I suspect it is inevitable that, being obsessed with Weird Fiction over the years and my own definition of it, I shall not agree with everything that is included or excluded by a book bearing such a title. For example, I could not have excluded some choice stories first published in 2013 from the following sources, even if it entailed expanding the size of the above book.
Elegies & Requiems by Colin Insole
The Heaven Tree & Other Stories by Christopher Harman
DEFEATED DOGS – Quentin S. Crisp
Rustblind and Silverbright (anthology)
Horror Without Victims (!!) (anthology)
TTA Press outlets
Zagava / Ex Occidente Press books
and there are others.
My modern choices for an all time favourite Weird Fiction anthology:
ReplyDeleteThe Hound - HP Lovecraft
Flowers of the Sea - Reggie Oliver
The Bellman - Colin Insole
Nights at the Regal - Jason Gould
Dying In The Arms of Jean Harlow - Paul Meloy
Shallows - John Langan
The Sleep Mask - Joel Lane
The Rape of Knots - Rhys Hughes
Cyprian's Room - Frances Oliver
People on the Island - T.M.Wright
A House by the Ocean - Steve Rasnic Tem
Sleepers - Christopher Harman
Sado-ga-Shima - Quentin S Crisp
The Good Husband - Nathan Ballingrud
The Vanishing Life and Films of Emmanuel Escobada - Anonymous
Add Ana-Kai-Tangata by Scott Nicolay
ReplyDelete(Delete 'The Hound' as too old to be modern - forgot it was there!)
From discussion here: HERE
ReplyDeleteThere seem to be two separate points here:
(1) Whether this book represents the 'best' weird fiction first published in 2013. This comes down to editorial taste and opportunity to read all potential candidates. I think there are at least a few potential candidate stories (not featured in this book) that are, for me, unquestionably, all time great Weird Fiction, and given the opportunity to read them, they could not possibly be passed over for a Year's Best. IMO.
(2) The definition of 'Weird Fiction'. From the views I've seen, it is probably too broad brush to mean anything, i.e. covering Horror, Ghost Story, SF, Steampunk, Fantasy, some Literary and Absurd. All my life, I thought I could smell and taste a Weird Fiction story but there are many in this book that don't have that smell or taste for me. It has become more an Interstitial genre? Having said that, this is a good anthology, one with an organic quality despite or because of its wide-ranging genres and styles, and if the only way to bring this anthology into existence was to call it 'Year's Best Weird Fiction', so be it.