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k_rose95's review against another edition
2.0
I really only enjoyed two of the stories. The rest were okay.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, it has to be said: one of the stories in here is mine - "The Better Part of Drowning" - and so I am clearly biased, but I do love horror and this anthology is full of it. There's a wide range of horror stories in here too, and range is I think always a bonus in any anthology, as it increases the chance of coming across stories that will really appeal to the individual reader. Personally, I tend to prefer horror that's as much story as gore, tending more to the contemporary than the cosmic, and so I was well-served by a lot of the pieces in here. The stories that particularly appealed to me were the excellent "West of Matamoros, North of Hell" by Brian Hodge, "Burnt" by Luciano Marano, and the beautifully written "So Sings the Siren" by Annie Neugebauer, which is going down as one of my favourite horror stories of all time.
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
4.0
Labels. How does the saying go? “They’re only good for one thing; marketing.” They can be very misleading. Take Hardcore Horror, for example. Some fans of horror fiction may be put off by that term. Gore for gore’s sake, shock value, too much blood, not enough substance. However, just as horror itself is best utilised as a broad term to encapsulate a more complex idea, so to is hardcore horror. The variety of tales presented in the latest volume of the Year’s Best Hardcore Horror is a perfect example.
“So Sings the Siren” by Annie Neugebauer tells the story of a mother and daughter at a musical recital with a difference. The musician uses a strange and disturbing technique to elicit the music from the instrument. Using a young narrator, and restricting the horror to what the young girl hears and keeping the visual element off-stage, is a great technique expertly employed here by Neugebauer.
Luciano Marano’s “Burnt” explores the complex and fraught relationship between Vicki and her mother, Catherine, especially in the aftermath of the deep fryer accident that leaves Catherine’s face disfigured. Her behaviour grows increasingly disturbing, especially in her sexual relationships with a string of men and the attention she pays her son. As you may expect, this has a detrimental effect on Vicki, who eventually takes employment in a burn unit. Marano’s is a disturbing story, yet his exploration of human behaviour is enticing.
Octavia Cade’s “The Better Part of Drowning” takes place in a very unique setting, in a coastal village where the children live below the houses and docks and just above the salt water where danger lurks. But, equally, danger lurks in the shacks above. Cade’s world-building is very impressive, as is her character development.
Glenn Gray’s “Break” takes place in Alcatraz as a former doctor utilises his unique knowledge to attempt the seemingly impossible and break free. This is yet another story where the author has done a lot of research and found a way to deliver it in a very entertaining way. Told in excruciating detail from the protagonist’s point of view, we follow every painful second as we will him on to freedom. Gray’s notes on the origin of the story show that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. But it planted a seed in the author’s mind that blossomed into a great story.
Known for his winning mixture of horror and humour, Adam Howe delivers a typically top-drawer tale with “Foreign Bodies”. Told from the point of view of Hollywood fixer Joe Conklin (“The A-list gets Ray Donovan; the lower end of the alphabet gets me.”) as he is summoned by troubled children’s entertainer, ventriloquist Buddy Mortimer, after he has a “mishap” with a gerbil. You may feel that you know where the story goes, but fans of Howe’s work will attest that you can never take anything for granted and the ride is always worth it. He has a talent for filling his stories with colourful and entertaining characters and witty dialogue and this is no different. It will have you laughing and wincing in equal measure.
Daniel Marc Chant’s “Ultra” takes a look at the idea of violent video games and what effect it can have on the human mind. But he also blends it with mind control and futuristic virtual reality and the dog-eat-dog world of the stock exchange. Wilbur is stressed from work as a trader, but he blows off steam with a harmless game of Nazi Hunter. But what happens to him when he is introduced to the world of Slut Slayer? Chant explores this concept, and the human psyche, in this exciting and thought-provoking story.
With every anthology, even the year’s best, each reader will have different reactions to each story. There are some they will enjoy more than others, and some that they may not enjoy at all. But the good news is that, with such a strong line-up of stories, there is something for everyone in the third volume of hardcore horror. Whether you prefer your horror blood-soaked or subtle, infused with humour or offering a peek at terror on a cosmic scale, fantastic monsters or monstrous humans, you’ll find it here.
“So Sings the Siren” by Annie Neugebauer tells the story of a mother and daughter at a musical recital with a difference. The musician uses a strange and disturbing technique to elicit the music from the instrument. Using a young narrator, and restricting the horror to what the young girl hears and keeping the visual element off-stage, is a great technique expertly employed here by Neugebauer.
Luciano Marano’s “Burnt” explores the complex and fraught relationship between Vicki and her mother, Catherine, especially in the aftermath of the deep fryer accident that leaves Catherine’s face disfigured. Her behaviour grows increasingly disturbing, especially in her sexual relationships with a string of men and the attention she pays her son. As you may expect, this has a detrimental effect on Vicki, who eventually takes employment in a burn unit. Marano’s is a disturbing story, yet his exploration of human behaviour is enticing.
Octavia Cade’s “The Better Part of Drowning” takes place in a very unique setting, in a coastal village where the children live below the houses and docks and just above the salt water where danger lurks. But, equally, danger lurks in the shacks above. Cade’s world-building is very impressive, as is her character development.
Glenn Gray’s “Break” takes place in Alcatraz as a former doctor utilises his unique knowledge to attempt the seemingly impossible and break free. This is yet another story where the author has done a lot of research and found a way to deliver it in a very entertaining way. Told in excruciating detail from the protagonist’s point of view, we follow every painful second as we will him on to freedom. Gray’s notes on the origin of the story show that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. But it planted a seed in the author’s mind that blossomed into a great story.
Known for his winning mixture of horror and humour, Adam Howe delivers a typically top-drawer tale with “Foreign Bodies”. Told from the point of view of Hollywood fixer Joe Conklin (“The A-list gets Ray Donovan; the lower end of the alphabet gets me.”) as he is summoned by troubled children’s entertainer, ventriloquist Buddy Mortimer, after he has a “mishap” with a gerbil. You may feel that you know where the story goes, but fans of Howe’s work will attest that you can never take anything for granted and the ride is always worth it. He has a talent for filling his stories with colourful and entertaining characters and witty dialogue and this is no different. It will have you laughing and wincing in equal measure.
Daniel Marc Chant’s “Ultra” takes a look at the idea of violent video games and what effect it can have on the human mind. But he also blends it with mind control and futuristic virtual reality and the dog-eat-dog world of the stock exchange. Wilbur is stressed from work as a trader, but he blows off steam with a harmless game of Nazi Hunter. But what happens to him when he is introduced to the world of Slut Slayer? Chant explores this concept, and the human psyche, in this exciting and thought-provoking story.
With every anthology, even the year’s best, each reader will have different reactions to each story. There are some they will enjoy more than others, and some that they may not enjoy at all. But the good news is that, with such a strong line-up of stories, there is something for everyone in the third volume of hardcore horror. Whether you prefer your horror blood-soaked or subtle, infused with humour or offering a peek at terror on a cosmic scale, fantastic monsters or monstrous humans, you’ll find it here.
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