Customer Reviews

Outsiders: 22 All-New Stories From the Edge

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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

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.

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~]

I'm not sure what this "edge" is supposed to be,but these are very unique horror stories and I highly reccomend you buy this if you like horror anthologies.There is a wonderful new (to Americans) French female author who, I feel, has the best horror story so far. (I'm only 1/2 way through it as of yet.) Great authors. Not exactly splatterpunk horror, but horror of a creeping,twitching kind.

I work @ a major book store shain & was so impressed I added it to our basic stock.