Queer Fear: Gay Horror Fiction

One of the best horror anthologies I have ever come across. Really well-chosen, well-written stories. Starts off with a bang with NIGHTGUARD and keeps getting better. HEY, FAIRY! is a great story. Real imagination here, all through the book. Can't wait for the sequel!

I loved this book! The stories were first-rate, including work by some of the best-known and accomplished horror writers in the field, including Michael Marano, Douglas Clegg, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Brian Hodge. The stories ran the gamut from vampires and werewolves and ghosts, to more eclectic supernatural slitherings. The advantage of being the first book of this kind ever ("Bending The Landscape" is also good, though it came later than "Queer Fear") is that it breaks the ground and claims it as its own. This book, after all, was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards and a Spectrum Award. On the downside, there's something about a book like this that seems to exacerbate homophobia and jealousy in some readers, some of whom have reviewed it online (proving that if you can't write or edit yourself--or are a bigot--you can always diss a book online). I advise readers to that (...) and get to "Queer Fear," post-haste. I only wish editor Michael Rowe (who also edited the vampire books "Sons of Darkness" and "Brothers of the Night") had contributed some of his own work. I've read his non-fiction in "Fangoria" and "Rue Morgue," and his fiction in the "Northern Frights" series. It rocks! Oh, well...maybe next time...hope there's a sequel!

I really liked this book, even though I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. It's an elaborate, wide-ranging collection of stories, many of which use their "queerness" as a metaphor for their estrangement from mainstream society -- hence, the "fear." Even if you're not a horror fan per se, it's a great and often fascinating read.

I'm not gay, but I'm a true horror fan, and this book was wonderful. It was very thought provoking, of high literary quality, and best of all, scary as hell. I had read Michael Rowe's two vampire books ("Sons of Darkness" and "Brothers of the Night") which were great, but too "goth-romance" for my taste. "Queer Fear" on the other hand is horror at its best. Rowe's taste as an editor is amazing, and he chose some of the best horror writers in the biz for this book--like Douglas Clegg, Michael Marano, and Gemma Files--and guided them to the most boundary-pushing, sophisticated horror antho for a long time. Some newcomers here, too: C. Mark Umland's story "The Nightguard" was just unbelievably terrifying, and brilliantly written. Edo van Belkom's story was also great--very satisfying ending, which I won't reveal! I could have done without Caitlin R. Kiernan's story, which rambles on and on and on, in a very "precious" style (pretentious)like she hadn't been edited which is too bad, because she's sometimes her work is good. Still, every other story is awesome. This book is not just for gays, but for anyone who appreciates truly fine literature with a horrific twist. All in all, I think this is the best horror anthology of the year. Well done, Mister Rowe!...

As a fan of horror fiction and and as a gay man, I've been waiting for a book like this, and I wasn't disappointed: this book contains an amazing array of gay horror stories, some by well-known writers, others by first-time authors. Michael Rowe has done a great job collecting these stories. I highly recommend it!