A companion volume to the collection Gothic (2004), this impressive anthology presents original short stories spotlighting the work of ten masters of dark fantasy. Fantasy readers will recognize some authors—Libba Bray, Holly Black, Chris Wooding—while others’ stories will introduce whole new bodies of work. As should be expected, stories in this excellent grouping have a broad range of styles, themes and settings. Kelly Link’s funny “The Wrong Grave” takes a punk/gothic view of a teen poet’s reaction to his girlfriend’s death; M. T. Anderson’s “The Gray Boy’s Work” depicts the aftermath of a man’s participation in the American Revolution; and Holly Black’s “The Poison Eaters” depicts a venomous family in a kingdom that never was. Although the authors have avoided the obvious (a notable shortage of zombie tales, for example), this potent mix of horror stories, with its literary touches that range from the humorous to the horrific, will attract readers with its promising title and keep them riveted to these splendid tales. (Fantasy. YA)
