The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixteenth Annual Collection

The last annual collection that I read (the eighth, dating back to the mid-1990s) was a pretty big disappointment, but thankfully this sixteenth annual collection had a lot more like-able stories! I guess 2002 was when the fantasy/horror market hit a really good stride with lots of monthly magazines, the web just starting to share materials, and the world taking a turn towards the fantastic even in Hollywood and YA marketing, so it makes sense that this collection would have some excellent examples of the fantasy and horror genres (and some which span both). I won’t go into too much detail about the collection as a whole, but one story that stood out for me was Jeffrey Ford’s medieval horror-tinged fantasy “The Green Word.” Ford show more explores pagan beliefs, woodslore, and the clash of culture when Christianity was introduced to Britain to tell a story of resistance, resurgence, and belief that is captivating even in its more horrific and sad moments. The other two stand-out pieces for me were a set of poems: “The Seven Pairs of Iron Shoes” by Tracina Jackson-Adams and “The Wolf’s Story” by Nan Fry. Both use narrative poetry to re-tell the stories of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and Little Red Riding Hood, respectively, from different and unexpected perspectives, which turn both stories on their heads and make us think more deeply about the traditions and expectations of the world. All three of these authors are new to me (amongst a handful of others who told intriguing tales), so the collection did what it was supposed to and has inspired me to seek out some new reading material! show less

A collection of the best fantasy and horror stories published in 2002, with an emphasis on work that explores the broadest definitions of each genre.

I recently acquired an insatiable thirst for short fiction, and this anthology series has proved just the thing for quenching it. The selections are fantastic. Each story is a fine example of a literate, carefully crafted tale with a great deal to offer the reader. They entrance, entertain and offer a new perspective on the world, and the writing is top notch. These authors know what they're doing. They've made perfect use of the medium. I'm eager to seek out more work by these people.

The summations, too, are nicely organized and very useful. Each of them provides the reader with some show more valuable suggestions for novel-length books, short story collections, nonfiction, art books, etc. The comics and film sections help single out those offerings the reader should explore in areas in which a lot of chaff is mixed in with the wheat. Finally, the obituaries highlight contributers to both genres who passed away in the preceding year.

The collection's only downside is, perhaps, that traditional fantasy is underrepresented. There's a strong emphasis on magical realism, urban fantasy and historical fantasy. Maybe there just wasn't much stunning, literary, traditional fantasy published in 2002, but I did feel the lack of imaginary world stories.

Overall, I highly recommend both this volume and the rest of the series. Datlow and Windling do a wonderful job of selecting the stories and placing them to best effect. This time around, my particular favourites were "A Pool in the Desert" by Robin McKinley, "Mermaid Song" by Peter Dickinson, "Seven Pairs of Iron Shoes" by Tracina Jackson-Adams and "The Coventry Boy" by Graham Joyce. The only story that did very little for me was "The Prospect Cards" by Don Tumasonis. show less