Haunted Nights

Starred review from August 14, 2017
Halloween brings out the best in horror writers, as this fright-packed anthology of 15 new stories with Halloween themes demonstrates. In the novella "Lost in the Dark," John Langan conjures the legend of the monstrous Bad Agatha and a found-footage horror film based on it, exploring the boundary where fact blurs into fiction. Brian Evenson's "Sisters" concerns a family newly introduced to the Halloween tradition who are of a genuinely creepier ilk than the trick-or-treaters they mimic. Garth Nix, in "The Seventeen-Year Itch," introduces an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane whose new physician foolishly discontinues the practice of restraining him on Halloween night. Other authors, including Seanan McGuire, Jeffrey Ford, and Kate Jonez, extend the Halloween theme with tales of haunted houses, witch lore, and dangerously dysfunctional families. Editors Datlow and Morton have filled this book with an assortment of Halloween treats whose horrors transcend their holiday setting.

October 1, 2017
Award-winning editor Datlow has teamed up with internationally renowned Halloween expert Morton to solicit 16 brand-new stories from members of the Horror Writers Association, including such best-selling authors as Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, and Kelley Armstrong, along with critically acclaimed speculative-fiction all-stars John Langan, Stephen Graham Jones, and Jeffrey Ford. Their assignment was to honor the traditions of Halloween and celebrate the renaissance in the popularity of its literature by crafting a story to showcase why the holiday is the perfect fodder for a terrifying tale. And they have definitely succeeded, as the entire collection is solid and refreshing, featuring great stories that don't resort to overused tropes and revealing the full breadth of today's horror, from surreal to creepy to full-blown, visceral terror. Of particular note is the story about a Halloween party gone terribly wrong by up-and-comer S. P. Miskowski. Whether used for collection development or to suggest to patrons as the perfect holiday companion, Haunted Nights is an ideal way to celebrate Halloween and its millennial history this year and for many more to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)