MetaHorror, edited by Dennis Etchison (Dell Abyss), is a thick anthology of original horror fiction. While on the whole it doesn’t seem quite as sharp as its predecessor, Cutting Edge (one of the major horror anthologies of the 1980s), it is still a remarkable achievement with a line-up of some of the best writers in and out of the field. Every story is first-rate; three are reprinted in this volume and all of them are well worth reading. Highly recommended. A hardcover deluxe, slipcased edition is available, designed, and illustrated by Thomas Canty. Limited to 1000 numbered copies signed by Etchison, Canty, and the contributing authors (all but Joyce Carol Oates). $100 plus $2 shipping. The art, atypical Canty, consists of photo collages in black and white, effective and horrific (Donald M. Grant, Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 187, Hampton Falls, NH 03844).
Borderlands 3, edited by Thomas F. Monteleone (Borderlands Press), is the third installment of this ambitious anthology series. The stories in this volume are more consistently successful than those in Borderlands. Monteleone has set himself what is probably an impossible task, aiming to take readers to the “cutting edge” and over. Building an anthology series around such a vague premise seems doomed to disappoint, given the scarcity of writers who ever come close to the “cutting edge.” Despite this caveat there is excellent fiction by Poppy Z. Brite, Thomas Tessier, John Maclay, Ed Gorman, Michael Cassutt, Kathe Koja, and Steve Rasnic Tem. Highly recommended. The hardcover anthology is available in a trade edition for $20, and a slipcased, signed (by all but Avram Davidson) limited edition of 750 copies for $65, both with a dust jacket by Rick Lieder. Highly recommended (Borderlands Press, P.O. Box 32333, Baltimore, MD 21208).
Narrow Houses, edited by Peter Crowther (Little Brown, U.K.), is an excellent original anthology with “superstition” as its nicely broad theme. There’s a good mix of British and American writers, and the stories are consistently interesting and varied. Most of them made my recommended list, and two are reprinted in this volume: those by Nicholas Royle and Stephen Gallagher. Highly recommended. Touch Wood: Narrow Houses Volume Two is scheduled for 1993.
Psychos: An Anthology of Psychological Horror in Verse, edited by Michael A. Arnzen (Mastication Publications), is consistently interesting with fine poetry by Steve Rasnic Tem, Don Webb, Robert Frazier, and Thomas Wiloch and good illustrations by Renate Muller. The only flaw is an unnecessary “final note” from the editor. $6 ppd: Michael A. Arnzen, c/o Mastication Publications, P.O. Box 3712, Moscow, ID 83843-1916.
Still Dead: Book of the Dead II, edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector (Bantam Falcon), is more consistent in quality than their first volume of flesh-eating zombie stories. I would have liked to see a few more “zombie as metaphor” stories but there’s an excellent contribution by Poppy Z. Brite (reprinted here), and many others made my recommended list. Unfortunately, the introduction suffers from the self-congratulatory tone of the editors. Recommended. Mark Ziesing published a beautiful hardcover of the anthology, with full-color cover and interiors by Rick Berry, for $29.95 for a trade edition, $85 for a signed, slipcased edition. All books are plus $2 postage (Mark V. Ziesing Books, Box 76, Shingletown, CA 96088).
Freak Show, edited by F. Paul Wilson (Pocket), is the second Horror Writers of America shared-world anthology and must be judged two ways. As an episodic novel it works, and Wilson has done an admirable job integrating the pieces. Yet despite the overall quality of the writing, the book—as a showcase for members of the HWA—is an ill-conceived disaster, muting the writers’ individuality. Why doesn’t the HWA propose a non-theme anthology to show off the many diverse voices of its membership instead of continuing to produce these stifling wastes of talent? A limited hardcover edition of Freak Show was published by Borderlands Press with cover and interiors by Phil Parks, slipcased and signed by contributors and limited to 750 copies. $75. This is a beautifully produced book, much more attractive than the paperback.
Grails: Quests, Visitations, and Other Occurrences, edited by Richard Gilliam, Martin H. Greenberg, and Edward E. Kramer (Unnameable Press), was given out free to the membership at the World Fantasy Convention in Pine Mountain, Georgia. It’s a very large anthology that stays a little too close to the Arthurian motifs of the “grail” theme for my taste. The most interesting stories are those that branch out into the “other occurrences” of the subtitle. There are some good dark pieces, but the book is weighted more toward fantasy. Unnumbered copies are available for general sale and a mass-market edition is forthcoming. Write to Unnameable Press for information: P.O. Box 11689, Atlanta, GA 30355-1689.
Midnight Graffiti, edited by Jessica Horsting and James Van Hise (Warner), is an anthology consisting half of reprints from the magazine and half of original stories. Midnight Graffiti, the anthology, is a spotlight for the magazine’s flaws. Very few of the stories disturb in more than a superficial way, and the satires usually lack grace and subtlety. Despite this there’s a terrific original by Neil Gaiman (reprinted here) and a very good original by John Shirley. There are multiple factual errors and misstatements on the book cover and in the blurbs, and there seem to be a lot of typos in the book itself. How about some truth in advertising from blurb writers?
Northern Frights, edited by Don Hutchison (Mosaic Press), is a solid dark fantasy anthology from Canada. It’s the first volume in a projected series “inspired by the unique geography of the Canadian imaginative landscape.” This nice-looking hardcover features reprints by Robert Bloch, Charles de Lint, and Terence Green, originals by Steve Rasnic Tem, Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Lucy Taylor, and others. There is good writing here with a few stand-outs, but the illustrations routinely give away too much of each story.
Intimate Armageddons, edited by Bill Congreve (FIP), is an Australian horror anthology with impressive stories by Robert Hood and Terry Dowling, the most recognizable of the contributors. The anthology is, on the whole, quite literate while not breaking new ground in style or content, and it unwisely includes an overly long reprint by the editor. Fire Island Press Associates, P.O. Box 1946, Wollingbong NSW 2500, Australia. Write for information.
SPWAO Showcase 8—All Aboard! edited by Mike Olson (Small Press Writers and Artists Organization) is disappointing, with even those writers who have broken into professional markets contributing less than their best work. ($8.95 including postage to Michael A. Arnzen, Director, SPWAO Publication Dispersal, 1700 Constitution #D-24, Pueblo, CO 81001.)
Bizarre Sex and Other Crimes of Passion, edited by Stanislas Tal (TAL Publications), is an anthology of erotic horror with good work by John Edward Ames, Lucy Taylor, and Wayne Allen Sallee, so-so works by others ($9.50 plus $1.50 shipping to TAL Publications, P.O. Box 1837, Leesburg, VA 22075).