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and this book—with its echoes of places and characters from his short stories and novellas—is for every reader who has been devouring those works.
The White Forest by Adam McOmber (Touchstone) is a powerful gothic novel about a young woman living at the edge of Hampstead Heath in the mid-1800s with her widowed father. Having spent most of her childhood alone and unsuccessfully suppressing an ability to hear the souls of manmade objects, she’s thrilled to develop a companionable friendship with two people her own age just as they all reach maturity. All seems well, until the young man becomes obsessed with her abilities, leading him to join a secret society in London. Then he disappears.
The Drowning Girl (A Memoir) by Caitlín R. Kiernan (Roc) is a complex story about ghosts, mermaids, sirens, insanity, cults, truth vs. fact, metamorphosis, and relationships. India Morgan Phelps (aka Imp) struggles for several years against her own inner demons to work out what really happened the night she stopped her car to pick up a naked woman walking along a deserted road. As Imp writes in her diary, her memories drift back and forth in time, introducing dreamy strands of possibilities. Kiernan expertly drives the narration through structural intricacies with apparent ease.
Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey (HarperVoyager) is the fourth novel in the Sandman Slim series about James Stark, a Nephilim (half angel/half human), the only live person ever sent to Hell who then broke out. In Aloha From Hell, Stark found God (literally) and when Lucifer left town was anointed the new Lucifer—which does not make him happy for a number of reasons, including the fact that there seems to be plot to kill him. Meantime, back in L.A. a serial killer ghost is loose and someone else might just be altering reality, such as it is.
Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand (Minotaur) is the sequel to Generation Loss, and both are excellent, compulsively readable contemporary dark suspense novels about Cassandra Neary, a brilliant photographer who lit up the 70s punk landscape briefly but quickly burned out with liquor and drugs. After escaping home to Manhattan after some real nastiness in Maine (Generation Loss), Neary is offered a great deal of money to fly all expenses paid to Helsinki and authenticate a series of five photographs purportedly taken by a famous photographer. Once there, she becomes embroiled in a Scandinavian death metal cult and sacrificial murder, ending up fighting for her life in economically destroyed Iceland. There are subtle elements of the supernatural threaded throughout this powerful novel.
Your House is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye (Penguin), is a disturbing novel about the inhabitants of the German village of Hemmersmoor, and is told through the multiple viewpoints of several children from the village, which seems to be entirely populated by psychopaths and sociopaths. For such a short novel, it’s surprisingly jam-packed with incest, rape, revenge killings, murderous pranks, infanticide, and deadly accidents. There’s nary an innocent or even sympathetic soul to be found. There are hints of the ghostly throughout but the creepiness is entirely due to the monstrousness of villagers.
Creole Belle by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster) is dark, with ghostly undertones, as the author continues to expertly weave the historical and contemporary attitudes and circumstances of the rich and poor, multi-racial inhabitants of Louisiana and their crimes and vices into his fiction. One late night as Dave Robicheaux lies half asleep in a drug haze of painkillers recovering from gunshot wounds in a New Orleans hospital, he’s visited by a young Creole barroom singer who brings him some of her music. Or does she? It turns out Tee Jolie Melton has been missing for several weeks and no one else can hear the music on Dave’s iPod. Upon his recovery Dave’s search for Tee Jolie embroils him in ugly, perverse, and violent conflicts. Burke has another winner in this nineteenth entry in the Dave Robicheaux series.
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough (The Bodley Head-UK 2011/ Candlewick) is an excellent first novel marketed as a young adult. Although two of the three points of view are children’s, this book should appeal to readers of any age. In the late 1940s, two young sisters from London are sent to stay with their great aunt in a small isolated village in rural England. Their aunt is strange and strict. The house is haunted, as are the grounds around it. The two children narrators overhear adult conversations and because it takes them longer to comprehend what’s going on than the reader, we fear for them. There’s a curse, a witch, ghosts, and a bog that can swallow a body without a trace. The unease creeps up on the reader slowly yet relentlessly but it’s the individual voices of each character that makes this novel of fear and desperation so stand out. The last fifty pages are heart-grabbing.
Immobility by Brian Evenson (Tor) is an engrossing dystopic novel about a man who, upon being unfrozen after an indeterminate length of time, and despite the apparent paralysis of his legs, is instructed by a stranger to go out into the wastes and ruins of Earth to find and bring back a mysterious but important item about which he’s told nothing. As Josef Horkai is carried to his destination by human “mules” he probes his circumstances and those of the world he has awakened into.
The Inquisitor by Mark Allen Smith (Henry Holt and Company) is an extraordinarily satisfying dark thriller debut about a mysterious man who makes his living from “information retrieval”—in this case not from computers but from humans. He’s a skilled torturer for hire, one of the two best in the business. The book begins as a day in the life and as described for someone being tortured, the anticipation of what is to come is almost as terrifying as the actuality.
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce (Doubleday) is another brilliant book by a writer who never repeats himself and rarely lets the reader down. Tara Martin appears at the door of an older couple’s home one fall day announcing that she is their daughter, who disappeared twenty years earlier, at almost sixteen years of age. The husband gapes. The wife faints. Tara’s disappearance broke her parents’ and brother’s heart and almost destroyed her musician boyfriend, who was accused of her murder and hounded by local police until he ended up in jail on an unrelated charge. Now Tara’s back, telling a preposterous tale of where she’s been. For anyone steeped in fantasy and the fairy tale tradition there’s no doubt as to the truth of her claims, but that hardly matters in this dark, beautiful, satisfying read.
Motherless Child by Glen Hirshberg (Earthling Publications) is as heartbreaking as it is horrific. Natalie and Sophie, two single mothers who are lifelong friends living in a trailer park in North Carolina, are turned into vampires during a rare night out. The two young women are forced to leave behind their infants in order to protect them from the changes occurring. Think Thelma and Louise with vampires (the two women reference that movie). As they flee and try to ignore their growing hunger, the mystery man who changed them is on their trail for his own reasons.
Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers (William Morrow) is a darkly engaging novel about Christina Rossetti, who is haunted by the vampiric ghost of her uncle, John Polidori, who she rashly accepted as her muse at the age of fourteen. The repercussions of this threaten her entire family and those they love.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Crown/Weidenfeld and Nicolson) is ingenious, engrossing, disturbing, and sometimes even very funny. Nick and Amy seem to be the perfect couple until Amy disappears, Nick is accused of her murder, and the walls come tumbling down. There’s at least one human monster in this suspenseful, bestselling novel, perhaps two.
The Faceless by Simon Bestwick (Solaris) is a complex supernatural horror novel in which many dreadful things take place—possibly too many for the story to be completely coherent. In the Lancashire town of Kempforth, people disappear and creepy masked figures that the local children call “spindly men” are seen lurking. Outside town is a long abandoned hospital that once housed grievously wounded WWI veterans who were exploited by the greedy, dissolute son of the man who built the hospital. Throughout the story the ghosts of these mutilated men recite their awful and haunting litany of horrifying personal histories, until it becomes a cacophony of misplaced bitterness and hate, and a desire for revenge against the England that used them as cannon fodder. Meanwhile, in Manchester, a professional psychic has visions that draw him and his sister back to that same town where they had a miserable, abusive childhood. An engrossing and quick read, despite its length and many plot strands.
The Ravenglass Eye by Tom Fletcher (Quercus/Jo Fletcher Books) is a good, fast moving novel about Edie, the cook at a pub in the small town of Ravenglass, West Cumbria England. She’s had seemingly harmless visions since she was a child but as an adult, those visions, combined with her alienation and discontent, accidentally initiate a series of events that threaten not only her town but all of Great Britain.
The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle (Spiegel & Grau) is horrific, but the supernatural element takes backseat to the vivid, depressing, terrifying depiction of the United States mental-health system. Pepper is big, rough, and angry, and through a moment of misplaced gallantry, has ended up committed to and trapped in the New Hyde Mental Hospital, a place where the patients claim the Devil is stalking and murdering them.
Monster by Dave Zeltserman (Overlook Press) is an excellent and original reworking of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the point of view of the learned man whose brain was used to create the “monster.”
ALSO NOTED
Zombies: Horizon by Sophie Littlefield (Harlequin/Luna) is the third in her Aftertime series. I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus by S. G. Browne (Gallery) is a sequel to his novel Breathers. Zombies at Tiffany’s by Sam Stone (Telos Publishing) is about a shop girl at the famous jewelry emporium, who is forced to take on zombie hordes in New York. Day by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass by J. L. Bourne (Gallery) is the third volume of a series. A Mammoth Book of Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback created by Stephen Jones (Running Press) is a “braided novel,” with more than twenty writers contributing bits and pieces to create a whole. Included are eyewitness accounts, news reports, diaries, etc., documenting the struggle by the survivors of a world overrun by zombies. Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster), the third in his young adult zombie series. Zombie Bake-Off by Stephen Graham Jones (Lazy Fascist Press) is a humorous novel about what happens when a batch of donuts are infected during the annual Recipe Days Lubbock, Texas bake-off. The Awakening by Brett McBean (Tasmaniac Publications) is about the unlikely friendship that develops between a teenager and a strange man living in a small town in the American Midwest. Apocalyptic and post apocalyptic horror: Revelations by C. Dennis Moore (Necro Publications) is about a participant in a cryogenic project who awakens fifty years later into a “Hell on Earth” that might be the result of end times. Apocalypse: Year Zero by Sarah Langan, Sarah Pinborough, Rhodi Hawk, and Alexandra Sokoloff (self-published) is a series of novella length pieces by each writer, comprising a novel about four survivors of disasters who eventually come together, powerfully. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (Knopf) is an engaging debut novel about a pilot who survives societal disaster but yearns to find the voice he hears on his radio. Not horror, but really excellent. Edge by Koji Suzuki, translated by Camellia Nieh and Jonathan Lloyd-Davies from the Japanese (Vertical), is an sf/horror novel about computer experimentation that somehow changes the value of Pi, and the disappearances this inexplicable change engenders. The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus (Knopf ) is a post-apocalypse novel in which the speech of children mutates into a deadly virus. Vampires: Me and the Devil by Nick Tosches (Little, Brown) is about an aging writer who drinks blood to restore his sexual and creative vitality. Werewolves: The Trouble with Hairy by Hal Bodner (Phantom Hollow Publishing) is a humorous take on werewolves in West Hollywood. Tallula Rising by Glen Duncan (Alfred A. Knopf) is the disappointing sequel to the author’s excellent The Last Werewolf. Witches and dark magic: Nerves by John Palisano (Bad Moon Books) is about two brothers who discover they have the power to kill or resurrect the dead with their magic. Rhodi Hawk’s southern Gothic, The Tangled Bridge (Tor), is the second in her Twisted Ladder series. The artist Brom’s Krampus the Yule Lord (HarperCollins) is about the long running feud between Santa Claus and his evil counterpart, Krampus. A Cold Season by Alison Littlewood (Quercus) is the first novel by a writer whose fiction I’ve reprinted in last year’s Best Horror of the Year. The Third Gate by Lincoln Child (Doubleday) is an enjoyable but schematic tale of Egyptology, mummies, tombs, ghosts, and curses. The Reckoning (Gallery Books) follows up Alma Katsu’s impressive debut novel in what will be the Taker trilogy. The Chosen Seed by Sarah Pinborough (Gollancz) is the fast-moving third volume of the Dog Faced Gods crime/ horror trilogy about a London police detective who’s been on the run after being framed for murder. Tortured Spirits, Greg Lamberson’s (Medallion) fourth novel in his Jake Helman Files detective series. The Curse of the Fleers by Basil Copper (PS Publishing) restores the heavily edited gothic novel originally published in 1976 to its intended form. A Tree of Bones by Gemma Files (ChiZine Publications) is the third in her Hexslinger series. Rasputin’s Bastards by David Nickle (ChiZine Publications) is about cold war shenanigans that threaten the world in the 1990s. A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children’s books UK) is about a young girl who wears a mask to hide her terrifying face. Odd Apocalypse, the fifth volume of Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas series (HarperCollins). The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones (Lazy Fascist Press) is an absurdist, metafictional homage to slasher movies. Graham’s Growing Up Dead in Texas, a fictionalized memoir/mystery, was also out in 2012, from M.P. Publishing. In Delirium’s Circle by Stephen J. Clark (Egaeus Press) is about a man in postwar England who seeks the truth about a group of sinister game-players. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (Scribner), is the eighth in his Dark Tower series but fits chronologically between volumes four and five. The Apocalypse Codex is the fourth volume of Lovecraftian dark fantasy in Charles Stross’s Laundry Files series (Ace).
ANTHOLOGIES
Night Terrors II edited by Theresa Dillon and Marc Ciccarone (Blood Bound Books) is a non-genre horror anthology with twenty-eight stories. The strongest are by Angela Bodine, Danny Rhodes, Patricia Russo, Maria Alexander, and John Morgan.
Corrupts Absolutely edited by Lincoln Crisler (Damnation Books) features twenty stories about people with superpowers and the negative effects those powers have. Because the book title states flat out that no one gets out untarnished, the stories begin to have a similar feeling to them as they move toward their inexorable march toward negativity. The most interesting stories are by Weston Ochse, A. D. Spencer, and Jason M. Tucker.
A Season in Carcosa edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. (Miskatonic River Press) has twenty-one new stories written in tribute to Robert W. Chambers’s series about a “monstrous and suppressed book, whose perusal brings fright, madness, and spectral tragedy.” [H. P. Lovecraft]. The reader doesn’t need to be familiar with the original tales in order to appreciate this volume. There are fine stories by Anna Tambour, Cody Goodfellow, Gemma Files, Richard Gavin, Kristin Prevallet, and Laird Barron.
Four for Fear edited by Peter Crowther (PS Publishing) is an excellent mini anthology commissioned for the annual Humber Mouth Literature Festival held in Hull, England. The contributors are Nicholas Royle, Alison Littlewood, Christopher Fowler, and Ramsey Campbell. The Campbell is reprinted herein.
The First Book of Classical Horror Stories edited by D. F. Lewis (Megazanthus Press) is a fascinating anthology of twenty-one darkly weird stories on the theme of classical music. Many of the stories are subtle and dense. There were notable stories by D. P. Watt, Adam S. Cantwell, S. D. Tullis, M. Sullivan, Aliya Whiteley, and Nicole Cushing.
The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Shadows edited by Rosemary Pardoe (Sarob Press) is an attractive little hardcover of prequels and sequels to some of M. R. James’s most famous stories. The twelve stories were written in response to Pardoe’s contest in tribute to the 150th anniversary of the birth of James. One appeared earlier in 2012 in The Ghost & Scholars, M.R. James Newsletter #21. There were notable stories by John Llewellyn Probert and David A. Sutton.
Dark Faith: Invocations edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (Apex Publications) is a second volume of new horror stories loosely themed around religion and faith. The best are by Laird Barron, Nick Mamatas, Elizabeth Twist, W. Tempest Bradford, Gemma Files, Lucy A. Snyder, and Jeffrey Ford. The Snyder is reprinted herein.
Black Wings II edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publishing) is the second volume of new stories inspired by H. P. Lovecraft edited by the premier expert on the author. The eighteen stories are an interesting mixed bag. My favorites were by Donald Tyson, Rick Dakan, Tom Fletcher, Richard Gavin, Caitlín R. Kiernan, John Langan, and Melanie Tem.
Worlds of Cthulhu edited by Robert M. Price (Fedogan & Bremer) is another Lovecraftian anthology of mostly original material but this one is aimed at fans of Lovecraftian pastiche. Other readers will find the slavishness to the originals in style and substance less interesting.
The Book of Cthulhu II edited by Ross Lockhart (Night Shade Books) is a nicely varied, mostly reprint anthology of twenty-four stories, four of them new. The best of the new ones is the Laird Barron novella.
Torn Realities edited by Paul Anderson (Post Mortem Press) seems to be an attempt to jump on the Lovecraftian bandwagon, but I discerned minimal influence on the stories either thematically or stylistically. All but one story appear for the first time.
Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities edited by Henrik Sandbeck Harksen (H. Harksen Productions) features ten new stories of urban estrangement as filtered through a Lovecraftian lens. Thankfully, none of the stories are pastiches, and while not all are successful, the anthology is an interesting one. My favorites are by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. and Jayaprakash Satyamurthy.
Night Shadows: Queer Horror edited by Greg Herren and J. M. Redman (Bold Strokes Books) is an anthology of one reprint, twelve original stories, and one brilliant, sucker punch of a novella. In addition to the novella, by Victoria A. Brownworth, there are notable stories by Lee Thomas and Steve Berman.
The Thirteen Ghosts of Christmas edited by Simon Marshall-Jones (Spectral Press) is an entertaining revival of the British tradition of telling ghost stories around Christmas time. All but one of the thirteen stories is new and some of the more notable ones are by Adrian Tchaikovsky, John Forth, Richard Farren Barber, and William Meikle.
Danse Macabre edited by Nancy Kilpatrick (Edge) has twenty-six new stories about death, and humanity’s interaction with the great leveler. There are strong stories by Tanith Lee, Edward M. Erdelac, Suzanne Church, Lisa Morton, and Brian Hodge.
The Ninth Black Book of Horror edited by Charles Black (Mortbury Press) is a British, un-themed horror anthology with sixteen new stories, and although there were a few with not enough plot and few surprises, some of the more notable stories were by John Llewellyn Probert, John Forth, Paul Finch, Thana Niveau, and Simon Bestwick.
The Screaming Book of Horror edited by Johnny Mains (Screaming Dreams) is another un-themed horror anthology out of England, this one featuring twenty-one new stories, including never previously published work by the late John Brunner and the late John Burke, plus notable stories by Charles Higson, Alison Moore, Janine Langley-Wood, Paul Finch, Craig Herbertson, Rhys Hughes, Alison Littlewood, David Riley, Bernard Taylor, and Steve Rasnic Tem.
The Burning Maiden edited by Greg Kishbaugh (Ex Hubris Imprints) features sixteen stories and poems that purport to combine horror and literature, as if that’s something unusual and even daring. Despite the pretentious introduction there are some very good dark stories by Joe R. Lansdale, Louis Bayard, Lyndsay Faye, and Orrin Grey.
Fungi edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Innsmouth Free Press) takes an unusual idea and runs with it, with twenty-three new stories, one original poem, and two reprints about fungi, a collection of organisms that includes mushrooms, yeasts, and molds. The stories are weird and/or horrific and grotesque, but not as diverse in style or content as they could be. That said, there are notable stories by Laird Barron, Nick Mamatas, Chadwick Ginther, A. C. Wise, Ian Rogers, Richard Gavin, John Langan, and Paul Tremblay, with a strong poem by Ann K. Schwader. The jacket cover and interior illustrations are divine.
Visions Fading Fast edited by Gary McMahon (Pendragon Press) is a very readable non-themed horror anthology of five stories and novelettes, one a reprint. The originals are by Kaaron Warren, Joel Lane, Paul Meloy, and Nathan Ballingrud. The reprint is by Reggie Oliver. Nathan Ballingrud’s story is reprinted herein.
Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations edited by Eric J. Guignard (Dark Moon) features twenty-five new stories updating the pulp tropes of yesteryear with some success. There are notable stories by Joe E. Lansdale, Michael G. Cornelius, and Deskin C. Rink.
Hauntings edited by Ian Whates (NewCon Press) has fifteen original ghost stories. The best of the darkest stories are by Robert Shearman, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Mark West, Amanda Hemingway, Tanith Lee, and Mark Morris.
Zombies vs Robots: Women on War! is a volume of ten stories from this series of themed anthologies, with notable stories by Rachel Swirsky and Amber Benson. Also Zombies vs Robots: This Means War! with good stories by Steve Rasnic Tem and Nick Mamatas. Both anthologies are edited by Jeff Connor (IDW).
Psychos: Serial Killers, Depraved Madmen, and the Criminally Insane edited by John Skipp (Black Dog & Leventhal) is a hefty volume of thirty-eight stories, almost half new. Readers will be better off dipping into this one than reading straight through. A majority of the stories are depressing rather than horrifying or chilling. Some of the better originals are by Violet Levoit, Steve Rasnic Tem, Cody Goodfellow, and Leslianne Wilder.
Tales From the Yellow Rose Diner and Fill Station (no editorial credit) (Sideshow Press) is a linked anthology connected by the six responses to one question asked in a roadside diner: What’s the worst thing that you’ve done?
Dangers Untold edited by Jennifer Brozek (Alliteration Ink) is an un-themed horror anthology of seventeen new and reprinted stories.
A Feast of Frights From the Horror Zine edited by Jeani Rector (The Horror Zine) includes fiction, poetry, articles, and interviews originally published on the website. There are three new stories in the book, including one by Graham Masterton.
Terror Tales of the Cotswolds edited by Paul Finch (Gray Friar Press) has fourteen stories, twelve new, plus vignettes about true atrocities/hauntings in the Cotswolds, before each fictional tale. Some of the stories are very strong, particularly those by Simon Clark, Christopher Harmon, Alison Littlewood, Steve Lockley, Gary McMahon, Thana Niveau, Reggie Oliver, and Simon Kurt Unsworth.
Terror Tales of East Anglia edited by Paul Finch (Gray Friar Press) has thirteen stories, all but three new, with the strongest originals by Reggie Oliver, Alison Littlewood, Simon Bestwick, Christopher Harmon, and Paul Finch. As usual in the series, the stories are each broken up by a “true” vignette about the region.
The Devil’s Coattails: More Dispatches from the Dark Frontier edited by Jason V. Brock and William F. Nolan (Cicatrix Press) is a non-themed, all-original anthology. Oddly, although Brock proudly asserts that: “We are excited by the large number of offerings by female writers, a group we feel are often under-represented,” I’m guessing he means submissions because there are only four and a half out of twenty-one stories by women in the actual volume. There are notable stories by Paul Bens, Jr. and Ramsey Campbell.
21st Century Dead edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin’s Press) is an anthology of nineteen new zombie stories. The strongest and most original are by Dan Chaon, Jonathan Maberry, Mark Morris, Stephen Susco, Daniel H. Wilson, and a collaboration by Stephanie Crawford and Duane Swierczynski, this last reprinted herein.
Exotic Gothic 4 edited by Danel Olson (PS Publishing) is an impressive and varied volume of twenty-four new gothic stories taking place outside the traditional gothic traditions of the UK, France, and Germany. All the stories are good, but those that really stood out are by Terry Dowling, Adam Nevill, Lucy Taylor, Simon Kurt Unsworth, and Kaaron Warren. The Taylor, Dowling, and Nevill are reprinted herein.
Darker Minds (no editorial credit) (Dark Minds Press) is an anthology of fifteen new stories about the power of the mind. Although there are some excellent writers in the book, few are at the top of their form, or perhaps it’s just the sameness of tone throughout that creeps over the reader because so many of the stories internalize the theme. Only Gary McMahon’s powerful story breaks away from the pack.
Attic Toys edited by Jeremy C. Shipp (Evil Jester Press) is an all original anthology of eighteen stories about toys found in attics. The best are by Gary McMahon and Mae Empson.
Slices of Flesh edited by Stan Swanson (Dark Moon Books) is a flash fiction anthology created to fund several charities from the net proceeds. Of the approximately ninety stories, all but eleven are originals. The best of the originals are by Jacob Ruby, Tim Lebbon, Matthew Warner, Erin Eveland, Susan Palwick, and Sandy DeLuca.
Horror for Good edited by Mark C. Scioneaux, R. J. Cavender, and Robert S. Wilson (Cutting Block Press) is a charity anthology of reprints and original stories, with proceeds going to amfAR, the Foundation for Aids Research. There are notable new stories by Stephen Bacon, Ian Harding, and Lisa Morton,
Postscripts to Darkness 2 edited by Sean Moreland and Aalya Ahmad (Ex Hubris imprint) is a Canadian volume of sixteen supernatural, very brief stories—usually too brief. Daniel Lalonde has a good story in it.
Siblings edited by Stuart Hughes (Hersham Horror Books) features five new stories about siblings with a dark secret. The best of the batch is by Richard Farren Barber.
Fogbound From 5 edited by Peter Mark May (Hersham Horror) is a mini anthology of five original stories taking place in fog. The best are by Neil Williams and Adrian Chamberlain.
Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous edited by Tim Marquitz (Angelic Knight Press) presents thirty stories on the theme of monsters, with a preponderance of those monsters bringing about the end of the world. In any case, there are notable stories by Stephen McQuiggan and D. L. Seymour.
Hell Comes to Hollywood edited by Eric Miller (Big Time Books) has twenty original stories set in the film and television capitol. There are good stories in it by Andrew Helm, Joseph Dougherty, and John Schouweiler.
The Big Book of Ghost Stories edited by Otto Penzler (Black Lizard) is a massive volume of seventy-nine reprints by writers ranging from August Derleth, Conrad Aiken, and H. P. Lovecraft to M. Rickert, Albert E. Cowdrey, and Chet Williamson.
Blood Stones edited by Amanda Pillar (Ticonderoga Press) has seventeen original dark stories themed around myths and legends. The most interesting are by Dirk Flinthart, Joanne Anderton, Thoraiya Dyer, Kat Otis, and Dan Rabarts.
Terror Scribes edited by Adam Lowe and Chris Kelso (Dog Horn Publishing) brings together twenty-four stories (most new) by a loose group of writers from the United States and the United Kingdom. There’s a notable story by Rachel Kendall.
Zombies for a Cure edited by Angela Charmaine Craig (Elektrik Mil Bath Press) is a charity anthology with forty three stories and poems, most published for the first time. Jay Wilburn’s story is reprinted herein.
Prime Books brought out a number of big reprint anthologies in 2012, all edited by Paula Guran, including Extreme Zombies, which reprints twenty-five graphic violent zombie stories by well-known and newer writers. Ghosts: Recent Hauntings with thirty stories by writers such as Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Hand, Glen Hirshberg, Richard Bowes, Margo Lanagan, Peter Straub, and Barbara Roden (with one original by Stephen Graham Jones). Obsession: Tales of Irresistible Desire has nineteen reprints ranging from classic stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Fritz Leiber to work by contemporary masters such as Elizabeth Hand, Tanith Lee, Lawrence Block, and others.
Kaiki: Uncanny Tales From Japan volume 3: Tales of the Metropolis selected and introduced by Higashi Masao (Kurodahan Press) with a foreword by Robert Weinberg is a worthy successor to the earlier volumes of this series. It presents eleven stories and one manga, all originally published in Japan between 1921 and 1981, most never previously appearing in English. The strongest were by Murayama Kaita and Akutagawa Ryūnosuke.
The Mammoth Book of Body Horror edited by Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan (Robinson, UK) has twenty-five stories, seven original (not seen) ranging from Mary Shelley to Conrad Williams.
Surviving the End edited by Craig Bezant (Dark Prints Press) is a very good anthology of post-disaster stories with interludes by the “storyteller” who has recorded them from survivors. All of the eight stories are impressive and all are quite dark.
The Spirit of Poe edited by W. J. Rosser and Karen Rigley (Literary Landmark Publishing and Angelic Knight Press) is a charity anthology of reprint and original stories and poetry with profits from its sale donated to the Poe House in Baltimore, Maryland. Notable stories and poetry by M. Bennardo and Melissa Dollahon Eyler.
Chiral Mad: An Anthology of Psychological Horror edited by Michael Bailey (Written Backwards) has twenty-eight stories, all but five published for the first time. The proceeds go to Down Syndrome charities. The best originals are by Monica J. O’Rourke and Gary McMahon. The McMahon is reprinted herein.
Dark Light edited by Carl Hose (MARLvision Publishing) is a nonthemed horror anthology created to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. More than half the forty-two stories are reprints (all those by the better-known writers).
The Horror Hall of Fame: The Stoker Winners edited by Joe R. Lansdale (Cemetery Dance) was knocking around for fifteen years before finally seeing the light of day. During that time, HWA went from being named the Horror Writers of America to the Horror Writers Association, and since the original publication of the most recent winning story in the book (1996) there have been double the number of winners. Nonetheless, there are thirteen wonderful stories and novellas presented here.
The Century’s Best Horror Fiction Volumes One and Two edited by John Pelan (Cemetery Dance) is another long delayed reprint volume. In this one, the editor chose one story per year from 1900–2000, with no author represented more than once, which actually precludes the word “best,” as the editor might very well be constrained from choosing a better story by a specific author. Surprisingly, there’s no Harlan Ellison nor Clive Barker, both of whom have produced powerful horror stories. With those caveats, it’s still an impressive achievement, with one hundred stories from one hundred writers, and over 700,000 words.
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 23 edited by Stephen Jones (Robinson/ Running Press) reprints twenty-six stories, a summary of the year, and a necrology. There are no story overlaps with The Best Horror of the Year Volume Four. (Datlow).
MIXED-GENRE ANTHOLOGIES
The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (Corvus-UK 2011, Tor 2012) deservedly won the World Fantasy Award last year. It represents an enormous undertaking, with the VanderMeers casting a wide net, reprinting 110 stories from around the world, some published in English for the first time. This is a feast for readers. Wilde Stories: The Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction edited by Steve Berman (Lethe Press) presents fifteen reprints of stories from 2011. Its companion volume, Heiresses of Russ 2012: The Year’s Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction edited by Connie Wilkins and Steve Berman (Lethe Press), has fourteen reprints of stories originally published in 2011. Dark Currents edited by Ian Whates (Newcon Press) is a loosely themed all original anthology of science fiction and horror, with fifteen stories and one poem, the strongest are by Emma Coleman, Sophia McDougall, and Adam Nevill. The Monster Book for Girls edited by Terry Grimwood (theEXAGGERATEDpress) is an intriguing mix of thirty-two stories and poems in different genres (all but three original). The strongest darker stories and poems are by David Rix, Tony Lovell, Jessica Lawrence, Gary McMahon, Shay Darrach, and Gary Fry. Akashic continued its Noir series: Kansas City Noir edited by Steve Paul was relatively weak but had some strong work by J. Malcolm Garcia, Kevin Prufer, Daniel Woodrell, and Nancy Pickard. Mumbai Noir edited by Altaf Tyrewala. Staten Island Noir edited by Patricia Smith. Long Island Noir edited by Kaylie Jones with an excellent story by Nick Mamatas that’s been picked up for The Best American Mystery Stories. Venice Noir edited by Maxim Jakubowski. Kingston Noir edited by Colin Channer. St. Petersburg Noir edited by Julia Goumen and Natalia Smirnova. Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury edited by Sam Weller and Mort Castle (William Morrow) features a very mixed bag of twenty-six stories inspired by the master. The best of the darker stories are by Dan Chaon, Kelly Link, Jay Bonansinga, John McNally, and Alice Hoffman. Chaon’s is reprinted herein. An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane Magic edited by Jonathan Oliver (Solaris Books) features sixteen new stories of mostly dark fantasy, with some horror. The best stories are by Alison Littlewood, Gemma Files, Will Hill, Thana Niveau, and Robert Shearman. The Files is reprinted herein. Jurassic London, a new press run by Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin, plans to publish limited edition print anthologies and chapbooks plus e-book versions of the same books. Each anthology will be produced with a cultural partner, and a portion of the proceeds goes to a charity of their choice. The first publication was Pandemonium: Lost Souls, a book of all reprints with one original, mostly classics. Pandemonium: Stories of the Smoke was the second publication—all original sf/f/h stories inspired by Charles Dickens’ London. The best dark stories are by Kaaron Warren, Sarah Anne Langton, and David Thomas Moore. And there’s a charming non-horror story by Lavie Tidhar. Unfit for Eden edited by Peter Crowther and Nick Gevers (PS Publishing) is Postscripts 26/27 and has twenty-seven new sf/f/h stories. The strongest horror stories were by George Hulseman and Simon Unsworth. The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women edited by Marie O’Regan (Running Press) is a hefty volume of twenty-five stories ranging from classics by Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman and Edith Wharton to notable new darker stories by Muriel Gray, Kim Lakin-Smith, Sarah Langan, Elizabeth Massie, and others. Many of the stories however, are not dark. Carnage: After the End volumes 1 and 2 edited by Gloria Bobrowicz (Sirens Call publications) is an interesting pair of dark post-apocalypse anthologies that show no hope whatsoever for the human race, There are monsters, but the real monsters are the survivors in this hell on earth. Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Charles A. Tan (Lethe Press) is a refreshing, varied anthology of fourteen original stories, most of them dark fantasy, with a few stories verging on horror. The best of the dark ones are by Gabriela Lee, Kristine Ong Muslim, Margaret Kawsek, Yvette Tan, Ysabel Yap, and Christine V. Lao. Damnation and Dames edited by Liz Grzyb and Amanda Pillar (Ticonderoga Publications) presents sixteen, mostly lightweight paranormal detective stories that are all too similar in feel. Despite describing itself as “noir” there’s nothing noirish about the tone, attitude, or detectives, who are more often schlubs—not cynical, corrupt, or even seducible. Despite this, there are some good, darkish stories by Dirk Flinthart, Joseph L. Kellogg, Karen Dent, Pete Kempshall, and a collaboration by Alan Baxter and Felicity Dowker. Four in the Morning by Malon Edwards, Edward M. Erdelac, Lincoln Crisler and Tim Marquitz (self-published) contains a novella each of mixed genre fiction. Ocean Stories edited by Angela Charmaine Craig (Elektrik Milkbath Press) has twenty-five new, mixed genre stories about the sea. As silly as the theme is, Walrus Tales edited by Kevin L. Donihe (Eraserhead press) actually has a pretty interesting line-up of twenty-two original tales, including notable ones by Bentley Little, Ekaterina Sedia, and Nick Mamatas. Where Are We Going? edited by Allen Ashley (Eibonvale) is a fascinating anthology of all new stories about journeys: internal and external, mysterious, odd, and sometimes dangerous. Notable darker stories are by Joel Lane, Ian Shoebridge, Ralph Robert Moore, and Alison J. Littlewood. Fear the Abyss edited by Eric Beebe (Post Mortem Press) has twenty-two science fiction and horror stories (two reprints) about fear of the unknown with strong dark stories by S. C. Hayden, Gary A. Braunbeck, and Jeyn Roberts. Don’t Read This Book: 13 Tales From the Mad City edited by Chuck Wendig (Evil Hat Productions) is an intriguing original anthology about the insomniacs of a nightmare city. The best of the darkest tales are by Stephen Blackmore, Mur Lafferty, Harry Connolly, and Richard Dansky.
A couple Best of the Year anthologies include horror with science fiction or fantasy. The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012 edited by Paula Guran (Prime) has thirty stories, with no story overlap with my own The Best Horror of the Year Volume Four. The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2011 edited by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene (Ticonderoga Publications) contains thirty-two stories and poems plus a genre overview and a list of honorable mentions. Margo Lanagan’s “Mulberry Boys” is reprinted both in their volume and in my own.
SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTIONS
Remember Why You Fear Me is Robert Shearman’s (Chizine Publications) fourth collection of stories and the only one he categorizes as “horror” (although many of his earlier tales are dark). This volume includes twenty-one stories, ten of them new. Enjoy the feast—Shearman’s one of the best of the newer prose writers in the field (his World Fantasy Award winning first collection Tiny Deaths was published in 2008). Before that he was best-known as the Doctor Who writer who reintroduced the Daleks into the series. In addition to this collection, Shearman has been posting stories on his blog since 2011—some reprints, most for the first time (but some have since been published). The idea was, in his own words: “I wrote a book of short stories, called Everyone’s Just So So Special. And to celebrate its release, I proposed that everyone who bought the one hundred special leatherbound editions would receive an entirely unique story of their own, featuring their name, of at least 500 words in length. And to prove that the stories really *were* unique, I’d post them all online, for all the world to see. The problem is, they’re not 500 words. They’re a bit longer than that. But, hey, I like a challenge.” As of February 2013 Shearman had forty more to go. Enjoy what comes out of this guy’s brain at: http://justsosospecial.com
Through Splintered Walls by Kaaron Warren (Twelve Planets) features three fierce stories and one novella inspired by different aspects of the Australian landscape.
At Fear’s Altar by Richard Gavin (Hippocampus Press) is an all-around excellent gothic and weird collection, the fourth by this Canadian. About half of the thirteen stories are new and one, “The Word-Made Flesh” is reprinted herein.
Where Furnaces Burn by Joel Lane (PS Publishing) is another consistently terrific collection by a writer often named in the same breath as Conrad Williams, whose new collection I mention below. The twenty-three reprints and three original stories in the Lane volume are never less than very good, and always readable.
Born with Teeth by Conrad Williams (PS Publishing) is another excellent volume of short fiction by this author. It has seventeen diverse horror stories originally published between 1997 and 2012 in various magazines and anthologies, including one excellent new story, “The Pike,” which is reprinted herein.
The Signal Block and Other Tales by Frank Duffy (Gallows Press) is the author’s impressive debut collection, featuring thirteen stories, nine published for the first time. Duffy’s language is expressive, and although the occasional slip in coherence indicates that he’s not always in total control of his craft, his work is well worth seeking out.
Confessions of a Five Chambered Heart: 25 Tales of Weird Romance by Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean Press) follows Kiernan’s acclaimed The Ammonite Violin & Others and showcases twenty-five of Kiernan’s erotic horror stories, all previously published, with most originally appearing in her subscription based Sirenia Digest.
W. H. Pugmire had two fine collections published in 2012: Uncommon Places (Hippocampus Press) has twenty-two stories and prose poems, a number of them published for the first time. Many are written in the decadent style, most are tinged with darkness, and all are weird. The Strange Dark One: Tales of Nyarlathotep (Miskatonic Press) is a collection of what Pugmire considers his best fiction about Lovecraft’s creation, Nyarlathotep. The title story is new.
Never Bet the Devil and Other Warnings by Orrin Grey (Evileye) is one of the first two publications brought out by a new horror press (along with the anthology The Burning Maiden). This is Grey’s debut collection and showcases ten very good and varied supernatural stories, two published for the first time.
Nothing As It Seems by Tim Lebbon (PS Publishing) features fifteen stories and novellas, three appearing for the first time. Lebbon’s a master of voice, whether he’s telling a story from a child’s point of view or a dying enforcer, and his stories are engrossing. With an introduction by F. Paul Wilson.
Ian Rogers had two collections out in 2012: Every House Is Haunted (ChiZine Publications) was his debut collection, with twenty-two stories, seven published for the first time. His best stories are suffused with the perfect creepiness so many horror aficionados crave. One is reprinted herein. SuperNOIRtural Tales (Burning Effigy Press) collects four reprints and an original novella about Felix Renn, a paranormal investigator. Mike Carey provides a brief introduction and Rogers gives a history of his creation, the Black Lands, a parallel dimension to ours, darker and inhabited by all sorts of supernatural creatures.
Busy Blood: Combo Stories by Stuart Hughes and D. F Lewis (theEXAG-GERATEDpress) contains eleven reprinted weird and dark stories by these two British writers.
Shadow Plays by Reggie Oliver (Egaeus Press) contains ten stories previously published in two of the author’s earlier collections. Included is a new preface and new, individual introductions for each story by the author, plus a previously unpublished two-act play. This new small press out of the UK has created a lovely object, in addition to the volume’s admirable content.
Selected Stories by Mark Valentine (The Swan River Press) brings together eleven stories originally published in several, hard to find limited editions by Ex Occidente Press. More strange than horrific, these tales represent a good selection of Valentine’s work.
Still Life: Nine Stories by Nicholas Kaufmann (Necon E-Books) is a digital collection with eight varied horror stories written over eleven years. Two are new.
The Secret Life by James Ulmer (Nortex Press) is a fine volume of ghost stories by a writer-poet previously unknown to me. All but four of the ten stories are new, and those four were previously published in literary journals. The best is also the longest, a novella about a man who renovates an abandoned house that survived the murderous Galveston flood of 1900.
Indignities of the Flesh by Bentley Little (Subterranean Press) collect ten stories from throughout the author’s career, each with a snippet on the genesis of the story.
Where the Summer Ends: The Best Horror Stories of Karl Edward Wagner volume 1 and Walk on the Wild Side: The Best Horror Stories of Karl Edward Wagner volume 2 (Centipede Press) is a comprehensive retrospective of Wagner’s short fiction. The books contain the entire contents of In a Lonely Place and Why Not You and I? plus most of the contents of Exorcisms and Ecstasies, a compilation of Wagner’s previously uncollected short fiction that editor Stephen Jones assembled in 1995.
Festival of Fear by Graham Masterton (Severn House) is entertaining, as is all of the author’s short work. This new collection has twelve stories, one published for the first time in 2012.
Baubo’s Kiss: The Best of Lucy Taylor (Constable & Robinson) presents five horror stories by a writer who made a reputation for herself in the 1990’s, for her hard-hitting depictions of erotic horror.
Creeping Stones by Cullen Bunn (Evileye Books) is a debut collection with fourteen impressive horror stories published between 1999 and 2012, one new.
Ghostwriting by Eric Brown (Infinity Plus Books) is an anomaly for the author, who, during his twenty-five year career, has only written a handful of horror and ghost stories—all eight of them in this collection. Judging from these reprints, published in venues including Cemetery Dance, The Third Alternative, and several anthologies, he should be writing more of them.
The Red Empire and Other Stories by Joe McKinney (Redrum Horror) features seven crime and horror stories and a horror novella. Three of the stories appear for the first time.
Party Pieces: The Horror fiction of Mary Danby edited by Johnny Mains (Noose & Gibbet/ Airgedlámh Publications) has over thirty stories (one written specifically for the volume) by this once prolific contributor to several long-running horror series published in the UK during the 1970s to mid-80s.
Portraits of Ruin by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. (Hippocampus Press) won’t be for everyone. As in his first two collections, the prose in these thirty-nine stories, vignettes, and poems is always evocative, but the thread of his fictions are occasionally difficult to follow. What most impresses is the cumulative effect on the reader.
The Female of the Species by Richard Davis (Shadow Publishing) is the first collection of all eleven of the late author’s stories in one volume. Most of the stories, published between 1963 and 1978, still pack a punch. In addition, two rare essays and a 1969 interview provide an excellent introduction to the writer/anthologist who in 1971 started The Year’s Best Horrors Stories series for Sphere in the UK and DAW in the US.
Living with the Dead by Martin Livings (Dark Prints Press) features twenty-three stories by this Australian horror writer, all but three reprints originally published since 1992.
A surprising number of British writers had more than one collection of their fiction published in 2012: Peter Bell’s Strange Epiphanies (The Swan River Press) features seven gothic stories, two published for the first time, including a lengthy, beautifully realized vampire story. The hardcover book is beautifully produced with a striking dust jacket designed by Meggan Kehrli from art by R. B. Russell. A Certain Slant of Light (Sarob Press) is comprised of eight ghost stories and three new ones influenced by M. R. James. I found the stories in this collection a bit less satisfying than those in Strange Epiphanies although the production, as with all Sarob Press books, is topnotch.
R. B. Russell had Ghosts (The Swan River Press), a collection comprised of a collection and short novel previously published by Ex Occident Press. It includes six stories, one the World Fantasy Award nominated “In Hiding.” The good-looking new package comes with Russell’s debut album of the same title as a bonus, presenting a selection of tracks composed and arranged by the author. Leave Your Sleep (PS Publishing) is another good-looking volume, this one with twelve stories, five appearing for the first time. There is no overlap in the two books’ table of contents.
The longtime writing partners L.H. Maynard and M.P.N Sims published Flame and Other Enigmatic Tales (Sarob Press), containing six original stories and novellas. Also, A Haunting of Ghosts, a self-published book under their Enigmatic Press imprint, featuring six traditional English ghost stories.
Gary McMahon had an extraordinarily productive 2012, with two single author collections out and another half dozen topnotch stories in various anthologies and magazines. Tales of the Weak & the Wounded (Dark Regions Press) is a very impressive collection of seventeen stories, seven new. The book uses the framing device of a skeptical television ghost hunter scoping out a deserted insane asylum for his show who finds files of old case studies. These are the stories. To Usher, the Dead (Pendragon Press) features Thomas Usher, McMahon’s protagonist from two of his novels, a man who can “see” the recently dead and is often called upon to use his skill in murder detection. The psychic detective is a traditional trope in supernatural fiction and it takes talent and care to render it fresh, which McMahon does. Seven of the fourteen stories are new, and each is very well told.
Curious Warnings: The Great Ghost Stories of M. R. James: 150th Anniversary Edition (Quercus/Jo Fletcher) edited by Stephen Jones is an omnibus of Collected Ghost Stories, James’s children’s novel The Five Jars, in addition to essays and uncompleted work. Also, with an historical Afterword by Jones.
Bread and Circuses by Felicity Dowker (Ticonderoga Publications) presents fifteen horror and dark fantasy stories from this Australian writer. Two appear for the first time.
Vampires and Gentlemen: Tales of Erotic Horror by A. R. Morlan (Borgo Press) features twelve stories (one new) by this vastly underrated writer of horror fiction.
Windeye by Brian Evenson (Coffee House Press) presents twenty-five dark and sometimes weird stories by a writer who has been consistently praised by the mainstream despite the fact that he mostly writes horror fiction. He’s one of the few writers in the field today whose work, even in a very few pages, can pack a punch and not seem gimmicky doing so.
From Hell to Eternity by Thana Niveau (Gray Friar Press) presents sixteen stories, half new half reprints published since 2009. Two of the stories were reprinted in Stephen Jones’ series, The Mammoth Book of New Horror.
Peel Back the Sky by Stephen Bacon (Gray Friar Press) is this promising newcomer’s first collection and features fifteen stories reprinted from mostly small press magazines and websites and six originals. He’s a writer to keep an eye on.
The Function Room: the Kollection by Matt Leyshon (no publisher) is a series of sixteen interconnected vignettes taking place in the imaginary Welsh town of Leddenton. The pieces are as strange as they are horrific.
Urn & Willow by Jeffrey Thomas (Ghost House) contains twenty all new ghost tales and vignettes wonderfully illustrated in black and white by Erin Wells.
Hell & Damnation II by Connie Corcoran Wilson (The Merry Blacksmith Press) features eleven new stories inspired by the nine circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno.
Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth by Ray Garton (Cemetery Dance) is a very limited edition not offered for sale but for members of the publisher’s “Collectors Club.” It featured six of the author’s most controversial religious horror short stories.
More Than Midnight by Brian James Freeman (Cemetery Dance) reprints five stories, all originally published between 2001 and 2011.
Ad Nauseum by C. W. LaSart (Dark Moon) features thirteen new stories of gruesome horror.
Little Deaths by John F. D. Taff (Books of the Dead Press) has nineteen stories, about half new.
No Sharks in the Med and Other stories: The Best Macabre Stories of Brian Lumley (Subterranean Press) features twelve of Lumley’s creepiest non-Lovecraftian stories.
Enemies at the Door by Paul Finch (Gray Friar Press) is the author’s fourth collection. The twelve stories, three published for the first time, are all vivid and disturbing in their depiction of ugly sexual politics and exceedingly dark criminal acts.
Dark Melodies by William Meikle (Dark Regions Press) has eight horror stories related to music, some Lovecraftian. Six of the stories are published for the first time.
Vampyric Variations by Nancy Kilpatrick (Edge) has ten stories and novellas about vampires, one new. With an introduction by Tanith Lee.
MIXED-GENRE COLLECTIONS
Jagannath: Stories by Karin Tidbeck (Cheeky Frawg Press) presents thirteen quirky stories by a rising star in Swedish literature. Most of the stories are being published in English for the first time. Only a few are dark enough to be considered horror but the collection is definitely worth a look. The Edge of Waking by Holly Phillips (Prime) is the author’s second collection of stories. Ten of the eleven stories are reprints, most are dark fantasy with a few edging over into horror. Peter Beagle introduces the book and Phillips provides story notes. The Woman Who Married a Cloud: The Collected Short Stories by Jonathan Carroll (Subterranean Press) is only the second collection by the multi-award winning American expatriate over a thirty year career, and it contains thirty-eight stories and novellas that beautifully showcase Carroll’s unique, rich, dark imagination. He’s better known for his fifteen novels such as Land of Laughs, A Child Across the Sky, Outside the Dog Museum, The Wooden Sea, and most recently The Ghost in Love, all exemplars of a quirky magic realism, possibly influenced by residing for decades in Vienna. Many of Carroll’s stories and novels begin with lighthearted plots and situations but veer into dark territories, bridging into horror. Although his work is sexy and romantic, he doesn’t allow those elements to keep him from putting his characters (and the reader) through the wringer. Beautiful Sorrows by Mercedes M. Yardley (Shock Totem Publications) is a quirky collection of mostly very brief stories and vignettes. Some of the stories appear for the first time and a few are pretty dark. All-Monster Action! by Cody Goodfellow (Swallowdown Press) is slaphappy and fun, with its six stories and one novella (this last new) but nothing in the volume creeps up on the reader to provide the frisson of horror. Crackpot Palace by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow) is this talented and eclectic writer’s fourth collection of short fiction. These twenty stories, five of which I originally published, range from quirky and strange to dark and utterly creepy. The one original is a winner. Stay Awake by Dan Chaon (Ballantine Books) is a very good, mostly non-genre collection of twelve stories by a writer primarily known outside our field, but who has written some excellent horror stories for genre anthologies. One story was in the horror half of the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror series. Cracklescape by Margo Lanagan (Twelfth Planet Press) is a powerful mini-collection of four stories by a four-time winner of the World Fantasy Award. The excellent, all new stories are fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror. One, “Bajazzle,” is reprinted herein. Midnight and Moonshine by Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga) is a series of thirteen dark fantasy stories, all but one new, featuring the Norse gods in their different forms, playing havoc with humanity. Attic Clowns by Jeremy C. Shipp (Redrum Horror) contains thirteen mostly new stories. They’re original and weird and occasionally dark, but rarely provide the frisson of horror. A Pretty Mouth by Molly Tanzer (Lazy Fascist Press) is all over the place with four stories and a short novel that show the influence of writers from P. G. Wodehouse to H. P. Lovecraft. Monsoon and Other Stories by Arinn Dembo (Kthonia Press) collects eighteen short stories and poems of science fiction, erotica, and horror. Two stories appear for the first time. Shoggoths in Bloom by Elizabeth Bear (Prime) is a gorgeous collection of twenty science fiction and fantasy (with a bit of dark fantasy) stories, including a couple of award-winners. One original. Hair Side, Flesh Side by Helen Marshall (ChiZine Publications) is a remarkable debut collection featuring fifteen stories of the weird, the dark, and the quirky. Glory & Splendour: Tales of the Weird by Alex Miles (Karōshi Books) has eight weird stories by a new writer, all published for the first time, none particularly horrific. Shoebox Train Wreck by John Mantooth (Chizine Publications) is an excellent debut collection, with sixteen stories published since 2006 (seven in 2012). Few of the stories are horror, but many of them provide glimpses into the darkness of human soul. Flying in the Heart of the Lafayette Escadrille by James Van Pelt (Fairwood Press) is the author’s fourth collection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories originally published from 1991–2012. Back Roads & Frontal Lobes by Brady Allen (Post Mortem Press) is an interesting mixture of twenty-three science fiction, dark fantasy, and horror stories, more than half published for the first time. With some pruning of the weaker tales, this could have been a better collection than it is. Black Dahlia & White Rose by Joyce Carol Oates (Ecco) is the prolific author’s twenty-fifth collection of short stories. Oates is totally in control of voice, style, structure as she easily shifts gears from story to story, starting with the brilliant tale about two infamous women of 1940s Los Angeles who might have met: Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia) and Marilyn Monroe (White Rose). Ugly Behavior by Steve Rasnic Tem (New Pulp Press) is an excellent collection of nineteen noir stories that often slip over into horror, with one story published for the first time. Bedtime Stories for Carrion Beetles by Adrian Ludens (self-published) has nineteen stories of mystery and horror published between 2009 and 2012. Stabs at Happiness by Todd Grimson (Schaffner Press) collects thirteen stories over thirty years by a writer better known for his horror novels Stainless and Brand New Cherry Flavor. The stories (most previously published in literary magazines) are strange and sometimes dark, but too often unsatisfying. Salsa Nocturna by Daniel José Older (Crossed Genres Publications) is the debut collection of a very promising writer. Several of the thirteen ghostly stories are written from the point of view of a Cuban guy who died and has been partially resurrected in order to work for the bureaucratic New York Council of the Dead, cleaning up some of the nastiest jobs. Readers of urban fantasy should take a look. Errantry: Strange Stories by Elizabeth Hand (Small Beer Press) showcases ten recent pieces of fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror by one of our best stylists, including Hand’s brilliant, award-winning novellas “Near Zennor” and “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” (this latter not horror). Hand writes beautifully and elegiacally about the dark, relentlessly drawing the reader into her worlds. Black Horse and Other Strange Stories by Jason A. Wyckhoff (Tartarus Press) is a strong debut collection of sixteen supernatural tales by an accomplished new voice in weird literature. The stories are varied, sometimes but not always dark. The Back of Beyond: New Stories by Alan Peter Ryan (Cemetery Dance Publications) is, along with the novella chapbook Amazonas (see under chapbooks), likely the last new work we’ll be seeing by the late writer. The author of four novels and two collections of short stories and novellas and the editor of five anthologies, Ryan lived in Rio de Janeiro the last several years of his life. He died in 2011. The new collection contains four stories, two of them excellent: one brilliantly melancholic with a fantastical element and a truly frightening and creepy western horror story about demonic possession. Eater-of-Bone: and Other Novellas by Robert Reed (PS Publishing) is a collection of three reprints and one original novella. Reed’s science fiction often is quite dark (including the eponymous, published for the first time piece). Lotteria by Cynthia Pelayo (Burial Day Books) presents fifty-four mostly original short shorts inspired by Mexican and Latin American superstitions and urban myths. Secret Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine (Ex Occidente Press) features twenty-five stories (ten by Howard, fifteen by Valentine) of weird and decadent fiction. Requiems & Nightmares: Selected Short Fiction of Guido Gozzano translated by Brendan and Anna Connell (Hieroglyphic Press) contains twelve weird stories by an Italian writer who was born in 1883 and died of consumption at the age of thirty-five in 1916. He was better known for poetry and nonfiction than his fiction and only a collection of his children’s short stories were published during his lifetime. On the Hill of Roses by Stefan Grabinski translated by Miroslav Lipinski (Hieroglyphic Press) collects seven stories by this unheralded Polish author of weird tales, now translated into English for the first time. His champion, Miroslav Lipinski, has previously published other collections of Grabinski’s work. This volume includes a foreword and an introduction to Grabinski, (1887–1936) and his work. In Dark Corners by Gene O’Neill (Genius Publishing) presents twenty-five sf/h and suspense stories published since 1983, with one new. Moscow But Dreaming by Ekaterina Sedia (Prime) is a debut collection of twenty-one stories by this talented Russian-born writer, whose (often dark) short fiction is inspired by and about her homeland. Two of the stories were originally published in 2012 anthologies and two are original to the collection. Trapped in the Saturday Matinee by Joe R. Lansdale (PS Publishing) brings together some of the author’s early favorites plus those he felt missed their audience the first time around. Also included are essays and two previously unpublished stories. A Bottle of Storm Clouds by Eliza Victoria (Visprint) is the first collection by this award-winning Filipino writer of fantasy and dark fantasy. May We Shed These Human Bodies by Amber Sparks (A Curbside Splendor Book) is a debut collection of strange tales, most very brief, some inhabited by monsters. The Tainted Earth by George Berguño (Egaeus Press) is the author’s third collection and presents eight stories and one novella of weird and sometimes dark fiction, all published in 2012 (six of them in the collection for the first time). The Pottawatomie Giant and Other Stories by Andy Duncan (PS) is the brilliant second collection of twelve science fiction, fantasy, and dark fantasy stories (one new) by this award-winning writer who is a genre unto himself. Intimations of Unreality: Weird Fiction and Poetry by Alan Gullette (Hippocampus Press) is an omnibus of all the author’s Cthulhu Mythos stories, two new novellas, and fifty-eight of his poems. At the Mouth of the River of Bees by Kij Johnson (Small Beer Press) is the first collection of this amazing cross-genre writer. She writes sf/f/dark fantasy, some of which can be very dark indeed. A few of the eighteen stories in the book have won multiple awards.
MAGAZINES, JOURNALS, AND WEBZINES
It’s important to recognize the work of the talented artists working in the field of fantastic fiction, both dark and light. The following artists created art that I thought especially noteworthy during 2012: Ellen Jewett, Tessa Chuddy, Dag Jørgensen, Aurélien Police, Jim Burns, Nicolas Delort, Ben Baldwin, Danielle Tunstall, Glenn Chadbourne, Elena Vizerskaya, Eleanor Finch, Vincent Sammy, Steve Upham, Bernie Gonzales, Linda Saboe, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Sandro Castelli, Erin Wells, David Gentry, Mark Pexton, Svetlana Sukhorukova, Erik Mohr, Danny Evarts, Sara Richard, Eric Lacombe, Paul Lowe, Richard Wagner, Dave Senecal, Kirk Alberts, Matt Mills, David Rix, Sarolta Bán, David Grilla, Tomislav Tikulin, Steven Archer, Mariusz Siergiejew, Mark Crittenden, David Whitlam, Oliver Wetter, Antonello Silverini, Victor Bravo, Stephen James Price, Bryan Prindiville, Katie Rose Pipkin, Elizabeth Heller, Vincent Chong, and George Cotronis.
Some of the most important magazines/webzines are those specializing in news of the field, market reports, and reviews. The Gila Queen’s Guide to Markets, edited by Kathryn Ptacek, emailed to subscribers on a regular basis, is an excellent fount of information for markets in and outside the horror field. Market Maven, edited by Cynthia Ward is a monthly email newsletter specializing in professional and semi-professional speculative fiction market news. Ralan.com and Duotrope.com are the web sites for up-to-date market information. Locus, edited by Liza Groen Trombi and Locus Online, edited by Mark Kelly specialize in news about the science fiction and fantasy fields, but include horror coverage as well.
The only major venues specializing in reviewing short genre fiction are Tangent Online, Locus Magazine, and Locus Online, but none of them specialize in horror.
Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter is edited by Rosemary Pardoe and continues to be published periodically. There was one issue out in 2012, and it contained a chilling, contest-winning sequel by Christopher Harman to James’s “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, my Lad,” in addition to scholarly essays and discussions of Jamesian work.
The Silent Companion edited by António Monteiro is an annual fiction magazine that comes as part of the subscription price to “A Ghostly Company,” an informal literary society devoted to the ghost story in all its forms. The group produces a quarterly, non-fiction newsletter containing articles, letters, and book reviews. The fiction magazine featured six stories.
http://www.aghostlycompany.org.uk/
Fangoria edited by Chris Alexander and Rue Morgue edited by Dave Alexander (no relation as far as I know) are where the horror movie aficionado can find superficial but up-to-date information on most of the horror films being produced. Both magazines include interviews, articles and lots of gory photographs. For in-depth coverage of older movies of all types, Video Watchdog, a bi-monthly edited by Tim Lucas, is a gem. It’s erudite yet entertaining. In addition to movie reviews, the magazine runs a regular audio column by Douglas E. Winter, a book review column, and a regular column by Ramsey Campbell. Headpress 2.6 is a quarterly edited by David Kerekes, published as a hardcover book and webzine. The first half of the issue is about the contemporary Grand Guignol—limited run performances by theater companies in London around Halloween. This section is generously illustrated with blood-soaked photographs and illustrations. Included are interviews with the producers of such events and a bit of history. The second half of the issue features a piece on Philip K. Dick, an interview with one of the co-founders of Re/Search, the publisher that produced books such as Modern Primitive, We Who are Not as Others, and Industrial Culture Handbook. And an interview with Adam Parfrey, publisher of Apocalypse Culture.
Supernatural Tales edited by David Longhorn is an excellent biannual magazine of supernatural fiction. In addition to the generous helping of stories, there are book reviews. The stories that most impressed me were by Adam Golaski, Stephen J. Clark, Derek John, Ian Rogers, S. M. Cashmore, and Steve Rasnic Tem.
Shadows & Tall Trees edited by Michael Kelly published two issues in 2012. This consistently good-looking magazine of low-key but usually potent fiction featured eight stories, the strongest by Stephen Bacon, Gary McMahon, Kirsty Logan, Laura Mauro, David Surface, V. H. Leslie, Robert Shearman, Ralph Robert Moore, and Nina Allan. In addition, there were book and movie reviews although Kelly has decided to drop both and instead included two pieces of criticism, interviews, or commentary. Stories by Gary McMahon and Stephen Bacon are reprinted herein.
Phantasmagorium, a promising quarterly webzine began with Laird Barron editing the first issue. Joseph S. Pulver, Jr. took over after that, editing the final three issues. During the year it featured notable work by Nadia Bulkin, Stephen Graham Jones, and Mike Allen during its brief existence.
Nightmare Magazine edited by John Joseph Adams, a new monthly sister webzine to Lightspeed, launched in October and mixes originals with reprints. The first three issues had notable originals by Sarah Langan, Jonathan Maberry, Daniel H. Wilson, and Laird Barron, the last reprinted herein.
Weird Fiction Review edited by S. T. Joshi had one fat issue in 2012, which a wonderful Mad Magazine parody cover featuring icon Alfred E. Neuman as Cthulhu. The journal has over 230 pages of original fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. There was strong dark fiction and poetry by Tom Fletcher, Ann K. Schwader, and a collaboration by Maryanne K. Snyder and W. H. Pugmire.
Lovecraft e-zine edited by Mike Davis is a monthly that’s available online and for e-readers and publishes Lovecraftian fiction and poetry. Some very good work was published in 2012, including stories and poems by Tracie McBride, Joseph Pulver, Sr., Simon Kurt Unsworth, and Joshua Reynolds.
Innsmouth Magazine edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, another e-zine specializing in Lovecraftian fiction published three issues in 2012, with notable stories by Fritz Bogott, William Meikle, Colin Leslie, L. Lark, and L. T. Patridge.
Black Static edited by Andy Cox always publishes excellent horror fiction. The stories that impressed me the most in 2012 were by Stephen Bacon, Simon Bestwick, Jon Ingold, Carole Johnstone, David Kotok, Susan Kim, Daniel Mills, Daniel Kaysen, Joel Lane, Jacob Ruby, Priya Sharma, Nina Allan, Tim Lees, and Ray Cluley. The Priya Sharma is reprinted herein.
Cemetery Dance edited by Richard Chizmar published four issues in 2012, trying to catch up after publishing none in 2011—unfortunately some of the reviews published in the first half of 2012 (this includes my own) were dated and some of the fiction bought as “original” were reprints by the time they came out in CD. But by the end of the year, the magazine had caught up. Of the new stories published during 2012 the best were Graham Masterton, Jeremy C. Shipp, Terry Dowling, Bruce McAllister, Sophie Littlefield, Bill Pronzini, Steve Rasnic Tem, and David Bell. The McAllister is reprinted herein.
Morpheus Tales edited by Adam Bradley brought out four issues in 2012. There were notable stories by Harley Campbell, Deborah Walker, and Kyle Hemmings.
Lamplight edited by Jacob Haddon is a promising new horror quarterly available as an inexpensive e-book for various formats. The first two issues, published in 2012, featured several new stories, a classic or two, and essays about anthologies by J. F. Gonzales. I discovered the magazine too late (early 2013) to cover it adequately in this volume.
Polluto 9 ¾: Witchfinders vs. the Evil Red edited by Victoria Hooper had a generous helping of dark fiction and poetry. The more notable pieces were by Richard Thomas, Nicole Cushing, and Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi.
Albedo One edited by John Kenny, Peter Loftus, Frank Ludlow, David Murphy, and Robert Neilson is the only genre magazine I’m aware of that’s published in Ireland. The one issue out in 2012 had some very good dark fiction by Priya Sharma, Craig Saunders, and Lawrence Wilson.
Nameless: A Biannual Journal of the Macabre, Esoteric and Intellectual edited by Jason V. Brock is a new magazine devoted to horror and dark fantasy including fiction, articles, interviews, reviews, comics, and art. The first issue is a good looking, promising start.
Not One of Us edited by John Benson is a reliably interesting long-running magazine of weird fiction and poetry that often has material dark enough to be considered horror. There were two issues published in 2012, with good stories by Erik Amundsen, F. J. Bergmann, and Mark Rigney. Also, Benson’s annual one-off was out, and called Under Review.
Dark Discoveries edited by James Beach has been bought by Christopher C. Payne, owner of JournalStone Publications. Beach remains editor in chief. The magazine, mixing fiction, articles, reviews, and interviews, had two issues out in 2012. It’s now in full color and has expanded its page count. There was good dark fiction by Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Paul Melniczek, Lisa Morton, and Stephen Mark Rainey.
Shock Totem edited by K. Allen Wood brought out one good-looking issue in 2012. In it are reviews, fiction, and an interview with Jack Ketchum. There’s notable fiction by Anaea Lay and Darrell Schweitzer.
The Sirenia Digest is a long-running email newsletter by Caitlín R. Kiernan. For ten dollars a month, the reader might read a preview of a new work, a fragment of an old rare one, or a brand new story or poem, usually by Kiernan, occasionally by one of her friends.
MIXED-GENRE MAGAZINES AND WEBZINES
Interzone edited by Andy Cox, is the bi-monthly science fiction sister magazine of Black Static, and as such has less horror. But in 2012 there were notable dark stories by Carole Johnstone, Tyler Keevil, Stephen Bacon, Jon Ingold, Priya Sharma, Jacob Ruby, Daniel Kaysen, and Joel Lane. Asimov’s Science Fiction edited by Sheila Williams, specializes in science fiction but occasionally includes some very dark themed stories. The strongest in 2012 were by Robert Reed, Paul McAuley, Ekaterina Sedia, Alan Smale, and Zachary Jernigan. There was also an excellent poem by Jane Yolen. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction edited by Gordon Van Gelder publishes a variety of science fiction, fantasy, and horror bi-monthly. There was notable dark fiction by Albert E. Cowdrey, Dale Bailey, Jeffrey Ford, Matthew Johnson, and Rachel Pollack. The Jeffrey Ford is reprinted herein. Shimmer edited by E. Catherine Tobler is a quarterly, publishing mostly fantasy and dark fantasy, occasionally spilling over into horror. The best horror stories appearing in 2012 were by Dustin Monk and K. M. Ferebee. On Spec, a Canadian magazine edited by The Copper Pig Writers’ Society, is published quarterly and is a mix of sf/f/h. In 2012 there were notable dark stories by David K. Yeh and Daniel Moal. The British Fantasy Society now combines its journal of fantasy and horror, called BFS Journal, with poetry, prose, and nonfiction into one entity edited by Peter Coleborn, Lou Morgan, and Ian Hunter. The three issues published in 2012 had notable dark stories and poetry by Deborah Walker, James Brogden, Garry Kilworth, Richard Farren Barber, Fiona Moore, Jonathan Oliver, Marie O’Regan, and Ray Cluley. Lore edited by Rod Heather has been revived after more than ten years and its one issue had a good story by Patricia Russo. Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine edited by the ASIM Hivemind had strong dark fiction by Debbie Moorhouse, Belinda Crawford, R. P. L. Johnson, Nike Sulway, Dirk Flinthart, B. G. Hilton, Stephen Gallagher, Deborah Kalin, Nicole M. Taylor, David Tallerman, and Tamlyn Dreaver. Tin House edited by Rob Spillman has published fiction by a variety of genre names and every once in awhile has some knockout dark fiction, During 2012 the magazine had strong dark stories by Amy Hempel, Karen Russell, Susan Minot, and Bennett Sims. Rosebud edited by Roderick Clark is a fifteen year old literary magazine that occasionally publishes dark work. In 2012 there were interesting dark pieces by Sheldon Gleisser, Andrew Bourelle, and Cameron Witbeck. Sacrum Regnum is a new magazine edited by Daniel Corrick and Mark Samuels dedicated to publishing and promoting weird literature. The first issue is promising, with four short stories, several essays, and reviews. Weird Tales #359 was the last issue edited by Ann VanderMeer, the editor who dragged the venerable magazine into the twenty-first century. In that issue there were notable stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Joel Lane, Tom Underberg, and Tamsyn Muir. The Muir is reprinted herein. New publisher Marvin Kaye brought out one issue, #360 dubbed “The Elder Gods” issue, combined with a special Ray Bradbury tribute section. There was a generous helping of fiction and poetry along with a few book reviews, and an essay about Lovecraft’s use of the state of Vermont in his fiction. Phantom Drift edited by David Memmott, Leslie What, and Matt Schumacher has some good dark fiction and poetry by Helen Marshall, Elizabeth Schumacher, Robert Guffey, and Jacob Rakovan. The Australian magazine Aurealis, edited by Dirk Strasser, is one of the best long-running mixed-genre magazines. In 2012 there were good dark stories by Robert N. Stephenson, Daniel Baker, Jenny Blackford, and Jason Nahrung. Abyss & Apex Magazine of Speculative Fiction had notable poetry (edited by Stephen M. Wilson) by Tina Connolly, Sandra Kasturi, Nandini Dhar, and Helen Marshall. Subterranean, a website run by publisher William Schafer of Subterranean Press, regularly publishes short stories and novelettes. There were notable dark stories in 2012 by Maria Davhana Headley, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Hal Duncan, and Terry Dowling. Conjunctions edited by Bradford Morrow, is a well-known literary magazine that occasionally publishes fantasy and/or horror. There was notable dark work by Gabriel Blackwell, Bernadette Esposito, and Joyce Carol Oates. Conjunctions 59: Colloquy has a section edited by Peter Straub inspired by a panel held at the 2012 International Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts. Essays by China Miéville, Theodora Goss, James Morrow, and Straub himself make up A Portfolio on the Monstrous. Clarkesworld Magazine edited by Neil Clarke and Sean Wallace regularly publishes science fiction and fantasy fiction with the occasional horror story. In 2012 there were good horror stories by Lisa L. Hannett, Xia Jia, and Kij Johnson. The Johnson is reprinted herein.
POETRY JOURNALS, WEBZINES, AND CHAPBOOKS
Goblin Fruit, the quarterly webzine edited by Amal El-Mohtar, Jessica P. Wick, and Oliver Hunter, is easily the best publisher of dark poetry around, consistently publishing varied quality material. My favorites during 2012 were by Kelly Rose Pflug-Back, Jennifer Crow, Sonya Taaffe, Mike Allen, F. J. Bergmann, Lynn Hardaker, Sandy Leibowitz, Foz Meadows, Amanda Reck, and Dominik Parisien. The Leibowitz is reprinted herein.
Mythic Delirium edited by Mike Allen is a reliable little magazine for good dark poetry. In 2012 there were notable dark poems by Sonya Taaffe and Sandi Leibowitz.
Star*Line edited by F. J. Bergmann is the bi-monthly journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association and publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror poetry. During 2012 the strongest dark poems were by Marcie Lynch Tentchoff, Ann K. Schwader, Mike Allen, and Kurt Newton.
Dwarf Stars 2012 edited by Geoffrey A. Landis and Joshua Gage (Science Fiction Poetry Association) is a selection of the best speculative poems of ten lines or fewer from the previous year. The SFPA members vote for the Dwarf Stars Award, from the works in this anthology.
The 2012 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2011 Selected by the Science Fiction Poetry Association edited by Lyn C. A. Gardner (Science Fiction Poetry Association/ Hadrosaur Productions) is used by members to vote on the best short poem and the best long poem of the year.
Anthropomorphisms by Bruce Boston (Elektrik Milkbath Press) contains twenty-five reprinted poems themed under “people” and describing how crow people, gargoyle people, and many others would behave. Witty, but only one or two pieces of horror.
Come Late to the Love of Birds by Sandra Kasturi (Tightrope Books) has forty-one mostly original poems, some of them dark. Dark Duet by Linda D. Addison and Stephen M. Wilson (Necon E-Books) features science fiction, fantasy, and dark fantasy poems written solo and together by Addison and Wilson. The Monstrance by Bryan D. Dietrich (Needfire Poetry) takes Dr. Frankenstein’s monster on a journey of discovery in this interesting take on James Whale’s movie version of Mary Shelley’s novel. Vampires Zombies and Wanton Souls by Marge Simon & Sandy DeLuca (Elektrik Milkbath Press) has about seventy short, mostly amusing rather than horrific poems, the majority published for the first time. Notes from the Shadow City by Gary William Crawford and Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press) has over forty-five dystopian poems, a number of them published for the first time. Loves & Killers by Mary Turzillo (Dark Regions Press) is an excellent mixed-genre collection of over thirty-five poems, new and reprints.
NONFICTION
Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America (Tarcher/Penguin) is a book of mostly anecdotal evidence about the existence of werewolves and/or dogmen. The author reports on her many first person interviews of witnesses but comes to no conclusions as to the actual existence of such creatures. Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Houses by Brad Steiger (Visible Ink) is an updated edition of the 2003 book. The twenty-nine chapters cover topics ranging from “Spirit Parasites That Possess” to “Animal Ghosts—Domesticated and Wild.” An Epicure in the Terrible: A Centennial Anthology of Essays in Honor of H. P. Lovecraft edited by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press) is an updated and revised edition of an invaluable book of essays about Lovecraft originally published in 1991. That’s Disgusting by Rachel Herz (W. W. Norton) is a book that explores the nature of disgust—“what it is, how, where, and why it is elicited psychologically and neurologically, what its dark sides are, our perverse attraction to it, and its consequences of us as individuals and for our society.” Note such delicacies as Iceland’s hákarl (Greenland shark left to decompose then dried) and Sardinian casu marzu (sheep cheese riddled with live maggots) and then fill out the questionnaire showing where you rank on the “disgust scale.” Popular Revenants: The German Gothic and Its International Reception, 1800–2000 edited by Andrew Cusack and Barry Murnane (Camden House) is the first book in English dedicated to the German Gothic in over thirty years. Raising Hell: Ken Russell and the Unmaking of the Devils by Richard Crouse (ECW Press) includes interviews with the late Ken Russell, cast, crew, and historians about Russell’s controversial 1971 movie about a charismatic (and oversexed) priest blamed for the apparent possession of an order of nuns, led by the sexually repressed Sister Jeanne. Graphically violent, sexually explicit, and for some blasphemous, the movie has been edited, banned, and buried by Warner Brothers. Gothicka: Vampire Heroes, Human Gods, and the New Supernatural by Victoria Nelson (Harvard University Press) is a readable but narrow exploration of what the author refers to as “literary shock genre”—“gothicka.” She begins with the intriguing premise that authors of possession and exorcism fiction and movies—whether written by believers or not—have created a “faux Catholicism” that gives an enormous power to the rituals and symbols of the Catholic Church, and speculates as to why that may be. From there she analyzes a range of popular titles including the vampire novels of Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Laurell Hamilton, and Stephenie Myer; the religious conspiracy books of James Redfield, Dan Brown, and Umberto Ecco; Lovecraftian fiction; and international movies including examples of J-Horror and Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. This is all quite entertaining, but only after reading most of the book does one realize that her entire point is to speculate on how religion is evolving in the twenty-first century by using all these pop cultural examples, rather than an actual exploration of the horror genre. If the reader is interested in a strictly religious interpretation of the gothick, this is for you, but otherwise the book is terribly limited in illuminating the mystery and wonder of the supernatural movies and literature. The Forgotten Writings of Bram Stoker edited by John Edgar Browning (Palgrave Macmillan) is an important resource for those interested in other writings by the author of Dracula, even though the material is not dark. Elizabeth Miller provides a brief preface about Stoker’s life and works. The book features twelve previously unknown published works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writing. The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies: An A–Z Guide to More Than 60 Years of Blood and Guts by Peter Normanton (Running Press) is a lively compendium covering slasher movies, alphabetically from 1959 through 2011. First, there’s a fascinating overview of the history of the visceral in movies, including sections on US and UK movie censorship, on the rise of Hammer films, the dramatic development of cinematic horror in the sixties (with Psycho, Peeping Tom, Les Yeux Sans Visage, etc), the promulgation of grindhouse and exploitation, the video nasties campaign in the 1980s, up to where we are today. But the meat is the more than 250 reviews, with release dates, running times, cast and production notes, and splats ranging from 0–5 denoting the amount of gore and splatter. Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton (Reaktion Books) provides context for one of the United States’ favorite holidays, looking at its precursors in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the related Day of the Dead in Mexico, and contemporary customs and costumes in the US. She also examines the holiday’s influence on popular culture in film, literature and television. Reel Terror by David Konow (St. Martin’s Press/ Thomas Dunne Books) is a hundred year history of horror films. The Walking Dead and Philosophy edited by Wayne Yuen (Carus Publishing/ Open Court) has twenty critical essays about the comics and television show. The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia: Volume 2 by Peter Dendle (McFarland) follows up the author’s first book, which took the zombie from 1932 through the 1990s. The new volume covers movies features and short films made in the 2000s. The Vampire Film: Undead Cinema by Jerry Weinstock (Wallflower) is an excellent entry in a series called “Short Cuts: Introductions to Film Studies.” The author compresses a lot into a mere 130 pages of text and does it in an entertaining and readable style. The Undead and Theology edited by Kim Paffenroth and John W. Morehead (Pickwick Publications) covers vampires, zombies, and in a third section, the golem, gothic subculture, and the cenobites of Clive Barker but the bulk of the book is taken up with zombies. Insufficient Answers: Essays on Robert Aickman edited by Gary William Crawford (Gothic Press) contains three essays about Aickman’s work by Philip Challinor, Rebekah Memel Brown, and Isaac Land. Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930–1960 by Laurence Raw (McFarland) is a biographical dictionary of ninety-six entries about the character actors who regularly appeared in Hollywood’s Golden Age, including in depth analyses of their best performances. European Nightmares: Horror Cinema in Europe Since 1945 edited by Patricia Allmer, David Huxley, and Emily Brick (Wallflower) features essays about British, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Northern European, and Eastern European horror cinema. Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction Volume 1 and 2 by S.T. Joshi (PS Publishing) comprises more than seven hundred pages beginning with Gilgamesh and ending with a discussion of the works of Laird Barron and Joe Hill. Joshi’s always been opinionated and he certainly doesn’t hold back here. Readers might be by turns nodding their heads in approval or squeaking their outrage, but they will always be entertained. Speaking of Monsters: A Teratological Anthology edited by Caroline Joan S. Picart and John Edgar Browning (Palgrave Macmillan), while academic, is still of interest to the general reader interested in the subject. The book is broken down into seven topics. Horror and the Horror Film by Bruce F. Kawin (Anthem Press) is an extremely readable book for anyone interested in horror films. In it, the author views “their narrative strategies, their relations to reality and fantasy, and their cinematic power.” (taken from copy). Trucker Ghost Stories edited by Annie Wilder (Tor) is a compilation of “true” stories of ghostly encounters experienced by truckers around the U.S.
CHAPBOOKS AND LIMITED EDITIONS
Spectral Press published several single story chapbooks: Rough Music by Simon Kurt Unsworth is a haunting, well-done tale about a man who cheated on his wife in the past but is currently attempting to make up for it. The Eyes of Water by Alison Littlewood is a smart, nicely-told creepy tale of two young men who thrive on the exploration of Mexican cenotes (flooded caves) in the Yucatan. The Nine Deaths of Dr. Valentine by John Llewellyn Probert is about a serial killer in Bristol murdering doctors in ingeniously grisly ways borrowed from Vincent Price horror movies. The Way of the Leaves by David Tallerman is a moving tale about two young friends who discover and explore a local barrow and how it changes their lives. The press also published the novella The Respectable Face of Tyranny by Gary Fry about a man, who having lost most of his money in the stock market, moves into a caravan (trailer) with his daughter near a stretch of ancient, deserted beach. Nightjar Press continued to publish single story chapbooks: Marionettes by Claire Massey is a disturbing tale about a married couple returning to Prague for vacation seven years after their first visit. Into the Penny Arcade by Claire Massey is about a mysterious lorry parked on a quiet street down which a young girl must go to get home from school. (reprinted herein). Puck by David Rose is about a divorced painter who lives in an isolated cottage with his daughter. Small Animals by Alison Moore is a very creepy story about two women visiting a third woman who lives in isolation with her child. Peter Atkins and Glen Hirshberg through Earthling Publications, created their annual chapbook in conjunction with the reading series, The Rolling Darkness Review. This year’s volume is called The Raven of October and includes a play, a reprint by Atkins, a collaboration by Atkins and Hirshberg, and originals by Hirshberg and the two authors’ alter-ego Thomas Bartlett. This is Horror is a horror website that has launched a series of chapbooks in 2012, edited by Michael Wilson. The first two are Joe & Me, a tense science fiction story by David Moody about biowarfare experimentation, and the second “Thin Men with Yellow Faces” is a creepy collaboration by Gary McMahon and Simon Bestwick about what happens when a social worker attempts to help a young girl under her supervision. Cemetery Dance published “Amazonas” by Alan Peter Ryan, a marvelous lush and sinister exploration into the heart of darkness of Brazil. In 1906, a married couple are led up the Amazon River by a guide who knows of the “slave tree,” a tree that grows slaves, that the husband wants to exploit. Also, from Cemetery Dance came the controlled, chilling, moving novella “I’m Not Sam” by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee about a happily married couple who wake up one day to a shocking change that affects their lives and their marriage. Lee Thomas’s Torn is a chilling story about what happens when a child gone missing is found in the woods around the town of Luthor’s Bend. Bad Moon Books published Lisa Morton’s Hell Manor, about a guy whose first love is the haunted house he and his business partner develop for Halloween. Trouble enters the picture in the person of an unearthly blonde who applies for a job. The Dalkey Archive Press published Vlad, a new novella by Carlos Fuentes, about the Count in contemporary Mexico City. Delphine Dodd by S. P. Miskowsi (Omnium Gatherum) is a powerful novella about what happened to the two young sisters who are taken in by their grandmother after being left on a roadside by their mother.
ODDS AND ENDS
The Art of Luke Chueh: Bearing the Unbearable (Titan Books) is a coffee table book, the first about the work of this contemporary artist, whose simple, cartoon-like style has been picking up enthusiasts for the past ten years. He’s known as “the bear guy” because most of his paintings feature bears—not realistic bears but comic like teddy bears. These are not happy-go-lucky, charming bears, but bears that suffer and self-harm, bears that are beaten, cut and burned and otherwise abuse themselves, bears with bloodied eye sockets, burning paws, targets painted on their chests. Chueh’s work is deeply personal, as he works out his demons of self-identity and depression.
Graphic Horror: Movie Monster Memories by John Edgar Browning (Schiffer), with a foreword by David J. Skal and an Afterword by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, is an entertaining coffee table book made up of loads of colorful classic horror movie posters, stills from the films, and brief tidbits or reactions to each film by well-known enthusiasts from the sparse 1920s through the 2000s. The entertaining commentary is by writers, anthologists, scholars, and editors including Mort Castle, Brian Stableford, Katherine Ramsland, Ramsey Campbell, Nancy Kilpatrick, and Tony Timpone. This is very much for the casual browser, not for those in the know but it’s still quite enjoyable to dip into. Included is “A Selection of Readings in Horror and the Supernatural” that’s more interesting for the anthologies it leaves out than for what it includes (there are at least eight science fiction anthologies listed), not one horror anthology edited by either Stephen Jones or by myself.
Halloween Classics: Graphic Classics Volume Twenty-Three edited by Tom Pomplum (Eureka Publications) is an enjoyable compilation of five classic stories (and a screenplay) adapted for the contemporary reader by several talented writers and comic artists. Mort Castle and Kevin Atkinson’s brief but colorful introduction to the horror aficionado’s favorite holiday sets the mood for the five tales by Washington Irving, Arthur Conan Doyle,
H. P. Lovecraft, Mark Twain, and Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. The art is uniformly excellent, the adaptations smartly done. Among the illustrators and writers who’ve done a bang-up job are Ben Avery, Nick Miller, Tom Pomplum, Rod Lott, Simon Gane, Craig Wilson, and Matt Howath.
Inner Sanctum: Tales of Mystery, Horror & Suspense by Ernie Colón (NBM) adapts six stories from the popular radio show, which aired from 1941–1952 (and regularly opened with a creaking door). The stories are illustrated in black and white, and are heavily influenced by the pulp horror era. The only story credited in the book is an original by Colón. The other five, including “The Horla” by Guy de Maupassant, Robert Sloane, and Fred Maytho (and two others I couldn’t track down) are all uncredited.
The Vampire Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Bloodthirsty Undead by Roger Ma (Berkley) follows up on the fun, high concept Zombie Combat Manual and will appeal to those vampire lovers with a sense of humor.
Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times by Rocky Wood and Lisa Morton, illustrated by Greg Chapman (McFarland & Company) covers the history of the witch hunt, those who introduced the practice and those who later supervised the accusations, torture, and executions of thousands of victims over a period of three centuries.
Mirror Mirror: The Burns Collection Daguerreotypes by Stanley Burns, MD (Burns Archives Press) is the third volume in the series of 5x6 inch hardcover mini books being published irregularly by the Burns Archive. Dr. Stanley B. Burns started collecting vintage photographs in late 1975. He specialized in medical daguerreotypes, and since then has accumulated over one million images. This specific volume is not focused on medical curiosities. Instead, it’s “intended as a reference for collectors, photographers, and historians … and contains 250 daguerreotypes representing a wide range of American, British, and French images.” Even so, there are plenty of unintentionally strange images to be appreciated by horror aficionados—there’s something about the dead-eyed stares of live portrait subjects that is often as creepy as the posed dead.
The Oopsatoreum: Inventions of Henry A. Wilcox by Shaun Tan (Powerhouse Publishing) should make new fans for the Australian artist and filmmaker, whose short animated film, The Lost Thing won an Oscar in 2011. It’s a look at the unsuccessful inventions of the fictional Wilcox, with descriptions and illustrations of real but obscure objects from Sydney, Australia’s Powerhouse Museum.
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