The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror

Paula Guran curates an annual collection of dark fantasy and horror short fiction from both established and emerging authors. The anthology showcases stories originally published during the previous year across various magazines, collections, and online venues. Each volume contains approximately 25-30 short stories and novelettes that represent different approaches to dark fantasy and horror. The selections span multiple subgenres including gothic horror, supernatural fiction, psychological horror, and dark magical realism. The collection features work from award-winning writers alongside promising new voices in the field. Guran provides brief introductory notes for each story, offering context about the authors and their work. The anthology examines enduring themes of loss, transformation, and the boundaries between reality and nightmare through its diverse selection of tales. These stories reflect contemporary anxieties while drawing on classic horror traditions.

Readers found this anthology offers an uneven mix of stories, with the quality varying between selections. Many appreciated the diverse range of dark fantasy and horror styles, from quiet psychological tales to more visceral pieces. Liked: - Strong opening stories catch reader interest - Mix of established and new authors - Length provides good value - Clean formatting and organization Disliked: - Some stories feel out of place or not truly "horror" - A few selections run too long - Several readers noted the collection skews more toward dark fantasy than horror - Inconsistent pacing between pieces Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (146 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (38 reviews) Common reader comment: "About 1/3 of the stories are excellent, 1/3 are decent, and 1/3 are forgettable" Notable praise for specific stories "The Atlas of Hell" by Nathan Ballingrud and "The Floating Girls: A Documentary" by Damien Angelica Walters as standout selections.

The Best Horror of the Year Volume One by Ellen Datlow This anthology series collects horror short fiction from both established masters and emerging voices across the spectrum of dark fantasy and supernatural terror.

Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror by Richard Kadrey, Ellen Datlow The collection presents horror stories from 2005-2015 that push boundaries between psychological and supernatural horror.

Dark Matter: Reading the Bones by Sheree R. Thomas This groundbreaking anthology combines speculative fiction with dark fantasy and horror through the lens of African diaspora writers.

The Living Dead by John Joseph Adams This collection brings together zombie fiction from authors who reimagine the undead through horror, dark fantasy, and supernatural perspectives.

Haunted Legends by Ellen Datlow, Nick Mamatas The anthology features stories that transform traditional ghost legends and folk horror into contemporary dark fiction.

🌘 Paula Guran has been editing annual "Year's Best" anthologies since 2011, carefully curating dark fantasy and horror stories from various publications and sources. 🌑 The anthology series showcases both established masters of horror and emerging voices, helping readers discover new authors in the genre. 🌘 Dark fantasy as a genre blends elements of traditional fantasy with darker themes and horror elements, originating from Gothic literature of the 18th and 19th centuries. 🌑 Guran is a respected figure in speculative fiction, having won the World Fantasy Special Award—Professional and multiple Locus Awards for her editorial work. 🌘 Each story in the anthology is preceded by detailed publication information and an introduction by Guran, providing context about both the author and the work's significance in the field.