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tocy777's review against another edition
5.0
A bit different collection than Vol. 1, although some realy good ones, especially towards the end.
zisi's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read volume 1 yet, but volume 2 is excellent. It's so gratifying to read first-rate work by authors I've (mostly) never heard of, published in English for the first time. The one author I recognized was Bora Chung (South Korea), whose new collection, Cursed Bunny, was also published in English last year to much acclaim. I'll be reading that one soon, and look forward to reading more work by the other authors in this admirable collection. And hope that each year brings a new volume.
steveatwaywords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I read Volumes 1 & 2 together, and so I will leave the same review for both.
This, foremostly, is an excellent and worthwhile project, not only for the need to move more works of horror into English translation but for the awesome global view of what makes horror fiction (mal)appealing. Working transparently and deliberately in selecting works for each anthology, any reader might challenge a choice or two along the way, but what is here is a wonderful introduction to so many new writers and expansions of the genre that English-speakers/readers can't help but recast their thinking, even finding something new (menopause?) to belong. In short, while demons and spooks abound, they are not the primary pathway to trigger us.
That said, short fiction horror is incredibly difficult to pull off beyond a momentary discomfort or unsettling idea, and not every story is crafted carefully enough to make even these consistently effective. That is a given for any anthology and the multiple tastes of its many readers. Here I found only several of the 40+ that really stood out as writers to watch for, and of these perhaps three or four that will stay with me (I'm looking at you, Hautala's "Pale Toes").
As an introduction to international horror literature, however, I know of no project like this one.
This, foremostly, is an excellent and worthwhile project, not only for the need to move more works of horror into English translation but for the awesome global view of what makes horror fiction (mal)appealing. Working transparently and deliberately in selecting works for each anthology, any reader might challenge a choice or two along the way, but what is here is a wonderful introduction to so many new writers and expansions of the genre that English-speakers/readers can't help but recast their thinking, even finding something new (menopause?) to belong. In short, while demons and spooks abound, they are not the primary pathway to trigger us.
That said, short fiction horror is incredibly difficult to pull off beyond a momentary discomfort or unsettling idea, and not every story is crafted carefully enough to make even these consistently effective. That is a given for any anthology and the multiple tastes of its many readers. Here I found only several of the 40+ that really stood out as writers to watch for, and of these perhaps three or four that will stay with me (I'm looking at you, Hautala's "Pale Toes").
As an introduction to international horror literature, however, I know of no project like this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Violence
seedssown's review
2.5
I have read both international horror story anthologies by this publisher as I love the concept of widening one's exposure to the different horror subgenres and flavors that may be standard for other countries, but not the US or other predominantly English-speaking countries. This said, this was an extremely disappointing anthology. One of my primary complaints about the first book was that there was a surprisingly limited selection of themes presented within the book. As there was a wider selection of countries represented in this sequel, I hoped this would not be the case again. I was very very wrong. Just as in the first, there is an odd amount of sex-related horror stories. I have absolutely nothing against such stories, but it does rub me a bit oddly that literally half of the stories had something sex related or implied. It gets very stale, reptitive, and feels very self-indulgent as many of these stories felt very "kinky" in nature. There was quite literally a story about porn-stars, for example.
The worst of this though, is that two of stories featured extreme sexualization of children. One feature a baby whose genitalia was described in great detail, fetishized, and then it was heavily implied that the baby took part in sexual actions. Another one described in detail a child being raped repeatedly. A third talked about men sleeping with/pleasuring themselves to the thought of a young teen girl. This is not the average content for horror stories, and should definitely come with a warning.
Beyond these two, the content of the stories often felt uninspired, with the translation sometimes feeling off at times. Out of the 21 stories, I would only rate three of them four stars or higher. Most were average or below. Many of the stories relied on body horror, and felt very predictable at times. Overall, I cannot recommend this book at all.
The worst of this though, is that two of stories featured extreme sexualization of children. One feature a baby whose genitalia was described in great detail, fetishized, and then it was heavily implied that the baby took part in sexual actions. Another one described in detail a child being raped repeatedly. A third talked about men sleeping with/pleasuring themselves to the thought of a young teen girl. This is not the average content for horror stories, and should definitely come with a warning.
Beyond these two, the content of the stories often felt uninspired, with the translation sometimes feeling off at times. Out of the 21 stories, I would only rate three of them four stars or higher. Most were average or below. Many of the stories relied on body horror, and felt very predictable at times. Overall, I cannot recommend this book at all.
casdelvo's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual violence
raforall's review against another edition
5.0
Star review in the 12/1/21 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/12/what-im-reading-3-reviews-in-current.html [link lie 12/3]
Even better than the first volume and I loved that one.
Three Words That Describe This Book: full range of scares, engrossing, translation
I wish I could have highlighted every story, but alas, I get around 2o0 words.
My favorite was The War by Wojeiech Gunia from Poland. This story was stunning, intensely unsettling, and uncomfortably topical. I read it twice even though I had more than half the book still to go.
Also Chinese author Zhang Yueran's lyrical and terrifying, gross and beautiful-- Whalebone Spirit. It is a perfect read for fans of The Memory Police by Ogawa or Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica
Haitian author Gary Victor is one I could not fit in my review. "Lucky Night" was based on well known Hatian folklore that would be tangential to our "selling your soul to the devil." It was also very political which I loved.
The most heartbreaking thing about this book is not only that these amazing voices have been silenced because they have not been translated into English before this but also that many of them [it is revealed] had commissioned, at their own cost, English translations of their work in the hopes that someday someone would ask for them. Kudos to Jenkins and Cagle for diligently seeking them out and commissioning quality translations.
What I learned from reading this-- Clearly Horror is thriving across the globe, and there is no longer an excuse to not carry these authors in your collections. This volume is a place to start fixing that problem.
Even better than the first volume and I loved that one.
Three Words That Describe This Book: full range of scares, engrossing, translation
I wish I could have highlighted every story, but alas, I get around 2o0 words.
My favorite was The War by Wojeiech Gunia from Poland. This story was stunning, intensely unsettling, and uncomfortably topical. I read it twice even though I had more than half the book still to go.
Also Chinese author Zhang Yueran's lyrical and terrifying, gross and beautiful-- Whalebone Spirit. It is a perfect read for fans of The Memory Police by Ogawa or Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica
Haitian author Gary Victor is one I could not fit in my review. "Lucky Night" was based on well known Hatian folklore that would be tangential to our "selling your soul to the devil." It was also very political which I loved.
The most heartbreaking thing about this book is not only that these amazing voices have been silenced because they have not been translated into English before this but also that many of them [it is revealed] had commissioned, at their own cost, English translations of their work in the hopes that someday someone would ask for them. Kudos to Jenkins and Cagle for diligently seeking them out and commissioning quality translations.
What I learned from reading this-- Clearly Horror is thriving across the globe, and there is no longer an excuse to not carry these authors in your collections. This volume is a place to start fixing that problem.
spooky_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Valancourt’s first volume of world horror stories and greatly appreciated the editors’ mission to solely focus on horror from non-English speaking countries. And this new volume delivers even more chills and thrills crafted from the minds of award-winning authors hailing from all over the globe. Twenty-one short stories from twenty countries and translated from sixteen languages! It doesn’t get better than that!
What I loved most about this anthology was the opportunity to experience fear outside of my usual expectations for horror fiction. My recommendation as you dive into this book is to ask yourself not how each story “scared” you, but how they unnerved you, disturbed you, how each story upset you, made you uncomfortable. Because horror has the ability to provoke all of those feelings and there lies the beauty in diversifying your reading of the genre.
•
Some of my favorites in this anthology were:
-The Recording of the Will (Bulgaria)
-Lucky Night (Haiti)
-The Bell (Iceland)
-The War (Poland)
-The Ant (Malta)
-Mask (South Korea)
-The Old Wound and the Sun (Japan)
Readers who enjoy translated fiction and horror anthologies should probably add this to their Christmas wish list and it’s available for purchase on the Valancourt website next month!
(Thanks so much to Valancourt Books for this beautiful review copy)
What I loved most about this anthology was the opportunity to experience fear outside of my usual expectations for horror fiction. My recommendation as you dive into this book is to ask yourself not how each story “scared” you, but how they unnerved you, disturbed you, how each story upset you, made you uncomfortable. Because horror has the ability to provoke all of those feelings and there lies the beauty in diversifying your reading of the genre.
•
Some of my favorites in this anthology were:
-The Recording of the Will (Bulgaria)
-Lucky Night (Haiti)
-The Bell (Iceland)
-The War (Poland)
-The Ant (Malta)
-Mask (South Korea)
-The Old Wound and the Sun (Japan)
Readers who enjoy translated fiction and horror anthologies should probably add this to their Christmas wish list and it’s available for purchase on the Valancourt website next month!
(Thanks so much to Valancourt Books for this beautiful review copy)
lene_kretzsch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
braunm580's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
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