An anthology calling itself 'The Best Horror of the Year' certainly has a lot to live up to. How did it fare?
Total number of stories: 22 (my Kindle ARC missed two for some reason)
Great stories: 7
Good/Okay stories: 4
I Remember Nothing by Anne Billson-A woman wakes up next to a strange man in a creepy room and neither of them remember what has happened. This started well and did some cool stuff but it quickly went downhill. It's not a bad concept for a story but as is my usual complaint with horror short stories, it could have done what it did a lot simpler and it would have been stronger for it.
Monkeys on the Beach by Ralph Robert Moore-A family goes on holiday and terrible things happen. I don't get the point of this story? The events didn't seem linked to me and it feels like I missed something important. Very lackluster.
Painted Wolves by Ray Cluley-A crew of people are filming a nature documentary about painted dogs. This was great right until the very last section when it became weirdly vague. I'm pretty sure I know what happened and I liked it but it was executed so well until that point that it left a bad taste.
Shit Happens by Michael Marshall Smith-I have read and reviewed this story previously so here is my original review: This story has the weirdest premise and it shouldn't work but it does? While on a business trip taking place on a cruise ship, a mysterious affliction strikes people who are close to the sea. This is one of those short stories I could see being expanded into a whole book and it would make a great comedy horror one. It worked extremely well as a short story in my eyes but I did kinda want more from the world and the characters. One of the strongest in the (original) anthology.
You Know How the Story Goes by Thomas Olde Heuvelt-SO GOOD. This story gripped me right from the start and is a perfect example of a simple concept done well. A man recounts of a time when he hitchhiked and something terrifying happened to him. It builds tension fantastically and holds it from start to finish. One of my favourites.
Masks by Peter Sutton-This was so short and tbh, I don't really know what it was about. It didn't hold my attention very well.
The Donner Party by Dale Bailey-Another brilliant one. Set in the past in a society where the rich dine upon the poor at annual feasts, our main character is invited to such a feast but then problems arise. This one doesn't contain many surprises but it doesn't need them. The horror is woven into the world of the story so well that you feel dread and disgust without as opposed to it having punchy moments. Definitely one of the best.
Milkteeth by Kristi DeMeester-This one was so short that it was over before I had the chance to really process what it was about. There's something about a dead mother and teeth and hunting but I wasn't a huge fan.
Haak by John Langan-A teacher tells his class a historical story that is linked to Peter Pan I think? I switched off really early in this due to the historical element so I can't really say much more about it sadly.
Thin Cold Hands by Gemma Files-A pretty creepy story about a changeling child. The writing wasn't the best for this but it had a strong concept and was genuinely quite disturbing.
A Tiny Mirror by Eloise by C. C. Shepherd-This is about a woman telling a man a creepy story from her childhood whilst they're on a plane together. It was enjoyable but incredibly short and over way too soon. Pretty average on the whole.
I Love You Mary-Grace by Amelia Mangan-This story came from a horror anthology entirely about dogs and you can definitely tell! It's very weird and about a guy who idolises a girl, which is all I can pretty much say about it. Not for me unfortunately.
The Jaws of Ouroboros by Steve Toase-I think this is set in the future and two people are collecting a resource from giant mouths which have appeared around the world. Another incredibly weird one and this was also hard to follow. I got the jist but it could have been done a lot better.
A Brief Moment of Rage by Bill Davidson-People are afflicted with a condition that makes them incredibly violent for short periods of time at random. It was fine.
Golden Sun by Kristi DeMeester, Richard Thomas, Damien Angelica Walters, & Michael Wehunt-So this story started off really well. It's about a family on holiday and their daughter keeps singing a specific song and then a weird event happens. This event is told from four characters' perspectives and each author writes one segment of it. The problem is that the segments weren't different enough in my opinion. The only one which adds any new details after the first one is the final one, so it becomes a repetitive reading experience. I understand what they were trying to do here and they almost accomplished it but that stopped this story being great.
White Mare by Thana Niveau-An American family visit England around Halloween and discover a creepy local tradition. This was so good! It was really well-written and pretty creepy. I didn't 100% understand the ending but the rest of it was strong enough for me not to care. Maybe my absolute favourite?
Girls Without Their Faces On by Laird Barron-A girl has been dating this guy and at a party, she realises she doesn't really know him. Creepy stuff follows. This one was almost really great but it fell short at a few hurdles. The guy 'J' became weird in a way which was hard to follow and the ending suffered from that stock confusion. There were some strong moments in this, it just wasn't consistent.
Thumbsucker by Robert Shearman-I did not like this story one bit. It's about a world where thumbsucking is stigmatised and the main character's dad becomes a thumbsucker. It was really weird and uncomfortable to read. I kept waiting for a line at the end to explain the metaphor but it never came, so the whole thing fell a bit flat.
You Are Released by Joe Hill-A very powerful story about a plane that runs into trouble, framed by swapping the focus to a different passenger every few paragraphs or so. This wasn't really horror in my opinion but I am so so glad I read it. It has a lot of really thought-provoking moments and was just excellently done.
Red Rain by Adam-Troy Castro-A story about a horrific incident that starts with a man jumping from a roof, uniquely told entirely in questions posed to the reader. I did really like this one on the whole but the gimmick wore a bit thin near the middle. It's a nice idea but it became incredibly repetitive and moreso than I felt it needed to be. The story itself was so strong though.
No Exit by Orrin Grey-A woman tells the story of her sister who was involved in an accident. This was a good story but it felt like it almost could have been a great one from the concept and it just fell a bit short.
Haunt by Siobhan Carroll-I have read and reviewed this story previously so here is my original review: I possibly didn't give this story the chance it deserved because I was sort of done with the anthology by the time I reached it. It has the strong general premise of a ghost ship relating to slaves being drowned but the execution just wasn't there. It had some good moments but overall it wasn't enough to keep my attention or leave a lasting impact.
Overall Rating:
.5
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