Holy smoke. Holy smoke! HOLY SMOKE! Okay, so maybe that's a bit of overkill, but be fair, this is the best anthology I've read in a long while, and it tops the 2011 edition EASILY. Yes, I know I read them out of order, sue me, I received them that way. Looks like this one will be an annual to keep on the Christmas list for many years to come. Horror purists will probably complain that there's not enough out-and-out scary stuff in these, but keep in mind, it's "Dark Fantasy and Horror" in the title, not the other way around. There are so many good catches in this collection that I can scarce name them all, but the ones that really stick out are Stewart O'Nan's "Monsters" (it's not what you think!), "Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre" by Seth Fried, which probably IS what you think, "The Water Tower" by John Mantooth, and "What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night" by Michael Marshall Smith. Vying for Best-Of-Show honors though are "Halloween Town" by Lucius Shepard and Maura McHugh's "Vic", quite possibly the most affecting story I've read in a very long time.

Now then. My ONE complaint. This is two books from Prime which I own, and both of them have a significant number of typos. This edition didn't seem quite as bad as the 2011 book, but really...I know, it's a lot of pages, a lot of words, maybe it's just that in the rush to get a book out that copy editing is allowed to let slip. Please, Prime, don't allow this. Please. Hey, if you need an editor...call me. I work for free books!

Wow. Wow! WOW! If you are a genre fan, chances are you already have it in your to-read list...if you don't, then run, do not walk, and get this book while it's still available! ( )

I liked this book, but liked the 2011 version better. There was some good stories and some not so stellar stories, but overall it was a great book and recommend it. 4.5 out of 5 stars. ( )

I liked this book, but liked the 2011 version better. There was some good stories and some not so stellar stories, but overall it was a great book and recommend it. 4.5 out of 5 stars. ( )

Introduction by Paula Guran
The Horrid Glory of Its Wings by Elizabeth Bear
Lowland Sea by Suzy McKee Charnas
Copping Squid by Michael Shea
Monsters by Stewart O'Nan
The Brink Of Eternity by Barbara Roden
Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre by Seth Fried
Sea-Hearts by Margo Lanagan
A Haunted House Of Her Own by Kelley Armstrong
Headstone In My Pocket by Paul Tremblay
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Strange Scenes From an Unfinished Film by Gary McMahon
A Delicate Architecture by Catherynne M. Valente
The Mystery by Peter Atkins
Variations of a Theme from Seinfeld by Peter Straub
The Wide, Carnivorous Sky by John Langan
Certain Death for a Known Person by Steve Duffy
The Ones Who Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones
Leng by Marc Laidlaw
Torn Away by Joe R. Lansdale
The Newhere Man by Sarah Pinborough
The Bone's Prayer by Caitlin R. Kiernan
The Water Tower by John Mantooth
In the Porches of My Ears by Norman Prentiss
The Cindrella Game by Kelly Link
The Jacaranda Smile by Gemma Files
The Other Box by Gerard Houarner
White Charles by Sarah Monette
Everything Dies, Baby by Nadia Bulkin
Bruise For Bruise by Robert Davies
Respects by Ramsey Campbell
Diamong Shell by Deborah Biancotti
Nub Hut by Kurt Dinan
The Cabinet Child by Steve Rasnic Tem
Cherrystone and Shards of Ice by Ekaterina Sedia
The Crevasse by Dale Bailey and Nathan Balingrud
Vic by Maura McHugh
Halloween Town by Lucius Shepard
The Long, Cold Goodbye by Holly Phillips
What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night by Michael Marshall Smith ( )