The Mammoth Book of Terror (Mammoth Books) [Paperback]

Stephen Jones (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Books | Publication Date: January 6, 1992

This startling, high-octane collection includes short novels by Clive Barker and Karl Edward Wagner, and stories by such luminaries of fear as Lisa Tuttle, David J. Schow, Ramsey Campbell, Brian Lumley, Dennis Etchison, and others.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Terror fans surely will devour this ample collection from masters of the genre. Beginning with Clive Barker's novella "The Last Illusion," the tale of a magician's deal with the devil and its consequences, and ending with the unspeakably gory "Pig's Dinner" by Graham Masterton, the volume will surprise and horrify hardcore devotees and newcomers alike. The one exception may be Stephen Laws's "Junk," the story of a junk dealer who refuses to deliver the goods to an ungodly stet cap/pk Stranger. Alert readers will predict the conclusion almost from the start. Lisa Tuttle's "The Horse Lord" is a wonderful, traditional, spooky story with a supernatural theme that will keep readers guessing until the last paragraph. But terror's always better when the bad guys get what they deserve, as in "Out of Copyright," a piece by Ramsey Campbell that should scare writers into keeping their copyrights current. The science fiction field also is well represented by "The Late Shift," by Dennis Etchison, a tale that compels us to give cashiers a second glance. Jones is a British horror writer.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A widely varied collection of stories and styles. The tales run the gamut from the thought-provoking splatter of F. Paul Wilson to the gothically inspired fright of Hugh B. Cave. It is just this variety that makes this anthology so enjoyable. Each entry has its own brief introduction and, since the stories do not revolve around a central theme, each must stand, or fall, on its own merits. YAs will shudder to learn what most adults already know: terror has many forms. --Phillip J. Clark, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 648 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (January 6, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881846228
• ISBN-13: 978-0881846225
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,153,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars variety is the spice of life, October 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Terror (Mammoth Books) (Paperback)

There are only two other horror anthologies that I think are better than this one, and those two really ARE classics (THE DARK DESCENT and GREAT TALES OF TERROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL) Not only are the stories in this anthology very good, but offer a very wide variety of horror tales. Many different "flavors" of terror are available in this collection, from nice suspensful terror, to really visceral horror at something unspeakable occurring, to the completely physical revulsion to seeing a living mammal pulped in a feed thresher. Nice touch, that. There are vampires and Things Out of Time, possession tales and Mysterious Strangers. My favorites included: a short gothic horror novel ("Murgunstrumm" by Hugh B. Cave), Lumley's Lovecraftian "The House of the Temple", a real gem by Ramsey Campbell ("Out of Copyright") that ought to make the most jaundiced reader of horror think a little whenever s/he thumbs open a familiar text, and a simply AWESOME story by Lisa Tuttle ("The Horse Lord"). Rober Bloch's "Yugoslaves" shows why he's a master, and "The Jumpity-Jim" by R. Chetwyd-Hayes is a pretty nasty little tale. These are just the very best of the stories there; all of them are pretty good. Stephen Laws' "Junk" deserves mention as well. Jeesh. "The Black Drama" might give away its punchline a bit too soon, but it still provides some nice pulpy entertainment. All in all, this collection EARNS its 11 bucks worth of chills.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gore ahoy!, May 26, 2006

By 

RIJU GANGULY "perceptive reader" (India) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Terror (Mammoth Books) (Paperback)

This book epitomises the 80-s streak of horror stained by blood & gore. Neverthless, "it is not without a few" stories "of interst". Specially recommended reading: THE LAST ILLUSION and THE YOUGOSLAVS. Stephen Jones had made a stellar beginning with this book and it stands tall till date.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, February 22, 2006

By 

G. Hoyman "Logar" (Mariposa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Terror (Mammoth Books) (Paperback)

Liked the short stories, a fast read, and good plot lines. A few stories were "dated", or pretty long, but all ended up being very satisfying.
A recommended read for those who love the above average scary story, mystery, and just good ol' spooky fun!