The Best Horror of the Year Volume Nine

Though all collections have highs and lows for the individual listener, all of these single-serving-sized shivers benefit from the beautifully measured and thoughtful narration of Christina Delaine and James Foster. Rather than focus on the moments of cosmic horror in these stories--and a number owe a great deal to H.P. Lovecraft--the narrators emphasize the relationships between the characters, making their emotional worlds so real that the inevitable disruptions are that much more disturbing. As a result, the stories become far more than the outlandish frights they contain. The narrators' easily discernible characters and expert timing build the suspense to a point that will have listeners leaning in to catch every terrified whisper and snarled revelation. B.E.K. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine