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Book Review: Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow

Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror edited by Ellen Datlow
Tachyon Publications, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1616962326
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Nightmares is a collection of stories chosen by Ellen Datlow as the best stories of 2005-2015. It is a companion volume to Darkness, a previously published anthology of stories chosen by her as the best stories written between 1985 and 2005. Not being as widely read in contemporary short horror fiction as Datlow is, I can’t say whether I agree with her choices or not, but I can say that the stories she chose do live up to the book’s title: in one way or another, they are all nightmares.

Datlow chose stories that take a variety of approaches to instilling horror, from the understated to over-the-top: you’ll find weird fiction, cosmic horror, twisted fairy tales, disturbing family secrets, ghosts and hauntings, Gothic horrors, body horror, incestuous relationships, and more than enough blood and gore. As a reader who prefers creepy and atmospheric writing to graphic descriptions, I found this book to be emotionally, mentally, and even physically exhausting. I received it as an ebook from NetGalley and am not sure how long it actually was, but it required several days for me to read it through. However, as a sampler of well-done short fiction in the horror genre, I think it is successful. Certainly, I have found that several stories have stuck with me even though a few weeks have passed since I finished it.

Standout stories include “Shallaballah” by Mark Samuels, a surreal tale that takes a disoriented plastic surgery patient through a disturbing Punch-and-Judy inspired hospital experience; “Dead Sea Fruit” by Kaaron Warren, about a dentist with a taste for revenge who destroys a man whose kiss drives girls to starve themselves to death; “Closet Dreams” by Lisa Tuttle, the story of a girl who was trapped in a closet by her kidnapper;  “The Goosle” by Margo Lanagan, a horrific take on the Hansel and Gretel story requiring the reader to have an iron stomach; “The Shallows” by John Langan, a tale of a gardener trying to keep going after his wife has died, his son has left, and tentacled aliens have begun their invasion; and “Interstate Love Song (Murder Ballad No. 8)” by Caitlin Kiernan, a bloody tale of a road trip of serial murders by vicious, incestuous, necrophiliac sisters that you won’t soon forget.

For those horror readers who enjoy variety in their short fiction,  Nightmares is an excellent way to discover authors they may not have tried out before. With her choices for this collection of short fiction from the past decade, despite her disclaimer, Ellen Datlow continues to show not just her enthusiasm as a fan of the horror genre, but her excellence as an anthologist. Recommended.

Contains: graphic gore and torture, cannibalism, incest, necrophilia, violent murders, disturbing sexual situations, body horror, rape


Posted on October 31, 2016 by , 2 comments

Book Review: I Can Taste The Blood edited by John F.D. Taff and Anthony Rivera

I Can Taste the Blood  edited by John F.D. Taff and Anthony Rivera

ISBN-13: 978-1940658728

Grey Matter Press, 2016

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

This anthology contains five stories, or “visions”, all written with the same title: I Can Taste the Blood. The editor gathered five authors, each presenting a unique take on the phrase, which originated from graffiti in the bathroom of a dive bar, which read “I can taste the blood.”

The first vision, by Josh Malerman, is the story of Rab, a traveler who begs for help at the home of Madmannah, Sammi, and their child, Aart. It is a windy night when the desperate traveler knocks on their door and demands shelter for a short time. At the encouragement of their visiting friends, they admit the stranger into their home. Rab then tells them the story of how he came to be in their humble abode, what is chasing him, the horrors that he faced in this person’s presence… and what he has done. Everything is not as it seems with the traveler, or with the entity pursuing him.

The second vision, by J. Daniel Stone, is one of violence, underground snuff films, and heroin. Bok can’t escape the clutches of Laurenz, an elderly German man with a taste for extreme violence who creates films to feed his urges. Bok discovers, through his lover Jared, that the old German’s films hold a transformative contagion. As a warning, this story is extremely explicit in its depiction of bloody violence, snuff film material, and sex.

Joe Schwartz presents a vision of a man who earns his keep as a hired strong-arm for someone known simply as Caretaker. The man and his partner, Joe, kidnap a young woman as she leaves her home. We get a series of short memories of crimes he has committed when he first started in the “business,” and snapshots of his personal life. As the story returns to the present, and the kidnapped woman, things don’t quite go as planned for the dastardly duo.

Erik T. Johnson’s vision tells of Canny, who is trying to cope with his strange mother and her death… I think. I read and reread this story a few times, and I’m still not sure what to make of it. It reads like a stream of consciousness piece, and Canny’s thoughts are incredibly disjointed. There are subtle, perhaps too subtle, connections between his thoughts. At times I felt like I should be getting more from this story than I was, but things just weren’t connecting for me. I will say it is very poetic, and there is a lot of rich imagery in this story. Just be prepared for an exercise in attempting to follow a lost man down the rabbit hole.

The final vision in the anthology, by John. F.D. Taff, is probably my favorite out of the anthology. Merle, a divorced father of one, lives in the small town he was raised in, where he knows everyone and everyone knows him. One evening at the local bar, his friend, Gun, points out a bandage on his arm. Merle doesn’t remember giving blood, but the alcohol he loves so much tends to make him forgetful. Things change that night, when the two men venture to the VFW for the weekly spaghetti dinner. Merle gets very sick, and experiences disturbing and hyper-realistic hallucinations. What happens to him in the following days is enough to make anyone crazy. He struggles with his illness, he sleeps for days on end, his ex-wife is a constant nag, and all he wants to do is see his daughter. Oh, and his hands are growing teeth.

I Can Taste the Blood is an incredible anthology, full of nightmare fuel. I don’t recommend it for squeamish readers, though. There are times where the material delves into uncomfortable themes, or it just gets gross. If you don’t like transgressive dark fiction, this won’t be your cup of tea. If you do, dig in. You won’t be disappointed. Recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, sexuality, torture, rape, body horror

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on October 7, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Madhouse: A Shared World Anthology, edited by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brad C. Hodson

Madhouse: A Shared World Anthology, edited by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brad C. Hodson, and illustrated by Aeron Alfrey

Dark Regions Press, 2016

ISBN: 9781626411166

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition.

 

Madhouse is a shared world anthology set in the Behavioral Health Center in Golden Canyon, Arizona. The frame story is that a supernatural sandstorm hits the facility, rendering escape futile, and an infectious wave of madness begins to spread through the facility. As the contagion spreads, and the characters attempt to discover how the madness is being passed, staff and patients, each with their own story, are driven to unleash their personally harbored madness.

Several stories kept me awake at night peering into the dark corners of my house.  “Skating the Shattered Glass Sea” focuses on Lily and Timothy, twins who have an unusual ability. After a tragic accident at the age of twelve, Lily is committed to the Gold Canyon Behavioral Health Center, while Timothy goes on to have an acting career and a normal life. When he eventually visits Lily, well into his adult life, his mind starts to fall apart. They used to build lovely palaces in the air, visible palaces. What Lily creates with her broken mind is nightmare fuel to Timothy.

In “The Yellow Bug,” James, an Iraq war veteran, reveals some ugly truths about himself to Dr. Ruiz, who is suffering similar headaches to the ones James had  before he gave in to his desire to kill and let go of his fear. James explains he had help from God, in the form of  a yellow bug. The good doctor is harboring a frightening secret that the God bug helps him release.

“Heal Thyself” centers on the unique treatment offered by Dr. Edlehart in the facility: past-life regression therapy. He has used this treatment on many of the patients, and is mentoring Dr. Alice Jalbert on the practice. The treatment of patient  Jeffrey Jackson, reveals certain truths about the good doctor.

“Bathroom” is a story that stayed with me for some time. Something about it makes me a bit nervous about going into public bathrooms now. Claire fights crippling anxiety, fear, and fascination with drains. This makes trips to the ladies’ room difficult, but her usual escort, Bruce, puts her at ease. This trip, however, is different. She hears the faucet turn on while she is indisposed, and she feels the familiar gnawing at her brain. But what is that wet, sticky sound coming from one of the other stalls? What will she see when she pushes open the door?

“Drake’s Cake” follows one of the most notorious interns in the facility. He’s extremely hostile and regularly torments the patients with physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, occasionally in combination. Somehow, the staff is oblivious to his transgressions against the patients, and no one addresses his abuses against the patients. There is nothing likable about this guy, but he gets his comeuppance in the end, when he makes a disturbing and vomit-inducing error in judgement as the madness takes hold of his mind.

A few of the other stories stuck with me as well. “Birdman” is the story of a man who was institutionalized after his penchant for turning people into birds was discovered. In “Sky is Falling,” Skylar is trying to help evacuate her ward to the first floor, and walks into an unexpected surprise. Nurse Julie helps release the demons from Trisha’s skull in “Fraud.” Agnes is the chef for the facility, and in “Appetite,” she uses special ingredients for those she deems worthy. Her own appetite is sated by the strangest of things. These are the standouts: there are additional stories in this anthology of madness, as well. The short stories can be read as standalone tales, or, read together, can form a complete novel. I can’t think of anything about this book that isn’t compelling. The editors picked a number of amazing authors for this anthology, including Mercedes Yardley, Jeff Strand, John Skipp, Meghan Arcuri, and Rena Mason.

Two illustrators have been effective in scaring the daylights out of me: Stephen Gammell, who illustrated the famed Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz, and Aeron Alfrey for this anthology. There were a few pieces that I found myself hypnotized by, including those for “Skating the Shattered Sea of Glass,” “Birdman,” and “Drake’s Cake.” Several of the chapters also have art accompanying them.

This anthology will keep you up at night. Highly recommended.

Contains: gore, cannibalism, violence, rape, abuse, psychological terror

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on August 4, 2016 by , Reply
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