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mxsallybend's review
4.0
When it comes to the annual 'Best of' anthologies, Jonathan Strahan may be the editorial King (especially in recent years) of sci-fi and fantasy, but Ellen Datlow is the undisputed Queen of horror.
That brings us to The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 6, which is scheduled to hit the shelves early next month. The anthology begins with her usual summation on selection, awards, and notable novels, magazines, stories, anthologies, collections, and more. If you ever wondered just what an editor has to go through to put together an anthology like this, or wondered just how much reading they might have to do, then gaze in awe and wonder at the wealth of material she had to read to get to this point. It's staggering.
With 24 pieces from different authors clocking in at anywhere from 1,100 to 15,800 words, there's a lot to read here. My approach to these kinds of anthologies tends to be layered, with a first pass at stories by authors I recognize, a second at the titles that intrigue me the most, and a final pass as the rest of the collection. It's an approach that I find interesting because it allows me consider the individual merits of the stories, as opposed to how they compare to the bigger names in the collection.
As for those recognized names I hit on my first pass, Simon Clark's The Tin House is a different sort of haunted house tale, one populated by memories (particularly the guilty) ones of those who passed in cruelty, while Steve Rasnic Tem's The Monster Makers takes an awkward, uncomfortable look at the cruelty of children - children who are neither as innocent nor as blameless as we might like to think. Kim Newman's The Only Ending We Have was my second-favorite of the collection, a Hitchcock tribute about a young woman on-set for Psycho that I had to read twice - once for the story, and a second time to catch all the references. Down to a Sunless Sea by Neil Gaiman will likely garner a lot of attention, but as much as I liked its surreal sort of dreamy quality, I was left wanting something more. The final story in the anthology, Brian Hodge's The Same Deep Waters as You was the one story to beat out Newman for my favorite entry, with a fantastic tale of Lovecraftian monsters versus Homeland Security.
Of those I encountered on my subsequent passes, Stephen Bacon's Apports was a great tale of a vengeful poltergeist; Steve Toase's Call Out involved a twisted sort of human sacrifice that I quite enjoyed; and Lynda E. Rucker's The House on Cobb Street was an amazingly constructed story that I can't find a way to describe without spoiling the tale. The Fox by Conrad Williams was a great campfire horror story (literally) that does a nice job of building the suspense to a never feverish intensity, while Tim Casson's The Withering was a solid period piece about a young woman who can hear the voices of the dead, and who is called upon to determine a question of guilt.
Overall, a solid collection of atmospheric, subtle sort of horror stories that unnerve and creep rather than outright horrify. With a focus more on emotion than gore, Datlow has taken what seems a very 'classic' sort of approach to The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 6, and I suspect that will really appeal to many readers. Check it out, even if just for Newman & Hodge - they're worth the price of admission alone.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
That brings us to The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 6, which is scheduled to hit the shelves early next month. The anthology begins with her usual summation on selection, awards, and notable novels, magazines, stories, anthologies, collections, and more. If you ever wondered just what an editor has to go through to put together an anthology like this, or wondered just how much reading they might have to do, then gaze in awe and wonder at the wealth of material she had to read to get to this point. It's staggering.
With 24 pieces from different authors clocking in at anywhere from 1,100 to 15,800 words, there's a lot to read here. My approach to these kinds of anthologies tends to be layered, with a first pass at stories by authors I recognize, a second at the titles that intrigue me the most, and a final pass as the rest of the collection. It's an approach that I find interesting because it allows me consider the individual merits of the stories, as opposed to how they compare to the bigger names in the collection.
As for those recognized names I hit on my first pass, Simon Clark's The Tin House is a different sort of haunted house tale, one populated by memories (particularly the guilty) ones of those who passed in cruelty, while Steve Rasnic Tem's The Monster Makers takes an awkward, uncomfortable look at the cruelty of children - children who are neither as innocent nor as blameless as we might like to think. Kim Newman's The Only Ending We Have was my second-favorite of the collection, a Hitchcock tribute about a young woman on-set for Psycho that I had to read twice - once for the story, and a second time to catch all the references. Down to a Sunless Sea by Neil Gaiman will likely garner a lot of attention, but as much as I liked its surreal sort of dreamy quality, I was left wanting something more. The final story in the anthology, Brian Hodge's The Same Deep Waters as You was the one story to beat out Newman for my favorite entry, with a fantastic tale of Lovecraftian monsters versus Homeland Security.
Of those I encountered on my subsequent passes, Stephen Bacon's Apports was a great tale of a vengeful poltergeist; Steve Toase's Call Out involved a twisted sort of human sacrifice that I quite enjoyed; and Lynda E. Rucker's The House on Cobb Street was an amazingly constructed story that I can't find a way to describe without spoiling the tale. The Fox by Conrad Williams was a great campfire horror story (literally) that does a nice job of building the suspense to a never feverish intensity, while Tim Casson's The Withering was a solid period piece about a young woman who can hear the voices of the dead, and who is called upon to determine a question of guilt.
Overall, a solid collection of atmospheric, subtle sort of horror stories that unnerve and creep rather than outright horrify. With a focus more on emotion than gore, Datlow has taken what seems a very 'classic' sort of approach to The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 6, and I suspect that will really appeal to many readers. Check it out, even if just for Newman & Hodge - they're worth the price of admission alone.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
leilaniann's review
3.0
This book wasn't a bad read, but I wish that more of the stories in it were actually horrific. There were four standouts though - The Anatomist’s Mnemonic, The Fox, The Tin House, and That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love. All of these short stories had twists that made my stomach churn.
beckylej's review
3.0
Horror fans rejoice! The latest installment of the Best Horror of the Year is out now. From haunted houses and weird science to old fashioned revenge with a twist, The Best Horror of the Year, v 6 features an all new and unique collection of horror shorts sure to satisfy fans of every facet of the genre!
I don't envy editor Ellen Datlow's task in putting together this collection. Sure it must be a fantastic job having to comb through oodles and oodles of genre shorts but I'd imagine narrowing it down to a workable collection must be quite difficult. And yet she has managed to do so, producing a collection that highlights original shorts published throughout 2013. Here's a full list of the stories and a very, very brief nutshell description for you:
"Apports" by Stephen Bacon, a revenge tale with a supernatural twist
"Mr. Splitfoot" by Dale Bailey, two Spiritualist sisters and one unspeakable crime
"The Good Husband" by Nathan Ballingrud, a husband who will do anything for his wife
"The Tiger" by Nina Allan, a man recently freed from prison comes face to face with a new evil.
"The House on Cobb Street" by Lynda E. Rucker, an eerie twist on the haunted house tale
"The Soul in the Bell Jar" by KJ Kabza, a tale of mad science
"Call Out" by Steve Toase, a vet is faced with a creature he's only heard about in legends
"The Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love" by Robert Shearman, a bizarre tale of love and punishment
"Bones of Crow" by Ray Cluley, an incredibly bizarre tale of discovery and loss
"Introduction to the Body in Fairy Tales" by Jeannine Hall Gailey, a poem
"The Fox" by Conrad Williams, in which a family vacation takes a dark turn
"The Tin House" by Simon Clark, the crimes of a family's past are never forgotten
"Stemming the Tide" by Simon Stranzas, a chilling tale about what lives beneath the surface of still waters
"The Anatomist's Mnemonic" by Priya Sharma, a fetish becomes an obsession
"The Monster Makers" by Steve Rasnic Tem, a family with an odd talent
"The Only Ending We Have" by Kim Newman, a strange tale featuring a "cameo" by Hitchcock himself
"The Dog's Paw" by Derek Künsken, a story in which shame has become a very visible punishment
"Fine in the Fire" by Lee Thomas, a brother's past suffering becomes a present day horror
"Majorlena" by Jane Jakeman, military horror!
"The Withering" by Tim Casson, a Victorian ghost story - of a kind
"Down to a Sunless Sea" by Neil Gaiman, Gaiman's twist on a classic Grimm tale
"Jaws of Saturn" by Laird Barron, the stuff of nightmares
"Halfway Home" by Linda Nagata
"The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge, Innsmouth!
Some of my favorites include: Brian Hodge's tale - love, love, loved this one. Hodge, by the way, is an author I've only really just discovered (through anthologies!) and I have to say I am incredibly impressed by his work; "The Soul in the Bell Jar" by KJ Kabza was a fabulously creepy story with more than just a little hint of gothic undertone; Lynda E. Rucker's "The House on Cobb Street" because I love a good haunted house story and THIS is a good haunted house story; and "Jaws of Saturn" which is completely weird and probably NOT the best story to read at bedtime - also my first time reading Barron but I already have the collection this story originally appeared in in my TBR.
I don't envy editor Ellen Datlow's task in putting together this collection. Sure it must be a fantastic job having to comb through oodles and oodles of genre shorts but I'd imagine narrowing it down to a workable collection must be quite difficult. And yet she has managed to do so, producing a collection that highlights original shorts published throughout 2013. Here's a full list of the stories and a very, very brief nutshell description for you:
"Apports" by Stephen Bacon, a revenge tale with a supernatural twist
"Mr. Splitfoot" by Dale Bailey, two Spiritualist sisters and one unspeakable crime
"The Good Husband" by Nathan Ballingrud, a husband who will do anything for his wife
"The Tiger" by Nina Allan, a man recently freed from prison comes face to face with a new evil.
"The House on Cobb Street" by Lynda E. Rucker, an eerie twist on the haunted house tale
"The Soul in the Bell Jar" by KJ Kabza, a tale of mad science
"Call Out" by Steve Toase, a vet is faced with a creature he's only heard about in legends
"The Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love" by Robert Shearman, a bizarre tale of love and punishment
"Bones of Crow" by Ray Cluley, an incredibly bizarre tale of discovery and loss
"Introduction to the Body in Fairy Tales" by Jeannine Hall Gailey, a poem
"The Fox" by Conrad Williams, in which a family vacation takes a dark turn
"The Tin House" by Simon Clark, the crimes of a family's past are never forgotten
"Stemming the Tide" by Simon Stranzas, a chilling tale about what lives beneath the surface of still waters
"The Anatomist's Mnemonic" by Priya Sharma, a fetish becomes an obsession
"The Monster Makers" by Steve Rasnic Tem, a family with an odd talent
"The Only Ending We Have" by Kim Newman, a strange tale featuring a "cameo" by Hitchcock himself
"The Dog's Paw" by Derek Künsken, a story in which shame has become a very visible punishment
"Fine in the Fire" by Lee Thomas, a brother's past suffering becomes a present day horror
"Majorlena" by Jane Jakeman, military horror!
"The Withering" by Tim Casson, a Victorian ghost story - of a kind
"Down to a Sunless Sea" by Neil Gaiman, Gaiman's twist on a classic Grimm tale
"Jaws of Saturn" by Laird Barron, the stuff of nightmares
"Halfway Home" by Linda Nagata
"The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge, Innsmouth!
Some of my favorites include: Brian Hodge's tale - love, love, loved this one. Hodge, by the way, is an author I've only really just discovered (through anthologies!) and I have to say I am incredibly impressed by his work; "The Soul in the Bell Jar" by KJ Kabza was a fabulously creepy story with more than just a little hint of gothic undertone; Lynda E. Rucker's "The House on Cobb Street" because I love a good haunted house story and THIS is a good haunted house story; and "Jaws of Saturn" which is completely weird and probably NOT the best story to read at bedtime - also my first time reading Barron but I already have the collection this story originally appeared in in my TBR.
michelle_e_goldsmith's review against another edition
3.0
There were some really nice dark stories in this edition. Not so many that actually gave me chills this time around but it is possible that I just got tougher to scare. Definitely worth a read.
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