High Fantastic, edited by Steve Rasnic Tem (Ocean View Books), is a beautifully produced regional anthology of sf, fantasy, horror, and crossover fiction showcasing the many talented writers who live or have lived in Colorado, including Edward Bryant, Lucy Taylor, Connie Willis, Robert Devereaux, Don Webb, Dan Simmons, Melanie Tem, and others. Illustrated in b&w, with an essay by Ed Bryant on the history of genre writers and writing in the state, and an essay on Coloradan artists by Lee Ballantine. Beautiful and hefty, the book is almost 500 pages in an excellently designed, slightly oversized hardcover.
Dante's Disciples, edited by Peter Crowther and Edward E. Kramer (Borealis), is a solidly entertaining anthology of stories relating to hell. The outstanding story is Michael Bishop's, on Southern snake-handlers.
Night Screams, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg (Roc), is third in the "stalkers" series. Some very good stories.
Night Bites, edited by Victoria A. Brownworth (Seal Press), is an anthology of vampire stories by women. The best one can say is that it's a nice ethnic mix, with a true multicultural flavor. The worst is that few of the stories stay in one's consciousness for long. None of the writers are familiar to me and, contrary to the claims of the introduction, the book neither "stakes new ground" nor "expands the bounds of the genre." This is one of those "literary anthologies" that seems utterly unaware of its theme's antecedents or the current work being done in the genre. For instance, Brownworth's comment that "Most vampire anthologies include only one or two stories by women" reveals her ignorance. What has this woman been reading?
The Hot Blood Series: Fear the Fever, edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett (Pocket), is one of the best volumes to be produced by this series in quite some time, with mostly good, if not necessarily memorable, stories, including a disturbing piece by Graham Masterton.
Sisters in Fantasy 2, edited by Susan Shwartz and Martin H. Greenberg (Roc), follows up the first volume with some excellent darker stories.
Unusual Suspects, edited by James Grady (Vintage), is the best original (with two reprints) crime/suspense anthology I've read in several years. The range of stories proves that there is no excuse for the staleness of the long running mystery pulp magazines. Contributions by Joyce Carol Oates, Jonthan Lethem, George Pelecanos, and Andrew Vachss among others.
Not quite as successful is Noirotica, edited by Thomas S. Roche (Rhinoceros). The problem with this anthology of original and reprinted erotic crime stories is that most of the pieces read like vignettes, not stories. Many of the writers tend to concentrate on their erotic effect to the detriment of their storytelling. Which is not to say Noirotica isn't entertaining. It is, with some excellent pieces to recommend it. .
Phantoms of the Night, edited by Richard Gilliam and Martin H. Greenberg (Daw), is an original anthology of ghost stories. Solid and entertaining.
It Came From the Drive-In, edited by Norman Partridge and Martin H. Greenberg (Daw), is a clever and often amusing anthology of monster stories inspired by the type of horror movies that often played in drive-ins. A few are even horrific. Great fun.
Heliocentric Net, edited by Lisa Jean Bothell, is now a hefty 100-page annual with fiction and poetry by writers such as Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Edward Lee, and others who are more familiar from the small presses. Some good illustration work.
Darkside: Horror for the Next Millenium edited by John Pelan (Darkside Press), has a solid roster of horror writers and provides over 450 pages of original horror fiction, much of it powerful. The excellent frontispiece is by Alan M. Clark. This is a limited edition of 350 copies, which should be picked up by a mainstream publisher for mass market.
Diagnosis:Terminal, An Anthology of Medical Terror edited by F. Paul Wilson (Forge), is more suspense than horror. Horror readers will, I suspect, be a bit disappointed, even though the cover gives a horrific feel to the book. The best story is an sf reprint by Ed Gorman from his 1995 collection Cages.
Dark Terrors 2: The Gollancz Book of Horror edited by Stephen Jones and David Sutton (Victor Gollancz-UK), is one of the few non-theme horror anthology series published and is the continuation of the venerable Pan Book of Horror series. It contains fifteen originals and three reprints and is a solid bet for literate and chilling psychological and supernatural horror stories.
The Sandman Book of Dreams edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer(HarperPrism), is an anthology of stories based on characters from Gaiman's graphic novel of the same title. As usual in this type of anthology, the best stories use the thematic material as a starting point from which to imagine something completely different. Some of the stories are dark fantasy and quite good but little in the anthology feels like horror.
A Nightmare's Dozen, edited by Michael Stearns with illustrations by Michael Hussar (Harcourt, Brace& Co./Jane Yolen Books), is an excellent original young-adult horror anthology that doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience.
Monster Brigade 3000, edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Charles Waugh (Ace), has seven original stories and six reprints about future monsters. A good selection.
Women Who Run With the Werewolves: Tales of Blood, Lust and Metamorphosis, edited by Pam Keesey (Cleis), contains tales of transformation and female empowerment rather than of actual terror, but some of the stories are very good.
Sons of Darkness: Tales of Men, Blood and Immortality, edited by Michael Rowe and Thomas Roche (Cleis), is a solid combination original/reprint vampire anthology with gay themes. The editors have done an admirable job in keeping the erotic vignettes to a minimum and selecting actual stories. Both volumes were nominated for the Lambda Award.
Miskatonic University, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Robert Weinberg (Daw), is an entertaining original anthology that helps keep Lovecraft's worlds alive.
David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination, created and edited by David Copperfield and Janet Berliner (HarperPrism), has a few excellent stories, including Ed Bryant's, which was chosen for The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Tenth Annual Collection.
Twists of the Tale: An Anthology of Cat Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow (Dell), contains 21 original stories by Lucy Taylor, Nicholas Royle, A.R. Morlan, Michael Cadnum, Storm Constantine, and others, and two reprints. As might be obvious from the title, cats are the focus of the stories. The Michael Marshall Smith story was chosen for The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Tenth Annual Collection. The Storm Constantine and Nicholas Royle stories were chosen for Best New Horror 8.
Lethal Kisses, edited by Ellen Datlow (Orion-UK), is an original horror anthology of revenge and vengeance with stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Marshall Smith, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Cadnum, Thomas Tessier, Christopher Fowler, Pat Cadigan, David J. Schow, and others. The stories by A.R.Morlan and Douglas Clegg were chosen for The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Tenth Annual Collection.
Off Limits: Tales of Alien Sex edited by Ellen Datlow (St. Martin's Press), has sf, fantasy, and horror stories about male-female relationships. Two pieces, a poem by Neil Gaiman and a collaboration by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg, were chosen for The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Tenth Annual Collection.
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