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lareinadehades's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
adler's review
1.0
The only horror I'd with this anthology was the time-money wasted on these mediocre writings by a bunch of amateurs. The 5-star rating rave-reviews are not surprising - these sort are all sellouts or they've no idea of good horror (or even literature)
erat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rcliffordolson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
spookishmommy's review
4.0
First of all, what a labor of love! The amount of time, love and effort put into this anthology can be FELT in each page. High praise to James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle for putting this together.
Each story is translated from a non English speaking language from countries all over the world! Wow, being able to experience horror in other countries was magical. I love the dark, melancholic feel of the collection as a whole.
Every story transported me somewhere new and I enjoyed the ride. If you're looking for jump scare, gory horror, you won't find that here. Instead, I'd describe these stories as beautiful and enchanting taking you on a journey to experience horror in faraway places.
Each story is translated from a non English speaking language from countries all over the world! Wow, being able to experience horror in other countries was magical. I love the dark, melancholic feel of the collection as a whole.
Every story transported me somewhere new and I enjoyed the ride. If you're looking for jump scare, gory horror, you won't find that here. Instead, I'd describe these stories as beautiful and enchanting taking you on a journey to experience horror in faraway places.
traceythompson's review against another edition
5.0
All hail, Valancourt! The fact that this book exists at all is an enormous feat. A collection of fantastic genre authors that have never, or rarely, been published in English. Literally, the best horror authors the world has to offer.
As well as the collection of truly amazing stories, the pre-story notes by editors James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle give a fascinating insight into how horror literature is globally regarded.
Not every story in the collection is a five-star story, but each contains something to enjoy. It is particularly devastating that this book is currently the only place that monolinguists such as myself can currently access the work of these brilliant writers. But the good news is that a call for stories for potential inclusion in volume 2 is currently live. Yay!
Here are my favorites stories in the collection:
Uironda by Luigi Musolino - A dangerously depressed truck driver, a custody battle, and a mythical destination. I read this a few months before writing this review, and I just flicked through the story to remind myself of the ending. When I remembered, I literally said “Oh GOD!” while quickly closing the book.
The Time Remaining by Attila Veres - Why are parents telling their children their stuffed toys are dying? How could you not want to read a horror story about that concept?
Senor Ligotti by Bernardo Esquinca - A young couple accept a suspiciously cheap house, on the condition that the previous owner can visit whenever he wants. WHY would anyone agree to that? The ending of this story was so unnerving, I literally squirmed.
Down, in Their World - Flavius Ardelean - This may be my favorite in the whole collection. It is so vivid and memorable. A group of men go to ransack an abandoned mine with a dark past. What could possibly go wrong?!
Tiny Women by Solange Rodriguez Pappe - Gorgeous little Leonora Carrington-esque story.
Mechanisms by Elisenda Solsona - A feuding couple visit an abandoned ski resort to capture the perfect photo. I thought I knew how this story was end. I was oh so very wrong.
The White Cormorant by Frithjof Spalder - Don’t let all the nautical terminology put you off. This clever, hypnotic tale will stay with you.
As well as the collection of truly amazing stories, the pre-story notes by editors James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle give a fascinating insight into how horror literature is globally regarded.
Not every story in the collection is a five-star story, but each contains something to enjoy. It is particularly devastating that this book is currently the only place that monolinguists such as myself can currently access the work of these brilliant writers. But the good news is that a call for stories for potential inclusion in volume 2 is currently live. Yay!
Here are my favorites stories in the collection:
Uironda by Luigi Musolino - A dangerously depressed truck driver, a custody battle, and a mythical destination. I read this a few months before writing this review, and I just flicked through the story to remind myself of the ending. When I remembered, I literally said “Oh GOD!” while quickly closing the book.
The Time Remaining by Attila Veres - Why are parents telling their children their stuffed toys are dying? How could you not want to read a horror story about that concept?
Senor Ligotti by Bernardo Esquinca - A young couple accept a suspiciously cheap house, on the condition that the previous owner can visit whenever he wants. WHY would anyone agree to that? The ending of this story was so unnerving, I literally squirmed.
Down, in Their World - Flavius Ardelean - This may be my favorite in the whole collection. It is so vivid and memorable. A group of men go to ransack an abandoned mine with a dark past. What could possibly go wrong?!
Tiny Women by Solange Rodriguez Pappe - Gorgeous little Leonora Carrington-esque story.
Mechanisms by Elisenda Solsona - A feuding couple visit an abandoned ski resort to capture the perfect photo. I thought I knew how this story was end. I was oh so very wrong.
The White Cormorant by Frithjof Spalder - Don’t let all the nautical terminology put you off. This clever, hypnotic tale will stay with you.
joecam79's review against another edition
5.0
Valancourt has just added to its impressive catalogue what might well be the jewel in its (Gothic) crown: "The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories". In this veritable labour of love, editors (and Valancourt founders) James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle have combed through stories in a myriad of languages to come up with a selection of twenty-one contemporary horror stories from around the world, all of which are being published in English for the first time ever. Choosing the stories must have been a mammoth task. What is even more remarkable is that Jenkins prepared most of the translations himself. Having a command of so many languages is an achievement – but what is even more impressive is that these are no workaday renditions, but readable, fluent translations into English which manage to retain the different narrative voices and styles of the original.
How to start reviewing such a wealth of remarkable stories? I will not even attempt to do so but will simply list some reasons why you should check out this anthology.
1. Although some of the featured authors are very well-known in their respective countries, they are hardly household names in the English-speaking world. The lover of horror stories seeking new voices from outside the established English-language canon will find plenty to discover here.
2. The authors who make an appearance in this anthology are not “different” just because they are little-known, but because they genuinely bring something new to the horror genre. More often than not, their stories reflects folklore which will be unfamiliar to most readers. To cite just a couple of examples, Yvette Tan’s All the Birds incorporates elements from Filipino mythology and folklore, while Bathie Ngoye Thiam’s The House of Leuk Dawour taps into Senegal’s long tradition of supernatural storytelling. Down, in their World by Flavius Ardelean revives the scarier aspects of Romanian folklore.
3. Even when not directly inspired by local myths, many of the stories reflect aspects, landscapes and issues of the authors’ countries of origin. Menopause by Flore Hazoumé, for instance, provides social commentary on African society’s approach to womenhood whereas Luigi Musolino’s Uironda – a strong opener to this anthology – evokes the dreary highways of Northern Italy’s industrial hinterland.
4. Diversity and variety are two key characteristics of this anthology. As the editors explain in their foreword, they aimed to ensure a high rate of inclusion of women writers, authors of colour, and LGBT-interest material. This is no mere tip of the hat to political correctness but a genuine desire to make this anthology as inclusive as possible. And, ultimately, this is reflected in the sheer literary variety found between the book’s covers. Certainly, all the featured stories qualify as horror. But this is a broad church indeed. Just come inside and take your seat in your favourite aisle – whether the horror you love is psychological and Aickman-like, Lovecraftian (cosmic or reptilian), gory, surreal, or tinged with crime, folklore or comedy… you’ll find something for you.
5. The best reason to savour this anthology however is the quality of the writing. Judging from the reviews I’ve read, the horror community is showing this anthology well-deserved love. But this should honestly be more than a “niche interest” collection – this is great contemporary world literature, independently of its genre.
Here’s the roll call of stories:
Pilar Pedraza, 'Mater Tenebrarum' (Spain)
Flavius Ardelean, 'Down, in Their World' (Romania)
Anders Fager, 'Backstairs' (Sweden)
Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)
Frithjof Spalder, 'The White Cormorant' (Norway)
Jose María Latorre, 'Snapshots' (Spain)
Luigi Musolino, 'Uironda' (Italy)
Martin Steyn, 'Kira' (South Africa)
Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)
Lars Ahn, 'Donation' (Denmark)
Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)
Cristina Fernández Cubas, 'The Angle of Horror' (Spain)
Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)
Elisenda Solsona, 'Mechanisms' (Catalonia)
Michael Roch, 'The Illogical Investigations of Inspector André Despérine' (Martinique)
Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)
Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)
Marko Hautala, 'Pale Toes' (Finland)
Yvette Tan, 'All the Birds' (Philippines)
Ariane Gélinas, 'Twin Shadows' (Québec)
Flore Hazoumé, 'Menopause' (Ivory Coast)
Tantalizingly, The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories bears the subtitle “Volume 1”. The editors have announced on social media that they’re already working on the next instalment in what promises to be another great series from Valancourt. Bring them on!
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2021/01/Valancourt-Book-of-World-Horror-Stories-Jenkins-Cagle.html
How to start reviewing such a wealth of remarkable stories? I will not even attempt to do so but will simply list some reasons why you should check out this anthology.
1. Although some of the featured authors are very well-known in their respective countries, they are hardly household names in the English-speaking world. The lover of horror stories seeking new voices from outside the established English-language canon will find plenty to discover here.
2. The authors who make an appearance in this anthology are not “different” just because they are little-known, but because they genuinely bring something new to the horror genre. More often than not, their stories reflects folklore which will be unfamiliar to most readers. To cite just a couple of examples, Yvette Tan’s All the Birds incorporates elements from Filipino mythology and folklore, while Bathie Ngoye Thiam’s The House of Leuk Dawour taps into Senegal’s long tradition of supernatural storytelling. Down, in their World by Flavius Ardelean revives the scarier aspects of Romanian folklore.
3. Even when not directly inspired by local myths, many of the stories reflect aspects, landscapes and issues of the authors’ countries of origin. Menopause by Flore Hazoumé, for instance, provides social commentary on African society’s approach to womenhood whereas Luigi Musolino’s Uironda – a strong opener to this anthology – evokes the dreary highways of Northern Italy’s industrial hinterland.
4. Diversity and variety are two key characteristics of this anthology. As the editors explain in their foreword, they aimed to ensure a high rate of inclusion of women writers, authors of colour, and LGBT-interest material. This is no mere tip of the hat to political correctness but a genuine desire to make this anthology as inclusive as possible. And, ultimately, this is reflected in the sheer literary variety found between the book’s covers. Certainly, all the featured stories qualify as horror. But this is a broad church indeed. Just come inside and take your seat in your favourite aisle – whether the horror you love is psychological and Aickman-like, Lovecraftian (cosmic or reptilian), gory, surreal, or tinged with crime, folklore or comedy… you’ll find something for you.
5. The best reason to savour this anthology however is the quality of the writing. Judging from the reviews I’ve read, the horror community is showing this anthology well-deserved love. But this should honestly be more than a “niche interest” collection – this is great contemporary world literature, independently of its genre.
Here’s the roll call of stories:
Pilar Pedraza, 'Mater Tenebrarum' (Spain)
Flavius Ardelean, 'Down, in Their World' (Romania)
Anders Fager, 'Backstairs' (Sweden)
Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)
Frithjof Spalder, 'The White Cormorant' (Norway)
Jose María Latorre, 'Snapshots' (Spain)
Luigi Musolino, 'Uironda' (Italy)
Martin Steyn, 'Kira' (South Africa)
Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)
Lars Ahn, 'Donation' (Denmark)
Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)
Cristina Fernández Cubas, 'The Angle of Horror' (Spain)
Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)
Elisenda Solsona, 'Mechanisms' (Catalonia)
Michael Roch, 'The Illogical Investigations of Inspector André Despérine' (Martinique)
Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)
Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)
Marko Hautala, 'Pale Toes' (Finland)
Yvette Tan, 'All the Birds' (Philippines)
Ariane Gélinas, 'Twin Shadows' (Québec)
Flore Hazoumé, 'Menopause' (Ivory Coast)
Tantalizingly, The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories bears the subtitle “Volume 1”. The editors have announced on social media that they’re already working on the next instalment in what promises to be another great series from Valancourt. Bring them on!
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2021/01/Valancourt-Book-of-World-Horror-Stories-Jenkins-Cagle.html
the_chilliterate_colonel's review against another edition
5.0
The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories was an exceptional read in my opinion. The book contains a variety of tales in numerous languages, from many authors I otherwise would never have heard of. Nearly 99% of the stories have been translated into English for the first time by the authors. There is also a mention of the Finnish Weird website (I know, that sounds like a fetish website, but it contains great horror/science-fiction stories by Finnish authors.) I would absolutely recommend this book to horror readers seeking other perspectives. I cannot wait for volume two.