Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis (Harmony) is a virtuoso performance, a story told backward from a man’s death to his birth. The narrator, a doppelganger imprisoned within Dr. Friendly’s body, is a separate consciousness that shares but has no influence on the doctor’s life—an innocent. Through the doppelganger’s perceptions, the reader sees history in a completely different light and begins (unlike the doppelganger) to understand the monstrousness of Dr. Friendly. The resulting novel is thoroughly cerebral rather than emotionally engaging.
Wetbones by John Shirley (Mark V. Ziesing) begins with all the energy, solid characterizations and action that a reader expects of John Shirley. The novel seems at first to be a hard-headed look at Hollywood, but it quickly becomes a cautionary tale about the dangers of any kind of addiction. A weird guy lures young girls away from home and psychically feeds off them until they’re used up; a respected Hollywood couple own a ranch that is the nexus of all kinds of perversion and corruption; a recovered alcoholic combs L.A. for his runaway daughter; and two men go after the grail of fame and fortune in the Hollywood film industry. In general, a good combination of street life and splatter that certainly goes over the top in violence. For me, the grisliness became a bit numbing and I felt there was too much explanation of the supernatural elements. Don’t even ask what “wet-bones” are—you don’t want to know. ... A good read, and a beautifully designed package by Arnie Fenner.
Bones of Coral by James W. Hall (Knopf) is an intricate mystery that opens with a Miami paramedic responding to a suicide call and discovering the father he hasn’t seen in twenty years. The novel focuses on Key West and illegal chemical dumping, and the underside of the high-tech society we embrace. There’s a refreshing relationship in which male and female are equal in age and status. (If anything, the woman, a famous soap opera actress, has the edge.) A great read.
Other novels published in 1991 were The Wild by Whitley Strieber (Tor), The Bridge by John Skipp and Craig Spector (Bantam); Unearthed by Ashley McConnell (Diamond); The Fire Within by Graham Watkins (Berkley); Lizzie Borden by Elizabeth Engstrom (Tor); Dracula Unbound by Brian W. Aldiss (HarperCollins); Lot Lizards by Ray Garton (Mark V. Ziesing); Bad Dreams by Kim Newman (Simon & Schuster-UK); Ghosts of Wind and Shadow by Charles de Lint (Axolotl/ Pulphouse); Steam by Jay B. Laws (Alyson); Fetish a short novel by Edward Bryant (Axolotl/Pulphouse); The Fetch by Robert Holdstock (Orbit); Through a Lens Darkly by James Cohen (Donald I. Fine); The Headsman by James Neal Harvey (Donald I. Fine); Revealing Angel by Julia Maclean (St. Martin’s); The Walled Orchard by Tom Holt (St. Martin’s); Midnight Sun by Ramsey Campbell (Tor); Nothing Human by Ronald Munson (Pocket); The Burning by Graham Masterton (Tor); The Kinder Garden by Frederick Taylor (Carroll & Graf); Peter Doyle by John Vernon (Random House); The Choiring of the Trees by Donald Harrington (HBJ); Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon); Flicker by Theodore Roszak (Summit); Phantom by Susan Kay (Delacorte); Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon (Pocket); A Dangerous Woman by Mary McGarry Morris (Viking); Doctor Sleep by Madison Smartt Bell (HBJ); Something Stirs by Charles L. Grant (Tor); Imajica by Clive Barker (HarperCollins); The Goldbug Variations by Richard Powers (Morrow); Murther and Walking Spirits by Robertson Davies (Viking); Hangman by Christopher A. Bohjalian (Carroll & Graf); The Host by Peter R. Emshwiller (Bantam); The Women of Whitechapel and Jack the Ripper by Paul West (Random House); Summer of Night by Dan Simmons (Putnam); Needful Things by Stephen King (Viking); Nightlife by Brian Hodge (Abyss); and Mastery by Kelley Wilde (Abyss).
Anthologies:
In 1991, as in the past four years, original anthologies provided the most consistently well-written and interesting short horror. There were almost thirty anthologies published that were dominated by horror material, plus many anthologies and collections that contained at least some horror.
However, the abundance of original anthologies does not mean that everything is great in the field. Most of these anthologies were commissioned a few years ago, when economic conditions were more favorable and horror as a genre was at its peak. If these anthologies do well, we’ll see more, otherwise, not. In no particular order:
Obsessions edited by Gary Raisor (Dark Harvest) is a good collection of wide-ranging obsessions. What stands out about this anthology is that the reader hardly ever remains aware of the theme until she finishes a story—the best way for a “theme” anthology to read. In other words, you’re not looking for the theme because the stories are so effective. The standouts are by C. J. Henderson, Charles L. Grant, A1 Sarrantonio, A. R. Morlan, and Dan Simmons.
Hotter Blood edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett (Pocket Books) contains all original stories, and is a considerable improvement in quality over Hot Blood. There’s more variety, fewer “woman as castrator” or “woman as victim” stories. Could it simply be due to the inclusion of more female contributors? Or is it because the first volume was slammed by some critics for using too many stories with women in stereotypical horror roles? In any case, there are very good stories here by Gary Brandner, Stephen Gallagher, Kiel Stuart, Karl Edward Wagner, and Grant Morrison.
Psycho-Paths edited by Robert Bloch (Tor) is disappointing. Too many psychos meeting other psychos. The best stories are by Dennis Etchison, Gahan Wilson, Steve Rasnic Tem, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Michael Berry, Brad Linaweaver, and Susan Shwartz.
Cold Blood: New Tales of Mystery and Horror edited by Richard T. Chizmar (Mark V. Ziesing) is another disappointment, considering it comes from the editor of the World Fantasy Award-winning small press magazine Cemetery Dance. None of the contributors are at their best, although F. Paul Wilson’s contribution is very good. Few of the stories pack the punch they should and very few follow through on good ideas.
Under the Fang edited by Robert R. McCammon (Pocket). The first official Horror Writers of America-sponsored anthology does not show off the membership to best advantage. The idea, a shared-world vampire anthology set at a time after vampires have taken over, is not a bad one. Unfortunately, the contributors don’t go far enough off the main track and there’s little depth to most of the stories. There are some interesting visuals by Nancy A. Collins, an amusing collaboration by Yarbro and Charnas placing their famous vampires in the same century, and a good Thomas F. Monteleone story, but the book is not the showcase it should have been.
Newer York edited by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Roc) is not marketed as a horror anthology, but considering how most outsiders feel about New York, it shouldn’t be surprising that there are a number of stories here that verge on the horrific. The best include those by Robert Frazier, Eric Blackburn, Martha Soukup, Laurence M. Janifer, Robert}. Howe, and a collaboration between Warren Murphy and Molly Cochran.