The Best Horror of the Year

March 26, 2012
The 18 scary stories that Datlow (Supernatural Noir) has selected as the best of 2011 hint at even worse horrors lurking beyond the fringes of their narratives. In “The Little Green God of Agony,” Stephen King profiles an exorcist and faith healer who purports to give physical form to pain. In “Final Girl Theory,” A.C. Wise tells of a cult horror film that triggers a grim collective fantasy in the minds of its viewers. Peter Straub’s “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” achieves a Twilight Zone type of unease through disorienting shifts of time and place. In “The Show,” Priya Sharma works a creepy variation on the classic horror theme of the “sham” spirit medium whose skills prove genuine. The variety of concepts and styles on display, and Datlow’s comprehensive introduction, will please horror readers of all stripes.

May 23, 2011
In the third volume of this annual series, famed editor Datlow brings together 17 stories published in 2010 in a variety of sources both popular and obscure. In Cody Goodfellow's "At the Riding School," a veterinarian makes a strange house call at a girls' school. Catherynne M. Valente's "The Days of Flaming Motorcycles," one of several zombie stories, sketches the life of the only living woman among the undead horde. John Langan uses self-conscious narrative to twist the werewolf story in "The Revel." The usual lists of honorable mentions and award-winners and a thoughtful assessment of the field will encourage readers to seek out the year's other notable horror stories. As always, Datlow delivers a top-notch anthology with a nice balance of new and established writers.

September 15, 2011

A profusion of magpies portends ominous events in Tanith Lee's doomsday story "Black and White Sky," while in Laird Barron's "--30--," a pair of wildlife experts find themselves inexplicably altered by their research. Award-winning editor Datlow (Lovecraft Unbound) lends her expertise to this collection of top-notch tales of dark fantasy chosen from a variety of sources, including magazines, webzines, single-author collections, literary journals, and other anthologies. VERDICT From subtle psychological suspense to graphic violence, this collection of tales by authors like Richard Christian Matheson, Catherynne M. Valente, and John Langan provides a broad spectrum of styles sure to please most fans of the genre.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
With Datlow's keen eye for talent, her speculative fiction collections consistently rank at the top of their respective genres, whether it's fantasy, sf, or, in this case, horror. Datlow's third in a series of best annual horror anthologies, culled from periodicals, chapbooks, and webzines, is no exception. Genre buffs will recognize many familiar names here, such as Stephen Graham Jones, Tanith Lee, and John Langan (who contributes two stories), while discovering horror newcomers such as Ray Chuley and Reggie Oliver. The title character of Oliver's sly, inventive Mr. Pigsny is a soul-stealing demon who crosses paths with a Cambridge University professor after both attend the funeral of a local gangster. Other standouts include Joe R. Lansdale's creepy Halloween tale The Folding Man and Richard Harland's The Fear, recounting the damage done by a cult horror director's forbidden film. The volume also features Datlow's insightful Summation 2010, which provides a thorough analysis of the horror genre's latest publishing trends, which, by itself, makes the collection an indispensable reference for every library.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)