As per usual with my anthology reviews, I am going to go through each story briefly and give my opinion of it. There are a lot of stories in here so you definitely feel like you get your money's worth in that regard, even if they weren't all winners.
Skin and Bone, Tim Lebbon-While hiking on a snowy mountain, a man discovers something very sinister indeed. This was a perfect example of how creative the doll concept could get and an interesting start to the anthology. One of the most linear and straightforward of plots (in a good way).
Heroes and Villains, Stephen Gallagher-A famous ventriloquist has died and someone is hired to use his dummy for an event celebrating his heroic death. Unfortunately some dark details surrounding his death are revealed. This was another cool concept but it wasn't told in the best way for me. Something about it almost dragged and I think the reveal would have worked better in a punchier story. Still a decent read.
The Doll-Master, Joyce Carol Oates-A man has a doll collection...or does he? I knew exactly where this story was going from the start but that wasn't necessarily an issue. I think the reveal happening earlier would have been more beneficial since it was so obvious. Pretty creepy with a sense of surrealism about it.
Gaze, Gemma Files-I started to read this story and only got a few pages in before skipping it. Something about glass doll eyes? The writing style did not agree with me.
In Case of Zebras, Pat Cadigan-Whilst working at a hospital on community service, a young girl finds a doll on a crash victim. This one was well-written but far, far too confusing and muddled. I didn't really get what was going on and I felt it could have been executed a lot clearer.
There Is No Place for Sorrow in the Kingdom of the Cold, Seanan McGuire-A fantasy story about a woman who makes dolls and these dolls become vessels for emotions. This was fascinating as a story and I got sucked into the world very quickly. My only criticism is it could have been darker. It was more fantasy than horror and the setup for horror elements was definitely there.
Goodness and Kindness, Carrie Vaughn-A man becomes convinced that Kewpie dolls are linked to kindness and obsessively collects them. This was an okay story with a somewhat sinister undertone to it but was ultimately a little average for me and I don't remember it that well.
Daniel's Theory About Dolls, Stephen Graham Jones-When a mother miscarries, she tells her two young sons that their baby sister is a doll they bury in the backyard. This has a troubling effect on one of them. This was one of the stronger stories definitely, with very weird but interesting horror elements. Again, it seemed to be told in a more confusing style than it needed to be but I did enjoy it.
After and Back Before, Miranda Siemienowicz-This is set in a dystopian world and I can't really say much more about it. Very confusing narrative but a creepy and strong ending.
Doctor Faustus, Mary Robinette Kowal-Whilst working on a play, a real demon is accidentally summoned and a puppeteer must use her skills to escape. This was very very loosely related to the doll concept but apart from that, it was a decent horror story. Quite short and simple but again, that's not a bad thing.
Doll Court, Richard Bowes-A man starts dreaming of doll court, a place where previous childhood crimes against dolls are punished. This was another great idea executed in a slightly muddled way. It was done well enough to keep me interested but there was a weird book element that I wasn't sure needed to be there (unless it's a reference to something I don't understand).
Visit Lovely Cornwall on the Western Railway Line, Genevieve Valentine-A woman sees a young girl on the train holding a doll. I didn't really like this story sadly. I didn't get what it was trying to do and I ended up skimming most of it.
Ambitious Boys Like You, Richard Kadrey-Two men break into a house with the intention to steal things. However, the old man who owns it has installed some horrifying forms of defense. This was absolutely my favourite story of the whole lot. It had an interesting and well-executed concept, some great horror moments and created genuine tension.
Miss Sibyl-Cassandra, Lucy Sussex-A doll is sold at auction. Honestly I skim read this one since it was told in letter format and I found it very hard to follow.
The Permanent Collection, Veronica Schanoes-Told from the point of view of an expensive doll in a doll collection, this is the story of the owner of the collection and how he abuses dolls. There could have been more done with this concept but it was one of the stronger stories and had some neat moments.
Homemade Monsters, John Langan-A child creates his own homemade Godzilla figure when his family can't afford one. His friend trashes it and then horror things happen. Again, a super creative use of the doll concept and I mostly thought this was done well.
Word Doll, Jeffrey Ford-I honestly don't remember this story at all unfortunately.
Overall, this was an interesting collection but it failed to live up to its potential. Many of the stories seemed to use a confusing narrative style that made it difficult to tell what was actually going on, and that made me disconnect. I skimread a couple and while there were some gems in here, the majority of stories were just average. I am still keen to check out other anthologies that Datlow has edited and I hope they leave more of a lasting impact.
Overall, this was an interesting collection but it failed to live up to its potential. Many of the stories seemed to use a confusing narrative style that made it difficult to tell what was actually going on, and that made me disconnect. I skimread a couple and while there were some gems in here, the majority of stories were just average. I am still keen to check out other anthologies that Datlow has edited and I hope they leave more of a lasting impact.
Overall Rating:
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