The Best Horror of the Year Volume 2 (utgåvan 2010)

While I won't say that this book inspired many terror-producing moments, it is definitely an improvement over the first collection. The book opens once more with a summation of books, stories, etc. from 2009, some of which have already gone on my wishlist. It is followed by 17 stories (* indicates the ones I really enjoyed):

1. "Lowland Sea," by Suzy McKee Charnas
2. "The End of Everything," by Steve Eller
*3. "Mrs. Midnight," by Reggie Oliver
*4. "each thing I show you is a piece of my death," by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer
5. The Nimble Men, by Glen Hirshberg
6. What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night," by Michael Marshall Smith
7. "Wendigo", by Micaela Morrissette
8. "In the Porches of My Ears," by Norman Prentiss
9. "Lonegan's Luck," by Stephen Graham Jones
*10. "The Crevasse," by Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrud
11. "The Lion's Den," by Steve Duffy
12. "Lotophagi," by Edward Morris
13. "The Gaze Dogs of Nine Waterfall," by Kaaron Warren
14. "Dead Loss," by Carole Johnstone
*15. "Strappado," by Laird Barron
16. "The Lammas Worm," by Nina Allan
*17. "Technicolor," by John Langan

Note the number of asterisks -- when I read Volume 1, I noted three standouts -- now we're up to five. So, not counting "Strappado," by Laird Barron (which I've already read and which is one of my favorite stories by him), that leaves four that are new to me. Hands down, the best story of this group is "each thing I show you is a piece of my death," which is related through a mishmash of different media forms. It is built around the idea of "the background man," who begins to show up embedded within a number of television shows, movies, etc., with no explanation for his presence. "Mrs. Midnight" spans two worlds -- London of the present, and the same city during the time of Jack the Ripper, with a theater connecting the two. "The Crevasse" would have been a perfect fit for Robert M. Price's The Antarktos Cycle, with its Lovecraftian style and Antarctic exploration theme. "Technicolor" took me totally by surprise, but I've come to expect good things from John Langan. A college professor takes his students through Poe's inspiration for "Masque of the Red Death," building the suspense until the very last moment.

While this anthology was not great, it's much better than the first volume of this series. Between the two, the stories that were standouts for me in this book were of much higher quality and had a better creep factor going on. ( )

Somewhat disappointing at around 3.25 for fiction quality, especially for a Year's Best.

However, the format is good - with the ever useful summary and Honorable Mentions - and given that anyone can buy this digitally, a useful reference. You are hardly likely to carry around large books like this to browse horror of interest, but ebook, no problem.

DRM free, great price, so very much still worth it.

The highlights are Laird Barron and Steve Duffy. Morris and Johnstone the best of the rest.

Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Lowland Sea - Suzy McKee Charnas
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : The End of Everything - Steve Eller
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Mrs Midnight - Reggie Oliver
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : each thing I show you is a piece of my death - Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : The Nimble Men - Glen Hirshberg
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : What Happens when you wake up in the night - Michael Marshall Smith
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Wendigo - Micaela Morrissette
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : In the Porches of My Ears - Norman Prentiss
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Lonegan's Luck - Stephen Graham Jones
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : The Crevasse - Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrud
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : The Lion's Den - Steve Duffy
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Lotophagi - Edward Morris
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : The Gaze Dogs of Nine Waterfall - Kaaron Warren
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Dead Loss - Carole Johnstone
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Strappado - Laird Barron
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : The Lammas Worm - Nina Allan
Best Horror Of the Year 2 : Technicolor - John Langan

Red Sweat drink return.

3.5 out of 5

World full of zombies.

3.5 out of 5

Old Essex brain eating.

3 out of 5

Background Man movie kills.

3.5 out of 5

The trees didn't get us.

3 out of 5

Room changes.

3 out of 5

Dinner guests.

3 out of 5

Single movie.

2.5 out of 5

Too dead for buzzards.

3 out of 5

It got the dog.

3.5 out of 5

Loosed cooperation.

4 out of 5

Bearly ancestors.

3.5 out of 5

Vampire dogs too.

3 out of 5

Relict bait.

3.5 out of 5

Blue door or red no acid barrel of laughs.

4 out of 5

Grub birth.

3 out of 5

Prosper-Poe. No.

3 out of 5

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