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A review by thesincoucher
The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eleven by Ellen Datlow
3.0
As with all anthologies, you will find things that you'll like more or not at all and this was definitely the case here. On top of that, I don't think I was the audience for this - it's been a while since I've read something that I didn't feel catered to my interest and yeah, I'm so grateful there are so many things that do now. This was the first anthology that I chose which story I was gonna read in disorder, which was a good thing as the first story I really liked was almost a 100pp in. I started with stories by lady authors and then the rest. In total, I finished 11 stories and dnf 13.
Of these 11, the ones I really liked and I want to look up the authors are, in order of appearance:
- "Back Along the Old Track" by Sam Hicks - I thought the atmosphere for this one was great (besides the writing of course) and I think I love her stories even more in a longer format. A man who really needs a holiday goes to a small town where the ruling family is feared by all for good reason.
- "The Donner Party" by Dale Bailey - I really loved this one. Set in ye olde England, the upper class are literally eating the poor, from the POV of a lady who married well but comes from a wealthy trader (gasp!).
- "Thin Cold Hands" by Gemma Files - I also loved this one. Truly creepy, what I wanted from this anthology. The main character in this one is a mom with a complicated relationship with her daughter for very good reasons.
- "I Love you Mary-Grace" by Amelia Mangan - Set in a poor American town with a corrupt head of police, we follow a deputy who worries a lot about Mary-Grace. The definition of "don't you want to go batshit sometimes".
- "White Mare" by Thana Niveau - I loved the relationship between the girl and her dad in this one, light in the darkness but fully scary type of horror story. They move to England as they have inherited a house in nowhere, England, and there she discovers she is horse girl. The relationship between the girl and the mare is also top-notch.
- "Split Chain Stitch" by Steve Toase - Short but sweet. The main character moves to a new town and joins the knitting local group full of old grandmas.
- "No Exit" by Orrin Grey - the main character's live is overshadowed with her sister's death. Her parents won't talk about but she becomes obsessed with it. It's the only way she has of remembering her. Good shit.
Of these 11, the ones I really liked and I want to look up the authors are, in order of appearance:
- "Back Along the Old Track" by Sam Hicks - I thought the atmosphere for this one was great (besides the writing of course) and I think I love her stories even more in a longer format. A man who really needs a holiday goes to a small town where the ruling family is feared by all for good reason.
- "The Donner Party" by Dale Bailey - I really loved this one. Set in ye olde England, the upper class are literally eating the poor, from the POV of a lady who married well but comes from a wealthy trader (gasp!).
- "Thin Cold Hands" by Gemma Files - I also loved this one. Truly creepy, what I wanted from this anthology. The main character in this one is a mom with a complicated relationship with her daughter for very good reasons.
- "I Love you Mary-Grace" by Amelia Mangan - Set in a poor American town with a corrupt head of police, we follow a deputy who worries a lot about Mary-Grace. The definition of "don't you want to go batshit sometimes".
- "White Mare" by Thana Niveau - I loved the relationship between the girl and her dad in this one, light in the darkness but fully scary type of horror story. They move to England as they have inherited a house in nowhere, England, and there she discovers she is horse girl. The relationship between the girl and the mare is also top-notch.
- "Split Chain Stitch" by Steve Toase - Short but sweet. The main character moves to a new town and joins the knitting local group full of old grandmas.
- "No Exit" by Orrin Grey - the main character's live is overshadowed with her sister's death. Her parents won't talk about but she becomes obsessed with it. It's the only way she has of remembering her. Good shit.