Outsiders: 22 All-New Stories From the Edge [Paperback]

Nancy Holder (Author), Nancy Kilpatrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2005

In this knockout anthology, today's most important writers of speculative fiction cruise the abnormal elements of society and find a new wave of underground disorder, poignant horror, dirty kisses, and necessary anarchy.

Including never-before published stories by:

Neil Gaiman, Steve Rasnic Tem, Kathe Koja, David J. Schow, Bentley Little, Poppy Z. Brite, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, Melanie Tem, Tanith Lee, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Lea Silhol, Freda Warrington, Elizabeth Massie, Brett Alexander Savory, Katherine Ramsland, Yvonne Navarro, Thomas S. Roche, Michael Marano, John Shirley, Brian Hodge, and Elizabeth Engstrom

...all at their most brilliant and most outrageous.

Here are dangerous games between lovers, howls from the dark, voyeurs and their victims, disturbed wishes and bitter dreams. Unflinching, uncommon, and underground, these tales vibrate with new life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Presented as "stories from the edge" about misfits and outcasts, Holder and Kirkpatrick's all-original anthology of moody horror instead shows how close to the edge everyone is. Neil Gaiman, Poppy Z. Brite, Elizabeth Massie and other award-winning writers cover a gamut of approaches, from traditional shocker and physical slasher through psychological terror to urban New Weird dark fantasy. While most selections respect the "outsider" theme, many exhibit a longing for community, taking an "alternate mainstream," not an antimainstream, attitude. A notable exception is Joe R. Lansdale's unsettling tale of the University of Texas clock-tower shootings, "The Shadows, Kith and Kin." Often clever in their descriptions of the networks that outsiders form, these stories tend to give insights into subcultures rather than individuals. The overall feeling is the horror of belonging more than of being excluded, as in Elizabeth Engstrom's haunting portrait of a future proletarian being taught the virtues of making his reality his dream, "Honing Sebastian."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Nancy Holder is a Los Angeles Times bestselling author and a charter member and Trustee of the Horror Writers Association. A Bram Stoker Award-winner, she has written more than 63 books.

Nancy Kilpatrick is the award-winning author of 18 novels and more than 200 short stories, and she's edited eight anthologies. Her most recent book is The Goth Bible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Roc Trade (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451460448
• ISBN-13: 978-0451460448
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am the New York Times bestelling coauthor of the New York Times bestselling WICKED, CRUSADE, and THE WOLF SPRINGS CHRONICLES series, all written with Debbie Viguié.

The first book in the Wolf Springs Chronicle series is titled UNLEASHED, on sale date 11/22/2011. Our book trailer is showing in select theaters before TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, and DVD samplers are being handed out, too. We have received wonderful reviews for UNLEASHED. Here are just a few:

Livin' Life Through Books -5 Stars
"A seriously great read! I loved the paranormal world that Kat is suddenly thrust into. Very creepy and was immediately hooked in the beginning. I loved the romance triangle between Kat, Trick, and Justin, and couldn't get enough." - Felicia

Nightly Reading - 5 Stars
"I love the cover of this book. After reading the book in its entirety, I realized just how appropriate the cover really is with the full moon and the woods in the background."

365andMe - 5 Stars
" From the get-go, this young adult werewolf story had me hooked...Bottom line, I can't wait to read book two. This is my first book by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié. I enjoyed it so much, I'd like to try another series while waiting for book two of the Wolf Springs Chronicles to come out."

"If you love Nightshade, or Kelley Armstrong you will definitely like this book, it has love, betrayal and A LOT of mystery. A great read." -- Siobhan Reads a Lot (blog)

Avid Reading in NV - 5 Stars
"I loved this book from page one, haven't been able to put it down till i just finished it."

Mundie Moms - 4.5 Stars
"This is a classic paranormal read! It's dark, thrilling and one I quickly devoured. I've read a lot of enjoyable wolf books this year, and this one is definitely at the top of my list. Nancy and Debbie's enticing blend of mystery, suspense, passion, love and loyalty made for a story that was hard to put down." - Katie

---

I am also the author of the POSSESSIONS series, for young adults, about a haunted boarding school, where the mean girls are EVIL. The BookKidsBLog says, "Possessions is the novel Stephen King would written if he'd been asked to write Gossip Girl." As I am a HUGE Stephen King fan, this made my head spin around like that poor little girl in The Exorcist.

I have also written some fairy tale retellings as well as tons of what we call "tie-in" books--which are based on TV shows and movies. My tie-ins include HELLBOY, SMALLVILLE, SAVING GRACE, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, and others.

I was born in California and have lived in Germany and Japan. I was a ballet dancer for a while but after an injury I gave that up. I attended the University of Hawaii and graduated from the University of California at San Diego. I am also a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine.

I live in San Diego with my wonderful daughter, Belle, our sweet Corgis Panda and Tater, and our three cats, David, McGee, and Kittnen Snow Vampire. I love to travel and watch STARGATE SG-1, CHUCK, DR.WHO, TEEN WOLF, and CASTLE.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The tales run the speculative fiction gamut, October 4, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outsiders: 22 All-New Stories From the Edge (Paperback)

This twenty-two collection anthology focuses on the OUTSIDERS of society; those individuals who seem either beneath the food chain or scarred as if they were flushed down the toilet of life. These are pariahs and loners who survive on the edge or beyond the boundary of the so called acceptable norm. These freaks brood and some seem suicidal as only the maladjusted can but make readers ponder what does adjusted truly mean beyond relativity theory.

Though there are some name contributors like Gaiman, Little, Tanith lee, Lansdale, and Brite, many of the authors are just as good but not as widely known writers. The tales run the speculative fiction gamut from fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, and even poetry. Overall the fine compilation is funky, way out and different due to the wacko cast, who make the abnormal seem like the normal. The Nancys have provides a fun compilation.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outsiders should be -IN- your library!, October 29, 2005

By 

Staci L. Wilson "Author: Animal Movies Guide ... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outsiders: 22 All-New Stories From the Edge (Paperback)

This anthology includes a who's who of horror writers from Poppy Z. Brite (but don't call her a "horror writer" please), Neil Gaiman, Michael Marano, Joe R. Lansdale (who's recently risen to greater fame through the Bubba Ho-Tep film and The Masters of Horror TV series), and Tanith Lee.

It's pretty hard to write a convincing story about an outsider, since out is so in these days. Some of the stories do miss the mark in that regard, but all of them are extremely well-written and the book does manage to convey a feeling of having a cohesive theme while making sure each story is as disparate from its neighbor as possible. Kudos to the editors, Nancy Holder and Nancy Kilpatrick.

Standout stories include 'Expanding Your Capabilities Using Frame/Shift Mode' by wicked wordsmith David J. Schow; the quiet fury of Michael Marano's first person chiller '...And The Damage Done' is indelible; and 'Violent Angel', a hilariously black tale by Thomas S. Roche, is truly devilish. Personally, I enjoyed all the stories!

Another nice touch is having the author's bios on the same page that their story begins, rather than putting them all in the back.

The only downside is the thin, cheap paper the publisher used in the making of this book... mine arrived with a marred, crushed spine; the front cover will crease; and the paper inside is tissue-thin.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lost Stories for Lost Souls, July 3, 2006

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Outsiders: 22 All-New Stories From the Edge (Paperback)

This is a mostly readable anthology featuring up-and-comers in the horror and speculative fiction fields, but the concept tying the collection together is pretty weak, as you wonder how certain stories really qualified for the collection. The concept of "outsiders" works pretty well for many of the stories, which certainly feature forlorn outcasts and maladjusted miscreants, but there's not much beyond standard modern horror archetypes. One of the few truly unique uses of the concept is from Jack Ketchum, who reconstructs harassed New York City smokers as a displaced subculture itching to throw off the shackles of their oppressors; while Bentley Little submits a truly horrifying take on subcultural freakiness. And the one exceptionally groundbreaking story here is from David J. Schow, featuring a video hacker and his bizarre discoveries. Otherwise, most of the stories are strong and enjoyable exercises in modern horror writing, but the so-called "outsiders" of the anthology's theme are either your standard goth kid whining about not fitting in, or regular spookhouse geeks and freaks.

As for the writers, many are noteworthy rising stars in modern horror, and there are a whole bunch of Bram Stoker Award winners here (which really makes you wonder how many dozens of people win those things every year). But in some cases you get the impression that this anthology is merely another vehicle for promoting certain new writers who have made the right connections, regardless of whether their stories really fit in with the book's theme. There is also a related problem with the submissions from the famous writers, who have obviously been included to boost this book's sales. The submission from the great Neil Gaiman is merely a rather disposable three-page poem. Excellent novelists Tanith Lee and Poppy Z. Brite are represented by inconclusive short stories which are not especially representative of their best works, especially since Lee's features the aforementioned standard whiny goth kid, and Brite's features merely eccentric restaurant workers. And both are obviously meant to boost the credibility of this collection. That's the real business behind many anthologies like this, which can never quite stick with their concepts. [~doomsdayer520~]