BOOK REVIEW: Of Dread, Decay, and Doom

OF DREAD, DECAY, AND DOOM
edited by Jendia Gammon, Gareth L. Powell, and Scarlett R. Algee
Available now

Horror anthologies are, at least in my experience, a mixed bag solely because of what they are. Everyone finds different things frightening, so some stories will resonate with some people and fall flat with others. This is especially true with anthologies with a secondary theme beyond genre. That said, Of Dread, Decay, and Doom doesn't camp out in one style of horror. It runs the full gamut, from slasher tropes to environmental horror, from small personal stories to vignettes that hint at something vast and dangerous. This anthology's broad reach is its strength: because it has a little bit of everything, it's highly likely to have something that resonates with each reader.

From its very first story, this anthology makes it very clear that there are no safety nets. Existing in one of these worlds means you might not make it out alive. Some do, of course: alive, but changed. Others find a strange sort of peace. But these are not stories where it's wise to get attached. Our heroes (or antiheroes) are always potential sacrifices, literally and figuratively, on the altars of their own narratives.

What's especially impressive, and this is absolutely down to a trio of very skilled editors choosing and guiding the anthology's selection of authors, is how the stories work with each other without stepping on each other's toes. There are crossovers in terms of styles of stories — for example, both Vincent V. Cava's "Killbilly Drive-Thru" and Tim Waggoner's "The World Has Teeth" play with serial killers dealing with their would-be victims in public places. Both are, as one might expect, darkly comical at times. But each has its own style and upshot, making them complementary rather than crowding each other out.

A few other high-ranking stories in this anthology... or, at least, the ones that gave me chills:

"The Cleansing" by Lee Murray: The majority of this one doesn't read like a horror story so much as a musing on the state of growing up Asian. (I grew up Lebanese, but I've heard stories.) Its chilling descent into very literal imagery in the final few sentences recontextualizes the whole piece in a heartbeat. Endings like this are not easy to pull off, so it's always a treat to see it done well.

"Elderflower Cordial" by Mark Stay: A story from the Witches of Woodville series. This was my first encounter with the series, and it's made me want to read more for sure. Set in 1981, it folds folk horror and revenge into a seemingly innocent concept: children selling lemonade(?) by the side of the road. I love the ambience of this, the tonal shift as the story changes narrators at the end, and the strangely beautiful gentleness of the finale.

"The Children of Light" by David Quantick: Barely an ereader page long, this short-short story investigates an intriguing possibility: what if darkness, not daylight, killed vampires?

"Changing Hands" by Alice James: A worker finds his body being taken over, starting from the left hand, as he collects energy from portals. I love this one in particular for its skillful worldbuilding in a confined space, as well as the narrator's unique voice.

"Time After Time" by Sarah L. Miles: Probably my favorite in the whole anthology, this risky little piece plays with time loops and the horrors (mundane and otherwise) that lurk in the dark. I call it "risky" because its format could sink it if not done correctly and committed to fully. But it does both and comes out fantastic.

There isn't a bad story in the book, and the ones that stand out to each reader will likely be very different. But as a whole, it's a fascinating exploration of what "horror" means to a wide swath of skilled horror writers.

TEA PAIRING: Edgar Allan Poe Bundle
Not just because a certain story late in the anthology makes a certain reference! This pairing of bold Earl Grey (Poet's Study) and sleepy herbal (Dream Within a Dream) covers a broad spectrum of tea tastes, just as this anthology covers a broad spectrum of horror tastes.