CHRISTMAS AND OTHER HORRORS: A WINTER SOLSTICE ANTHOLOGY
Bolt your doors and keep your fireplace blazing as the longest night approaches because you’re on the naughty list this year! Ellen Datlow, the Queen of Horror Anthologies, is delivering a sack of terror and dread in CHRISTMAS AND OTHER HORRORS: A WINTER SOLTICE ANTHOLOGY. Here you’ll find chilling new stories by masters of horror and dark fantasy Alma Katsu, Christopher Golden, Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due, Josh Malerman, Richard Kadrey, Cassandra Khaw, and more. Ghosts, ghouls, golems, evil elves, Schnabelperchten, Mari Lwyd, and most unwelcome guests are just some of the nightmares coming for you. This tome is proof that fear is the gift that keeps on killing. - R.J. Crowther Jr.
Hugo Award winning editor, and horror legend, Ellen Datlow presents this chilling horror anthology of original short stories exploring the endless terrors of winter solstice traditions across the globe, featuring chillers by Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu and many more.
The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world—yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites you to huddle around the fire and revel in the unholy, the dangerous, the horrific aspects of a time when families and friends come together—for better and for worse.
From the eerie Austrian Schnabelperchten to the skeletal Welsh Mari Lwyd, by way of ravenous golems, uncanny neighbors, and unwelcome visitors, Christmas and Other Horrors captures the heart and horror of the festive season.
Because the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is hungry...
Featuring stories from:
Nadia Bulkin Terry Dowling Tananarive Due Jeffrey Ford Christopher Golden Stephen Graham Jones Glen Hirshberg Richard Kadrey Alma Katsu Cassandra Khaw John Langan Josh Malerman Nick Mamatas Garth Nix Benjamin Percy M. Rickert Kaaron Warren
About the Author
Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards. Datlow was recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
She lives in New York.
Praise For…
"A sterling collection... Ellen Datlow has – yet again – pulled in many of the very best writers in the field. I’m sure this is henceforth going to be the default stocking filler for any horror fan in your life." HorrorTree
"Datlow, award-winning editor in speculative fiction, comes through once again ... the gut punch of Tananarive Due and Stephen Graham Jones’ stories ... cannot be missed." Booklist Starred Review
"New works from some of the horror greats" BookRiot
"Certifiably creepy... undeniably diverse spanning oceans and continents ...[to] make the connection between the so-called happiest time of the year and all manner of sinister goings-on seem as natural as gingerbread and eggnog."-Rue Morgue
Praise for When Things Get Dark:
"This compilation of stories that make the mundane seem terrifying is chilling and uncanny, offering tropes that will be familiar to readers of Jackson’s work (witchy women, eerie suburbia) but with unique touches that could come only from these individuals authors." - New York Public Library Best Books
Other stories are equally memorable, but for me, the outstanding one is Skinder's Veil, a breathtaking blend of fairytale, dream and reality by the incomparable Kelly Link. – The Guardian
A joy for Jackson fans, but no Jackson knowledge is needed to enjoy this anthology. A gem in its own right. – SFX
This anthology is the perfect example of how a vision in the right hands can produce amazing results. Every story captures the essence of what it feels like to read Shirley Jackson’s work. – LitReactor best of 2021
This is an absolute treat whether you’re a Shirley Jackson nut or not. — Den of Geek best of 2021
Perfect to dip in and out of as the nights draw in – Culturefly
18 outstanding, atmospheric horror shorts from some of the biggest names in the genre ... Any fan of Jackson’s oeuvre will delight in this anthology. – Publishers Weekly starred review
In short, another great anthology assembled by Ellen Datlow. – Horror Tree
No one consistently delivers like Datlow does. – Horror DNA
This anthology is classic horror in its appearance, but in the inside has modern sensitivities with standout prose. Shirley Jackson would’ve been proud – Last Sentence
Compiling a short story anthology that caters to a wide audience’s taste is no small feat. Ellen Datlow has done a brilliant job ... Whether you prefer your creepiness level at one or eleven, with a good dose of blood and gore or just with a hint of psychological suspense, you will find a favourite which appeals to your taste in this collection. – Crime Fiction Lover
Unsettling, disquieting, even disorienting... This collection is special. Somewhere, Shirley Jackson is peering over those glasses of hers, one eyebrow raised, a sly smile on her lips – Dave Writes and Draws
Even the most voracious of readers is sure to be swept away by the sheer magnitude of talent on display in When Things Get Dark. – Phantastiqa
Datlow did it again... every piece was entertaining – Happy Horror Writer
If you are looking for an overview of what the current literary horror world looks like, this is a fantastic example – California Reading
[A] successful endeavour that shows just how much of an influence Shirley Jackson had with her writing – Zachary Houle
A thrilling encounter with the uncanny courtesy of the some of the best contemporary horror writers. – End of the Words
From haunting to eerie to downright terrifying, there is something for every reader – Mandy McHugh
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology [..] so I have no hesitation in recommending it. – Stephen Bacon
These stories really linger in the back of my mind - like they're creating a space of their own in my memory – Girl Who Reads
Hands-down, my favorite anthology I’ve ever read. – Quaint and Curious Volumes
