Lately I’ve been reading short story anthologies – collections of stories by different writers. Here are two I’ve particularly enjoyed.
The Apex Book of World SF, edited by Lavie Tidhar, is a real treat. In the UK, where I’m from, we’re used to getting our science fiction pretty much exclusively from English-speaking countries – but what about the rest of the planet? Well, between the covers of this book awaits a whole galaxy of imaginative writing from authors from Thailand, The Philippines, Pakistan and China, to name just a few. My favourite story from this collection is The Allah Stairs, by Jamil Nasir: I’m a sucker for stories featuring demon monkeys. But there’s all kinds of wild stuff in here. Take a look!
If you like zombies be sure to look out for The Dead That Walk, edited by Stephen Jones. It’s an enticing smorgasbord of visceral delights featuring some of the very greatest names in horror – past, present and future. Joe R Lansdale’s The Long Dead Day is particularly awesome, chilling and blunt and brilliant, but a special mention has to go to a surprise romantic tale of two high school sweethearts reunited as extras on a George Romero film set – Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead, by rising horror star Joe Hill.
As a way to discover fresh flavours and new voices anthologies are unbeatable. Give either of these a wallop. You’ll be glad you did.
Sam
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