The Best Horror of the Year Volume Ten

For more than three decades, award-winning editor and anthologist Ellen Datlow has had her finger on the pulse of the latest and most terrifying in horror writing. This edition includes award-winning and critically acclaimed authors Mark Morris, Kaaron Warren, John Langan, Carole Johnstone, Brian Hodge, and others.

A group of mountain climbers, caught in the dark, fights to survive their descent; An American band finds more than they bargained for in Mexico while scouting remote locations for a photo shoot; A young student’s exploration into the origins of a mysterious song leads him on a winding, dangerous path through the US’s deep south; A group of kids scaring each other with ghost stories discovers alarming consequences.

The Best Horror of the Year showcases the previous year’s best offerings in horror short fiction. Night Shade Books is proud to present the tenth volume in this annual series, a new collection of stories to keep you up at night. It includes:

• Introduction: Summation 2017—Ellen Datlow
• Better You Believe—Carole Johnstone
• Liquid Air—Inna Effress
• Holiday Romance—Mark Morris
• Furtherest—Kaaron Warren
• Where’s the Harm?—Rebecca Lloyd
• Whatever Comes After Calcutta—David Erik Nelson
• A Human Stain—Kelly Robson
• The Stories We Tell about Ghosts—A. C. Wise
• Endosketal—Sarah Read
• West of Matamoros, North of Hell—Brian Hodge
• Alligator Point—S. P. Miskowski
• Dark Warm Heart—Rich Larson
• There and Back Again—Carmen Maria Machado
• Shepherd’s Business—Stephen Gallagher
• You Can Stay All Day—Mira Grant
• Harvest Song, Gathering Song—A. C. Wise
• The Granfalloon—Orrin Grey
• Fail-Safe—Philip Fracassi
• The Starry Crown—Marc E. Fitch
• Eqalussuaq—Tim Major
• Lost in the Dark—John Langan

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for more than thirty years. She was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Sci Fiction and has edited more than fifty anthologies. Datlow has also won lifetime achievement awards from three prominent genre organizations, and currently acquires short fiction for Tor.com.

Praise for Ellen Datlow and The Best Horror of the Year Series:

“Award-winning editor Ellen Datlow has assembled a tasty collection of twenty one terrifying and unsettling treats. In addition to providing excellent fiction to read, this is the perfect book for discovering new authors and enriching your life through short fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

“For more than three decades, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. . . . and the anthologies just keep getting better and better. She's an icon in the industry.”—Signal Horizon

“Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year series is one of the best investments you can make in short fiction. The current volume is no exception."—Adventures Fantastic

“As usual, Datlow delivers what she promises, ‘the best horror of the year,’ whether it’s written by the famous (Neil Gaiman) or the should-be famous (Laird Barron and many others).”
—Washington Post

“The quality of the series has always been remarkably high, but this particular volume stands out because assembles a bunch of truly exceptional stories. Obviously, 2017 must have been a great year for short horror fiction, but the editor has to be warmly praised for her unrelenting ability to discover real gems. . . . An anthology not to be missed.”—SF Revu

“You just can’t have a list of recommended speculative anthologies without including an Ellen Datlow anthology. It’s. Not. Possible. The line-up in The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eight is absolutely stupendous, featuring the most frighteningly talented authors in horror fiction.”—Tor.com

"Once again, [Ellen Datlow supplies] an invaluable book, featuring excellent short fiction and, in addition, providing as always precious information about what happened in the horror field last year.”—Mario Guslandi, British Fantasy Society
 

Praise for Ellen Datlow and The Best Horror of the Year Series:

“Award-winning editor Ellen Datlow has assembled a tasty collection of twenty one terrifying and unsettling treats. In addition to providing excellent fiction to read, this is the perfect book for discovering new authors and enriching your life through short fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

“For more than three decades, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. . . . and the anthologies just keep getting better and better. She's an icon in the industry.”—Signal Horizon

“Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year series is one of the best investments you can make in short fiction. The current volume is no exception."—Adventures Fantastic

“As usual, Datlow delivers what she promises, ‘the best horror of the year,’ whether it’s written by the famous (Neil Gaiman) or the should-be famous (Laird Barron and many others).”
—Washington Post

“You just can’t have a list of recommended speculative anthologies without including an Ellen Datlow anthology. It’s. Not. Possible. The line-up in The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eight is absolutely stupendous, featuring the most frighteningly talented authors in horror fiction.”—Tor.com

"Once again, [Ellen Datlow supplies] an invaluable book, featuring excellent short fiction and, in addition, providing as always precious information about what happened in the horror field last year.”—Mario Guslandi, British Fantasy Society