Blood and Other Cravings
Edited by Ellen Datlow
TOR 2011
TOR 2011
Reviewed by Deirdre Murphy
I’m a fan of fantasy of all flavors, light and dark, but horror? Not so much. Still, Blood and Other
Cravings was rarely dull, and held a number of stories that I enjoyed.
The book starts with a breath of hope, the tale of a man who, despite
all likelihood, survives a mining disaster.
He’s sure he will savor every moment of the rest of his life, and
indeed, that’s how it starts. But then
he’s visited by a hungry stranger and a story that could have been uplifting
turns dark.
My favorite story here is "First Breath" by Nicole J.
LeBoeuf. A teenager seeking herself, a
chance encounter in a bar, a first kiss.
It is a very normal story which gracefully and inevitably turns strange
and creepy. It probably says something
about me that I found the end more poignant than dreadful.
"Mrs. Jones" by Carol Emshwiller is another twisted love
story. We start with the sad tale of two
spinster sisters who live together without sharing anything of significance,
except a certain poverty of character. When strange noises hint that something might
change, the two sisters each rise to the challenge as they perceive it; one
wins the prize, if prize it is, but that’s just the beginning.
"The Third Always Beside You" by John Langan is another story
of love gone wrong, of a family in the wake of an infidelity where the presence
of the “third” lover colors every moment of their family’s life, becoming an
obsession of the children that lasts into their adulthood, even though (as with
most obsessions in horror collections) they would doubtless have been happier
if they could have let it go and focused
on their own lives.
"Keeping Corky" by Melanie Tem stars a very loving mother, but
things start subtly wrong and move forward inexorably to a proper Twilight Zone-style ending.
"Mulberry Boys" is creepy and disturbing and all too
memorable. I could say more, but I’d
really rather not revisit that story in my mind.
Blood and Other
Cravings ends with "The Siphon" by Laird Barron. It starts much like standard horror fare, a
routine trip that turns strange and deadly, but the author has a sure touch and
the story is beautifully written. It
offers more than despair and gore, though there is plenty of that too.
Overall, I was very impressed with this anthology, even though, as a
general rule, I prefer happy endings. Whether you’re a die-hard horror fan or
just dabble in the genre from time to time, I think you’ll enjoy this this horror anthology.
