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dangerousnerd's review against another edition
3.0
Absolutely could not get into the second story (Stay), but after forcing my way through it I found a quality truly scary collection of modern horror. Definitely recommend.
marionhelene's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
kitten_nuisance's review
3.0
This book has taken me a long time to “finish” because I refused to accept that I didn’t want to read the last story, no matter how many times I started it. I am finally coming to terms with that.
There are some really haunting, standout stories here, but of course, also some that are less so. Let’s see what I think. . .
Amazing, loved:
Stay by Leah Bobet
Mulberry Boys by Margo Lanagan (what a concept; very uncomfortable!!)
Roots and All by Brian Hodge
Final Girl Theory by A. C. Wise (What I wish Night Film was! . . .)
Omphalos by Livia Llewellyn
Final Verse by Chet Williamson
Meh:
The Little Green God of Agony by Stephen King
The Moraine by Simon Bestwick
Looker by David Nickle
Dermot by Simon Bestwick
Black Feathers by Alison J. Littlewood
Didn’t like or couldn’t bring myself to read:
Blackwood's Baby by Laird Barron (this is the only one I skipped, other than the last one)
The Show by Priya Sharma
In the Absence of Murdock by Terry Lamsley
You Become the Neighborhood by Glen Hirshberg
In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos by John Langan
Little Pig by Anna Taborska
The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine by Peter Straub
I didn’t remember disliking so many of these! The ones I did like definitely stuck with me more. However, at this point, I think I can only give three stars overall.
There are some really haunting, standout stories here, but of course, also some that are less so. Let’s see what I think. . .
Amazing, loved:
Stay by Leah Bobet
Mulberry Boys by Margo Lanagan (what a concept; very uncomfortable!!)
Roots and All by Brian Hodge
Final Girl Theory by A. C. Wise (What I wish Night Film was! . . .)
Omphalos by Livia Llewellyn
Final Verse by Chet Williamson
Meh:
The Little Green God of Agony by Stephen King
The Moraine by Simon Bestwick
Looker by David Nickle
Dermot by Simon Bestwick
Black Feathers by Alison J. Littlewood
Didn’t like or couldn’t bring myself to read:
Blackwood's Baby by Laird Barron (this is the only one I skipped, other than the last one)
The Show by Priya Sharma
In the Absence of Murdock by Terry Lamsley
You Become the Neighborhood by Glen Hirshberg
In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos by John Langan
Little Pig by Anna Taborska
The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine by Peter Straub
I didn’t remember disliking so many of these! The ones I did like definitely stuck with me more. However, at this point, I think I can only give three stars overall.
ravenbait's review
3.0
Datlow is something of a doyenne when it comes to horror anthologies, and I felt this would be just the pick-me-up I needed to counter-act an affliction of genre apathy. It certainly did the trick, but more as a result of a couple of real stand-out stories than an overall trend of excellence.
The anthology opens with a Stephen King story about a man possessed by a pain demon, and the sceptical nurse who doesn't believe such things exist. It's tempting to ascribe this story to King's own experiences, and therefore might be interesting from an auto-biographical point of view, but trod no new ground for me.
By contrast, Leah Bobet's "Stay" was an effective take on the Wendigo myth, weaving North American and European magic together into something delightfully human.
Simon Bestwick's "The Moraine" was another story I thought was excellent. While it could be described as a Cumbrian take on "Tremors", the central concept was genuinely chilling and the setting beautifully wrought. Bestwick's other story in the anthology was also notable.
I also enjoyed Margo Lanagan's "Mulberry Boys", Livia Llewellyn's "Omphalos" and, to a lesser extent, Glen Hirshberg's "You Become the Neighbourhood" and John Langan's "In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos".
Overall I found this to be a good selection of stories dealing with primarily with what King calls "ordinary people in extraordinary situations". This is one for lovers of monsters and myths, not science and gore.
The anthology opens with a Stephen King story about a man possessed by a pain demon, and the sceptical nurse who doesn't believe such things exist. It's tempting to ascribe this story to King's own experiences, and therefore might be interesting from an auto-biographical point of view, but trod no new ground for me.
By contrast, Leah Bobet's "Stay" was an effective take on the Wendigo myth, weaving North American and European magic together into something delightfully human.
Simon Bestwick's "The Moraine" was another story I thought was excellent. While it could be described as a Cumbrian take on "Tremors", the central concept was genuinely chilling and the setting beautifully wrought. Bestwick's other story in the anthology was also notable.
I also enjoyed Margo Lanagan's "Mulberry Boys", Livia Llewellyn's "Omphalos" and, to a lesser extent, Glen Hirshberg's "You Become the Neighbourhood" and John Langan's "In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos".
Overall I found this to be a good selection of stories dealing with primarily with what King calls "ordinary people in extraordinary situations". This is one for lovers of monsters and myths, not science and gore.
mzjai117's review
2.0
I’m not sure why this collection of weird stories would be considered the “best” horror of the year. I wonder what the worst was because none of the stories were scary. I wasted over 1000 minutes of my life listening to this book.
ruthbrarian's review
Lots of good and a few great short stories in here. Loved "Dermot," "The Final Verse," "Roots and All," "Final Girl Theory," "Looker," and "The Show." Enjoyed all the rest except "Omphalos," which I really really disliked. All in all very worth reading.
worldsinink's review
3.0
The Best Horror of the Year Volume Four offers a great collection of stories which are bound to please any horror fan. The themes explored are varied and thought-provoking, especially those that show that humanity itself is often far worse than the monsters hiding in the shadows. While some stories are more effective than others you are guaranteed to find at least one which will send shivers down your spine. It might be best not to read this one alone in the dark. Recommended! Read the full review here
alanbaxter's review
4.0
A fantastic collection of horror. Not all the stories worked for me and one seemed like a very strange inclusion, very poor by comparison, but that one aside all the stories included were expert creations.
Even the ones that didn't work for me personally were obviously superbly crafted works. And most of the stories were brilliant.
Even the ones that didn't work for me personally were obviously superbly crafted works. And most of the stories were brilliant.
bibliotropic's review
4.0
I’ll be honest. I nearly gave up on this book. I nearly stopped reading it and gave it up as a lost cause. Why? Because the introduction takes up over 10% of the book, and is mostly a rundown of the best horror novels published during the past year. I actually had to look at outside descriptions of this book to remind myself that yes, there are actual stories in here, and that it’s not just a book about other books. While having that listing certainly is nice, having it right at the beginning was a bit of a pain, especially when reading it on the Kindle, so it’s not like I could just flip a few pages and quickly discover that I can get to the stories that make up the bulk of the book.
But once I found that out, and spent five minutes pressing the “forward” button on my Kindle over and over, I can say with certainty that I was glad I did.
There’s some serious talent contained within this compilation, stories written by some big names and some who were — to me, at least — completely unheard of. Stephen King gets the honour of getting the ball rolling, and the only downside to that is that it sets a precedent that some of the other stories have a hard time living up to.
And if King sets a high standard to live up to in the first story, the final story, written by Peter Straub, was a big bust. Most everything in between was great, and very entertaining to read, but Straub’s story was something that I couldn’t get into no matter how hard I tried. The timeline jumped about all over the place, making it hard to follow and appreciate, and aside from a couple of legitimately creepy moments (and they were just moments, mind you), I couldn’t even tell half the time where the story was going, or what the point to it was. Perhaps it’s just that Straub isn’t to my taste. But I do feel compelled to say that as much as the collection ended on a low note, it was far better than beginning on such a low note. Had this story been the first one, I might not have found much of a reason to keep reading.
But looking at the stories individually, and trying not to compare them to what came before or after, ultimately this collection lives up to its name. It was a great collection of horror stories, some that make you shiver, others that make you feel a bit queasy, and others still that make you struggle to wrap your mind around what’s going on. A very good set that makes me want to keep my eyes open for next year’s compilation! In spite of a couple of low notes, this collection is definitely worth checking out, especially for horror fans and for those who want to have their spines tingled and their minds expanded.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
But once I found that out, and spent five minutes pressing the “forward” button on my Kindle over and over, I can say with certainty that I was glad I did.
There’s some serious talent contained within this compilation, stories written by some big names and some who were — to me, at least — completely unheard of. Stephen King gets the honour of getting the ball rolling, and the only downside to that is that it sets a precedent that some of the other stories have a hard time living up to.
And if King sets a high standard to live up to in the first story, the final story, written by Peter Straub, was a big bust. Most everything in between was great, and very entertaining to read, but Straub’s story was something that I couldn’t get into no matter how hard I tried. The timeline jumped about all over the place, making it hard to follow and appreciate, and aside from a couple of legitimately creepy moments (and they were just moments, mind you), I couldn’t even tell half the time where the story was going, or what the point to it was. Perhaps it’s just that Straub isn’t to my taste. But I do feel compelled to say that as much as the collection ended on a low note, it was far better than beginning on such a low note. Had this story been the first one, I might not have found much of a reason to keep reading.
But looking at the stories individually, and trying not to compare them to what came before or after, ultimately this collection lives up to its name. It was a great collection of horror stories, some that make you shiver, others that make you feel a bit queasy, and others still that make you struggle to wrap your mind around what’s going on. A very good set that makes me want to keep my eyes open for next year’s compilation! In spite of a couple of low notes, this collection is definitely worth checking out, especially for horror fans and for those who want to have their spines tingled and their minds expanded.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
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