Description
A town is held hostage by an unholy bargain made by some of the inhabitants; a party game on Halloween brings back memories better left forgotten; one misstep changes the balance of survival during the apocalypse; a group of seemingly typical travelers are stranded in an airport; a widower’s holiday in a seaside town becomes a nightmare . . .
The Best Horror of the Year showcases the previous year’s best offerings in short fiction horror. This edition includes award-winning and critically acclaimed authors Neil Gaiman, Kelley Armstrong, Stephen Graham Jones, Carmen Maria Machado, and more.
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. Night Shade Books is proud to present the eighth volume in this annual series, a new collection of stories to keep you up at night.
Table of Contents:
Summation 2015 - Ellen Datlow
We Are All Monsters Here - Kelley Armstrong
Universal Horror - Stephen Graham Jones
Slaughtered Lamb - Tom Johnstone
In a Cavern, In a Canyon - Laird Barron
Between the Pilings - Steve Rasnic Tem
Snow - Dale Bailey
Indian Giver - Ray Cluley
My Boy Builds Coffins - Gary McMahon
The Woman in the Hill - Tamsyn Muir
Underground Economy - John Langan
The Rooms Are High - Reggie Oliver
All the Day You’ll Have Good Luck - Kate Jonez
Lord of the Sand - Stephen Bacon
Wilderness - Letitia Trent
Fabulous Beasts - Priya Sharma
Descent - Carmen Maria Machado
Hippocampus - Adam Nevill
Black Dog - Neil Gaiman
The 21st Century Shadow - Stephanie M. Wytovich
This Stagnant Breath of Change - Brian Hodge
Honorable Mentions
Reviews
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