Ellen Datlow: The Best Horror of the Year. Volume 6

It’s important to recognize the work of the talented artists working in the field of fantastic fiction, both dark and light. The following artists created art that I thought especially noteworthy during 2013: Teresa Tunaley, Dominic Black, Dave Senecal, Yuri Kabisher, Tara Bush, Kinuko Y. Craft, David Gentry, Vincent Sammy, Tessa Chuddy, Soufiane Idrassi, Carlos Araujo, Saber Core, Sarah Emerson, Rasa Dilyte, Athine Saloniti, Brigitte-Fredensborg, Akura Pare, Linda Saboe, Nick Gucker, Ben Baldwin, John Kaaine, Mike Dominic, Eric Lacombe, Anja Millen, Kate Harrison, Lynette Watters, Stephen Upham, Melissa Gannon, Azathoth, Tais Teng, Joachim Luetke, Sam Dawson, Mikio Murakami, Richard Wagner, Tom Brown, Ed Binkley, Miles Tittle, Stephen J. Clark, Reggie Oliver, Danielle Serra, George Cotronis, Oliver Wetter, Richard Wagner, Erin Wells, Edward Miller, David Ho, Ashley Mackenzie, Szymon Siwak, David Rix, Keith Miller, Louise Boyd, Lauren Rogers, Amandine van Ray, Katerina Apostolakou, Johannes Amm, Pauline De Hoe, Martin Wydooghe, Richard Anderson, Jon Foster, Greg Ruth, Chris Buzelli, Red Nose Studio, Victo Ngai, John Jude Palencar, John Picacio, Robert Hunt, Gregory Manchess, Anna and Elena Balbusso, Goni Montes, Karla Ortiz, Nicolas Delort, Pascal Campion, Sam Wolfe Connelly, Erik Mohr, Harry Morris, and Justin Aerni.

The British Fantasy Society’s Journal is a quarterly perk of membership in the British Fantasy Society and was edited in late 2012 throughout 2013 by Cavan Scott, Stuart Douglas, Guy Adams, and Ian Hunter. The Journal includes fiction, poetry, regular columns, and nonfiction articles. There were strong stories during 2013 by Clare Le May, Aliya Whiteley, and Joel Lord.

Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter , edited by Rosemary Pardoe, continues to be published periodically. Two issues came out in 2013, and they included news of the field, articles, reviews, a letter column, and some original fiction. There were notable stories by Chico Kidd, Jane Jakeman, and Peter Bell.

The Friends of Arthur Machen is a society whose stated intention is to “encourage a wider recognition of Machen’s work, foster familiarity with his work, and provide a focus for critical debate.” Members receive the twice yearly newsletter, Machenalia , edited by Gwilym Games, and the twice yearly journal, Faunus , edited by James Machin, which has Machen-related material in it.

The Silent Companion , edited by António Monteiro, is an annual fiction magazine that comes as part of the subscription price to A Ghostly Company, an informal literary society devoted to the ghost story in all its forms. The group produces a quarterly, non fiction newsletter containing articles, letters, and book reviews. The fiction magazine featured seven stories, the strongest by Mark Nicholls and Christopher Harman.

The Green Book: Writings on Irish Gothic Supernatural and Fantastic Literature , edited by Brian J. Showers, debuted with two issues and is a welcome addition to the realm of accessible nonfiction about supernatural horror. These issues include essays about the plays of Conor McPherson, Le Fanu’s use of the oral tradition in his works, Lord Dunsany’s connections to the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, and plenty of other interesting material, including book reviews.

Black Static , edited by Andy Cox, is one of the best horror magazines in looks and content and is well-worth your money for its fiction, book, television, and movie reviews. My favorite stories in 2013 were by Drew Rhys White, Jacob A. Boyd, Tim Casson, James Cooper, Steven J. Dines, Jason Gould, Andrew Hook, V. H. Leslie, Ray Cluley, Nina Allan, Joel Lane, Ilan Lerman, and Steve Rasnic Tem. Stories by Priya Sharma, Ray Cluley, Tim Casson, Steve Rasnic Tem, and Stephen Bacon are reprinted herein.

Shadows & Tall Trees , edited by Michael Kelly, brought out one issue in 2013 and will move to an annual anthology in print and ebook format in 2014. The eight supernatural stories were all good, but those that stood out for me were by Lynda E. Rucker, Daniel Mills, Ray Cluley, D. P. Watt, and Richard Gavin. There was also a brief essay about Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Supernatural Tales , edited by David Longhorn, continues its excellent run as a digest-sized journal from England. Three issues were published in 2013, with notable stories by Christopher Harmon, Chloe N. Clark, Iain Rowen, Sam Dawson, Sean Logan, John Llewellyn Probert, Jane Jakeman, Stephen Goldsmith, and Michael Chislett. The Jakeman is reprinted herein.

Not One of Us , edited by John Benson, is published twice a year and contains stories and poetry. In 2013 there were notable stories and poetry by Mat Joiner, Patricia Russo, and Adrienne J. Odasso. In addition, Benson puts out an annual “one-off” on a specific theme. The theme for 2013 was Lost and Lonely and there was good fiction and poetry by Patricia Russo and K. S. Hardy.

Nightmare: Horror and Dark Fantasy , edited by John Joseph Adams, is one of only a handful of webzines dedicated to publishing horror fiction, articles on horror, and art. It had a good year in 2013 with notable stories by Tanith Lee, Marc Laidlaw, David Tallerman, Carrie Vaughn, Brit Mandelo, Brooke Bolander, Jennifer Giesbrecht, Alison Littlewood, C. S. McMullen, Sam J. Miller, Tamsyn Muir, Linda Nagata, Norman Partridge, David J. Schow, Lynda E. Rucker, and Jeff VanderMeer. The Rucker and Nagata are reprinted herein.

Innsmouth Magazine , edited by Paula R. Stiles and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, moved into print November 2013 with issue #14. During the year, there were notable stories by Steve Toase and E. Catherine Tobler. The Toase story is reprinted herein.

Primeval: A Journal of the Uncanny , edited by G. Winston Hyatt, debuted in the fall and plans to be publish in print semi-annually. The magazine is dedicated to “examining the convergence of contemporary anxiety and ancient impulse.” The first issue had reprints by Harlan Ellison and Saki and a loosely structured, experimental new story by Laird Barron; plus essays and an odd screed by Adam Rose, “Artistic Director of Antibody Corporation, a non-profit organization specializing in mind-body and occult research.” It also featured an interview with Jack Ketchum. The issue is interesting but with no real focus. It’ll be interesting to see if it finds a large enough audience to stay afloat.

The Dark , a new bi-monthly webzine of dark fantasy and strange fiction edited by Jack Fisher and Sean Wallace, debuted in October and managed to get out a second issue before the end of the year. The two issues had notable fiction by Angela Slatter, Nnedi Okorafor, and E. Catherine Tobler.

Midnight Echo is the magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association. The ninth issue, edited by G. N. Braun, focused on myths and legends, with non fiction and fiction. Issue 10 was edited by Craig Bezant. There was notable horror by James A. Moore, Kristin Dearborn, and Amanda J. Spedding.

Cemetery Dance , edited by Richard Chizmar, has been around for twenty-five years and has featured lots of fiction, interviews, and reviews over the years. In 2013, two issues were published with notable stories by Kealan Patrick Burke, Brian James Freeman, Kaaron Warren, P. D. Cacek, Robert Dunbar, and a collaboration by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee.

Lovecraft E-zine , edited by Mike Davis, is the online portal for everything Lovecraftian, from regularly publishing new fiction and criticism, holding video interviews (I’ve been on a number of times) and podcasts, a page with Lovecraftian movies available for free on YouTube, and a blog. During 2013, there were notable stories by Samantha Henderson and a good collaboration by David Conyers and John Goodrich.