Review: Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton

Haunted Nights is a perfect October read. It's a collection of Halloween themed horror short stories edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton. From a haunted house to wandering Jack to the far-flung future of Halloween, there is enough variety to suit anyone. Lisa Morton, a well-known expert on Halloween, writes the enjoyable and informative introduction to the book.

Of the 16 short stories included in the collection, I really liked all but about 2 of them. I think as far as anthologies go, that's a pretty good success rate. My favorites were about the wandering Jack with the fiery turnip. Yes, there was more than one about Jack, but they were nothing alike. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of "The Seventeen Year Itch" by Garth Nix.

I liked that in addition to Halloween, some of the stories also dwelt on what was termed the time when the veil between the worlds thins, The Day of the Dead, All Souls' Day, and Devil's Night. The variety really made the collection a joy to read.

If you enjoy your horror with a taste of Halloween and other related themes, then this is a good book for you. The quality of the writing is there. The chills are present. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Waiting on Wednesday #196/Can't Wait Wednesday: Haunted Nights ed. Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

This week the book I am waiting on is Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton. It's due out October 3, 2017 from Anchor Books.

Sixteen never-before-published chilling tales that explore every aspect of our darkest holiday, Halloween, co-edited by Ellen Datlow, one of the most successful and respected genre editors, and Lisa Morton, a leading authority on Halloween.

In addition to stories about scheming jack-o'-lanterns, vengeful ghosts, otherworldly changelings, disturbingly realistic haunted attractions, masks that cover terrifying faces, murderous urban legends, parties gone bad, cult Halloween movies, and trick or treating in the future, Haunted Nights also offers terrifying and mind-bending explorations of related holidays like All Souls' Day, Dia de los Muertos, and Devil's Night.

"With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds" by Seanan McGuire 
"Dirtmouth" by Stephen Graham Jones"
"A Small Taste of the Old Country" by Jonathan Maberry
"Wick’s End" by Joanna Parypinski 
"The Seventeen Year Itch" by Garth Nix
"A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night" by Kate Jonez
"Witch-Hazel" by Jeffrey Ford
"Nos Galen Gaeaf" by Kelley Armstrong 
"We’re Never Inviting Amber Again" by S. P. Miskowski
"Sisters" by Brian Evenson
"All Through the Night" by Elise Forier Edie 
"A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds" by Eric J. Guignard
"The Turn" by Paul Kane
"Jack" by Pat Cadigan
"Lost in the Dark" by John Langan
"The First Lunar Halloween" by John R. Little

Why am I waiting on this one? Halloween is my favorite holiday. I really enjoy stories that center around it. Ellen Datlow is an excellent editor. And Lisa Morton is considered "a leading authority on Halloween." The two working together on a book of Halloween short stories seems like could be a stroke of genius. 

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: Nightmares edited by Ellen Datlow

Things that go bump in the night? Sure, but so much more than that. The stories are varied and run the gamut from horrifying to creepy to don't turn your lights off scary. There was even a retelling of sorts of Hansel and Gretel. And don't forget the zombies.

Ellen Datlow is an excellent editor. I believe she is a sort of expert in short story quality and in horror from her many years of editing the Best Horror of the Year series among other things. Authors included in the anthology are (in order of appearance): Mark Samuels, Gene Wolfe, Brian Hodge, Kaaron Warren, Lisa Tuttle, Gemma Files, Simon Bestwick, Nicholas Royle, Margo Lanagan, Steve Duffy, Laird Barron, Stephen Graham Jones, Reggie Oliver, Ray Cluely, M. Rickert, John Langan, Anna Taborska, Livia Llewellyn, Dan Chaon, Robert Shearman, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Garth Nix, Nathan Ballingrud, and Richard Kadrey.

As with most anthologies, I didn't like all the stories equally. Some were better than others for me. A few I was puzzled as to why they were included. There was one story that used incest as an important part of the story. That one I could have done without entirely. It just wasn't for me.

My favorites were: How We Escaped Our Certain Fate by Don Chaon, and the last 3 stories in the anthology. It was almost as though the best were saved for last, but the stories were arranged chronologically in order of year of publication. Datlow says of the stories included: "Consider them a guide to some of the best short story writers currently working in the field of horror fiction. And in this volume specifically, a good representation of the excellent horror that was published between 2005 and 2015."

Overall, enough of the stories were satisfying for me to give the anthology a 4 out of 5 stars rating.

Nightmares: a New Decade of Modern Horror was released November 1, 2016 by Tachyon Publications.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #51: A Pair of Titles: One Dark and One Light

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

This week I am waiting on 2 titles. One is a little darker than the other. The first one that I am looking forward to reading is called The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen. It's edited by Ellen Datlow who is one of the best editors out there and will be published by Tachyon Publications October 14. 2014.

From the publisher: 

What happens after the closing credits and before the lights go out?  When you turn off your TV, but still aren’t able to sleep?

The credits have rolled, but the lights are still off. Something is lurking on the other side of the screen. There are dark secrets, starving monsters, and haunted survivors who refuse to be left on the cutting room floor. But that’s okay, right? After all, everybody loves the movies…. Here are twenty-three terrifying tales, dark reflections of the silver screen from both sides of the camera. James Dean gets a second chance at life—and death. The Wicked Witch is out of Oz and she’s made some unlucky friends. When God decides reality needs an editor, what—and who—gets cut? These award-winning, bestselling authors will take you to the darkest depths of the theater and beyond.

The other book I am waiting on is the first in a new series: Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger. It's due to be released November 18, 2014 from Alibi. It sounds like it's a light, fun mystery with a good sense of humor. I am hoping it will live up to it. 

 From the publisher:

Move over, Miss Marple—Mark Reutlinger’s charming cozy debut introduces readers to the unforgettable amateur sleuth Rose Kaplan and her loyal sidekick, Ida.

Everyone knows that Rose Kaplan makes the best matzoh ball soup around—she’s a regular matzoh ball maven—so it’s no surprise at the Julius and Rebecca Cohen Home for Jewish Seniors when, once again, Mrs. K wins the honor of preparing the beloved dish for the Home’s seder on the first night of Passover.

But when Bertha Finkelstein is discovered facedown in her bowl of soup, her death puts a bit of a pall on the rest of the seder. And things go really meshugge when it comes out that Bertha choked on a diamond earring earlier stolen from resident Daisy Goldfarb. Suddenly Mrs. K is the prime suspect in the police investigation of both theft and murder. Oy vey—it’s a recipe for disaster, unless Rose and her dear friend Ida can summon up the chutzpah to face down the police and solve the mystery themselves.

So what book are you waiting on this week? Leave a link and/or a title in the comments below.

Waiting on Wednesday #25 - Lovecraft's Monsters edited by Ellen Datlow

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. This week is one for fans of classic horror, Lovecraft's Monster's edited by Ellen Datlow.

Let me say first that Ellen Datlow is an excellent editor. Her choices for inclusion in her anthologies have always been first rate. That being said, H.P. Lovecraft's horror isn't for everyone. But this isn't exactly his horror, but based on his monsters. One of the most interesting aspects of this anthology is that it is illustrated by World Fantasy Award-Winning artist John Couthart who also illustrated The Steampunk Bible. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy and checking it out. It's due out April 15, 2014 from Tachyon Publications. 

From Goodreads: 
This deliciously creepy and loving tribute to the master of modern horror features riveting illustrated stories of his wicked progeny.

In the century since the master of horror, H. P. Lovecraft, published his first story, the monstrosities that crawled out of his brain have become legend: the massive, tentacled Cthulhu, who lurks beneath the sea waiting for his moment to rise; the demon Sultan Azathoth, who lies babbling at the center of the universe, mad beyond imagining; the Deep Ones, who come to shore to breed with mortal men; and the unspeakably-evil Hastur, whose very name brings death. These creatures have been the nightmarish fuel for generations of horror writers, and the inspiration for some of their greatest works.

This impressive anthology celebrates Lovecraft's most famous beasts in all their grotesque glory, with each story a gripping new take on a classic mythos creature and affectionately accompanied by an illuminating illustration. Within these accursed pages something unnatural slouches from the sea into an all-night diner to meet the foolish young woman waiting for him, while the Hounds of Tindalos struggle to survive trapped in human bodies, haunting pool halls for men they can lure into the dark. Strange, haunting, and undeniably monstrous, this is Lovecraft as you have never seen him before.

Contents
"Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman
"The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale
"Love is Forbidden, We Croak & Howl" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"Bulldozer" by Laird Barron
"A Quarter to Three" by Kim Newman
"Inelastic Collisions" by Elizabeth Bear
"That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable" by Nick Mamatas
"Red Goat Black Goat" by Nadia Bulkin
"Jar of Salts" and "Haruspicy" by Gemma Files
"Black is the Pit From Pole to Pole" by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley
"I've Come to Speak with You Again" by Karl Edward Wagner
"The Sect of the Idiot" by Thomas Ligotti
"The Dappled Things" by William Browning Spencer
"The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge
"Remnants" by Fred Chappell
"Waiting at the Cross Roads" by Steve Rasnic Tem
"Children of the Fang" by John Langan

What book are you waiting on this week?