One of the many things I love about horror is the amount of anthologies. They’re everywhere, and as well as providing a good place for newer writers to get their work out there, it offers readers so much variety in what they can read. Horror seems particularly well-suited to the short story form, and a good writer can leave you feeling exactly what they want you to feel when you finish their story, without any of the filler that might come with longer works. So today for Blogtober, Day 7, I’m going to highlight just a few of my favourite horror anthologies.
A World of Horror – Edited by Eric J. Guignard
I read this back in 2019 and it’s still the first anthology I think of when I think of ‘great anthologies’. This one contains stories from all around the world, drawing the focus away from the Western-centric horror we usually see. Though there are stories here from the US and UK, we also get stories from and set in Japan, Ukraine, Nigeria, Singapore, Sweden, Philippines and more. It’s a great anthology and if you want something a bit different, well worth picking up.
Blood Sisters – Edited by Paula Guran
Firstly, I absolutely love vampires. I really do. It was a slight obsession when I was younger and I’ve never really truly let go. They’re just so fun and there’s so many different things you can do with them! Blood Sisters explores some of these, and Guran made an excellent choice in arranging these in chronological order, depending on when the story was set. It’s a great, vast range of stories, and a must-read for vampire fans.
Slay – Edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz
Talking of must-reads for vampire fans – Slay is definitely one. Another vampire anthology, this one about Stories of the Vampire Noire, celebrating vampires of the African Diaspora. This anthology is perfect for fans of blood sucking vampires looking for something a little different, and it really hits the spot.
This is a body horror anthology, and it really goes hard on the body horror. There are some truly great stories in here, and each one feels like it hits on a slightly different level. Body Horror for me can be really hit or miss, often depending on what body the horror is inflicted on, but there weren’t any misses here, and if you like short stories with more focus on the horror aspect, this is a good one.
Four anthologies short story fans can definitely sink their teeth into, and four well worth reading I think. These are really good, but also have a look around as there are always plenty horror anthologies to choose from, especially in indie horror. Are there any particular horror anthologies you’d recommend?
Unwrapping Words 
I just added Slay to my TBR. That sounds amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s really great
LikeLike