The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2006: 19th Annual Collection (Paperback)

by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Gavin J. Grant (Editor), Kelly Link (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The excellent 19th volume in this distinguished anthology series offers 40 stories and poems sure to please fantasy and horror connoisseurs. Highlights by relatively new talent include Delia Sherman's winning suburban fantasy, "Walpurgis Afternoon"; Glenn Hirshberg's "American Morons," a disturbing tale of the second Gulf War; and Mark Samuels's gruesomely powerful "Shallaballah." Notable contributions by veterans include Bruce Sterling's "Denial," a fantasy unlike his cybernetic science fiction; Howard Waldrop's wild vaudeville "The Horse of a Different Color (That You Rode In On)"; and Isabel Allende's "The Guggenheim Lovers," a beautiful story about lovers within Bilboa's Guggenheim Museum. Datlow, Link and Grant, assisted by various sub-editors, provide thorough summations of the year in each genre and various media as well as a list of honorable mentions for 2005.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

 

Praise for The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror

Seventeenth Annual Collection

 

“Datlow (the horror half) teams with new coeditors (who assume the fantasy detail once handled by Terri Windling) and the series doesn’t skip a beat in quality, delivering forty-three stories and poems published in 2003 that illustrate modern fantasy’s breadth and variety...proof that the best fantastic fiction is modern mythmaking at its finest.”
---Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 

“Link and Grant’s good taste in outré setups, stylistic and formal adventurousness, and ambiguity shows in these challenging selections.”

---Booklist

 

Praise for The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror

Sixteenth Annual Collection

 

“This sixteenth incarnation of their award-winning anthology series shows fantasy and horror fiction to be alive, well and accessible in an impressively broad array of venues...delectably varied in theme and approach.”

---Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 

“A diverse collection of fiction and poetry…The stories constitute an entertaining, eerie mixture of creepiness and suspense.”

---Booklist

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312356145
• ISBN-13: 978-0312356149
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #353,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #18 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Datlow, Ellen
  #19 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Datlow, Ellen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have, must-read anthology, September 29, 2006

By	Jody Rose (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR 2006: Nineteenth Annual Edition, edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant, is a tour de force of writing talent no fan of fantasy should pass-up. The horror is especially horrific, and the fantasy whimsical, albeit there is a fine line drawn here between the two genres. I am admittedly a horror story addict and will hunt down the dark stuff first off, which I did with this anthology; however, it was not long before I realized that much of the fantasy had dark underpinnings too. I found myself jumping all over the book in a mad rush to read this story and that one because they were all so good.

The book kicks-off with Delia Sherman's light-hearted fantasy about witches in "Walpurgis Afternoon," and finishes with Kim Newman's darkly fantastic novelette, "The Gypsies in the Wood." In between these were standouts "Proboscis" by Laird Barron, "An Incident at Agate Beach" by Marley Youmans, "Among the Tombs" by Reggie Oliver, "Northwest Passage" by Barbara Roden, "American Morons" by Glen Hirshberg, "Follow Me Light" by Elizabeth Bear (this story made me think of Dagon), "Scarecrow" by Tom Brennan, "My Father's Mask" by Joe Hill (outstanding!). The table of contents goes on and on with standouts, reflecting masterful storytelling at its best from all. The authors are as follows, with the exception of those already mentioned:

Deborah Roggie
Jennifer Chang
Mark Samuels
Sarah Monette
Bruce Sterling
Elizabeth Hand
Kelly Everding
Jeffrey Ford
Howard Waldrop
Adam L. G. Nevill
Albert E. Cowdrey
Andrew Bonia
Geoff Ryman
Jack Cady
Robert Coover
China Miéville, Emma Bircham, and Max Schäfer
Theodora Goss
Daniel Wallace
Nisi Shawl
Jay Russell
Stacey Richter
Chaz Brenchley
Willa Schneberg
Pentti Holappa
Ralph Robert Moore
Chuck Palahniuk
Isabel Allende
Dave Hutchinson

A line-up of authors whose stories will keep you engaged ... highly recommended reading!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, February 8, 2008

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

This volume is considerably better than the year before, upping the average to 3.39.

The introduction going over fantasy and horror media is over 100 pages. The bizarre thing is that they shortened the anime/manga section, yet still have space for a music column that talks about world music? If horror, etc., where is all the metal or goth music, etc. It is fine if de Lint likes that stuff, but a complete waste of space and pretty much zero relevance to fantasy and horror fiction interest for most of it. So apart from not being relevant, it isn't even thorough and not relevant, presumably because he doesn't listen to that sort of range. Pretty sure Vinge's column that would talk about written material partly, would certainly be of more interest. It certainly was a high point last year.

In general, the horror content is rather stronger than the fantasy - in some cases it appears that all the editors liked a story, as all their initials are on the story intro. They do mention the breakdowns of horror and fantasy on their own websites - but no mention of urls or indications in tables of contents which they consider which. Is this done to keep people happy to claim one of the other story as a particular genre? Dunno. Odd. Same thing with books that are SF and Fantasy seems to happen, though, so must be some reason.

I'd probably go as far as calling this book a 4.25, perhaps.

Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Walpurgis Afternoon - Delia Sherman
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Mushroom Duchess - Deborah Roggie
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : An Incident at Agate Beach - Marly Youmans
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Among the Tombs - Reggie Oliver
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : American Morons - Glen Hirshberg
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Shallaballah - Mark Samuels
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Denial - Bruce Sterling
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Northwest Passage - Barbara Roden
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Proboscis - Laird Barron
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Kronia - Elizabeth Hand
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Follow Me Light - Elizabeth Bear
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Boatman's Holiday - Jeffrey Ford
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Horse of a Different Color (That You Rode in On) - Howard Waldrop
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Where Angels Come In (M.R. James) - Adam L. G. Nevill
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Twilight States - Albert E. Cowdrey
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Last Ten Years in the Life of Hero Kai - Geoff Ryman
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Souls of Drowning Mountain - Jack Cady
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Last One - Robert Coover
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Ball Room - China Mieville and Emma Bircham and Max Schaefer
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Vacation - Daniel Wallace
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Cruel Sistah - Nisi Shawl
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Ding-Dong Bell - Jay Russell
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Case Study of Emergency Room Procedure and Risk Management by Hospital Staff Members in the Urban Facility - Stacey Richter
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Scribble Mind - Jeffrey Ford
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Scarecrow - Tom Brennan
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Going the Jerusalem Mile - Chaz Brenchley
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Boman - Pentti Holappa
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Machine of a Religious Man - Ralph Robert Moore
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Hot Potting - Chuck Palahniuk
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : My Father's Mask - Joe Hill
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Guggenheim Lovers - Isabel Allende
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : A Statement in the Case - Theodora Goss
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : Pavement Artist - Dave Hutchinson
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19 : The Gypsies in the Wood - Kim Newman


Witchiness good for gardens.

3.5 out of 5


Fungus tea bogeywoman.

3.5 out of 5


Stone dead hubby.

3 out of 5


Potty woman's possession problem.

3.5 out of 5


Dirtwritten yankee sacrifice.

4 out of 5


Celebrity puppet hanger.

4 out of 5


We're dead, stupid.

3.5 out of 5


You don't know Jack about hills having eyes.

4 out of 5


Bounty hunter mound terror.

4 out of 5


Bike bingle backstory breakdown.

3.5 out of 5


Lawyers, and a family that is definitely fishier than they seem.

3 out of 5


Contrary to the advice of the sage Accadacca, Hell Is A Bad Place To Be. Generally. Barring sneaky loopholes.

3.5 out of 5


Vaudeville secrets.

4 out of 5


Trespassing reduction.

2.5 out of 5


Pulp pig punishment.

4 out of 5


Monky magic.

3 out of 5


Mine dead destruction.

3.5 out of 5


Toy blokes.

3 out of 5


A man walked into a bar. He hoped it wasn't full of chicken murdering maniacs.

2.5 out of 5


Mallet head wigs me out.

3 out of 5


Directing depraved relative death.

4 out of 5


Speed Princess.

3.5 out of 5


Birth pattern.

3.5 out of 5


Wrong example.

3 out of 5


Barren maze.

3 out of 5


Training humans is dull, makes you flighty.

3 out of 5


Ice crackup relative death joining moocow assist.

3 out of 5


Boiled people do smell a lot like bacon.

4 out of 5


Just forget your old man, kid.

3.5 out of 5


Museum sneak shagging security surprise.

3 out of 5


Burning the weird beasts.

2.5 out of 5


Stay away from me, cracker.

3.5 out of 5


A Diogenes Club investigation for Charles with Kate's help, into some changeling goings on and disappearances.

4 out of 5

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak, October 20, 2006

By	Seth_Saoirse (Jacksonville,FL) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed the selections made in the past by Windling and Datlow, they have truly opened my eyes to many writers that I would never have considered reading and even one story that I still gives me nightmares! These compilations were always great for assisting me in locating books written by up and coming authors and their recommendations are generally dead on....however, since the series has added two new editors the quality of stories has dropped dramatically. Gone are the truly scary and wonderous stories of previous additions. I keep buying and hoping that the series improves and I can once again rely on it as a solid anthology.