Review: Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror edited by Ellen Datlow
Receiving books in the mail is good. Receiving unexpected books is very good. Receiving unexpected books edited by Ellen Datlow is excellent. So, when I unexpectedly received an ARC of Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror, an anthology edited by Ellen Datlow, I became an instant fan of Tachyon Publications. Darkness jumped to the top of my reading queue.
Looking at the cover of contributing authors, this anthology is definitely a who-who’s in modern horror. However, there were a couple of names I did not immediately recognize and that intrigued me all the more. Of the 25 tales in this reprint anthology, I had read only about half of them before. All of the stories are worthy of being in this book. Ellen Datlow has a real eye for the horror genre.
I will say this, though; this collection will not please everyone. With the wide variety of topics and writing styles, it is impossible to say that every reader will enjoy the entire anthology. On the other hand, I sincerely believe every horror aficionado will find something to love within the collection. I enjoyed new-to-me stories by old favorites and had my dislike of certain authors’ writing reconfirmed.
Of the collection, there were a few standout pieces. The first is “The Phone Woman” by Joe R. Lansdale with its unsympathetic victim. The second is “Chattery Teeth” by Stephen King with its completely improbable but often wished for hero in the form of a toy. “The Erl-King” by Elizabeth Hand (an author I have not read before) with its wonderful foreshadowing. Finally, “Eaten (Scenes from a Moving Picture)” by Neil Gaiman with its interesting format and horrific ending.
I read this anthology over a couple of days in order to savor each horrific bite of prose. While I did not like every story, I did appreciate why each story was included. Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror, is an education in what works in horror, of the different kinds of formats that may be used and who should be on the shelves of horror lovers everywhere. This anthology is not to be missed.
To be published on March 15, 2010.
Jennifer Brozek is a freelance author for many RPG companies including Margaret Weis Productions, Rogue Games and Catalyst Game Labs. Her contributions to RPG sourcebooks include Dragonlance, Colonial Gothic, Shadowrun, Serenity and White Wolf SAS. Author of In a Gilded Light (Dark Quest Books, 6/2010), she is published in several anthologies, is the creator and editor of the semi-prozine, The Edge of Propinquity, and is a submissions editor for the Apex Book Company. When she is not writing her heart out, she is gallivanting around the Pacific Northwest in its wonderfully mercurial weather. Jennifer is a member of Broad Universe, an affiliate member of SFWA and an associate member of HWA.
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