The Doll Collection

Starred review from February 2, 2015
Dolls, puppets, and other human simulacra are objects of fear and wonder in this eclectic anthology of 17 excellent original stories that Datlow (Nightmare Carnival) selected for their ability to “mine the uncanniness of dolls for all its worth.” In Stephen Gallagher’s “Heroes and Villains,” the creepy candor with which a ventriloquist’s dummy tells truths about its deceased former owner suggests that it’s not the current owner who is speaking through it. Joyce Carol Oates’s “The Doll-Master” is narrated by the title character, who gradually reveals the ghoulish nature of his “doll” collection. Datlow’s ban on clichéd “evil doll” stories encouraged contributors to explore refreshingly original ideas, including the doll hospital in Veronica Schanoes’s “The Permanent Collection,” which nods to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic “The Sandman” while depicting a Mengele-like surgeon named Coppelius, and the strange folk tradition of Jeffrey Ford’s “The Word Doll,” in which children are compelled to escape into the world of an imaginary playmate. Accompanying photos of dolls and their parts intensify the eeriness of these works, which easily transcend their familiar theme.

March 15, 2015

In this collection of all-new stories from various luminaries of fantasy and horror we see a huge array of tales tied together only by their inclusion of dolls of some kind. Joyce Carol Oates's great story "Doll-Master" features a serial killer with a doll obsession. Gemma Files goes off on a tangent with her creepy "Gaze," about a set of antique eye miniatures. A young woman sentenced to community service at a hospital ER encounters a patient who carries a lifelike doll in Pat Cadigan's "In Case of Zebras." Even Kewpies get a story in Carrie Vaughn's "Goodness and Kindness." VERDICT Dolls, like clowns, are one of the totems of childhood that somehow seem sinister in adulthood. Award-winning editor Datlow has arranged a strong, themed anthology without ever resorting to the "evil doll" cliche of horror movies. There isn't a bad story in the bunch, making this a great addition to horror collections.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.