Poe's Children: The New Horror: an Anthology

Overview

From the incomparable master of horror and suspense comes an electrifying collection of contemporary literary horror, with stories from twenty-five writers representing today's most talented voices in the genre.

Horror writing is usually associated with formulaic gore, but New Wave horror writers have more in common with the wildly inventive, evocative spookiness of Edgar Allan Poe than with the sometimes-predictable hallmarks of their peers. Showcasing this cutting-edge talent, Poe's Children now brings the best of the genre's stories to a wider audience. Featuring tales from such writers as Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Carroll, Poe's Children is Peter Straub's tribute to the imaginative power of storytelling. Each previously published story has been selected by Straub to represent what he thinks is the most interesting development in our literature during the last two decades.
Selections range from the early Stephen King psychological thriller "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet," in which an editor confronts an author's belief that his typewriter is inhabited by supernatural creatures, to "The Man on the Ceiling," Melanie and Steve Rasnic Tem's award-winning surreal tale of night terrors, woven with daylight fears that haunt a family. Other selections include National Book Award finalist Dan Chaon's "The Bees"; Peter Straub's "Little Red's Tango," the legend of a music aficionado whose past is as mysterious as the ghostly visitors to his Manhattan apartment; Elizabeth Hand's visionary and shocking "Cleopatra Brimstone"; Thomas Ligotti's brilliant, mind-stretching "Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story"; and "Body," Brian Evenson's disturbing twist on correctional facilities.
Crossing boundaries and packed with imaginative chills, Poe's Children bears all the telltale signs of fearless, addictive fiction.

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Author Information

Bio of Peter Straub

Straub taught English in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and worked for a time on his doctorate in Ireland; he has been writing since 1969. His novel Julia (1975) was an attempt to find a successful genre in which to work, after his first novel, Marriages (1973), did not sell well. Straub found that he had a talent for writing horror thrillers in the Gothic tradition. His stories are complex and well paced, with authentic settings that add to the believability of the plot. Straub is particularly good at creating grotesque characters and gruesome situations; the eeriness of his work is captivating.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Doubleday Publishing

Filesize

1.31 MB

Number of Pages

544

eBook ISBN

9780385528467