Above average anthology by Datlow about ghosts and haints. Before I go on very far let me just state that I'm partial to ghosts and haunts over most of the other "conventional" horror tropes, werewolves, zombies, vampires, etc. That already puts this on a more hopeful footing for me. And don't expect any of these others here, because they aren't.

These stories are all reprints so we don't have the occasional problems that crop up with solicited anthologies, sub-par material. On the other hand you probably will have read a few of these elsewhere, but most are worth revisiting.

There are some truly outstanding offerings here, even the [a:Joyce Carol Oates|3524|Joyce Carol Oates|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1191361565p2/3524.jpg] story is good. There are a few average, but no real stinkers to drag things down. ( )

Although short stories are not my favorite genre, this collection of horror stories was the perfect read for this time of year. This is a collection of stories that have appeared in print previously and were chosen by editor Ellen Datlow for this anthology. There are 24 stories in Hauntings, and for me, some worked better than others.

I particularly enjoyed reading the Joyce Carol Oates story, “Haunted” and Neil Gaiman’s, “Closing Time”. Also a story by David Morrell called “Nothing will Hurt You” gave me a shiver or two. Authors such as Kelly Link, Connie Willis and Peter Straub have contributed to this collection.

The stories are ghostly and dark, evoking plenty of discomfort and tension. The ghostly stories of Hauntings range from downright creepy to the slightly strange and are a great lead-up to Halloween. ( )

As usual, Ellen Datlow knows how to line up a wonderful collection of diverse and well-written stories. I never regret buying her collections. I heard that this collections is used as a text book and I can see why; ghost stories are a particular guilty pleasure of mine but these are so well written that they help me recognize what makes a good story work. ( )

This is a somewhat weak anthology compiled by someone whom I've long considered to be the premier editor of horror and fantasy fiction. There are some good stories, most of them in the first half: the pieces by Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Kelly Link, David Morrell, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Lucius Shepard, Pat Cadigan and Dale Bailey are all well worth reading. That may seem like a lot, but there's quite a bit more. Some of the stories are much too light and silly for my tastes, like Jonathan Carroll's story about an imaginary friend come to life, or a story about haunted furniture by F. Paul Wilson (who seems to be obsessed with unborn babies.) There were several others that I simply didn't get at all.

Datlow's commissioned anthologies of original fiction are always superb, but between this (which covers work done from the early eighties till now) and the currently running Best Horror of the Year (also disappointing), I wonder if she really has access to everything that's been published. Maybe the small presses have limited funds to acquire reprint rights? I'm ambivalent about this volume, and I'd suggest getting [b:The Dark: New Ghost Stories|463057|The Dark New Ghost Stories|Ellen Datlow|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1316130988s/463057.jpg|451504] instead. ( )

A dose of haunting stories to give you sleepless nights.
Reviewed @ My Shelf Confessions

Hauntings was such a creepy collection of ghost stories that I found I could read only a few each night to avoid disturbing dreams. Ellen Datlow is a master at collecting stories that complement each other. Most of these seemed to have a theme dealing with children or innocence lost.

Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie by Pat Cadigan
5/5
Sad and twisted. A young boy always the victim of cruelty from the other children, perpetually scared and trying to run away. Oddly enough, I got the creepy heebie jeebies more from him as an adult than I did from the ghost haunting him as a child. I can imagine that maybe this was one way how a serial killer could develop.

Hunger: A Confession by Dale Bailey
5/5
Sometimes we have a love hate relationship with our family members. This little story took that concept and ran with it. I could totally relate and I think anyone who has a sibling would also.

Cargo by E. Michael Lewis
3/5
A mission to transport cargo, of the dead body kind. Unfortunately, most of the bodies are those of dead children murdered by their own parents in a mass suicide. While this was sad I wasn’t as connected or creeped out by the atmosphere. I wanted more undefinable something, us know?

Delta Sly Honey by Lucius Shepard
4/5
This character sounded like the true voice of a soldier. It made me wonder if the author was a veteran. The setting was a military camp during the Vietnam war. We don’t see any warfare thankfully just the mental warfare that such circumstances and environs inflict upon the mind. But is it just the mind breaking down or are those from the other side really out in force?

Nothing Will Hurt You by David Morrell
5/5
This story references one of my favorite movies, Sweeney Todd. Similarly there is a serial killer on the loose, killing young female college students. Cannibalizing them. This is one father’s story of his downward spiral after his daughter is murdered by this maniac. He is so consumed by the promise he made his daughter when she was a child that nothing would hurt her. The twist at the end was exquisite and painful. So far this is my favorite of the stories on this anthology.

The Ammonite Violin (Murder Ballad No. 4) by Caitlin R. Kiernan
5/5
So haunting I can almost hear the music. Disturbing to read this and get a serial killer’s perspective. I really wonder though…would I be able to keep something like that from a loved one? But then hey – some people keep the ashes of their loved ones in their homes…in jars no less. So would this be any different? *creepy chuckle*

Haunted by Joyce Carol Oates
2/5
A disjointed tale of recording ones awful memories. I had a hard time caring or even wanting to follow along.

The Have-Nots by Elizabeth Hand
2/5
I hate the idea of someone’s baby being taken away. But worse yet I found the narrator and the style the story delivered in particularly annoying. It made it hard to enjoy.

Closing Time by Neil Gaiman
3/5
Surprisingly I didn’t love this one. There just want anything memorable about it as I’ve come to expect from Neil Gaiman. Just a simple story, folks getting together telling stories and reminiscing about the past.

Anna by F. Paul Wilson
5/5
You don’t know what you are in for with this one. It starts off sad and then eases you into the strange, then kicks you in the face with anger, and ends with the just desserts!

Mr. Fiddlehead by Jonathan Carroll
5/5
A story of best friends, imaginary friends, and new love you would do anything to keep. What would you do to keep your Love? It’s left open ended for your own chilling thoughts.

The Fooly by Terry Dowling
5/5
A chilling encounter one night with a ghost and a completely unexpected twist ending!

The Toll by Paul Walther
3/5
A young lifeguard and Someone’s endless summer…it was a good read but a tad too predictable.

The Pennine Tower Restaurant by Simon Kurt Unsworth
4/5
Is it true? I really didn’t know what to believe by the end of this one, other than: I didn’t want to think about it anymore!

Distress Call by Connie Willis
5/5
The strangest mix between a murder mystery being told with odd comparisons to the Titanic tragedy. Wicked interesting.

The Horn by Stephen Gallagher
5/5
Have you ever wanted to smack someone got being a smart ass, criminals pffft! Haha? But enough of that, this story was awesome. It brings the fear of being stuck in a blizzard to a whole brew level of scary.

Everybody Goes by Michael Marshall Smith
4/5
Written in the voice of a child, he sounded just like one of my 10 year old nephews. It wasn’t creepy at all but actually pleasant and nostalgic and most certainly enjoyable.

Transfigured Night by Richard Bowes
5/5
Completely wackadoo! This short has definitely been the darkest and most disturbing out of the anthology. It touches on things that none of the others did in quite the same way. Nature or nurture and destroyed innocence? It is visceral and I can’t help wondering now about what else this author writes and whether I would be able to handle it.

Hula Ville by James P. Blaylock
2/5
I don’t believe this particular story belongs in Hauntings. I didn’t get the impression that it was about ghosts at all and it wasn’t particularly dark. Being dark isn’t a retirement of course as not all of them have been, but I was expecting some sort of specter which I didn’t feel was delivered.

The Bedroom Light by Jeffrey Ford
3/5
The only thing that comes to mind after reading this short is: “A day in the lives of tenants of a creepy house.” I picture it as one of those big old places that were converted into tenements. The only thing I’d note is the evil little girl that lives there and some of the off happenings that the couple in bed are discussing. And woooo some flickering on and off light. Just not much to this one.

Spectral Evidence by Gemma Files
4/5
Evidence of spooks or research evidence. It’s strange and I had to go back and re-read a few bits again. I think it would have been so much more excellent with the actual photos that were being described.

Two Houses by Kelly Link
4/5
Three passengers waking up from a slumber while traveling through space. I absolutely loved this because of the concept and the ship’s ability to change but I felt there was just something lacking in delivery. I did really enjoy one character by name of Aune and her quip, “I don’t know any ghost stories. I know stories about trolls.” It sounds like something I would say!

Where Angels Come In by Adam L.G. Nevill
5/5
Some places are off limits, and got good reason. Some things aren’t spoken of because even thinking of them can cool you to the bone. But children are curious, and satisfying that curiosity can sometimes come at a high price. Stay away from the house on the hill kids.

Hunger, An Introduction by Peter Straub
3/5
Oh I couldn’t help it! I wanted to like this final story more than I did, it was a fitting end but I just couldn’t help being annoyed with the stuffy narrator and that know it all better than thou attitude! I think it could have been considerably shorter.

Overall this is an excellent collection of ghost stories to chill and definitely not delight you. But that’s the point nite isn’t it? To make you uncomfortable, which these stories definitely do very well! I recommend it for lovers of ghost stories.

*A review copy was provided by the Publisher. All opinions are my own ( )