The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories

The biggest anthology I’ve ever found. Expanding on his earlier The New Weird, Vandermeer shows that he has spent a lot of care selecting these stories. There are well-known stories by H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, as well as dozens of completely unknown authors like Bob Lehman who prove with one story that they are valuable contributors. The thing I like about this massive tome is that the work is taken from all over the world, not just America. A whole boatload of translators jumped on board the project and it was nice to see that the quality of the stories was uniformly good. I can only think of one other anthology that pretends to be this good and that is Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison. But instead of the endless show more essays that Ellison provides where he brags about his close personal friends who are all better writers than him, Vandermeer gives a brief description of each author’s career. What is so wrong about simply finding a gem and placing it in an anthology? I don’t care if the author was paid for the contribution or they’re long dead. I only want to read their words, see their visions and enjoy their madness. I read Vandermeer’s equally impressive Big Book of Science Fiction as well. I am also wondering if there will ever be an anthologist who can resist the temptation of anthologizing himself.
Whatever one’s opinion is of so-called weird fiction, you will probably love most of these stories. It is truly the only worthy successor to Dangerous Visions I have ever found – and yes I have read Again, Dangerous Visions… show less

This book is a wonderful assortment of horror, fantasy, quirky and downright bizarre tales all neatly wrapped up in a bow of weirdness. It's also the probably the best anthology that I've come across years, nay, ever.

This gigantic, titan of a book has tales dating back from the nineteenth century to the present day. There are some classic tales in here such as 'The Willows' by Blackwood, 'The Dunwich Horror' by Lovecraft, the sublime 'Don't Look Now by Du Maurier and 'It's a Good Life' by Bixby which was adapted in the classic series of the Twilight Zone.

The book's real selling points, however, are its collection of lesser known works by well known authors, and more importantly, tales which have been completely forgotten ,or simply show more never reached enough audiences.

There are far too many individual stories to mention, but the majority of these tales certainly struck a chord with me and I'll certainly be look out for some of the authors at a later date.

Of course, there are a few clangers in here, but given the sheer size of the book they are barely worth mentioning.

Highly recommended. show less

The Vandermeers' mission to coin the term "New Weird" set them on this undertaking. It's an excellent anthology, a fine collection of great short stories, and a wonderful reference for obscure authors that deserve to be rediscovered. But it fails in it's stated purpose: to define a new genre. The concept of the "New Weird" is as evasive as it ever was; it remains essentially a shorter way of saying literary fantasy and horror, and that in turn is a nicer way of saying fantasy and horror that isn't derivative crap. The Vandermeers have excellent taste but they need to write their own nonfiction on just what exactly the "New Weird" is in order for the term to stick.

I became addicted to reach stories of the uncanny by reading great anthologies: "The Haunted Omnibus" and "Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural." I've read "Dark Forces," " The Dark Descent, " and "Black Waters" later. This anthology is as good as them, arguably greater, and will win new devotees to dark fiction.
Complaints? The VanderMeers could have trimmed some mediocre authors who reused tropes that better writers had used earlier. On the other hand, by starting in 1908, they left out great writers and great stories. I feel that the weird tradition began in the 1890s, with Vernon Lee, Ambrose Bierce, Robert Chambers, and especially, Arthur Machen. Is their a better weird rite tale than "The White People?"

An impressive compendium of Weird stories, classic and obscure, exhibiting a wide range of style, atmosphere, tone, and genre. Many entries are clearly Weird and serve almost as exemplars of the tradition. Others won't qualify for some readers, while simultaneously thrilling other readers.

Extra points for seeking out authors beyond Anglophone or even Continental influences, though I suspect this collection remains rooted in the literary world as defined by Western industrial economies. There are exceptions, but they're just that: exceptions.

I became addicted to reach stories of the uncanny by reading great anthologies: "The Haunted Omnibus" and "Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural." I've read "Dark Forces," " The Dark Descent, " and "Black Waters" later. This anthology is as good as them, arguably greater, and will win new devotees to dark fiction.
Complaints? The VanderMeers could have trimmed some mediocre authors who reused tropes that better writers had used earlier. On the other hand, by starting in 1908, they left out great writers and great stories. I feel that the weird tradition began in the 1890s, with Vernon Lee, Ambrose Bierce, Robert Chambers, and especially, Arthur Machen. Is their a better weird rite tale than "The White People?"

** UPDATE 7/6/2018 ** Six years after adding this book to my library and beginning to read it, I finally finished near the end of last month. Although not every story rates five stars, I have decided to give the whole collection that rating. This goes against my usual principle of averaging things out and perhaps rounding up. In this case, there is just so much great stuff here, that even if a few things fall short, the book represents a monumental achievement in the history of anthologies of weird or horror fiction. Interestingly, as I read into the book, which presents its stories in chronological order, it got better. The imagination of the authors of the past 20-30 years is certainly not inferior to that of their predecessors, and show more they take on subjects that would have been unimaginable a few decades ago. I'll leave the rest of the review as I have written it, story-by-story, over the past six years.

I plan to review each story in this book in order as I read them over the coming weeks, months, or years. This is one HUGE book. Over 1100 pages of small double columned print, with 110 stories published from 1908 to 2010. What an amazing achievement to get something like this published in 2012! It is tempting to buy the eBook as well just to avoid the bulk. At first glance, a few of the stories are familiar, and still memorable though I may have first read them 40 years ago as a pre-teenager. I trust that some of the others will also leave their mark on my older, perhaps harder to penetrate, imagination. Stay tuned.

The Other Side by Alfred Kubin ****
This excerpt from a novel would benefit from a little more context, since we don't understand the origin or full significance of some of the characters, such as the American who plays a sinister role. But, that aside, it is a haunting, memorable story of a city overcome by sleeping sickness, then succumbing to a plague of animals and a rapid decay of everything within it. There is a fatalistic humor that runs through it all as most people somehow cope. In keeping with the editor's definition of a weird tale, the story is long on sensation and short on explanation.

The Screaming Skull by F. Marion Crawford ** 1/2
This story of a sea captain living in the house with a skull that may belong to the wife of a colleague who may have murdered her is much more conventional and obvious. The first person, slightly unhinged narrative is engaging, but goes on too long.

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood ** 1/2
Two men following the Danube from its source to the Black Sea alight on an island between Pressburg (present day Bratislava) and Budapest, where strange things begin to happen. Like most of Blackwood’s work, this is strong on atmosphere and has some memorable, mysterious scenes. But it is also full of overwritten passages that blunt rather than heighten the sense of mystery that pervades the story. This would have been much better at half the length.

Sredni Vashtar by Saki *****
In contrast to Blackwood, Saki was a master of the very short story, and this one is pure perfection. Though memorable for its climax, upon re-reading, the plight of the lonely boy who lives mostly in his imagination because his guardian/cousin makes the rest of his existence so barren, resonates strongly with this reader.

Casting the Runes by M.R. James *** 1/2
James writes in a much more normal, less dense, more urbane style than his contemporary Blackwood. This story of a man who comes under the threat of an alchemist who may have killed another man who also criticized his work is quite engaging and enjoyable, though it isn't going to leave you with nightmares.

How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art Upon the Gnoles by Lord Dunsany ***
Dunsany's stories are always fun to read. His style is that of the master storyteller. Here we find that even a master thief must take certain precautions when attempting his most difficult crime yet.

The Man in the Bottle by Gustav Meyrink *** 1/2
This one definitely earns the right to call itself weird. A Persian Prince puts on an unusual entertainment--but the real interest of the story is its descriptions of the participants in a masked ball with few rivals--perhaps Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The Dissection by Georg Heym ****
Gruesome, poetic, and very short, this tale of a corpse on a dissection table just needs to be read, not described.

The Spider by Hanns Heinz Ewers ****
Strange goings on as a medical student moves into a room where three people have hung themselves on three successive Fridays. Has a few gaps in logic, but makes up for it in atmosphere. Nice twist at the end.

The Hungry Stones by Rabindranath Tagore ***
Interesting story of a haunting series of dreams, marred by an abrupt ending, perhaps because the author didn't know where to take it from there--or maybe this kind of story achieves a more lasting effect if left unfinished....

The Vegetable Man by Luigi Ugolini *** 1/2
This is right out of an old episode of Night Gallery, but none the less enjoyable. It will teach you to stay away from strange plants.

The People of the Pit by A. Merritt ***
Solid lost civilization story, set in the far North of Canada. At such a short length, Merritt can't really develop things as he does in a novel such as THE MOON POOL, but this is still quite atmospheric and enjoyable. This man got away with using language in a way that should end up seeming totally ridiculous, but somehow doesn't.

The Hell Screen by Ryunosuke Akutagawa *** 1/2
Very dark story of a Lord, a painter, and the painter's daughter--wait, I left out the monkey! This is old fashioned and you'll know where it is leading, but nevertheless it has a certain fascination and contributes to the globe-spanning nature of this anthology.

Unseen - Unfeared by Francis Stevens ** 1/2
A man discovers horrors unseen. A good idea and it is nicely atmospheric, but it is also a bit overwritten in that early 20th century manner, and the tale is somewhat spoiled in the telling. A little subtlety would have gone a long way here.

In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka *****
Stories don't get any weirder or more harrowing (an apt word) than this one. Much more visceral than one might expect from Kafka. A traveller witnesses the world's strangest form of execution. Would have been interesting to know what was in Kafka's head when he dreamed this one up. Not forgettable.

The White Wyrak by Stefan Grabinski **** 1/2
Horrific trip to the inside of a chimney. Very well done, fairly traditional horror story with a unique monster.

The Night Wire by H.F. Arnold *** 1/2
Nice old story from Weird Tales. You'll know where it is going, but there's still a lot of pleasure in something like this when it is well done.

The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft ****
A horrible creature--born of the family of a wizard--stalks the fields, roads, and hills near Dunwich. Only an intrepid professor from Miskatonic University and two fearless colleagues can stop it. This is an archetypal story of the Cthulhu Mythos, but as the victims and most of the observers are New England yokels, with an appropriate yokel-ish dialect, it lacks the impact of Lovecraft's masterpiece, The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Still, Lovecraft, with his endless vocabulary and descriptive skills can pull something like off better than just about anyone.

The Book by Margaret Irwin ****
A solicitor grows bored of reading his usual fare and dips into an old Latin text he inherited--only to find it has some pretty strange powers. There is a novel's worth of plot telescoped into a fairly short story here, written in a very engaging prose. This would have made a great Night Gallery episode (or maybe it already did.)

The Mainz Psalter by Jean Ray ***1/2
Atmospheric sea story has some great scenes and is well told, but has a few plot gaps that would have been better served at greater length. This will remind you of a lot of other things you have read; yet, it still comes off as original.

The Shadowy Street by Jean Ray ****1/2
2nd story in a row by this lesser known Belgian author. Not sure if I've ever seen that in an anthology before--but wait, this is a compendium, so maybe it's allowed. And what a strange story it is. Two interconnected stories actually, in the form of found manuscripts with a connecting narrative. In Germany, people begin disappearing mysteriously by the dozens in the night. Strange creatures are about. In the second telling, a man is the only one who can see a mysterious street, that he finally gains the courage to explore. Very strange and memorable--and I think more than a few authors may have borrowed a little from it.

Genius Loci by Clark Ashton Smith ***
Atmospheric story of an artist, visiting a writer friend, becoming obsessed with a desolate nearby marsh. The usual ensues. This may have been more original when written, but probably not.

The Town of Cats by Hagiwra Sakutaro ****
Nice idea in this story by a Japanese poet of how something familiar can seem very strange--even fantastic--when you don't realize it really is familiar. The same thing happens with taste sometimes. You taste a dessert and think it is awful because you were expecting a certain flavor, then when you're in the process of spitting it out it occurs to you that is is really a different flavor. Suddenly, the taste changes in an instant from bad to good--just as the vision in Sakataro's story of a familiar village street viewed from the wrong direction after the narrator stumbles across it while lost does.

The Tarn by Hugh Walpole ****
In the classic style, a story about jealously, revenge, murder, and their consequences. Very well done. And any story with a tarn gets extra points from me.

Sanitarium Under the Sign of the Hourglass by Bruno Schulz ****1/2
A story whose plot can't really be described that succeeds through the sheer force of its atmosphere and strangeness--or I guess I should say "weirdness" given the subject of this volume. I have read one or two of Schulz's stories before and recall him as a masterful writer. This one doesn't change that opinion. There is a touch of Kafka, a touch of Poe, but also a depth of originality and genius that makes for a unique experience. Very well translated, of course.

Far Below by Robert Barbour Johnson ****1/2
1939 Weird Tales story is heavily influenced by Lovecraft, but written in a slightly less lurid style, although leavened by a lot of obscure weird words as in Lovecraft. The tale takes place deep under New York as a strange night shift guards the city's deepest subway tunnel from--well, if you've read Lovecraft, you can imagine what from! Highly enjoyable and atmospheric, even though all the action is second hand.

Smoke Ghost by Fritz Leiber ****
Well done ghost story of a different sort as a businessman is haunted by a dark figure he sees from the elevated train. This one is short on explanation, which actually makes it more effective.

White Rabbits by Leonora Carrington ****
A woman becomes acquainted with her across-the-street neighbor by way of some rotted meat. A short, memorable nightmare.

Mimic by Donald A. Wollheim ****
Memorable story with a nice scientific wrapping, about what may be living among us.

The Crowd by Ray Bradbury *****
Classic story where Bradbury turns an ordinary traffic accident into a horrific supernatural scenario. A reminder that when he was at his best, there was a dark side to his stories that won't let you go.

The Long Sheet by William Sansom ****1/2
Now this is as weird (and depressing) as it gets. In a strange prison, prisoners must wring dry a long sheet to achieve their freedom. Very allegorical--if you want to take time to delve into it.

The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges ****
Another of Borges' stories that references anything and everything. It would have been wonderful to live inside his brain. Even reading such a story, I feel that perhaps a little bit of that intelligence may wear off on me. In this case, the author as a character in his own story must deal with a hack writer who has perhaps discovered the focal point of the entire universe. With Borges, you just go with the flow or give into incomprehensibility. In this case, the flow works fine.

A Child in the Bush of Ghosts by Olympe Bhely-Quenum ****1/2
A memorable journey deep into the African bush--and beneath it--with a fearless 12-year old who encounters a weird skeleton guide!

The Summer People by Shirley Jackson *****
In this short tale, Jackson turns a series of ordinary events into horror of the first sort. A husband and wife decide to stay past labor day at their lake house and are surprised at how surprised the local folks are. Things build from there. Superb.

The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles by Margaret St. Clair ****
Satisfying tale of a determined salesman who makes one mistake when selling "cordage" to the fearsome Gnoles.

The Hungry House by Robert Bloch ****
Excellent haunted house story. Bloch shows that you don't need a whole novel to deal with this sort of thing. I'll never look in a mirror quite the same way again. Nor trust a real estate agent!

The Complete Gentleman by Amos Tutuola ***1/2
Another very strange story from Africa. A woman follows a very interesting man as he leaves the market--never expecting what she will see. Very oddly written, but quite engaging until the ending, which is a little too pat.

It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby *****
The source of the classic Twilight Zone episode. A monster child inflicts punishments on anyone who says or thinks anything he doesn't like. You do not want to be sent to the cornfield.

Mister Taylor by Augusto Monterroso ***
Amusing story of the shrunken head business gone wild. Actually an allegory for American imperialism--which somewhat blunts the fun.

Axolotl by Julio Cortazar ****
A visit to the zoo turns into a strange fascination with the title creature. Well done--why is it that South American authors seem so capable of this type of story? (Shades of Borges, of course.)

A Woman Seldom Found by William Sansom *****
Beautifully written, short, and shocking. The second tale in this volume by Sansom is very different from the first, but, taken together, they make the case for his being a great writer worth delving into. A lonely man meets the woman of his dreams....

The Howling Man by Charles Beaumont ****1/2
Beaumont's tale is also beautifully written and memorable, especially the last line. If only it were true! But unfortunately, one howling man is not enough. I have to take away a half star for the unreality/alternate universe aspect of this, since the howling man in question certainly did not disappear for five years, which is how long the story says he was locked up.

Same Time, Same Place by Melvyn Peake *****
Once again, a lonely young man meets a woman and falls desperately in love with her, and they decide to marry. What happens after that will stick in your head for a long time--perhaps forever. The "horror" may be a little politically incorrect in the 21st century, but on the other hand, the problem could have been avoided by full disclosure. This probably doesn't make any sense; just read it and enjoy.

*** At this point, I broke down and bought the ebook on Amazon for $2.99 using MatchBook. Nice benefit. And now I can read it in bed, late at night. ***

The Colomber by Dino Buzzati ****1/2
A man decides to confront the giant fish that only he and his blood relations can see, which has been destined to devour him for fifty years. It isn't Moby Dick--and you won't predict the ending. Well done.

The Other Side of the Mountain by Michel Bernanos *****
Amazingly engrossing story has two parts. The first is as harrowing a sea tale as you'll ever read. All the horror in the first part is human. But the second part is unique, and about as weird as it gets, as the author creates a strange world that exceeds almost any I have experienced. And not one I would want to experience in person.

The Salamander by Merce Rodoreda ****1/2
Very atmospheric and eerie (or I guess I should say weird) tale about a woman who may be a witch...or a salamander. The prose draws you into her predicament as she seeks escape.

The Ghoulbird by Claude Seignolle ****1/2
A more traditional horror story, old fashioned, and with a bit of a twist as a visitor at a secluded manor house encounters the title creature.

The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be by Gahan Wilson *****
The Walrus and the Carpenter retold as a really great horror story. I tend to think of Wilson as a cartoonist, but this is prime proof that he could write just as well.

Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier ****1/2
If you have seen the classic Nicholas Roeg film, reading this story is almost unbearable. Images from the film flash into your mind as you read certain passages. The story is quite similar, minus the explicit love scene. If you haven't seen the film, you may enjoy this even more--but then you'll have to sit through the film with the same feeling of dread I felt while reading the story....

The Hospice by Robert Aickman ****
Aickman's writing took some time to get to me when I first read him maybe 35 years ago. He writes beautifully, but the horror in his stories lies well beneath the surface in most cases. Here, a truck driver finds himself stranded for the night at a very strange "hotel". The effect here is subtle, and the reader is left to draw his/her own conclusions about what exactly it all means. Very well done.

It Only Comes Out at Night by Dennis Etchison *****
A man and his wife are driving at night on a desert Interstate highway in Arizona. Incredible atmosphere and sense of forbidding make this memorable--and weird. Etchison is a master of the short story.

The Psychologist Who Wouldn't Do Awful Things to Rats by James Tiptree, Jr. ****1/2
Horrific, but I suppose realistic, tale of a researcher in a lab who is sympathetic with all the animals being slaughtered. Then things take a turn. Not like anything I have read before (or necessarily want to read again....)

The Beak Doctor by Eric Basso ***1/2
Extremely atmospheric story of a city beset by a fog and a sleeping sickness, as a doctor and other characters make their way around it (with great difficulty). Written in a very impressionistic, sometimes stream of consciousness style, interspersed with some clear narrative passages. Not so much confusing as just random. Hard to forget some of the images or the atmosphere, but trying to analyze it isn't easy. No one seems to run out of cigarettes or booze, for instance, although civilization seems to have partially broken down. I imagined it set in Baltimore, since that is the author's hometown, and it does mention the Inner Harbor and the Roundhouse--but it is not a Baltimore you'll recognize.

My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid ***
Another somewhat indescribable story with a lot of atmosphere but, while weird, not horrible, and doesn't leave you with much after you're done reading it.

Sandkings by George R.R. Martin *****
Perfectly written story of a man who likes unusual pets--until he meets the title creatures. Truly horrifying story of man against beasts.

Window by Bob Leman ****1/2
A scientist opens a window into an alternate universe, showing a nice house, a family and their dog. Let's just say things get worse from there. This is a classic science fiction horror story.

The Brood by Ramsey Campbell ****1/2
From his windows, a veterinarian observes an old, toothless woman wandering through the neighborhood, picking up stray animals to take home. He longs to investigate - to make sure the animals are safe. And when the woman stops appearing, he does just that. This is a totally atmospheric story set in a decaying Liverpool, a close third person narrative from the point of view of the veterinarian, who seems to not have a single friend. He sort of reminds you of...a stray animal....

The Autopsy by Michael Shea *****
This is as harrowing a horror story as you will ever read--and as visceral--truly! A doctor, with a death sentence of cancer growing inside him travels to a small town where a horrific accident - or more likely murder - buried and killed a group of miners. His grim task is to perform the autopsies--alone--late at night--in a deserted building. You won't forget what happens.

The Belonging Kind by William Gibson/John Shirley ****
Definitely meets the "weird" criterion; I wouldn't call it a horror story. A bar hopper becomes entranced by a mysterious woman he meets, so he follows her from bar to bar to bar....

Egnaro by M. John Harrison **1/2
An accountant is intrigued by a bookstore owner's talk of Egnaro - a place he has heard of only in overheard conversations, but must go to. This is sort of like Borges, but done badly. The story retains its interest, but sort of leaves you not caring that much. Egnaro is "orange" spelled backward--not exactly sure if that means anything!

The Little Dirty Girl by Joanna Russ ****1/2
Strange story of a woman who meets a strange little girl in the grocery store and becomes deeply involved with her. Nice Seattle atmosphere.

The New Rays by M. John Harrison ***1/2
Woman undergoes some sort of strange treatment in a clinic run by a mysterious doctor. Very atmospheric, highly readable, but just slightly disturbing since it is hard to ground the strange happenings in reality.

The Discovery of Telenapota by Premendra Mitra *****
Man takes a fishing trip to a mysterious place deep in a forest where he meets a woman....really no way to describe this, but it is wonderful. There are so many ways to read it and so many ways to interpret what happens, from the literal to the imaginative. Dreams, missed opportunities, repeating cycles...take your pick.

Soft by F. Paul Wilson *****
This unique story is one of the saddest and most terrifying I have ever read. Not the way I imagined the world to end at all.

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler *****
This tale of symbiosis--if that is the correct word--shows how complex love can get. Visceral and cerebral at the same time!

In the Hills, the Cities by Clive Barker *****
Of all the stories I read long ago in The Books of Blood, this one stuck with me--at least its bizarre, horrifying center. I had forgotten the somewhat explicit subplot of the two gay lovers traveling through Yugoslavia who stumble upon, how can I put it, a once in a lifetime experience. Given what Yugoslavia was to go through shortly, this story isn't as much of a fantasy as it once was.

Tainaron: Mail from Another City by Leena Krohn *****
I've never read anything quite like this, although in a strange way it reminds me of the tone of The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa, which I read and reviewed a while back. Of course, Pessoa's Lisbon wasn't a city inhabited by various races of intelligent talking bugs. This story (more like a short novel) is full of brief, memorable episodes, and it leaves you with more questions than answers, but not in a frustrating way. You'll be drawn into its narrator's musings on the strange city he now lives in and its inhabitants, presented as a series of letters. Definitely weird!

Hogfoot Right and Bird-hands by Garry Kilworth ****1/2
Definitely weird and pretty memorable story about a future I don't want to live in. If you like body parts, this one is for you!

Shades by Lucius Shepard ****1/2
Back to Vietnam in this engrossing story of a former soldier returning to investigate the appearance of his former squad leader's ghost. This doesn't quite proceed as you would expect. Great characterization - and a perhaps agreeable perhaps not bit of ambiguity.

The Function of Dream Sleep by Harlan Ellison ****
Compared to most of the Ellison stories I have read, this is a bit more straightforward, but it is much more horrific. A man finds a bodily problem he can't quite deal with alone--or perhaps not at all.

Worlds That Flourish by Ben Okri ****1/2
Strange story set in, perhaps, Nigeria. A man ventures between the edges of life and death in a very well drawn, very odd world.

The Boy in the Tree by Elizabeth Hand ***1/2
Everything I have read by Hand is well-written and this is no exception. Perhaps I needed to read it in one sitting, however, because despite how vivid the story is, I still feel like I missed something. It takes us inside a weird compound when a girl has the ability to reach into others minds--but, in the end, for what purpose?

Family by Joyce Carol Oates *****
Another story set in a semi-post-apocalyptic world that doesn't all make sense, but in this case, it's just fine. The series of images are compelling and horrific. Very very well written.

His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood by Poppy Z. Brite *****
New Orleans decadance at its best, complete with grave robbing and a whole lot more. The first person narration is exquisite, and it will draw you in further than perhaps you want to go.

The End of the Garden by Michael Advaz ***
Well-written, atmospheric, and kind of funny, but this tale of a strange woman, a monitor lizard, and a traveling bed will just leave you scratching your head.

Angels in Love by Kathe Koja *****
The amorous sounds from next door are just too intriguing--and arousing--for Lurleen to ignore. Will she get what she wants? Memorable.

The Ice Man by Haruki Murakami ****
Perhaps the strangest love story you'll ever read. And with a trip to the South Pole, no less...well, not THAT South Pole....

Replacements by Lisa Tuttle *****
Lisa Tuttle is another short story writer who never seems to go wrong. This story of strange creatures in London is perfectly chilling and, despite the impossibility of it all, very believable. Read it and see what I mean.

The Diane Arbus Suicide Portfolio by Marc Laidlaw ****
Effective story of a police photographer's brush with something beyond his experience borrows a bit too much from the very real Diane Arbus for my taste--but it is undoubtedly effective.

The Country Doctor by Steven Utley ****1/2
Unique story (a lot of the stories in this volume are unique) about a man venturing back to his hometown cemetery where bodies are being moved before a new dam floods the area. Some of the things in these coffins are a bit out of the ordinary....

Last Rights and Resurrections by Martin Simpson *****
A masterpiece, worth perhaps 10 stars. A man begins to hear the voices of dead animals on his daily drive, so he brings them home to bury. But this is a story of a family tragedy and perhaps reconciliation--and the hope to hear another voice again. Simply brilliant and deeply affecting.

The Ocean and All Its Devices by William Browning Spencer ****
Effective, Lovecraftian tale of strange events by the sea. Even the author's name sounds like something from a 100 years ago!

The Delicate by Jeffrey Ford ****1/2
Atmospheric tale of a creature that sucks the life out of others.

The Man in the Black Suit by Stephen King ****
Little boy meets you-know-who while fishing. Goes on a bit too long, which is typical for King, but the evocation of the boy's family, his dead brother, the woods, and the stream is very well done.

The Snow Pavilion by Angela Carter ****
Hard to describe, like many stories in this book, it concerns a man on his way home who ends up in a very strange house.

The Meat Garden by Craig Padawer *****
Tale of a strange future war with the most gruesome, imaginative weapons you never thought of.

The Stiff and the Stile by Stepan Chapman ****
Enjoyable, silly tale is more of a grotesque children's story. Memorable more for its telling than its content, but not something easily forgotten, either.

Yellow and Red by Tanith Lee ****
Nicely done story of a man who inherits a house which has proved fatal to anyone in his family who has lived there. He discovers a few pictures inside...and he doesn't like what he sees. While still effective, the inevitable ending seems a bit tacked on. There may have been a better way for the author to achieve the same effect.

The Specialist's Hat by Kelly Link ****1/2
A haunted house story that pulls you in and just keeps pulling. Two little girls, a neglectful father, and a very accommodating baby sitter make for a memorable series of events. (Maybe this gets better on a second reading. When I read this in a collection by Link, I only gave it 3 1/2 stars. Both ratings stand.)

A Redress for Andromeda by Caitlin R. Kiernan ****1/2
An ichthyologist is invited to a Halloween party in an 111-year old house near the shore. Actually, it's more like an initiation.... Quite well done, though not that original as it is definitely a follow-on to Lovecraft.

The God of Dark Laughter by Michael Chabon ****
Small town Pennsylvania policeman has to solve a very weird murder--of a clown. Well-written, but, in the end, not terribly frightening. Definitely weird, though.

Details by China Mieville *****
Frightening story of the downside of paying too close attention to things. This one will have you thinking the next time you look at--anything! I find Mieville's short stories to be much more effective than the one novel of his I have read.

The Genius of Assassins by Michael Cisco **
Despite generally good writing and some effective hallucinogenic scenes, this story is mostly just repulsive. "Assassins" doesn't belong in the title - it is murder (and random murder at that) plain and simple. We get inside the killers' heads, but what is the point? Not enjoyable or rewarding.

Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman *****
I never managed to finish the one Gaiman novel I started, but this short story is just about perfect. It is a tale, like so many others, of a chance meeting with an old acquaintance with a story to tell--but what a story!

The Cage by Jeff VanderMeer ****1/2
Of course, the story by the co-editor had better be good. It is. In a strange world being overcome by fungi and worse things, an antiques collector picks up an empty cage...

The Beautiful Gelreesh by Jeffrey Ford *****
Another one-of-a-kind story, this time about a strange creature who victimizes humans, but in a very unusual way. I'm a little reminded, oddly enough, on the episode of Cheers when Norm was made the corporate killer.

The Town Manager by Thomas Ligotti ****1/2
Weird, perverse, and inexplicable--and wonderfully written, this will draw you into a bleak alternate reality, or maybe it is just a preview of where we're heading.

The Brotherhood of Mutilation by Brian Evenson ****
The title tells you most of what you need to know. The author takes a very unpleasant proposition to a logical extreme. It is effective, but not pleasant.

The White Hands by Mark Samuels ****1/2
Nice, old-fashioned story about a writer becoming obsessed with an obscure late 19th Century supernatural and with the eccentric ex-Oxford professor who closely guards her legacy.

Flat Diane by Daniel Abraham *****
As terrifying a story as you'll ever read, if you are a parent. Brilliant.

Singing My Sister Down by Margo Lanagan *****
Harrowing story of a ritual even more disturbing than The Lottery. How does someone imagine these things?

The People on the Island by T.M. Wright ***1/2
Weird and atmospheric, but just as the narrator seems to be estranged from human emotions, so is the reader.

The Forest by Laird Barron ****1/2
Lots of detail packed into this story about a cinematographer's last encounter with the love of his life. Layer that with some Lovecraftian/science fiction elements and a nice setting in the remote Maine woods, and you have a unique reading experience. Excellent ending.

The Hide by Liz Williams ***1/2
One of those stories that holds your attention and is well written (and like I say over and over, atmospheric), but in the end is not all that satisfying.

Dust Enforcer by Reza Negarestani *
The editor describes this story as Borgesian for its seemingly non-fictional character. Borges, however, although he may have descended into esoteric technicalities beyond the grasp of the reader never wrote gibberish--which much of this tale of demons is. Borges would have also had a point; this tale sadly doesn't. A waste of space!

The Familiars by Micaela Morrissette ****
Story of a boy, his mother, and SOMETHING ELSE is atmospheric, engaging, and, if you let yourself dwell upon it, pretty sad and horrifying--so I moved right on to the next story!

The Lion's Den by Steve Duffy *****
A very straightforward, easy-to-read (wow!) tale told by a zookeeper who witnesses a strange transformation in his charges after a strange intruder enters the lion cage. Very different in tone from the rest of the book, I would say, but it has that element of the weird that qualifies it to be here.

Little Lambs by Stephen Graham Jones ****1/2
Very weird, science-fictional horror tale of an outpost of men assigned to watch a structure that appeared out of nowhere, but has its links to the real world. Very imaginative, and I like the ending.

Saving the Gleeful Horse by K.J. Bishop ****
A dark, fairy-tale like story that explores what is real and what is not. Definitely finishes the book on a weird note!

Afterweird: The Efficacy of a Worm-Eaten Dictionary
Not a story, so I won't rate it. I could have done without it, as it adds nothing to what we have just read. Micheal Moorcock's Foreweird is much better, as is the editors' introduction. show less