Stephen Jones (ed.) – Haunts: Reliquaries of the Dead

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Haunts: Reliquaries of the Dead (Ulysses Press, 2011)

what!design

Acknowledgments
Stephen Jones – Introduction: The Restless Dead
Richard L. Tierney – The Revenant (verse)

M. R. James – A Warning to the Curious
R. Chetwynd-Hayes – The Door
Reggie Oliver – Hand to Mouth
Richard Matheson – Two O’Clock Session
Paul McAuley – Inheritance
Sarah Pinborough – Grandmother’s Slippers
Peter Atkins – The Mystery
Christopher Fowler – Poison Pen
Ramsey Campbell – Return Journey
Lisa Tuttle – Grandfather’s Teeth
Basil Copper – Ill Met by Daylight
John Gordon – The Place
R. B. Russell – The Bridegroom
Kim Newman – Is There Anybody There?
Conrad Williams – Wait
Richard Christian Matheson – City of Dreams
Tanith Lee – A House on Fire
John Gaskin – Party Talk
Simon Kurt Unsworth – The Hurting Words
Robert Silverberg – The Church at Monte Saturno
Neil Gaiman – The Hidden Chamber (verse)
Robert Shearman – Good Grief
Karl Edward Wagner – Blue Lady, Come Back
Michael Marshall Smith – The Naughty Step

About the Editor

Blurb:

The Restless Dead.

Life is over but the dead live on. Within the drafty rooms of an old house, a tarnished locket tumbles to the floor. The haunted souls of the dearly departed are still among us. Ghosts, phantoms, revenants, lost souls — all these troubled spirits have unfinished business on this side of the veil. Doomed to seek out mortal answers, unable to rest until in death they accomplish what they failed to achieve in life.

This hair-raising collection of haunted tales brings together both new writers and celebrated masters — Ramsey Campbell, Christopher Fowler, Neil Gaiman, Richard Matheson, Michael Marshall Smith and others — for the ultimate collection from beyond the grave.

The characters in each chilling tale are spirits, without bodies but still floating in our world. Some are motivated by love, others by loss or guilt. But sometimes they are driven by much stronger emotions, menacing and diabolical motives that take us up from our reading to check the hallways, secure the locks and question how firmly anchored we ourselves are to our world.

 

Paul Finch (ed.) – Terror Tales Of Cornwall

Paul Finch (ed.) – Terror Tales Of Cornwall (Telos, May, 2017)

Neil Williams

Mark Morris – We Who Sing Beneath the Ground
Golden Days of Terror
Ray Cluley – In the Light of St Ives
Morgawr Rising
Reggie Oliver – Trouble at Botathan
From the Lady Downs
John Whitbourn – ‘Mebyon versus Suna’
The Serpent of Pengersick
Paul Edwards – The Unseen
Finned Angels, Fish-Tailed Devils
Jacqueline Simpson – Dragon Path
Jamaica Inn
Paul Finch – The Old Traditions Are Best
Guardians of the Castle
Mark Valentine – The Uncertainty of All Earthly Things
The Hooper
Kate Farrell – His Anger Was Kindled
The Bodmin Fetch
DP Watt – Four Windows and a Door
Owlman
Steve Jordan – Claws
The Cursing Psalm
Adrian Cole – A Beast by Any Other Name
Of the Demon, Tregeagle
Mark Samuels – Moon Blood-Red, Tide Turning
Slaughter at Penryn
Sarah Singleton – The Memory of Stone
Queen of the Wind
Ian Hunter – Shelter from the Storm
The Voice in the Tunnels
Thana Niveau – Losing Its Identity

Blurb:
Cornwall, England’s most scenic county: windswept moors; rugged cliffs; and wild, foaming seas. But smugglers and wreckers once haunted its hidden coves, mermaid myths abound, pixie lore lingers, henges signal a pagan past, and fanged beasts stalk the ancient, overgrown lanes …

The serpent woman of Pengersick
The screaming demon of Land’s End
The nightmare masquerade at Padstow
The feathered horror of Mawnan
The terrible voice at St Agnes
The ritual slaughter at Crantock
The hoof-footed fetch of Bodmin Moor

And many more chilling tales by Mark Morris, Ray Cluley, Reggie Oliver, Sarah Singleton, Mark Samuels, Thana Niveau and other award-winning masters and mistresses of the macabre.

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Horrorology: The Lexicon Of Fear

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Horrorology: The Lexicon Of Fear (Jo Fletcher, 2015)

Clive Barker

Stephen Jones – Introduction: The Library Of The Damned

Robert Shearman – Accursed
Clive Barker – Afraid
Michael Marshall Smith – Afterlife
Pat Cadigan – Chilling
Mark Samuels – Decay
Joanne Harris – Faceless
Muriel Gray – Forgotten
Kim Newman – Guignol
Ramsey Campbell – Nightmare
Reggie Oliver – Possessions
Angela Slatter – Ripper
Lisa Tuttle – Vastation

Epilogue
Blurb:
In the Library of the Damned, hidden away amongst that vast depository of ancient wisdom, there exists a certain bookcase where the most decadent, the most blasphemous of tomes sit upon a dusty shelf. And amongst those titles that should never be named, there is one volume that is he most terrible, the most hideous of them all. That book is the very Lexicon of Fear itself. But, long ago, some of its pages were ripped from the binding and spirited away by a lowly student of the ancient science of Horrorology, determined that one day the secrets contained therein would be shared with the world. And now that day has come. These are the words that comprise the very language of horror itself, and the tales they tell are not for the fainthearted. But be warned: once you have read them, there is no turning back. Soon, you too will know the true meanings of fear . . .

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Fearie Tales

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Fearie Tales: Stories of the Grimm and Gruesome (Jo Fletcher, 2014: originally P.S., 2013)

Illustration: Alan Lee
Stephen Jones – Introduction: Don’t Scare The Children
The Wilful Child
Ramsey Campbell – Find My Name
The Singing Bone
Neil Gaiman – Down To A Sunless Sea
Rapunzel
Tanith Lee – Open Your Window, Golden Hair
The Hare’s Bride
Garth Nix – Crossing The Line
Hansel And Gretel
Robert Shearman – Peckish
The Three Little Men In The Wood
Michael Marshall Smith – Look Inside
The Story Of A Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was
Markus Heitz – Fraulein Fearnot
Cinderella
Christopher Fowler – The Ash-Boy
The Elves #1
Brian Lumley – The Changeling
The Nixie Of The Mill-Pond
Reggie Oliver – The Silken Drum
The Robber Bridegroom
Angela Slatter – By The Weeping Gate
Frau Trude
Brian Hodge – Anything To Me Is Sweeter, Than To Cross Shock-Headed Peter
The Elves #2
Peter Crowther – The Artemis Line
The Old Woman In The Wood
Joanne Harris – The Silken People
Rumpelstiltskin
John Ajvide Lindqvist – Come Unto Me
The Shroud

Blurb:
In 1884 Margaret Hunt’s translation of the Brothers Grimm’s Kinder- und Hausmärchen was published as Grimm’s Household Tales—and since that day those stories have inspired writers, artists, poets, songwriters, playwrights and movie-makers the world over. Now, following in the grand tradition of the Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm, some of today’s finest fantasy and horror writers have created their own brand-new fairy tales-but with a decidedly darker twist. Fearie Tales is a fantastical mix of spellbinding retellings of classic stories such as ‘Cinderella’, ‘Rapunzel’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and ‘Rumpelstiltskin’, amongst others, along with unsettling tales inspired by other childhood classics, all interspersed with the sources of their inspiration: the timeless stories first collected by the Brothers Grimm. These modern masterpieces of the macabre by Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Ramsey Campbell, Joanne Harris, Markus Heitz, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Angela Slatter, Michael Marshall Smith and many others, are illuminated by Oscar-winning artist Alan Lee, who has also provided the magnificent cover painting. But be warned: this stunning volume of frightening fables is definitely not suitable for children!

Danel Olson (ed.) – Exotic Gothic 4

Danel Olson (ed.) – Exotic Gothic 4   (Drugstore Indian Press, 2014. Originally P.S., 2012)

Photo: Apolinar Lorenzo Chuca

Danel Olson – Preface: On Dark Gifting

Margo Lanagan – Blooding the Bride
Adam L.G. Nevill – Pig Thing
Kaaron Warren – The Lighthouse Keepers’ Club
Reggie Oliver – The Look
Lucy Taylor – Nikishi
Simon Kurt Unsworth – The Fourth Horse
Stephen Dedman – The Fall
Tunku Halim – In the Village of Setang
David Punter – Carving
Genni Gunn – Water Lover
Robert Hood – Escena de un Asesinato
Steve Rasnic Tem – The Old Man Beset by Demons
David Wellington – Atacama
Isobelle Carmody – Metro Winds
Terry Dowling – Mariners’ Round
Paul Finch – Oschaert
Ekaterina Sedia – Helena
Anna Taborska – Rusalka
Nick Antosca – Candy
Joseph Bruchac – Down in the Valley
Cherie Dimaline – Wanishin
Brian Evenson – Grottor
E. Michael Lewis – Such a Man I Would Have Become
Scott Thomas – The Unfinished Book
Stephen Volk – Celebrity Frankenstein

Blurb
A bumper anthology, with stories from twenty-five of today’s finest speculative fiction writers.

 

Vault Advent Calendar #5: A Tribute to Michel Parry

Starts today over on our forum

A tribute to Michel

We still have a few vacant slots so, should you wish to contribute, you can email dem at  whitechapelgothicAtgmail.com. ASAP! Please name message ‘Vault Advent Calendar’ or similar so as not to confuse my spam filter. Remember – it’s short proper horror supernatural fiction we’re after, not 2 million page novels.

Oh yeah. Seasons greetings and all that

bloody kisses

dem/ gloomy, etc.

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Mammoth Best New Horror 25

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Mammoth Best New Horror 25   (Robinson, October 2014)

Vincent Chong

Stephen Jones – Introduction: Horror In 2013

Kim Newman – Who Dares Wins: Anno Dracula 1980
Neil Gaiman – Click-Clack The Rattlebag
Nicholas Royle – Dead End
Daniel Mills – Isaac’s Room
Angela Slatter – The Burning Circus
Ramsey Campbell – Holes For Faces
Joel Lane – By Night He Could Not See
Reggie Oliver – Come Into My Parlour
Michael Chislett – The Middle Park
Simon Kurt Unsworth – Into The Water
Lynda E. Rucker – The Burned House
Lavie Tidhar – What do we Talk About When We Talk About Z—
Halli Villegas – Fishfly Season
Tanith Lee – Doll Re Mi
Clive Barker – A Night’s Work
Robert Shearman – The Sixteenth Step
Simon Strantzas – Stemming The Tide
Michael Marshall Smith – The Gist
Thana Niveau – Guinea Pig Girl
Kim Newman – Miss Baltimore Crabs: Anno Dracula 1990
Stephen Volk – Whitstable
Blurb:
The World’s Leading Annual Showcase of Horror and Dark Suspense Celebrates 25 Years. For a quarter of a century, this multiple award-winning annual selection has showcased some of the very best, and most disturbing, short stories and novellas of horror and the supernatural. As always, this landmark volume features superior fiction from such masters of the genre and newcomers in contemporary horror. With an in-depth Introduction covering the year in horror, a fascinating Necrology and a unique contact directory, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror remains the world’s leading anthology dedicated solely to presenting the very best in modern horror.

 

Mark Morris (ed.) – The Spectral Book of Horror Stories

Mark Morris (ed.) – The Spectral Book of Horror Stories   (Spectral Press, Sept. 2014)

Vincent Cheong

Ramsey Campbell – On The Tour
Alison Littlewood – The Dog’s Home
Helen Marshall – Funeral Rites
Tom Fletcher – Slape
Steve Rasnic Tem – The Night Doctor
Gary McMahon – Dull Fire
Reggie Oliver – The Book And The Ring
Alison Moore – Eastmouth
Robert Shearman – Carry Within Some Small Slither Of Me
Conrad Williams – The Devil’s Interval
Michael Marshall Smith – Stolen Kisses
Brian Hodge – Cures For A Sickened World
Angela Slatter – The October Window
Stephen Laws – The Slista
Rio Youers – Outside Heavenly
John Llewellyn Probert – The Life Inspector
Lisa Tuttle – Something Sinister In Sunlight
Nicholas Royle – This Video Does Not Exist
Stephen Volk – Newspaper Heart

 

Paul Finch – Terror Tales Of Wales

Paul Finch (ed.) – Terror Tales Of Wales  (Gray Friar Press, June, 2014)

Cover illustration: Paul Mudie

Ray Cluley – Under The Windings of the Sea
Legions of Ghosts
Steve Duffy – Old As The Hills
The Beast of Bodalog
Reggie Oliver – The Druid’s Rest
Night of the Bloody Ape
Simon Clark – Swallowing A Dirty Seed
The Devil Made Him Do It
Thana Niveau – The Face
Hoof-beats in the Mist
Steve Lockley – Don’t Leave Me Down Here
The Werewolf of Clwyd
Stephen Volk – Matilda of the Night
The Goblin Stone
Paul Lewis – The Sound of the Sea
A Quick Pint and a Slow Hanging
Tim Lebbon – The Flow
Doppelganger
Steve Jordan – The Offspring
Prophecy of Fire
Bryn Fortey – Dialled
The Dark Heart of Magnificence
Priya Sharma – The Rising Tide
The Hag Lands
Gary Fry – Apple of their Eyes
Beneath the Sea of Wrecks
John Llewellyn Probert – Learning the Language

Blurb:

Wales – ‘Land of my Fathers’, cradle of poetry, song and mythic rural splendour. But also a scene of oppression and tragedy, where angry spirits stalk castle and coal mine alike, death-knells sound amid fogbound peaks, and dragons stir in bottomless pools …

The headless spectre of Kidwelly
The sea terror off Anglesey
The soul stealer of Porthcawl
The blood rites at Abergavenny
The fatal fruit of Criccieth
The dark serpent of Bodalog
The Christmas slaughter at Llanfabon

And many more chilling tales by Stephen Volk, Tim Lebbon, Simon Clark, Priya Sharma, John Llewellyn Probert and other award-winning masters and mistresses of the macabre.

 

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Psycho-Mania!

Stephen Jones (ed.) – Psycho-Mania! (Robinson, Oct. 2013)

Les Edwards

Robert Bloch – Introduction

John Llewellyn Probert – Prologue: Screams In The Dark
Joe R. Lansdale – I Tell You It’s Love
Reggie Oliver – The Green Hour
Steve Rasnic Tem – The Secret Laws Of The Universe
Basil Copper – The Recompensing Of Albano Pizar
David A. Sutton – Night Soil Man
Brian Hodge – Let My Smile Be Your Umbrella
Scott Edelman – The Trembling Living Wire
John Llewellyn Probert – Case Conference #1
Robert Silverberg – The Undertaker’s Sideline
Joel Lane – The Long Shift
Brian Lumley – The Man Who Photographed Beardsley
Lisa Morton – Hollywood Hannah
Paul McAuley – I Spy
Mike Carey – Reflections On The Critical Process
David J. Schow    – The Finger
Lawrence Block – Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes
Jay Russell – Hush … Hush, Sweet Shushie
John Llewellyn Probert – Case Conference #2
R. Chetwynd-Hayes – The Gatecrasher
Robert Shearman – That Tiny Flutter of The Heart I Used To Call Love
Edgar Allan Poe – The Tell-Tale Heart
Dennis Etchison – Got To Kill Them All
Mark Morris – Essence
Michael Kelly – The Beach
Robert Bloch – Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper
John Llewellyn Probert – Case Conference #3
Ramsey Campbell – See How They Run
Conrad Williams – Manners
Christopher Fowler – Bryant & May And The Seven Points
Harlan Ellison® – All The Birds Come Home To Roost
Rio Youers – Wide Shining Light
Neil Gaiman – Feminine Endings
Peter Crowther – Eater
John Llewellyn Probert – Case Conference #4
Peter Crowther – Mr Mellor Comes To Wayside
Michael Marshall – Failure
Kim Newman – The Only Ending We Have
Richard Christian Matheson – Kriss Kross Applesauce
John Llewellyn Probert – Epilogue: A Little Piece Of Sanity

Case Notes

Blurb

WE ALL GO A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES . . . When journalist Robert Stanhope arrives at the Crowsmoor asylum for the criminally insane to interview the institute’s enigmatic director, Dr Lionel Parrish, little does he realise that an apparently simple series of tests will lead him into a terrifying world of murder and insanity . . . In this chilling new anthology, compiled by multiple award-winning editor Stephen Jones, some of the biggest and brightest name in horror and crime fiction come together to bring you twisted tales of psychos, schizoids and serial-killers, many with a supernatural twist. Reggie Oliver revives Edgar Allan Poe’s wily French detective C. Auguste Dupin, there is a new “Bryant & May” London mystery from Christopher Fowler, child actor turned private eye Marty Burns investigates a quirky Hollywood case by Jay Russell, and international best-selling author Michael Marshall returns to The Straw Men conspiracy. With a never-before-published Introduction by Robert Bloch (author of Psycho), along with one of his most famous and iconic stories, this volume also features an original wraparound sequence in the style of the author by John Llewellyn Probert. Add classic reprints by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, Basil Copper and Dennis Etchison, along with original fiction by Peter Crowther, Brian Hodge, Richard Christian Matheson, Paul McAuley, Lisa Morton, Robert Shearman, Steve Rasnic Tem and many others, and you would have to be out of your mind not to take a stab at these stories!