A review by pearseanderson
The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Twelve, by Ellen Datlow

adventurous dark medium-paced

3.0

Not an especially strong collection, unfortunately: I left a lot of the pieces thinking I devoted too much time to reading them and trying to get invested in characters or plots that weren't doing it for me. The winners, as I see them: Robert Shearman (ofc)'s I Say (I Say, I Say), The Senior Girls Bayonet Drill Team, Adrenaline Junkies, and The Butcher's Table. Ballingrud takes the cake, making this collection worthwhile if you just read his novella, tbh. Stunning.

Connection: Ballingrud edited my work at Shared Worlds, years ago, and I helped suggested some seafaring food culture for him to add to this story.