Best New Horror 1 (1990)
(e) as BEST NEW HORROR #1
Drugstore Indian Press, UK (2014) • tp • £11.99
ISBN 978-1-84863-795-5
From razor sharp terror to supernatural chills . . . This sensational showcase for the best short horror novels and stories collects spine-melting material from all areas of the field—blood-soaked reveries, splatterpunk nightmares, and thought-provoking fantasies that linger long into the night. Rare treats include ‘The Pin’ by Robert R. McCammon, one of the sustained, stomach-churning chillers of recent years. Thomas Tessier’s elegant ‘Blanca’, ‘The Horn’ by Stephen Gallagher and Thomas Ligotti’s dark vision ‘The Strange Designs of Master Rignolo’. Included are other writers of the pinnacle of their careers: Karl Edward Wagner, Richard Laymon, Steve Rasnic Tem and Ramsey Campbell, as well as rising stars like Kim Newman, Ian Watson, Brian Lumley, Chet Williamson and many more.
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(a) Robinson Publishing, UK • tp • £6.99 ISBN 1-85487-058-0
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(b) Carroll & Graf, USA • hc • $18.95 (1991) ISBN 0-88184-630-9
[Note: This also exists in an uncorrected proof edition with paper covers.] -
(c) Carroll & Graf, USA • tp • $10.95 (1991) ISBN 0-88184-762-3
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(d) Azbooka-klassika, Russia • hc • (2011) ISBN 978-5-389-01489-3[Note: This edition drops 'Introduction: Horror in 1989' and 'Necrology: 1989'.]
| INTRODUCTION: HORROR IN 1989 | The Editors |
| PIN | Robert R. McCammon |
| THE HOUSE ON CEMETERY STREET | Cherry Wilder |
| THE HORN | Stephen Gallagher |
| BREAKING UP | Alex Quiroba |
| IT HELPS IF YOU SING | Ramsey Campbell |
| CLOSED CIRCUIT | Laurence Staig |
| CARNAL HOUSE | Steve Rasnic Tem |
| TWITCH TECHNICOLOR | Kim Newman |
| LIZAVETA | Gregory Frost |
| SNOW CANCELLATIONS | Donald R. Burleson |
| ARCHWAY | Nicholas Royle |
| THE STRANGE DESIGN OF MASTER RIGNOLO | Thomas Ligotti |
| …TO FEEL ANOTHER’S WOE | Chet Williamson |
| THE LAST DAY OF MISS DORINDA MOLYNEAUX | Robert Westall |
| NO SHARKS IN THE MED | Brian Lumley |
| MORT AU MONDE | D.F. Lewis |
| BLANCA | Thomas Tessier |
| THE EYE OF THE AYATOLLAH | Ian Watson |
| AT FIRST JUST GHOSTLY | Karl Edward Wagner |
| BAD NEWS | Richard Laymon |
| NECROLOGY: 1989 | Stephen Jones & Kim Newman |
Reviews
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“If you like horror fiction, you’ll find that Best New Horror delivers the goods.”
— Neil Jones & Neil McIntosh,
INTERZONE, April 1991 -
“Best New Horror is a remarkable gathering of exceptional literary efforts in one single volume. Messrs. Jones and Campbell have captured the pulse of the horror genre and the variety it manifests.”
— J.B. Macabre
RAVE REVIWS 1991 -
“The selection is eclectic, the level of interest generally high.”
— Edward Bryant,
LOCUS #360, January 1991 -
“As showcases for established talent go, Best New Horror is a thoroughly polished gem.”
— John Gilbert,
FEAR No.25, January 1991 -
“This is one for all those folk out there who won’t read horror because it’s full of blood and gore and other tasteless stuff. This book contains 20 stories, very few of which have blood in them at all. Most of them, on the other hand, kept me awake at night, both to finish them, then worrying about them afterwards.”
—Jon Wallace,
PAPERBACK INFERNO, December 1990—January 1991 -
“The title is spot-on . . . Anyone who is curious about the state of contemporary horror fiction should grab a copy of this book and devour it.”
—Anne Billson,
THE TIMES, December 13, 1990 -
“Best New Horror should satisfy the pickiest biblio-ghoul.”
—Elizabeth J. Young,
CITY LIMITS, Nov 29—Dec 6, 1990 -
“The satisfying and savvy kickoff to a projected new series . . . with its wide range and intelligent choices this is a bonanza for horror fans—and in the running to become the horror annual of record.”
—KIRKUS, October 15, 1990