Cover Reveal: The Best Horror of the Year Volume Nine

Behold the absolutely creeptastic cover for The Best Horror of the Year Volume Nine edited by Ellen Datlow.

THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR VOLUME NINE
edited by Ellen Datlow
ISBN: 9781510716667
Release date: 20 June 2017
Pre-order a copy

With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. But this light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows. It is a catalog of terror, fear, and unpleasantness as articulated by today’s most challenging and exciting writers.

Table of contents:

• Nesters - Siobhan Carroll
• The Oestridae - Robert Levy
• The Process is a Process All its Own - Peter Straub
• The Bad Hour - Christopher Golden
• Red Rabbit - Steve Rasnic Tem
• It’s All the Same Road in the End - Brian Hodge
• Fury - DB Waters
• Grave Goods - Gemma Files
• Between Dry Ribs - Gregory Norman Bossert
• The Days of Our Lives - Adam LG Nevill
• House of Wonders - C.E Ward
• The Numbers - Christopher Burns
• Bright Crown of Joy - Livia Llewellyn
• The Beautiful Thing We Will Become - Kristi DeMeester
• Wish You Were Here - Nadia Bulkin
• Ragman Rebecca - Lloyd
• What’s Out There? - Gary McMahon
• No Matter Which Way We Turned - Brian Evenson
• The Castellmarch Man - Ray Cluley
• The Ice Beneath Us - Steve Duffy
• On These Blackened Shores of Time -  Brian Hodge

New Arrivals: More glorious books!

This past week has definitely been a week for the books in more ways than one. It has been a tough week at work. Each time I felt at my lowest, as if by magic, I would receive these parcels laden with books. We all know that it's impossible to be sad when there are new books to be read.

The first two parcels to arrive contained two orders I had placed at some local online stores.

FOR REVIEW:

I was also fortunate enough to receive not one, but two parcels filled with review copies.

First up from Pan Macmillan SA I received a copy of The Bear and the Serpent by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Fierce Gods by Col Buchanan. Since these are later books in a series I first need to track down the rest before I will be able to review them.

And the amazing folks at Jonathan Ball Publishers ended my week off with this glorious collection of books. I walked around the entire day with a huge grin on my face.

The titles included are Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson, The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington, The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks and Chaos Mage by Stephen Aryan.

Now one question remains - what do I read first?

Review: Bazaar of Bad Dreams

Title: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 507
ISBN: 9780141042374
Publisher: Hodder
Published: 3 November 2015
Genre: Short Stories / Horror
Source: Purchased

Buy it from:
The Book Depository

Stephen King delivers a collection of thrilling stories, introducing each one with a fascinating piece on when, where or how he came to write it. There is a treasure here for every reader: a man who keeps reliving exactly the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again; a columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries; a poignant tale about the end of the human race and a firework competition between neighbours which reaches an explosive climax. And, exclusive to this paperback edition (and the eBook from 6 September), a brand new story 'Cookie Jar'. 'I made them especially for you,' says King. 'Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.'

Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King is a great collection of short stories by a master of the craft. The stories range from creepy, poignant, to the unsettling and bizarre, but always with a twist or unexpected turn along the way. I loved how engaging and utterly vibrant the characters in each story were. King has the ability to bring his characters to life in just a couple of sentences, to make you care for them before their inevitable fate takes its toll. What sets this collection apart is the fact that each story is accompanied by commentary sharing the inspiration behind the story; an interesting, intimate look behind the curtain to see how our nightmares are made.

I loved all the stories in the collection. The standout stories for me were Mile 81, Bad Little Kid, Morality, Ur, Herman Woulk is Still Alive, The Little Green God of Agony and Obits. My undisputed favourite was the story that rounds out the collection, Summer Thunder, a story chronicling the last days after a nuclear holocaust. Considering recent world events it hits far too close to home and might be a terrifying prophetic glimpse into our future if things continue to deteriorate.

If you are new to Stephen King's work this would be a perfect starting point. Constant Readers might have come across most of the previously published works before, but they are all well worth revisiting. The 21 stories collected in Bazaar of Bad Dreams are terrific, haunting delights that will stay with you long after you turn that last page.

Addendum:
It's been two weeks since I finished reading Bazaar of Bad Dreams and I still find myself thinking about the somewhat strangely titled Herman Woulk is Still Alive. I think this might be due to the brilliant juxtaposition used in the heartbreaking story - the two aged poets enjoying the twilight years of their life versus the sharp contrast of the young mothers left hopeless, trapped by their circumstance and falling into a pit of despair so deep that it ultimately leads to devastating tragedy. I guess that earns it the runner-up spot for favourite story in the collection.

The Verdict:
The stories collected in Bazaar of Bad Dreams are terrific, haunting delights that will stay with you long after you turn that last page. This is a perfect read for those dark nights where you come to realise that the monster might be the one hiding under the covers... Highly recommended!

The Rating: 8 (Great!)