Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16

Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16 edited by Stephen Jones

Let’s go back to 2004 for what at least one editor considered excellent short horror fiction.

As with the later volume I have reviewed, there’s a lot of ancillary material. It opens with an extended look at horror and horror-adjacent works that came out in 2004. The most unusual bit was Anne Rice’s public meltdown in response to a review on Amazon (not quite the juggernaut it is now.) At the end, there’s a list of people in the field who passed away; the one that caught my eye was Richard Lancelyn Green, a Sherlock Holmes scholar who was either murdered or committed suicide in a bizarre manner designed to raise suspicions of murder. Also, the then current addresses of publishers for those looking to break into the horror field.

The twenty-one stories are bookended by Neil Gaiman works. “Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire” is a delightfully silly piece about a writer in a gothic horror world who wants to tell a story in a hyper-realistic fashion but keeps falling into parody. Perhaps writing fantasy about burnt toast might help? “The Problem of Susan” is better-known and widely anthologized–it riffs on the missing protagonist in the final Narnia book and twists that series’ iconography. I like the first story better, but “Problem” is more powerful.

Some other stories that caught my attention:

“‘The King’ in: Yellow” by Brian Keene works with a performance of the forbidden play, but this time as a musical apparently starring actors impersonating famous dead musicians. Or are they just actors? The audience may not live long enough to find out.

“Tighter” by Christa Faust is about an escape artist who’s into bondage. Her fetish isn’t really the horror bit, though it does leave her vulnerable.

“Israbel” by Tanith Lee is set in Paris, and has a nifty twist on the notion that vampires have no reflections. An artist is commissioned to paint a picture, but his asking price may be too high.

“Soho Golem” by Kim Newman is set in the 1970s, in London’s red light district. A psychic investigator and his Scotland Yard contact investigate the horrific death of a corrupt police officer turned pornographer and blackmailer. A very vivid portrait of the time and place, with actual historical details mixed in. A ‘mature readers” piece, though not explicit, and I liked it quite a bit.

“Spells for Halloween: An Acrostic” by Dale Bailey is most notable for its format. Nine short paragraphs spelling out “Halloween” while trying to avoid the most obvious choices.

“My Death” by Lisa Tuttle is a long piece about an author deciding to write a biography of one of her great inspirations…who turns out to be still alive. This one spends a lot of time on atmosphere, leaving the reader guessing just where the horror aspect is going to come in. It pays off well.

A story I was less impressed by was “Stone Animals” by Kelly Link. A family buys a nice house in the country, but there’s something wrong with either it or them, as there is haunting going on. I found it a sodden mess that couldn’t quite commit to a storyline.

Content note: Since this is a horror anthology, most if not all of the standard horror nastiness is in one or another of the stories. Check the tags and proceed with caution.

Overall: A decent enough collection of stories, heavy on the Anglo-American authors. The lasting value is in the support material; a handy reference.