The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Vol. 14

There is a massive year long recap here by the editor, mentioning just about anyone who even contemplated doing anything horror related in a passing chat with their nana. Very comprehensive, about 80 pages of it. Also a long list of dead people related to the genre in the Necrology, so that part is worth bonus points. Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : October in the Chair - Neil Gaiman Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Details - China Mieville Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Wretched Thicket of Thorn - Don Tumasonis Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Absolute Last of the Ultra-Spooky Super-Scary Hallowe'en Horror Nights - David J. Schow Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Standard Gauge - Nicholas Royle Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Little Dead Girl Singing - Stephen Gallagher Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Nesting Instincts - Brian Hodge Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Two Sams - Glen Hirshberg Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Hides - Jay Russell Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Unbeheld - Ramsey Campbell Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Ill Met By Daylight - Basil Copper Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Catskin - Kelly Link Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : 20th Century Ghost - Joe Hill Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Egyptian Avenue - Kim Newman Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Boy behind the Gate - James Van Pelt Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea - Caitlin R. Kiernan Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Coventry Boy - Graham Joyce Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Prospect Cards - Don Tumasonis Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : The Cage - Jeff VanderMeer Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14 : Dr. Pretorius and the Lost Temple - Paul McAuley Monthly avatar stories that most of them don't even like. 2 out of 5 Pattern recognition terror. 3 out of 5 Island getaway advice should be taken. 4 out of 5 Theme park hoodlum slasher cleanup. 4 out of 5 Just the right height for the old across the train tracks special. 3.5 out of 5 Talent contest puppet. 3.5 out of 5 Woman quite malleable. 3.5 out of 5 Miscarriage packets. 2.5 out of 5 Robert Louis Eatemson. 3.5 out of 5 Drawer baby. 2 out of 5 Old tomb guy scary. 3 out of 5 Witches and felines combo = bad. 3 out of 5 Cinema-goers leave the dead in the aisles. 4 out of 5 Old rich guy takes the whole Egyptian burial thing way too far. 3.5 out of 5 Good boy, bad boy, whichever, chuck 'em in an old mine. 4 out of 5 Women problems require sacrifice, Dagon-it. 4 out of 5 Bomb prediction girl stuck in one song groove until cured of the horn. 4 out of 5 Nasty reports. 3.5 out of 5 Good idea to keep little monsters locked up. 3 out of 5 Mr Carlyle is asked to help an engineer look into something strange going on with an underground tunnel project in London. 3.5 out of 5

For horror fans interested in getting their adrenaline rush in short bursts! I liked this book. It had a variety of good stories, and I was able to get many of them read in a short time. Lots of interesting plot twists in many of the storylines, some right in your face "ew!" moments, a few predictable plots, but all-in-all, a satisfying read.

This is, as usual, a well-balanced collection showing off some excellent authors--some newer, some more familiar. I personally was quite pleased to see a reappearance of Paul MacAuley's Mr Carlyle, but there's plenty of quality stories packed into this edition.