BOOK REVIEW
The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eleven
by Ellen
Datlow
Night
Shade Books
Pub
Date 01 Sep 2019
Description
For more than three decades, Ellen Datlow has been at the center
of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow
always has her finger on the pulse of what horror readers crave. Now, with the
tenth volume of the series, Datlow is back again to bring you the stories that
will keep you up at night.
Encompassed in the pages of The Best Horror of the Year have been such illustrious writers as:
Neil Gaiman Kim Stanley Robinson Stephen King Linda Nagata Laird Barron Margo Lanagan And many others
With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. But this light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows. It is a catalog of terror, fear, and unpleasantness as articulated by today’s most challenging and exciting writers.
Encompassed in the pages of The Best Horror of the Year have been such illustrious writers as:
Neil Gaiman Kim Stanley Robinson Stephen King Linda Nagata Laird Barron Margo Lanagan And many others
With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. But this light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows. It is a catalog of terror, fear, and unpleasantness as articulated by today’s most challenging and exciting writers.
Available
Editions
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EDITION
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Paperback
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ISBN
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9781597809726
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PRICE
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$15.99 (USD)
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Ellen Datlow has been at the forefront of selecting the
finest short stories in horror for decades now and her name alone sells these
Best Horror books. You know that only quality short stories are going to be
included in the volume, regardless of if the author is a big-ticket writer like
Joe Hill, Stephen King or a relative newbie in the industry.
The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eleven contains 26 top-notch
pieces of speculative fiction and vivid horror that will keep you awake at
night. As usual with Datlow’s collections, there is mention of other author’s
stories that just didn’t make the cut but are worth the read. Which is great if
you finish the book and are left wanting more because of the quality of the
writing.
There are quick reads starting at a short 1,700 words to decent
novelettes at 10,300 words. An interesting piece was written by four authors,
each with a different character’s perspective. The writers hail from all across
the world with ten stories by women and sixteen by men. Half of the authors
have never appeared in a Datlow collection before, so it’s great to see fresh
faces amongst those we already know.
Themes range from two strangers waking up in an unfamiliar
room, naked and covered with blood with shredded clothes and body parts around
the room, to the unsettling story of everyone in the world suffering from uncontrollable
rage at the same time. A Post-apocalyptic story about a winter covered world where
survival and cannibalism are one and the same. Folk horror, cosmic horror,
postapocalyptic horror, cannibalism, urban legends and creature horror are some
of the themes covered in these twenty-six tales.
If you have never read short stories before then I would definitely
recommend this collection to whet your appetite.
5 out of 5 stars.
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