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[Book Review] ‘The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2013’ Could Be Better

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Every autumn the “Best of” books begin to run and spawn, and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy Horror 2013 (Prime Books; August 20) is the first out of the gate, with the upcoming The Best Horror of the Year and Mammoth Book of New Horror nipping at its heels. The literary preferences (and perhaps networking skills) of each book’s respective editor will determine which anthology will triumph in the end––for ultimately, there can be only one.

As it states in the title, editor Paula Guran’s anthology is a mix of dark fantasy and horror, with dark fantasy clearly dominating the proceedings. With the exception of the few stories that declare their dark fantasy roots from the first sentence (“Azriel tugged on his wizard’s cap and straightened his wand,setting his gaze firmly toward the hills of Greatbellow”), there’s a certain amount of fun to be had in trying to predict what type of story you’re in for. Some tales begin as dark fantasy before veering violently towards horror; others keep their genre intentions close to the vest up until the very last word.

Mike Carey’s “Iphigenia in Aulis” is a perfect example. Beginning as a “juvie prison/government experiment” story, it slowly evolves into something else––a surprisingly moving post-apocalypse yarn that thoughtfully explores zombie ethics and what it means to be human. This is one of those stories you find yourself pressuring your friends into reading (trust me, they’ll thank you later). Other standout stories include Ellen Klages’ “The Education of a Witch”, which sees a young child discover her true calling, and Laird Barron’s “Hand of Glory”, a genre-busting mash-up of Boardwalk Empire and Angelheart. (Although Barron fans may want to wait a couple of weeks for The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, his oft-delayed, much anticipated anthology, which happens to include “Hand of Glory”.)

The biggest problem with The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror comes down to issues of quality. With 35 stories spread out over 500+ pages, there seems to be a lot of filler here. Frankly, some of these stories ain’t up to snuff. Sometimes editors adopt a “take what I can get” approach to compiling an anthology, rather than refusing to accept anything but the best. Other times it comes down to personal tastes. I found Garan’s opinion of what is the “best” to vary widely from my own, but that’s not to say all readers will feel the same way. There’s a lot of good stuff to be found here, as long as you’re not afraid to do a little digging.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Skulls

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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