SFF

The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories

Valancourt. Vol. 1. Dec. 2020. 420p. ed. by ed. by James D. Jenkins & Ryan Cagle. ISBN 9781948405645. pap. $19.99. HORROR
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Known for their updated editions of classic horror stories, editors Jenkins and Cagle have taken on a new mission, collecting contemporary, acclaimed horror authors from around the world, translating many of them into English for the first time, and adding a short introduction to each story in order to place them a context to be best enjoyed by a new, wider audience. This collection is stellar from top to bottom, but standouts include Christien Boomsma from the Netherlands with a nightmarish story of guilt spiraling out of control, and Bathie Ngoye Thiam from Senegal who brings the rab (evil spirits) from his country’s oral history tradition to the page, terrifying readers near and far.
VERDICT This desperately needed anthology is meticulously researched and translated, offering stories from a variety of perspectives across five continents, and representing the broad range of storytelling styles and tropes that are used by all horror storytellers regardless of nationality. Readers will be clamoring for these fresh tales by current authors they probably didn’t know existed. Consider pairing it with A World of Horror edited by Eric Guignard.
Reviewed by Becky Spratford, La Grange, IL , Oct 01, 2020
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