Fresh Fear: Contemporary Horror, edited by William Cook for James Ward Kirk Publishing, is a tantalizing collection of horror stories purportedly from emerging new artists, though some names will be quite familiar to longtime genre fans. Any avid reader of fearful fiction knows who Ramsey Campbell is. As a fan of not only mainstream horror but indie writers as well, I am very happy to see some familiar voices here. Carole Gill is a personal favorite.
Fresh Fear begins with one hell of a bang! Scathe meic Beorh’s “God of the Winds” is a startling spiritual exploration augmented by profoundly disturbing perversions, a bizarre homage to the existential psychosexual Italian freak fests of yesteryear. I really liked this unique story. If this is any indication of how twisted this anthology is going to be, I’m extremely excited.
“Welcomeland” by Ramsey Campbell tells the tale of Slade, a man returning to his hometown to visit an amusement park he’s deeply invested in. The tale is steeped in melancholy, and is very well written – we would expect nothing less from Campbell. But the story itself feels worn and familiar, as familiar as the emotions stirring in its central character as he makes his way through the labyrinth of the town. To be brutally honest, it’s just a rehash of an old horror story trope and a bit of a disappointment.
Into the dark corridors of an urban cannibal’s lair we dare to tread with “Strange Tastes” by Lily Childs. It’s a gruesome, eloquently realized story you may find yourself reading with a morbid air of delight, the same enthusiastic amusement with which we silently cheer Hannibal Lecter whenever we visit his demented world. The night is still young, and there are many other writers eager to have their turn at the proverbial campfire. Let us see what these weavers of nightmares have to offer, shall we?
Along with the hallucinatory opening narrative and the blood feast proffered by the inimitable Lily Childs, Fresh Fear has several impressive highs. I was amused by Brandon Ford’s “Scare Me.” As a writer and a passionate reader of horror, I very much appreciated it. Carol Gill’s “Raised” was as good as I’d hoped, a tale reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. J.F. Gonzalez gives us a vicious sexual escapade that summons a repulsive curiosity in the reader, a perverse acumen on par with A.M. Homes. Charlee Jacob’s “Locked Inside The Buzzword Box” is a work of surreal genius. Adam Millard offers a nice demented slice of suburban crazy. Christine Morgan’s “Nails of the Dead” is an immensely fascinating read, one of my favorite tales from this anthology.
Without any doubt, one tale will grip you in an icy vice. Not since the heyday of Stephen King’s endlessly terrifying short stories, specifically those found in Night Shift, has a short creeped me out so profoundly. D.F. Noble’s “Psych” is a damn good scary story. Throughout, I was covered in arctic goose bumps. This was the highlight of this anthology for me. Well done!
As is often the case with anthologies, Fresh Fear occasionally stumbles. It has a few notable falls, lapses in the general tension of the compilation. As I mentioned, Ramsey Campbell’s tale was unfortunately disappointing. Lincoln Crisler’s “Nouri and the Beetles” had a crude, child’s fable vibe that didn’t quite work for me. The story “Camps” by Jack Dann was tiresome. A handful of the stories here were merely okay. A tale about the Tooth Fairy had genuine promise but fell short, as was the case with a couple others. The final story ends the collection with an unsatisfying whimper.
No story here, however, is absolutely dreadful. These are all talented writers, with Scathe meic Beorh, Lily Childs, Charlee Jacob, and D. F. Noble being the undisputed stars. I’m a huge fan of horror story collections, and this is one to consider. I think readers will be generally pleased with this.
Fresh Fear can be purchased on Amazon.com.
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