Gathering the Bones
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Book Summary Information
Editor: Jack DannEditor: Ramsey Campbell
Editor: Dennis Etchison
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2003-08-16
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 447
Publisher: Tor Books
Book Reviews of Gathering the Bones
Book Review: Horror Dead and Buried
Summary: 2 Stars
This book's back cover proclaims that "horror may never be the same." Well if this predominantly mediocre collection is any indication, that statement is unfortunately accurate. Perhaps modern writers, trapped with the rest of us in our media-saturated society, have lost the ability to be truly scary. Personally I've never read anything more frightening than ol' Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft; and even Stephen King, Clive Barker, or Dean Koontz, when each was in his prime, could deliver serious thrills and chills. But this collection, of what currently passes for "horror," proves that it may be time to nail the coffin shut on this genre for good.
Granted, of the 34 short stories here, there's a smattering of winners. Robert Devereaux offers a quite disconcerting look at our society's obsession with beauty, while Michael Marshall Smith, Stephen Dedman, and Adam L.G. Nevill show an affinity for inherent human evil that's healthily influenced by the classics. Still-dependable Ray Bradbury even supplies a whimsically dreadful update on the Grim Reaper. There are a few other stories here that can keep the reader perfectly interested even if they're not particularly scary, with well-drawn themes and characters.
But otherwise, the majority of selections here illustrate, embarrassingly, everything that's wrong with current "horror" writing (plus the editing of collections such as this). I'll make an example of Lisa Tuttle. Her story features a woman who is suspicious of her boyfriend's secrecy, so she goes through his stuff, learns he's a murderer, and that's pretty much the end. Oh the horror! Aaron Sterns and Chris Lawson/Simon Brown deliver stories that frightfully showcase human cruelty or struggle, only to have stock undead creatures or supernatural processes pop up in the final paragraphs, as unsatisfying explanations for man's inhumanity. These so-called surprises are actually far more predictable than they are scary. Several other tales are so genre-deficient that you wonder why they're even in a "horror" collection, those by Melanie Tem and Fruma Klass being prime examples. This collection is a failure in so many respects that it's almost scary. But not in a good way. [~doomsdayer520~]
Summary of Gathering the Bones
A Chilling new anthology of all-original tales of horrorIncludes New Stories by:
Ray Bradbury
Graham Joyce
Peter Crowther
Kim Newman
Sara Douglass
Thomas Tessier
M. John Harrison
Gahan Wilson
The anthology market these days is awash with small, themed works focused on very specific markets, like vampire erotica and tales of werewolves, or it features best of the year reprints. It has been years since anyone has dared to bring out a broad-reaching anthology that seeks to define the current state of the genre with all original tales from both masters and hot new writers.
The three editors of this immense collection of horror fiction-thirty-three stories in all--set out to collect the best stories from their respective continents: America, England, and Australia. Pulling stories from the traditional to the avant-garde, these editors have succeeded in gathering an incredible vision of horror fiction today.
Many of the writers will be familiar to readers: Ray Bradbury, Graham Joyce, Kim Newman, Lisa Tuttle, Peter Crowther, and Sara Douglass to name just a few. At the same time, this anthology features startling and chilling stories from newer writers such as Adam L. G. Nevil, Andrew J. Wilson, and Steve Nagy.
With a stellar lineup that offers a wide array of tales, Gathering the Bones has much to offer for both the experienced fan and the newcomer.
Horror may never be the same.
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