A Book Of Horrors    edited by Stephen Jones Order:  USA  Can Griffin, 2012 (2011) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Martina Bexte Halloween might be over for this year, but if you're still craving something dark and scary, then check out Stephen Jones' latest collection, A Book of Horrors. In his introduction, Whatever Happened to Horror?, Jones says that traditional horror is becoming too homogenized, that 'these day our bloodsuckers are more likely to show their romantic nature, werewolves work for covert government organizations, phantoms are private investigators and the walking dead can be found sipping tea amongst the polite society of a Jane Austen novel'. I'd have to agree with Mr. Jones; good old fashioned gut-wrenching horror anthologies are hard to find these days. In his collection, he's gathered an eclectic blend of talent, some of them new authors, others old pros who have managed to give me a good scare a time or two. Stephen King, who in my opinion always does his best work in short story form, offers up The Little Green God of Agony, a tale that puts a new spin on the word pain, and newcomer Angela Slatter has written an inspired and truly creepy historical in The Coffin Maker's Daughter. Sad, Dark Thing by Michael Marshall Smith shows just how easy it can be to give in to depression and death's invitation. And Lisa Tuttle's The Man in the Ditch puts an inspired twist on one woman's choice about the direction her new marriage will take. These were my four favourites, but there are ten additional tales in A Book Of Horrors that might have you re-checking the locks on your door one or twice during the night! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews