The
British horror legacy is in very good hands, the nowadays genre thriving with
new life and brimming with talents such as Alison Littlewood, Sarah Pinborough,
Carole Johnstone, Gary McMahon, Adam Nevill, Tim Lebbon, Conrad Williams or
Stephen Bacon. And these are just the ones I count among my favorites, but for
certain the list of excellent writers contributing to the new era of British
horror is larger and includes many I haven’t had the pleasure to discover yet.
Since 2014 there is another tool to help smooth the path toward the writings of
this group of authors, “Best British
Horror” series of anthologies highlights what the genre has best to offer
each year, showcasing the stories and writers making today’s British horror
proud. 2015 sees the publication of the second installment of “Best British
Horror”, edited by Johnny Mains, himself
with an important contribution to the British horror editorial work, and yet
again with a compelling list of stories. I welcomed with opened heart Salt Publishing’s initiative of starting
a yearly collection of the best British horror and the first volume, published
in 2014, was everything I imagined it would be and even a bit more. And by the
looks of this second collection, due to be released on April, it seems that
already “Best British Horror” establishes itself as another standard bearer for
this very gifted generation of British writers.
“Shaddertown” by Conrad Williams (Shadows
& Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“Quarry Hogs” by Jane Jakeman (Supernatural Tales 27, Autumn 2014)
“Random Flight” by Rosalie Parker (Terror Tales of Yorkshire, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“A Spider Remember” by Sara Pascoe (Dead Funny, edited by Robin Ince and Johnny Mains, Salt Publishing)
“Eastmouth” by Alison Moore (The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by Mark Morris, Spectral Press)
“Learning the Language” by John Llewellyn Probert (Terror Tales of Wales, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“Reunion” by Rebecca Lloyd (Mercy and Other Stories, Tartarus Press)
“The Third Time” by Helen Grant (Ghosts and Scholars Book of Shadows, Volume 2, edited by Rosemary Pardoe, Sarob Press)
“Drowning in Air” by Andrew Hook (Strange Tales, Volume IV, edited by Rosalie Parker, Tartarus Press)
“Alistair” by Mark Samuels (Written in Darkness, Egaeus Press)
“In the Year of Omens” by Helen Marshall (Gifts for the One Who Comes After, ChiZine Publications)
“Apple Pie and Sulphur” by Christopher Harman (Shadows & Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“On Ilkley Moore” by Alison Littlewood (Terror Tales of Yorkshire, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“The Broken and the Unmade” by Stephen J Dines (Black Static, Issue 39)
“Only Bleeding” by Gary McMahon (Horror Uncut, edited by Joel Lane and Tom Johnstone, Gray Friar Press)
“The Night Porter” by Ray Russell (Shadows & Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“Something Sinister in Sunlight” by Lisa Tuttle (The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by Mark Morris, Spectral Press)
“Summerside” by Alison Moore (Shadows & Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“Private Ambulance” by Simon Kurt Unsworth (Noir, edited by Ian Whates, NewCon Press)
“The Rising Tide” by Priya Sharma (Terror Tales of Wales, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“The Slista” by Stephen Laws (The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by Mark Morris, Spectral Press)
“Dog” by Reece Shearsmith (Dead Funny, edited by Robin Ince and Johnny Mains, Salt Publishing)
“Quarry Hogs” by Jane Jakeman (Supernatural Tales 27, Autumn 2014)
“Random Flight” by Rosalie Parker (Terror Tales of Yorkshire, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“A Spider Remember” by Sara Pascoe (Dead Funny, edited by Robin Ince and Johnny Mains, Salt Publishing)
“Eastmouth” by Alison Moore (The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by Mark Morris, Spectral Press)
“Learning the Language” by John Llewellyn Probert (Terror Tales of Wales, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“Reunion” by Rebecca Lloyd (Mercy and Other Stories, Tartarus Press)
“The Third Time” by Helen Grant (Ghosts and Scholars Book of Shadows, Volume 2, edited by Rosemary Pardoe, Sarob Press)
“Drowning in Air” by Andrew Hook (Strange Tales, Volume IV, edited by Rosalie Parker, Tartarus Press)
“Alistair” by Mark Samuels (Written in Darkness, Egaeus Press)
“In the Year of Omens” by Helen Marshall (Gifts for the One Who Comes After, ChiZine Publications)
“Apple Pie and Sulphur” by Christopher Harman (Shadows & Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“On Ilkley Moore” by Alison Littlewood (Terror Tales of Yorkshire, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“The Broken and the Unmade” by Stephen J Dines (Black Static, Issue 39)
“Only Bleeding” by Gary McMahon (Horror Uncut, edited by Joel Lane and Tom Johnstone, Gray Friar Press)
“The Night Porter” by Ray Russell (Shadows & Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“Something Sinister in Sunlight” by Lisa Tuttle (The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by Mark Morris, Spectral Press)
“Summerside” by Alison Moore (Shadows & Tall Trees, Volume 6)
“Private Ambulance” by Simon Kurt Unsworth (Noir, edited by Ian Whates, NewCon Press)
“The Rising Tide” by Priya Sharma (Terror Tales of Wales, edited by Paul Finch, Gray Friar Press)
“The Slista” by Stephen Laws (The Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by Mark Morris, Spectral Press)
“Dog” by Reece Shearsmith (Dead Funny, edited by Robin Ince and Johnny Mains, Salt Publishing)
