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labunnywtf's review against another edition
1.0
It was so kind of this editor to put this collection together of authors I won't ever have to read again in the future.
Wait, what? That's not what the purpose of this collection was?
Hunh. News to me.
These are not horror stories. They're not scary. They're tiresome.
The only story I genuinely enjoyed was Interstate Love Song (Murder Ballad No. 8). However, this was not a horror story. It wasn't even close to scary, I don't know what genre you would classify it as. The fact that someone gets murdered in the story? Does not make it a horror story.
Like, you cannot just Ctrl + F every story you read, search for the words "blood" or "grave", and slap it into a collection you title horror.
Around the time I was ready to give up, I decided to only read the collection at night, while lying in bed with the lights out. If I'm going to get scared, it's going to be at that time.
Nope. Just bored.
I apologize to the authors in this collection if you've got stories that deserve a better rating. Because none of these did.
Received via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair review.
Wait, what? That's not what the purpose of this collection was?
Hunh. News to me.
These are not horror stories. They're not scary. They're tiresome.
The only story I genuinely enjoyed was Interstate Love Song (Murder Ballad No. 8). However, this was not a horror story. It wasn't even close to scary, I don't know what genre you would classify it as. The fact that someone gets murdered in the story? Does not make it a horror story.
Like, you cannot just Ctrl + F every story you read, search for the words "blood" or "grave", and slap it into a collection you title horror.
Around the time I was ready to give up, I decided to only read the collection at night, while lying in bed with the lights out. If I'm going to get scared, it's going to be at that time.
Nope. Just bored.
I apologize to the authors in this collection if you've got stories that deserve a better rating. Because none of these did.
Received via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair review.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
Ellen Datlow is probably one of the hardest working editors in speculative fiction. She was responsible for a whopping 21 volumes of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (from 1988 through 2008), and when that series came to end she launched The Best Horror of the Year, which hit bookshelves this year with Volume Seven.
Even if you only dabble in the stories, her Summation of the year is always required reading. She recaps the genre awards, and offers her exhaustive thoughts on the most notable novels, anthologies, collections, magazine,webzines, and other odds-and-ends from throughout the year. If you're ever stuck for good horror to rear, that Summation is where you begin.
Of the 22 stories she has selected, ranging in length from 2,500 to 10,000 words, there are 5 that I feel compelled to call out as required reading.
The Culvert by Dale Bailey is a short novel, taking place long after the horrific event in question. It's a tale of diverging paths, of twin souls and bodies, that leaves you with the unsettling question of where one went and just which one survived.
the worms crawl in by Laird Barron starts out as your typical tale of a cuckolded husband plotting revenge, segues into the predictable double-cross, and then gets really interesting when he claws his way out of the grave. It's a story of monsters born and monsters made, that makes you wonder where the true evil begins.
Persistence of Vision by Orrin Grey is one of the two Canadian entries in the collection, with a self-aware sort of narrative structure that immediately draws you in. From one of the most intriguing openings I've ever come across, to one of the saddest closings, it's a melancholy tale of a ghostly apocalypse.
Departures by Carole Johnstone immediately distinguishes itself with the unusual setting of an airport departure lounge, teases us with the promise of terror within a pair of feet, and then just gets creepier and more unsettling from there.
Nigredo by Cody Goodfellow is the story of a 'exit counselor', the kind of man who helps families rescue their loved ones from cults, and the militant bibliomancy cult, Ex Libris. Perhaps the smartest, more cerebral thriller in the bunch, it's written to draw readers in.
Most of the stories contained within Volume Seven are what I would call post-modern horror, dealing more with thoughts and emotions than blood and guts, so there are bound to be some readers who question the makeup here. As much as I still prefer the brutal, bloody, blasphemous books with which I grew up, there were still enough solid scares here to make it worth reading.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Even if you only dabble in the stories, her Summation of the year is always required reading. She recaps the genre awards, and offers her exhaustive thoughts on the most notable novels, anthologies, collections, magazine,webzines, and other odds-and-ends from throughout the year. If you're ever stuck for good horror to rear, that Summation is where you begin.
Of the 22 stories she has selected, ranging in length from 2,500 to 10,000 words, there are 5 that I feel compelled to call out as required reading.
The Culvert by Dale Bailey is a short novel, taking place long after the horrific event in question. It's a tale of diverging paths, of twin souls and bodies, that leaves you with the unsettling question of where one went and just which one survived.
the worms crawl in by Laird Barron starts out as your typical tale of a cuckolded husband plotting revenge, segues into the predictable double-cross, and then gets really interesting when he claws his way out of the grave. It's a story of monsters born and monsters made, that makes you wonder where the true evil begins.
Persistence of Vision by Orrin Grey is one of the two Canadian entries in the collection, with a self-aware sort of narrative structure that immediately draws you in. From one of the most intriguing openings I've ever come across, to one of the saddest closings, it's a melancholy tale of a ghostly apocalypse.
Departures by Carole Johnstone immediately distinguishes itself with the unusual setting of an airport departure lounge, teases us with the promise of terror within a pair of feet, and then just gets creepier and more unsettling from there.
Nigredo by Cody Goodfellow is the story of a 'exit counselor', the kind of man who helps families rescue their loved ones from cults, and the militant bibliomancy cult, Ex Libris. Perhaps the smartest, more cerebral thriller in the bunch, it's written to draw readers in.
Most of the stories contained within Volume Seven are what I would call post-modern horror, dealing more with thoughts and emotions than blood and guts, so there are bound to be some readers who question the makeup here. As much as I still prefer the brutal, bloody, blasphemous books with which I grew up, there were still enough solid scares here to make it worth reading.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration.This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my honest review.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
4.0
A fun compilation with a few stand-out stories, but I was entertained by all of them. I love a good anthology.
novelinsights's review against another edition
4.0
As this is an anthology, it's hard for me to give an overall review of the whole work, but a lot of these stories were really good. A few of them got a little too abstract for me, and one of them featured the main character killing an animal, which I never like, but all in all, I thought this was a good collection. I especially appreciated the multitudes of strong female characters within these pages. One story even contained a trans woman who was an accepted member of a female-only cult
laurabelle35758's review against another edition
4.0
*I got this from Edelweiss.*
great selection this year with my favorite being "The Culvert" by Dale Bailey.
great selection this year with my favorite being "The Culvert" by Dale Bailey.
jessicaesquire's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read any short horror before this but I was pretty amazed at the variety of pieces in here. It was a fantastic collection and the only reason it took me so long to read it was that I usually read before bed and sometimes the book left me too creeped out!
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