The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 20
Edited by Stephen Jones.
The Twentieth-Anniversary Edition of the World's Premier Annual Showcase of Horror and Dark Fantasy Fiction. The year's best — and darkest — tales of terror, showcasing the most outstanding new short stories and novellas by both contemporary masters of the macabre and exciting newcomers, including Iain R. MacLeod, Sarah Pinborough, Mark Samuels, Albert E. Cowdrey, Peter Crowther, Paul Finch, Gary McMahon, Reggie Oliver, Simon Strantzas, Tim Lebbon and Steve Rasnic Tem. As ever, this acclaimed anthology also offers the most comprehensive annual overview of horror around the world in all its incarnations, a comprehensive necrology of famous names, and a list of indispensable contact addresses for the dedicated horror fan and writer alike. The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror remains the world's leading annual anthology dedicated solely to presenting the best in contemporary horror fiction.
Contents:
- Introduction: Horror in 2008 by Stephen Jones
- Front Page McGuffin and The Greatest Story Never Told by Peter Crowther
- It Runs Beneath the Surface by Simon Strantzas
- These Things We Have Always Known by Lynda E. Rucker
- Feminine Endings by Neil Gaiman
- Through the Cracks by Gary McMahon
- Falling Off the World by Tim Lebbon
- The Old Traditions Are Best by Paul Finch
- The Long Way by Ramsey Campbell
- The Pile by Michael Bishop
- Under Fog by Tanith Lee
- Arkangel by Christopher Fowler
- The Camping Wainwrights by Ian R. MacLeod
- A Donkey at the Mysteries by Reggie Oliver
- The Oram County Whoosit by Steve Duffy
- The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates by Stephen King
- One Man in the Sudan by Sarah Pinborough
- "Destination Nihil" by Edmund Bertrand by Mark Samuels
- The Overseer by Albert E. Cowdrey
- The Beginnings of Sorrow by Pinckney Benedict
- The Place of Waiting by Brian Lumley
- 2:00 pm: The Real Estate Agent Arrives by Steve Rasnic Tem
- Necrology: 2008 (essay) by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- Useful Addresses (essay) by Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones (born 1953) is an acclaimed editor of numerous award-winning horror anthologies, and the author of several book-length studies of horror and fantasy films as well as an account of Lovecraft's early British publications. Jones has edited anthologies such as the Best New Horror series, Dark Terrors, The Mammoth Book of Vampires, The Mammoth Book of Zombies, The Mammoth Book of Dracula, The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women, The Vampire Stories of R. Chetwynd-Hayes and The Conan Chronicles, 1 and The Conan Chronicles, 2 by Robert E. Howard. Jones has also been co-editor of several books with Kim Newman, such as Horror: 100 Best Books and Horror: Another 100 Best Books with 200 essays on seminal horror books by acclaimed writers of this genre. Jones also edited Dancing with the Dark, a collection of stories of allegedly real life encounters with the paranormal by established horror writers. Jones has been the recipient of a Hugo award and many Bram Stoker Awards.
Best New Horror
Best New Horror consists of twenty-six primary works, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.