The Best Horror of the Year

Starred review from October 26, 2009
After 22 years of pulling the horror content for the now-discontinued Year's Best Fantasy and Horror series, Datlow (Lovecraft Unbound
) goes solo with this stellar start to a new “best of” annual. As in the past, her picks confirm that “horror” is a storytelling approach with endlessly inventive possibilities. In E. Michael Lewis's “Cargo,” a haunting Twilight Zone
–type tale, an airplane picks up something otherworldly as part of its latest transport. Euan Harvey's creepy “Harry and the Monkey” turns an urban legend into reality. R.B. Russell's “Loup-garou” is a highly original shape-shifter story with a subtle psychological twist, and Daniel LeMoal's “Beach Head” a bracing conte cruel
with a Lord of the Flies
cast. In addition to the richly varied stories, Datlow provides her usual comprehensive coverage of the year in horror in an introduction that's indispensable reading for horror aficionados.

May 23, 2011
In the third volume of this annual series, famed editor Datlow brings together 17 stories published in 2010 in a variety of sources both popular and obscure. In Cody Goodfellow's "At the Riding School," a veterinarian makes a strange house call at a girls' school. Catherynne M. Valente's "The Days of Flaming Motorcycles," one of several zombie stories, sketches the life of the only living woman among the undead horde. John Langan uses self-conscious narrative to twist the werewolf story in "The Revel." The usual lists of honorable mentions and award-winners and a thoughtful assessment of the field will encourage readers to seek out the year's other notable horror stories. As always, Datlow delivers a top-notch anthology with a nice balance of new and established writers.

April 19, 2010
Prolific anthologist Datlow continues her fine showcase series (originally part of the long-running Year's Best Fantasy and Horror) with 17 scary stories published in 2009. Perhaps the creepiest is “each thing i show you is a piece of my death,” in which Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer collect e-mail and other documents about a mysterious naked man who crashes the sets of movies and TV shows. Michael Marshall Smith's “What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night” is a classically creepy tale, and Stephen Graham Jones offers a twisted take on snake-oil salesmen in “Lonegan's Luck.” There are a few underwhelming choices—notably Nina Allen's weak “The Lammas Worm”—and readers of Datlow's other anthologies will see many familiar names, but overall, this is a worthy addition to the series.

March 26, 2012
The 18 scary stories that Datlow (Supernatural Noir) has selected as the best of 2011 hint at even worse horrors lurking beyond the fringes of their narratives. In “The Little Green God of Agony,” Stephen King profiles an exorcist and faith healer who purports to give physical form to pain. In “Final Girl Theory,” A.C. Wise tells of a cult horror film that triggers a grim collective fantasy in the minds of its viewers. Peter Straub’s “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” achieves a Twilight Zone type of unease through disorienting shifts of time and place. In “The Show,” Priya Sharma works a creepy variation on the classic horror theme of the “sham” spirit medium whose skills prove genuine. The variety of concepts and styles on display, and Datlow’s comprehensive introduction, will please horror readers of all stripes.

October 14, 2013
Daltow presents the breadth, vitality, and literary value of the horror genre in this impressive anthology consisting of 28 of the best short stories published in 2012. Almost half of the stories are by women, and they come from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This anthology does a remarkable job of being multicultural; not only do settings range from Japan to Namibia, but the authors also pay homage to the rich horror literary traditions of these different cultures. All of the stories are perfectly creepy and astoundingly original, demonstrating both how incredible the current horror scene is and its promising future. Some of the most notable pieces include "The Callers" by Ramsey Campbell, "The Magician's Apprentice" by Tamsyn Muir, "Dead Song" by Jay Wilburn, "The Pike" by Conrad Williams, and "Final Exam" by Megan Arkenberg. To top it off, Daltow includes a comprehensive summary of all that was published within the genre in 2012 from notable novels to journals to chapbooks, with short notes on each work, making this book an enjoyable for everyone, die-hard horror fans or literary fiction readers alike.

April 20, 2015
Fans of both subtle horror and explicit gore will find something to enjoy in this uneven anthology of 24 stories. Unsurprisingly, the best work comes from some very familiar names. In "Down to a Sunless Sea," Neil Gaiman demonstrates that less is more, presenting a devastating narrative in just three pages. Kim Newman's "The Only Ending We Have" imagines what could have happened to Janet Leigh's body double in Psycho when her life ends up paralleling that of Marion Crane's. In contrast, Simon Clark's "The Tin House," about a house built by profiteers from the slave trade, is predictable, an attribute that is the antithesis of terror. Datlow deserves credit for eschewing the clichéd staples of the genre, but that choice does not automatically translate into a memorable collection.

June 8, 2015
Datlow continues her annual series with this excellent anthology of horror stories in a variety of styles. Standouts include Angela Slatter’s “The Winter Children,” a short but sweet twist on the idea of fairy tale children seeking revenge as adults; Genevieve Valentine’s “A Dweller in Amenty,” in which a modern-day sin-eater shows how she copes with her burdens; and John Langan’s “Ymir,” which mixes crime, combat-related PTSD, and ancient gods into a unique tale of dark horror. Not every tale feels like it belongs in a year’s-best anthology; stories from the usually reliable Garth Nix and Gemma Files are underwhelming. Worse, Alison Littlewood’s “The Dog’s Home” contains an act of cruelty that is stomach-churning and vile without any redeeming sense of catharsis or literary merit, substituting transgression for style and horrific deeds for a genuine sense of horror. That one large blemish aside, Datlow shows a great sense of the scope and quality of the genre, adding (as always) superb year-in-review notes on horror markets large and small. Agent: Sarah Nagel, Writers House.