[Horrorfiend]

Are they separate stories for the Fantasy and the Horror or are the all the stories combining the two?

[ChrisW]

:confused:

[Horrorfiend]

It is an anthology series printed every year. My question is... are the stories fantasy with horror elements, horror stories with fantasy elements, or just separate horror stories, and separate fantasy stories.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0312314256.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Julian]

Originally posted by Horrorfiend
It is an anthology series printed every year. My question is... are the stories fantasy with horror elements, horror stories with fantasy elements, or just separate horror stories, and separate fantasy stories.


All of the above. But mostly seperate. Oh, and there are longish intro's dealing with what's been happening with fantasy and horror respectively during the previous year. With recommendations for further reading.

[Erfael]

Well, pretty much all horror is fantasy, though not all fantasy is horrific.

Do you mean, "Do all the horror stories have swords in them?" No, they don't.

Do you mean, "Are all of the fantasy stories horrific?" No, they're not.

I guess the simplest answer in the terms you seem to be looking for would be that they're a mix of both "discrete" fantasy, "discrete" horror, and things that are a "mix," though I hate all of those labels and find them all wildly inappropriate in the context of what Datlow and Windling usually put together for their anthologies.

[AuntiePam]

I love these books. I have all of them except #4 and #16.

You definitely get your money's worth -- there are a lot of stories in each issue, and the intros are great -- overviews in horror, fantasy, TV, movies, comics, art, etc.

These books are a great value.

I love the cover art too.

[Julian]

Originally posted by AuntiePam
I love these books. I have all of them except #4 and #16.
These books are a great value.


Yes, but they do have their slant. Don't go looking for appreciative reviews on many of the current epic fantasy series, for example. As ar as I know (but I'm running behind a few few years here) Jordan was still verry much ostracised - and, rather more importantly (and curiously) so were Erikson, Pinto, Hobb, and the like.

This is a good series - but, if you ask me, not very discerning. Or at least, not in the way it matters. Essential but somewhat dimly snobbish, in other words. (Ah - harsh words - wonder if anyone will dare to take up on 'em... :))

[AuntiePam]

You're right, there are no stories by those people in any of the volumes that I have. I didn't know Erikson wrote short stories though. ?? I've found one Hobb, in one of the Best New Horror anthologies done by Stephen Jones. No Pintos anywhere. (Never heard of him.)

So you think they're being ostracized? I don't know the process used to choose the stories. Seems like a lot of them come from Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine and Asimov's.

It would seem like Datlow and Windling would opt for quality and not leave out anyone who has an audience.

Why would they not reprint those writers? Is there a chance that they were asked but didn't give permission?

[rune]

I'm unsure where this thread is going. But if you mean a mixture of fantasy and horror would that be Dark Fantasy?

I really like dark fantasy :) I used to read horror before I got onto fantasy books, years ago.

The only disappointing thing is that most dark fantasy seems to be vampire type stories and I'm sure there can be other angles.

Saying that I do like the Anita Blake series :)

So is it Dark Fantasy this thread is about or is it specific horror and fantasy books?

rune

[Julian]

Originally posted by AuntiePam
You're right, there are no stories by those people in any of the volumes that I have. I didn't know Erikson wrote short stories though. ?? (...)
So you think they're being ostracized? I don't know the process used to choose the stories. (...)
It would seem like Datlow and Windling would opt for quality and not leave out anyone who has an audience.


I was talking mainly about their annual reviews of fantasy and horror books, not so much about their choice of stories (and occasional poems). Intelligent and well-written as these reviews are, I do consider them biased against the writers mentioned. And, to my mind, unfairly so. Whilst I would surmise that such an approach - which I consider to be undiscerning - would also be reflected in the stories picked for the series, I would not be able to comment on this with sufficient accuracy for the simple reason that I no longer subscribe to any of the SF or fantasy magazines out there.

Re-reading my own earlier post, I admit I was pretty unclear. Sorry about that!

[Rune: this thread is about a specific annual anthology called the Year's Best Fantasy And Horror. It's very well respected series, aimed at presenting the best short stories (and one or two poems) in the fantasy and horror genres published each year (generally in various magazines) in a big thick trade paperback package. Besides republishing these stories/poems, the editors also give an overview of the past year in fantasy and horror. This isn't a Dark Fantasy series, I'm afraid, but a year's best affair.]