The Anniversary of Never
Cover image by Polly Rose Morris. Introduction by Nicholas Royle.
It was like a black and white film, or someone else’s memory" — "Crow's Nest"
Joel Lane’s award-winning stories have been widely praised, notably by other masters of weird fiction such as M. John Harrison, Graham Joyce, and Ramsey Campbell. His tales also regularly appeared in the “best of” annual anthologies of Ellen Datlow, Karl Edward Wagner, and Stephen Jones. With this posthumous collection, Lane continues his unflinching exploration of the human condition.
“The Anniversary of Never is a group of tales concerned with the theme of the afterlife,” observed Lane, “and the idea that we may enter the afterlife before death, or find parts of it in our world.” These stories of love and death will burrow deep into the reader’s mind and impregnate it with a vision often as bleak as the night is black.
Contents:
- "Introduction" by Nicholas Royle
- "Sight Unseen"
- "Crow's Nest"
- "All the Shadows"
- "Midnight Flight"
- "Ashes in the Water" with Mat Joiner
- "For Their Own Ends"
- "Bitter Angel"
- "After the Fire"
- "The Annniversary of Never"
- "The Messenger"
- "For Crying Out Loud"
- "All Dead Years"
- "Some of the Fell"
- "Acknowledgements"
Joel Lane
Joel Lane (1963–2013) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, critic and anthology editor. He received the British Fantasy Award twice.
Born in Exeter, he was the nephew of tenor saxophonist Ronnie Scott. At the time of his death, Lane lived in south Birmingham, where he worked in health publishing. The latter city frequently provided settings for his fiction.
Although the majority of Lane's short stories can be categorised as horror or dark fantasy, his novels are more overtly mainstream. From Blue to Black (2000) is a portrait of a disturbed rock musician, whilst The Blue Mask (2003) follows the aftermath of a brutal and disfiguring attack.