The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1

Starred review from September 21, 2020
This groundbreaking anthology of contemporary horror stories from around the world is an irrefutable testament to the international popularity of horror fiction as a form of literary expression. These 21 tales, most appearing in English for the first time, range in approach from the classic gothic (Spanish author Pilar Pedraza’s “Mater Tenebrarum”) to psychological horror (Hungarian Attila Veres’s “The Time Remaining”), physical horror (Finn Marko Hautala’s “Pale Toes”), quirky surrealism (Ecuadorian Solange Rodríguez Pappe’s “Tiny Women), and dark absurdist satire (Dane Lars Ahm’s “Donation”). Peruvian author Tanya Tynjälä riffs on Greek myth in “The Collector” while Bathie Ngoye Thiam pulls from Senegalese folklore in “The House of Leuk Dawour” and Yvette Tan employs elements of Filipino legend in “All the Birds.” Among the book’s outstanding selections are Swedish author Anders Fager’s “Backstairs,” in which a psychotherapist horribly misinterprets the terrifying reality underlying a patient’s dreams, and “Down, in Their World” by Romanian Flavius Ardelean, which translates the folk legends of Transylvania into a tale of subterranean nightmares. Jenkins and Cagle cast their net wide to cull stories that would distinguish any compilation in which they appeared. This book is a must for horror fans and the start of an exciting new series.

October 1, 2020

Known for their updated editions of classic horror stories, editors Jenkins and Cagle have taken on a new mission, collecting contemporary, acclaimed horror authors from around the world, translating many of them into English for the first time, and adding a short introduction to each story in order to place them a context to be best enjoyed by a new, wider audience. This collection is stellar from top to bottom, but standouts include Christien Boomsma from the Netherlands with a nightmarish story of guilt spiraling out of control, and Bathie Ngoye Thiam from Senegal who brings the rab (evil spirits) from his country's oral history tradition to the page, terrifying readers near and far. VERDICT This desperately needed anthology is meticulously researched and translated, offering stories from a variety of perspectives across five continents, and representing the broad range of storytelling styles and tropes that are used by all horror storytellers regardless of nationality. Readers will be clamoring for these fresh tales by current authors they probably didn't know existed. Consider pairing it with A World of Horror edited by Eric Guignard.

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