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A Book of Horrors

by Stephen Jones (editor)

In one A Book of Horrors story, nurse Kat cares for wealthy client Andrew Newsome, whose injuries cause pain. He hires a healer promising to expel it, refusing physical therapy.

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A collection of original horror and dark fantasy from the world's best writers, including Stephen King, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Elizabeth Hand, and more.

Many of us grew up on The Pan Book of Horror Stories and its later incarnations, Dark Voices and Dark Terrors (The Gollancz Book of Horror), which won the World Fantasy Award, the Horror Critics' Guild Award and the British Fantasy Award, but for a decade or more there has been no non-themed anthology of original horror fiction published in the mainstream. Now that horror has returned to the bookshelves, it is time for a regular anthology of brand-new fiction by the best and brightest in the field, both the Big Names and the most talented newcomers including:

Ramsey Campbell

Peter Crowther

Dennis Etchison

Elizabeth Hand

Brian Hodge

Caitlin R. Kiernan

Stephen King

John Ajvide Lindqvist

Richard Christian Matheson

Reggie Oliver

Robert Shearman

Angela Slatter

Michael Marshall Smith

Lisa Tuttle

A Book of Horrors will be the foremost in the field: an eclectic collection of the very best chiller fiction from across the world.

"A splendid collection that showcases everything that's best about both the short story and the horror anthology." — SFX magazine

"The abundance of talent will provide ample delights and frights for anyone in search of true classic horror." ― Publishers Weekly (starred review)

First published: 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Amazon reviews: Read reviews on Amazon

Horror profile

Scary: 3 out of 5
Creepy: 3 out of 5
Gore: Not rated
Disturbing: Not rated
Weird: 3 out of 5

How we calculate this

These are editorial estimates of intensity, informed by reading and review evidence, then checked before publication. They aren't star ratings, reader-vote averages or a measure of quality.

Each dimension runs from 1 (low) to 5 (exceptionally intense). A 5 is reserved for strongly consistent evidence. People experience horror differently.

Scary: Fear, tension and immediate threat.
Creepy: Unease, dread and an uncanny atmosphere.
Gore: Graphic injury, blood and bodily detail.
Disturbing: Upsetting ideas and lingering psychological impact.
Weird: Surreal, strange and reality-bending elements.

We draw a filled profile only when all five scores have been reviewed. Unrated does not mean mild. Missing scores are not estimated from genre tags or your saved taste. This profile isn't a complete content-warning guide.