Rate this book

The Mammoth Book Of Best New Horror 19 (2007)

by Stephen Jones(Favorite Author)

3.79 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0762433973 (ISBN13: 9780762433971)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Running Press

series

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror

review 1: I am a great fan of the Mammoth book of best new horror.Of those I have read to date this is one of the weaker offering, I really struggled through the last 150 pages. The final batch of short stories being extremely poor and obscure. Kim Newman finishes of with novella which in no ways I would classify as horror....more of a Harry potter teenie story which had absolutely no place here.I must however state that the book is still well worth picking up since the majority of the works are great.
review 2: Normally when I get my copy of Stephen Jones’s annual collection, I dip in and out depending on mood and opportunity. This year I actually read it cover to cover. The ratio of stories I liked to those I didn’t was certainly better than half, but since I don... more’t want to laboriously go through each tale pointing out merits or flaws, I thought I’d just pick out the ten I’d particularly recommend. That way, if you’re like me in previous years, you won’t be completely in the dark when it comes to which tale to read next:The Church on the Island – Simon Kurt JohnsonA spooky story of loneliness and fate, with a fantastic Mediterranean backdrop. The way everything just moves on when the protagonist accepts her destiny is a beautifully horrifying touch. Peep – Ramsey CampbellNo one can deny that Campbell is a fine writer of the supernatural, I can’t help feeling though that the family depicted in Peep are more terrifying than any of the supernatural elements.From Around Here – Tim PrattA supernatural visitor comes to town with the intention to right wrongs. If I had to pick out a flaw I’d say that I wished it was longer – and that’s not a bad criticism to have of a short story.Thumbprint – Joe HillNifty yarn spun out of the Abu Ghraib scandal. The ending turned in a different direction to that which I’d expected, but it didn’t betray what had gone before. Hill evokes beer-stained lives going nowhere with great skillLancashire – Nicholas RoyleA shorter piece, but one with a fantastic final twist that makes it the most shocking in the collection.The Children of Monte Rosa – Reggie OliverThe setting of Portugal in the 60s is brilliantly evoked, and does serve to differentiate it from its present day companions. Not sure it held together as well as some of the others, but still worth reading for the description of the animal tableaus.This Rich Evil Sound – Steven EriksonLiterary horror at its best. You are at the last lines before you can fully comprehend what it’s actually about.Deadman’s Road – Joe R. LansdaleExcellent western horror narrative, which is certainly the most cinematic piece in this collection.Loss – Tom PiccirilliA superb opening line (“The last time I saw the great, secret unrequited love of my life, Gabriella Corben, was the day the talking monkey moved into the Stark House and the guy who lied about inventing aluminium foil took an ice-pick through the frontal lobe.”) leads into a witty and original haunted house story. One of the best in this book.The Ape’s Wife – Caitlín R. KiernanDream-like spin on King Kong. Beautifully written, but quite capable of making you wince. less

Download links for: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 19

Advertising