A review by kamisha
The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 11 by Ellen Datlow
4.0
This was honestly one of the best short story collections that I‰ŰŞve read in awhile! Each story was creepy and evoked some sort of emotion from me, whether it was fear, revulsion, disgust, unease, or just downright anxiety! Almost all of these stories felt like perfect little jewels of horror to me.
I‰ŰŞve been a long time fan of Ellen Datlow and the collections she curates are always winners in my opinion, and this one was no exception! I will definitely be picking up more Best Horror of the Year volumes in years to come.
A few of my favorite stories from this collection were:
‰ŰĎYou Know How the Story Goes‰Űť- Thomas Olde Heuvelt- a variation of the classic ‰ŰĎlady in white‰Űť trope, except in this story the hitchhiker gets picked up by a spooky lady rather than the lady being the hitchhiker herself.
‰ŰĎI Remember Nothing‰Űť- Anne Bille- This creepy, gory tale is about two people waking up in a room with no idea what is going on or why they are there and slowly realizing that they are the monsters themselves.
‰ŰĎShit Happens‰Űť- Michael Marshall Smith- If you like body gore, and especially zombie body gore, this story will definitely entertain you. I was simultaneously disgusted and laughing throughout the whole story.
‰ŰĎHaak‰Űť- John Lanagan- I‰ŰŞm a sucker for anything Peter Pan related, and this is essentially a Peter Pan retelling. But this is a much gorier, terrifying version of the classic story, where Peter Pan is actually the god Pan and he is not all fun and games.
I really thoroughly enjoyed all the stories in this collection, but hands down the one that I have to give the most credit to by far was, ‰ŰĎYou Are Released,‰Űť by Joe Hill. This story really messed me up. It is one of the most heartbreaking and terrifying horror stories I‰ŰŞve ever read. This is mostly due to the fact that, unlike most of the other stories in this collection, Hill‰ŰŞs story is so horrifically close to being a possibility in our world today. I don‰ŰŞt want to go into details, but definitely be prepared for this story to haunt you when you read it. Especially American readers.
I loved this collection and a lot of the stories I read have introduced me to horror authors I want to read more of, or cemented other authors in my favorites list. If you are a fan of horror and a fan of short stories, definitely check out this collection!
I‰ŰŞve been a long time fan of Ellen Datlow and the collections she curates are always winners in my opinion, and this one was no exception! I will definitely be picking up more Best Horror of the Year volumes in years to come.
A few of my favorite stories from this collection were:
‰ŰĎYou Know How the Story Goes‰Űť- Thomas Olde Heuvelt- a variation of the classic ‰ŰĎlady in white‰Űť trope, except in this story the hitchhiker gets picked up by a spooky lady rather than the lady being the hitchhiker herself.
‰ŰĎI Remember Nothing‰Űť- Anne Bille- This creepy, gory tale is about two people waking up in a room with no idea what is going on or why they are there and slowly realizing that they are the monsters themselves.
‰ŰĎShit Happens‰Űť- Michael Marshall Smith- If you like body gore, and especially zombie body gore, this story will definitely entertain you. I was simultaneously disgusted and laughing throughout the whole story.
‰ŰĎHaak‰Űť- John Lanagan- I‰ŰŞm a sucker for anything Peter Pan related, and this is essentially a Peter Pan retelling. But this is a much gorier, terrifying version of the classic story, where Peter Pan is actually the god Pan and he is not all fun and games.
I really thoroughly enjoyed all the stories in this collection, but hands down the one that I have to give the most credit to by far was, ‰ŰĎYou Are Released,‰Űť by Joe Hill. This story really messed me up. It is one of the most heartbreaking and terrifying horror stories I‰ŰŞve ever read. This is mostly due to the fact that, unlike most of the other stories in this collection, Hill‰ŰŞs story is so horrifically close to being a possibility in our world today. I don‰ŰŞt want to go into details, but definitely be prepared for this story to haunt you when you read it. Especially American readers.
I loved this collection and a lot of the stories I read have introduced me to horror authors I want to read more of, or cemented other authors in my favorites list. If you are a fan of horror and a fan of short stories, definitely check out this collection!