For fantasy/horror writers and the publishing industry, the most significant event of the year was the furor over Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. To summarize: The novel contains dream sequences of a fraudulent prophet Mahound, who fundamentalist Muslim assert is a thinly disguised Mohammed. For radical Moslems, it is considered blasphemy to depict the prophet in word or portrait. The novel, first published in Great Britain and winner of the Whitbread Prize, has provoked protest rallies in England, book banning in Islamic countries around the world, violent demonstrations in Pakistan, and, most disturbing--the setting of a price on Rushdie's head by clerics in the Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran.

Many publishers and booksellers courageously supported Viking/Penguin's American publication and continued distribution of the book. Waldenbooks and B. Dalton bookstores temporarily ordered it and removed from their shelves to protect employees from potential terrorist acts. In October, Publishers Weekly ran an editorial suggesting that the novel not be published in paperback to avoid further offense to Moslem moderates. The editorial was fiercely criticized, but as this volume goes to press, Rushdie remains in hiding. By the end of January 1990 it was unclear when or if Viking/Penguin would issue a paperback edition. The hardcover edition was a phenomenal bestseller and is still available in most bookshops.

Other events in book publishing that directly or indirectly affected the horror field include: Viking/Penguin's announcement in October that it would no longer operate the adult division of E.P. Dutton, the 137-year-old publishing house that it acquired four years previously, as a separate unit. The entire editorial department and support staff (about 20 people) was let go. Ironically, Robert G. Diforio, the chief executive of Dutton and NAL who notified the employees, was himself ousted three days later. Viking has been beset by distribution problems both before and since it moved its warehouses last summer from New Jersey to Tennessee. At the same time, the company had to tighten security as a result of The Satanic Verses controversy.

Several companies went under. Pageant Books, foundering in 1988, officially closed down operations in 1989 (although as of January 1990 no decision had been made as to inventory disposition). Critic's Choice Paperbacks ceased publication after four years. Consulting editor Martin H. Greenberg's SF reprint line for Bart Books has been suspended. The purchase of Paperbacks by Zebra has been put on hold. Tudor Books, an occasional publisher of horror founded in 1987, closed its New York editorial office and moved in with Leisure Books; Tudor's three member staff, including editorial director Kate Duffy, left at the end of July. The trade division of The Donning Company/Publishers has been sold to Schiffer Publishing Ltd. of West Chester, PA and will no long publish fiction. (Donning published the hardcover of S.P. Somtow's novel Vampire Junction). Less than two weeks before its 150th birthday, Dodd, Mead & Company, one of the oldest privately owned publishers in the country, went out of business. According to industry sources, poor business decisions ran Dodd, Mead into the ground. Dodd, Mead had published such distinguished titles as The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells, The Dodd, Mead Gallery of Horror edited by Charles L. Grant, and several books by Edward Gorey.

On the positive side, Dell will be launching a new horror imprint called Abyss in February 1991 leading off with Kathe Koja's first novel, The Funhole. Daniel Levy was named editor of Citadel Press, a fifty-ear old imprint acquired in January 1989 by the Carol Publishing Group: they launched the Citadel Twilight series which publishes "fiction of the imagination." The first titles, released this spring, were the first five volumes of The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick and the first three volumes of The Selected Stories of Robert Bloch. Elsewhere, the Book-of-the-Month Club is creating a twenty-title Stephen King Library, which will be offered to members singly or collectively, beginning in 1990.

In Great Britain: William Kimber, Ltd. Long known in the field as a publisher of collections and anthologies (mostly library sales), was bought by Thorsons. William Collins turned around and bought Thorsons an dumped Kimber and Equation (the Thorson horror line). And so it goes. Victor Gollancz Ltd., one of Britain's last major privately owned publishing houses, was bought by Houghton Mifflin. Not long before the announcement, SF publishing director Malcolm Edwards left Gollancz to take on the same post at Grafton Books. He, Nick Austin, and John Boothe are developing a new imprint for all Grafton fantasy and SF in hardcover, trade and mass market.

Mandarin, a newly created mass-market paperback imprint from the Octopus Group, was launched in 1989. The editorial director is Max Eilenberg, formerly of Secker & Warburg. Science fiction, fantasy and horror will be an important part of the program, and Jo Fletcher is their genre consultant.

Pan Books is expanding its presence in horror. There will be a complete relaunch of the 30-year-old Pan Book of Horror series with the 31st volume appearing in 1990. Herbert van Thal edited the series for twenty years. The first volume used all reprints and its success surprised the publisher; from number five on, the series contained all original stories. The earlier volumes had a great impact on both British and American horror writers, including Charles L. Grant, F. Paul Wilson, Clive Barker, Shaun Hutson, Ramsey Campbell and Dennis Etchison. When van Thal died, Clarence Paget, the former editorial director of Pan, took over as editor. To celebrate the revival of the series, Pan is releasing Dark Voices: The Best from the Pan Book of Horror Stories, edited by Stephen Jones and David Sutton, who will also co-edit the overhauled series. Pan has also recently bought horror novels by K.W. Jeter, and Thomas Sullivan, Faces of Fear edited by Douglas E. Winter, and a couple of non-fiction Stephen King books.

Futura is also actively buying horror, adding Jonathan Carroll and Ramsey Campbell to their list. Robinson Publishing, which publishes Fantasy Tales and the British edition of Gardner Dozois's Best SF, is planning to publish a companion volume to the latter. The new annual will contain selections from a variety of horror writers--more a sampling of the horror available than a "best of" according to co-editor Stephen Jones, who will be sharing duties with Ramsey Campbell. The volume will include an overview of the field and obituaries. It will debut in October 1990 to tie in with the British Fantasy Convention. Robinson is also publishing Thomas Ligotti with a paperback version of his collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer.

In general, although horror continues to maintain a hold on the market, book publishers across the board--not just in horror--are cutting back. Editors feel that there's a glut of horror novels and that too many generic covers are being produced--confusing and frustrating readers. The cover problem is worsened by pressure from sales to use more and more special effects to ace out the competition. This gets expensive and defeats the original purpose of trying to make a line's covers stand out from the pack. In another trend, some psychological horror fiction is being packaged as general fiction or like mainstream bestsellers; there's more mixing of the genre of SF and horror, spurred on about six horror titles a year and starting in 1990 plans a new look for their covers; Tor has cut back to two horror paperbacks (instead of four) a month but is still publishing four to eight hardcovers a season. While Warner Books has no established monthly horror program, they've bought paperback rights to World Fantasy Award-winner Dan Simmons's opus Carrion Comfort, previously published in a sold-out, limited hardcover edition by Dark Harvest. The book will be released in October 1990, and the company has high hopes for it and for Simmons. Warner has also bought rights to Garfield Reeves-Steven's first three novels, previously published only in Canada. Onyx, NAL's horror line, continues to publish one paperback a month. As of August, 1990, Ace/Charter will become Charter/Diamond and eventually just Diamond. This line will be generating two original horror titles a month (which won't preclude Jove or Berkley from doing their own horror material).

What follows is an admittedly biased novel reading list--as often as not these novels were not published as genre but I feel they could be of interest to horror readers:

Midnight by Dean R. Koontz (Putnam) is a Dr. Moreau techno-horror thriller with the typical "family" grouping of Koontz characters. Effective and fast-paced.

Dead Lines by John Skipp and Craig Spector (Bantam) is about a suicide victim whose horror stories are found in the loft where he died by the next tenant. The "discovered" stories are interspersed throughout the book. They show the wide range and control Skipp and Spector can wield in their work.

In Darkness Waiting by John Shirley (Onyx, 1988) is ambitious, powerful, and scary, if a bit overlong. It's about a pop psychologist playing around with the mind and releasing violent impulses better left alone in his patients (not unlike David Cronnenberg's The Brood). Psychological and supernatural. A good read.

Antibodies by David J. Skal (Congdon & Weed/Worldwide Library). To escape their bodies and all the attendant needs of the flesh, the adherents of a weird sect embrace the idea that only by becoming one with machines can they reach a higher spiritual plane. Well-written, terrifying SF/horror. One of the best 1989 paperbacks.

In the Land of the Dead by K. W. Jeter (Onyx) is completely unpredictable, wonderfully portentous, and very, very dark. There are some supernatural elements in the character of Fay, a witchy woman who may or may not be able to talk to, listen to, and reanimate the dead. Disturbing, depressing and bleak but awfully good. Highly recommended.

The Hunting Season by John Coyne (Macmillan, 1987) is a disturbing novel about an anthropologist who moves to the Catskills for the summer to research inbreeding in isolated communities. Fascinating, though it has annoying loose ends.

Body Mortgage by Richard Engling (Onyx) is about a Chicago detective and his very bright side-kick facing the millennium. There are some unresolved plot threads but basically it's a good, tightly-paced suspense novel with very likable protagonists. Excellent SF/horror.

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (Knopf). If you can buy the premise--that a carny couple decide to breed their own freak show by taking thalidomide and other awful drugs to birth their own monster children--the rest of the novel's a breeze. Shocking, perhaps, and a bit overlong, but it's a rich and colorful work.

Ash Wednesday by Chet Williamson (Tor, 1989) is about the dead coming back to life in a small Pennsylvania town, forcing the townspeople to come to terms with various forms of guilt. The most chilling thing about the existence of the ghosts, at least for the townspeople, is that they seem to want nothing. They do nothing. They just are. And no one can explain them. Not all that frightening, but beautifully written and haunting.

Cold Eye by Giles Blunt (Arbor House) is a terrifying first novel which snuck up on me despite my resistance to the protagonist, a rather unlikable, ambitious, and temperamental artist. He meets an ugly dwarf who promises to make him a success with no strings attached (sure). The dwarf is precognitive and knows when violent acts will be committed, and has the artist meet him to "witness" and later paint the events. Nick, the artist, is so arrogant from the get-go that you want to smack him--so the loss of his "soul" doesn't seem very meaningful. Some flat characterizations mar the work, but it's still more interesting and more ambitious than most of the genre horror being published today.

Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy Collins (Onyx) is an excellent first novel about a vampire. Much better than most of the stuff being published today. Well-written for the most part, it's violent and sexy without being misogynistic. Some loose ends but it's really hot, and highly recommended.

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (Dark Harvest) is an intricate interwoven story of mind vampires, and the victims-turned-hunters in pursuit of the amoral creatures. The story also pits the older "vampires" against new ones who have their own special games and agenda. Long, ambitious novel about violence in the twentieth century and those who feed off it. By the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning first novel Song of Kali.

Nightshade by Jack Butler (Atlantic Monthly Press) is by the author of Jujitsu for Christ. This is an odd SF novel about a vampire on twenty-first century Mars. Readable, energetic but somewhat pretentious; Butler claims to have written the "first full-boogie literary science fiction novel." If he'd paid more attention to why his protagonist is a vampire from the nineteenth century who lives in the twenty-first century, and less with the so-called literary aspects, he'd have written a better novel. As it is, Butler uses a lot of slang that needs a glossary and then spends the last chapter trying to tie up all his many loose ends. Ambitious failure.

The Coachman Rat by David Henry Wilson (Carroll & Graf) is Cinderella from the point of view of the rat that has changed into a coachman for a night. In it, Cinderella and the prince do not live happily ever after. It's a charming fable about power and man's inhumanity to man. Fantasy/horror. Lovely, powerful, sad.

Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly (Del Rey, 1988) is one of the best vampire novels I've ever read. It opens with a mystery: Some time in the early 1900s, Oxford don James Asher is hired by a vampire to find a vampire murderer in London. Hambly's writing and characterizations brings new energy and life to the vampire novel. Why this didn't win the horror/fantasy awards in 1988 (it wasn't even nominated) is a mystery to me.

The Grotesque by Patrick McGrath (Poseidon) is a brilliant first novel, essentially a murder mystery told by a paralyzed mute in a wheelchair who is, as the reader discovers, a very unreliable narrator. Unlike McGrath's short stories, this noel is under control; it's beautifully wrought with an ambitious denouement.

Reaper by C. Terry Cline (Donald I. Fine) is a psychological suspense novel about a serial killer who hates old women, cats, and astrology, and the disgraced detective who hunts him down. Interesting plot, good characterizations, suspenseful--what more could you ask for? I'm impressed. It's the first Cline novel I've read.

The Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon (Pocket Books) is an entertaining thriller about a British spy during World War II who happens to be a werewolf. His travails in occupied France and Germany while on a secret mission are interwoven with his past--how he became a werewolf and his life up until he leaves his native Russia for England.

Bone by George C. Chesbro (Mysterious Press) is another entertaining thriller/psychological horror novel from the creator of the dwarf/circus performer/professor/detective Mongo and the clairvoyant Veil (although this one isn't in either series). In Second Horseman Out of Eden, also Chesbro (Atheneum), Mongo and his brother Garth are again teamed up. Mongo has quit his academic post and, with Garth, who's no longer a cop, has set up a detective agency. In volunteering to answer Christmas mail, they find a letter from a little girl who says she's abused. Their search leads them to a reclusive billionaire and a dangerous cult that plans for the end of the world. Though some of the series is supernatural, this one isn't, but it's an engrossing thriller.

A Child Across the Sky by Jonathan Carroll (Legend, U.K.) is slightly connected to Bones of the Moon and Sleeping in Flame, his last two novels. The book opens with the suicide of Philip Strayhorn, maker of slasher films. His friend Weber Gregston tries to discover why Strayhorn killed himself. The novel is about art and the creative process and artistic responsibility. Brilliant and intense although I'm not entirely convinced it hangs together. Still, highly recommended.

My Pretty Pony by Stephen King and designed by Barbara Kruger (Knopf/Whitney Museum) is about the nature of time and our perception of it during different periods of our lives. This coffee table book is a slight story and more a collectible for King fans than anything else.

Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson (Avon) combines psycho-horror with the supernatural and makes it work. Excellent characterizations and writing. It's an example of what horror writing should and can be. One of the year's best.

The Perfect Place by Sheila Kohler (Knopf) is a first novel that the publisher accurate depicts as a "psychosexual striptease." Kohler's control over the material and structure dazzles as the reader realizes what the author is trying for and ultimately accomplishes. This short, subtle mystery won't be for everyone but I think it's quite brilliant.

Ancient Images by Ramsey Campbell (Scribner's) is an excellent melding of contemporary concerns with the occult past. Like Carroll's A Child Across the Sky, this novel's centerpiece is a horror film that may or may not be evil. The two books also share excellent characterizations and an ability to scare the reader.

John Dollar by Marianne Wiggins (Harper & Row) has echoes of Golding's Lord of the Flies but manifests its own originality. Eight young girls, their schoolteacher, and their teacher's lover (a sailor) are washed up onto the shore of an island off their home of Burma and try to survive. Beautifully written with a wonderful depiction of the British colonial mentality.

Blind Side by William Bayer (Villard) is a compelling psychological thriller with film noir undertones. A blocked photographer falls in love with a beautiful, mysterious woman he photographs, and they become embroiled in a web of sexual perversion, blackmail and betrayal. A good read.

The year 1989 was excellent for short horror fiction despite the demise of some major magazine markets.

First, the bad news: Twilight Zone put out its last few issues and David Silva's The Horror Show announced there would be one last special double issue in the spring of 1990. The Horror Show had been improving steadily over the years, and while still not officially a pro market because of low payment rates, it certainly published professional-quality fiction. Still unconfirmed rumor has it that Amazing Stories (which published the occasional horror story or poem) h as suspended publication. Editor Patrick Price quit TSR last year and has been editing the magazine on a freelance basis. Publisher Mike Cook left late in 1989. All new material sent to the magazine has been returned without comment via Dragon magazine's fiction editor (another TSR publication). Slaughterhouse Magazine died after its fifth issue. Apparently, the sixth issue was ready for the printer when the publisher pulled the plug. Among reasons cited were problems with the distributor.

This leaves even fewer prozines regularly running horror fiction. Nevertheless, the short fiction field seems quite healthy, as will be seen by the amount of stories that made my recommended list at the back of this book. Right now, though, this is a result of the unusually large number of original anthologies published in 1989--from both specialty presses and larger publishers, in paperback and hardcover.

But first the magazines: Several horror and horror-related magazines published good fiction in 1989. Midnight Graffiti, edited by Jessica Horsting and James Van Hise is by far the best-looking horror magazine around, although it hasn't yet gotten onto a regular schedule--only two issues came out in 1989. The art is wonderful (but not always credited) and the magazine is attractively designed. There's good news coverage of the field, but not enough fiction, and what is run should have more of an edge to it.

Fear, edited by John Gilbert, is the only slick horror magazine published in Great Britain. Fear provides thorough coverage of filmed horror and slightly less adequate coverage of print. It also runs interesting profiles and occasionally, thoughtful essays. The amount of fiction published has increased but remains inconsistent in quality. There were good stories by Jonathan Carroll, Steve Rasnic Tem, Nicholas Royle, Ian Watson, Tony Reed, Simon D. Ings, and Rod Pike. I think the grisly, over-the-top covers probably turn off readers who would otherwise be interested in the magazine. Fear is now monthly and recently achieved professional status, with a paid circulation of 19,000.

Weird Tales, edited by Darrell Schweitzer, John Betancourt, and George H. Scithers, accomplishes what it set out to do--it is a premier purveyor of dark fantasy. But the emphasis is on "fantasy" rather than "dark," or in any case, usually not dark enough for my taste. The fall 1989 issue is, overall, the best one since the magazine's most recent resurrection: there's very good fiction by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Jonathan Carroll, and Brian Lumley, a powerful cover, interiors, and portfolio by J. K. Potter; plus an interview to go with a rare new novelette by Karl Edward Wagner. The winter 1989 issue allowed SF artist Vincent Di Fate to stretch and featured good stories by Brian Lumley, Anne Goring and Larry Walker.

The Twilight Zone, edited by Tappan King, published its last three issues. One of the magazine's best stories, by Reginald Bretnor, appeared in February.

Pulphouse, edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, officially put one horror issue in 1989, but in fact its "genres" overlapped quite a bit. There was good horror fiction in the fantasy issue by William F. Wu, Ken Wisman, David B. Silva and Charles de Lint. There are also notable fiction in the science fiction issue by Rick Lawler and in the horror issue by Elizabeth Hand, Francis Matozzo, John Maclay, Darrell Schweitzer, Esther M. Friesner, J. N. Williamson and Adam-Troy Castro.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, edited by Edward L. Ferman, published excellent horror by Lucius Shepard, Nancy Etchemendy, Garry Kilworth, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Patricia Anthony, Marc Laidlaw, Brian Aldiss, and Esther M. Friesner.

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, edited by Gardner Dozois, published fine horror by Charles Sheffield, Steven Utley, Gregory Benford, Richard Kadrey, Rory Harper, Kathe Koja, Suzy McKee Charnas, and Lucius Shepard.

Omni, (edited by myself) published horror by Gahan Wilson, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jonathan Carroll, Richard Christian Matheson, and Michaelene Pendleton.

Amazing Stories, edited by Patrick Price, published good horror by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, E. W. Smith, and an excellent poem by Amy Schaefer.

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, edited by Eleanor Sullivan, published borderline horror by Andrew Vachss, Takashi Atoda, Reginald Hill, and Antonia Fraser.

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, edited by Cathleen Jordan, published borderline horror by Nancy Simpson Hoke and Gregory Robinson.

Interzone, edited by David Pringle, is primarily a science fiction magazine but has been publishing more and more excellent material that could be considered horror or fantasy. Among the best in 1989 were pieces by Karen Joy Fowler, Ramsey Campbell, Kim Newman, Nicholas Royle, J. G. Ballard, and Ian R. MacLeod.

Weirdbook 23/24, published by Paul Ganley, was the twentieth anniversary issue (pub date was late 1988 but copies arrived in early 1989). The magazine hadn't been out for a long time before that, however, this venerable magazine carries a good variety of a certain kind of dark fantasy--perhaps more mannered than I like. There were good stories by Brian Lumley, Joseph Payne Brennan, Al Sarrantonio, Gerald Page, and Delia Sherman.

Nocturne is a new magazine edited and published by Michael J. Lotus and Vincent L. Michael. In late 1988 and 1989 there were two issues. At $7.00 a pop it's expensive, but Nocturne looks good, and features interesting art by contemporary artists (Harry O. Morris, Leilah Wendell, H. E. Fassl, Thomas Willoch, T. M. Caldwell and Rick Lieder), plus old woodcuts and photographs. Also published are excerpts from the critical writing on the supernatural by writers such as Baudelaire. The magazine features better than average poetry and good fiction by Bruce Boston, Patricia Russo, and Mark Rainey.

The Scream Factory, edited by Clifford V. Brooks, Peter Enfantino and Joe Lopez, had a thoughtful, critical essay on "The Chronicles of Anne Rice," book and film reviews, and some interviews. There was also impressive fiction by A. R. Morlan in issue two.

Deathrealm, edited by Mark Rainey, is definitely on the upswing. Issue eight was an excellent one, with terrific stories by Thomas Ligotti, Jeffrey Osier, and Ken Wisman. The cover by Alan Rainey was nicely atmospheric. Also included was a strange interview with Ligotti, who, judging from the tone of his responses in this interview, would seem to wish to remain as mysterious as possible. There was more Lovecraftian horror than I would have liked in issue nine but the quality was very good. The best illustrations were by Timothy Standish, Rodger Gerberding, and Robert Troy Jamison; there was good fiction and poetry by John Maclay, Fred Chappell, and Shawn Ramsey. In issue ten I was impressed by the art of Osier, Gerberding, Harry Fassl, and Cathy Buburuz and the stories by Yvonne Navarro and Jeffrey Goddin.

New Pathways, edited by Michael G. Adkisson, generally has good interior art and covers. Horror fiction is not regularly published, but issue fourteen, the third anniversary issue, featured a quiet little chiller by Steve Rasnic Tem, along with some horror reviews by Misha and an excellent cover by Mark Bilokur. Issue fifteen had good horror by George W. Smyth, a great cover by Brad Foster and good interiors by Richard Schindler. Some horror reviews.

Skeleton Crew #V, edited by Dave Hughes, contained some good articles and art, but not enough fiction. The effective cover was by Martin McKenna. There were so many tpos in the Lumley story that it was distracting. Issue #VI, which I haven't seen, was supposed to be their first full-color issue.

Back Brain Recluse, edited by Chris Reed, is a combination of horror, fantasy and SF with tiny but readable type and a nice design. There was a good story by Steve Sneyd in issue twelve.

Dagon, edited by Carl T. Ford, is excellent for what it does, which is to specialize in the Cthulhu mythos. Issue 22/23 includes some excellent essays on horror and there are fine stories by Thomas Ligotti and Mark Morrison.

Eldritch Tales, edited by Crispin Burnham, continues to publish some excellent stories. Those I was most impressed with were by A. R. Morlan, Bentley Little, Don Webb, and Christina Kiplinger. Good art by Ron Leming, Harry O. Morris, Rodger Gerberding, Charles Dougherty, and Augie Weidemann. I received the last 1989 issue too late to review this year.

Grue, edited by Peggy Nadramia, has improved more in general quality than any other small press magazine this year. Issue ten presents very good fiction by Randolph Cirilo, Thomas Ligotti, Eugene Marten, Gery Whetter, Wayne Allen Sallee, George W. Smyth, and an excellent poem by Bruce Boston.

The Horror Show, edited by David B. Silva, put out two issues in 1989, both with creepily effective Harry O . Morris covers. This magazine featured consistently good fiction; I especially liked stories by Darrell Schweitzer, Susan M. Watkins, G. L. Raisor and Brian Hodge.

2 A.M. edited by Gretta M. Anderson put out four issues in 1989 and published noteworthy fiction by Kevin J. Anderson, Jeffrey Osier, C. S. Fuqua, Donald R. Burleson.

Carnage Hall, edited by David Griffin, made its debut at the Horror Writers of America meeting last summer. It's the best new small press horror magazine I've seen in some magazine features excellent illustrations throughout by Grandville, Edmund V. Gillion Jr. and Davli Poli; a good (although not particularly horrific) story by Kim Sterling; an interesting interview with Peggy Nadramia; and a painfully honest and perceptive commentary by Melli Morrison on small press publications. A high quality, thoughtful magazine, willing to offend. I just wish there were more fiction pieces and that the typeface was slightly larger. I look forward to the second issue.

A bunch of weird magazines from Cryptic Publications, published and/or edited by Robert M. Price, ranged from the regular Crypt of Cthulhu and Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, and Revelations from Yuggoth to the new Tales of the Episcopals and various Lin Carter material. Most of it is exactly what the titles say.

Not One of Us #5 , edited by John Benson, is difficult to read (because of the reproduction) but nonetheless contained one of the best stories of the year, by Gary A. Braunbeck.

Finally, we'll see if the newest kid on the block, Iniquities ("The Magazine of Great Wickedness and Wonder"), can live up to its great advance publicity, when and if it appears sometime in 1990.

In addition, there was fine horror or borderline horror in The New Yorker (poem), The Nation (poem), Another Dimension (Special Report), Witness Magazine, Argonaut, Gorezone, Thin Ice, Cemetery Dance, Granta 28, Esquire, and Playboy, by, respectively, Dana Gioia, Michael Ryan, Dorothy Cannell, Misha, Charles R. Saunders, Albert J. Manachino, Dale Hammell, J. R. Ericson, Timothy M. Swain, Lucy Taylor, William Relling, Jr., Jeannette Winterson, Mario Vargas Llosa, Steven Millhauser, and T. Coraghessan Boyle.

Even with small press magazines booming, the best place to find consistently good short horror fiction is in original anthologies. The general feeling among publishers is that theme anthologies work better than single author collections--except for those by bestselling authors--probably because theme anthologies are easier to package. Original anthologies are more in demand right now than reprint ones, with follow-up editions promised for Hot Blood, Book of the Dead, Blood Is Not Enough, Architecture of Fear, and Stalkers. Also, several new original anthologies are in the works for 1990 and 1991.

The Shadows anthology series has been discontinued by Charles L. Grant. Grant says he's tired of editing them and wants to concentrate more on his writing. He also contends that the quality of writing has dropped drastically in the last five years, making it hard to find publishable material. There will be a major volume (200,000 words) of Final Shadow published by Bantam in the fall of 1991. Grant is not giving up editing, however. He plans to publish a biannual professional horror magazine to be called Shadows beginning in the summer of 1993. It will be digest size, contain only fiction, and have no illustrations.

Post Mortem, edited by David B. Silva and Paul F. Olson (St. Martin's), is a consistently entertaining anthology of ghost stories. My only criticism is that an ambush introduction belies the excellence of its contents. The editors pretend the book is a "phantom" like the Necronomicon. Yet another attempt at cuteness makes the contributor's page all but useless (match the author to their past works). Good fiction by Kathryn Ptacek, Charles de Lint, Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem, Thomas Tessier, Charles L. Grant, P.W. Sinclair, and David B. Silva.

Phantoms, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Rosalind M. Greenberg (DAW), capitalizes on the popularity of the musical Phantom of the Opera, but doesn't contain enough stories that run with the theme. Most stay close to the background of the opera house, which is too limiting. The best stories are those which only peripherally refer to the phantom, like those by Daniel Ransom, Karen Haber, and, particularly, Steve Rasnic Tem's "The Unmasking." (A word about Tem--he has produced a number of outstanding short stories in 1989 including: "Merry-Go-Round," in New Pathways; "Hooks," in Fear; "Resettling," with Melanie Tem in Post Mortem; "Nocturne," (poem) in Blood is Not Enough; and, "The Strangers," in Scare Care. Isn't it time for a collection?)

Book of the Dead, edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector (Bantam)--I'm not sure what to make of this original anthology set in George Romero's cannibal zombie universe. There's a sameness of tone to most of the stories and even the best--by Edward Bryant, Joe R. Lansdale, Chan McConnell, Ramsey Campbell, Steven R. Boyett, Robert R. McCammon and Brian Hodge--suffer because of the company they keep. There are four (count 'em, four) stories featuring castration, and too many with gory murder and mayhem as their climaxes. Basically, my feeling is that zombies are rather boring as characters unless you give them some humanity, but once you do they're no longer zombies--a bit of a problem.

Hot Blood, edited by Jeff Gelb and Lonn Friend (Pocket): This anthology of erotic horror boasts some excellent reprints, but the originals are fairly mediocre--with a few exceptions, specifically Ray Garton's "Punishments."

Blue World, by Robert R. McCammon (Grafton, U.K., is an excellent collection of McCammon's shorter work including the novella "Blue World" (which if it hasn't been optioned yet for a movie it should be any second). It's a thriller about a priest tempted by a porn star, who in turn is being stalked by a serial killer. Most of the stories are a combination of horror, SF and the unclassifiable. McCammon, who began his writing career as a novelist, has developed into an exception short story writer.

The New Frontier, edited by Joe R. Lansdale (Doubleday), which definitely a western anthology, also contains some excellent and a bit of very good horror as well. Surprisingly varied in tone and theme. Good stuff, particularly the stories by Leif Enger, Loren D. Estleman, Scott Cupp, and Gary L. Raisor.

Heatseeker, by John Shirley (Scream/Press), is a collection with mostly reprints and three excellent originals. A combination of SF, horror, and fantasy.

You Never Believe Me by David Grubb (St. Martin's). Grubb is best known for his novel The Night of the Hunter, which was made into a powerful movie by Charles Laughton (his only chance as a director because the film flopped) with a crazed Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish. There's some horror in this collection of short stories, and the best is the title story, which became an Alfred Hitchcock episode under the title, "Where the Woodbine Twineth." Mostly associational; the mainstream material is uneven and none of it lives up to. The Night of the Hunter.

About the Body, by Christopher Burns (Secker & Warburg). Some of the stories have been published in Interzone, the British science fiction and fantasy magazine, but many are mainstream. They are for the most part intelligent, mysterious, and haunting, and some definitely have horrific undertones. "Fogged Plates," "Among the Wounded," and "Embracing the Slaughterer" are the best. Some originals are also included. Highly recommended for a mindstretch.

Scare Care, edited by Graham Masterton (Tor): The introduction claims, "with few exceptions, the stories in Scare Care are brand new, written specifically for this volume"; in fact, at least thirteen of the thirty-eight stories are reprints, most uncredited to their original source of publication. Regardless of the origins of stories, this volume is published to benefit a worthy cause: The earnings go to aid abused children. There are good originals by Felice Picano, J. N. Williamson, John Maclay, William Relling, Jr., Steve Rasnic Tem, Gary A. Braunbeck, and Chris Lacher.

Masques III, edited by J. N. Williamson (St. Martin's), is a really good looking anthology. The cover (using a Hieronymus Bosch painting) and typeface are quite elegant. Credit for the jacket design should go to Raquel Jaramillo. Even though there are excellent stories by Dan Simmons, Joseph A. Citro, Wayne Allen Sallee, Bill Ryan, Diane Taylor, William F. Nolan, Melissa Mia Hall and Doug Winter, and Jeannette M. Hopper, as well as an excellent poem by Bruce Boston and Robert Frazier, unfortunately the overall impression is mediocrity. I suspect the anthology's unevenness is related to the large number of stories and poems (33); too many of them are short toss-offs. Still, recommended.

Dark Fantasies, edited by Chris Morgan (Legend, U.K.), is disappointing on the whole, despite good work by R. M. Lamming, Stephen Gallagher, Christopher Evans, Nicholas Royle, and Chris Morgan. Not enough edge to the collection.

The 30th Pan Book of Horror Stories, selected by Clarence Paget (Pan, U.K.), was also fairly unimaginative. Good stories by Christopher Fowler and Jack Wainer.

Razored Saddles, edited by Joe R. Lansdale and Pat LoBrutto (Dark Harvest), is a collection of the weirdest western fiction you'll ever read, ranging from transvestites at the Alamo to a nasty nasty about a romance novelist who goes west to fulfill his lifelong dream (reprinted in this volume). Good horror and dark fantasy by David J. Schow, Chet Williamson, F. Paul Wilson, Robert R. McCammon and Ardath Mayhar. A terrifically creepy dust jacket by Rick Araluce.

Patterns, by Pat Cadigan (Ursus Press), is a collection of some of her horror, fantasy, and SF stories with one terrific original (included here). Excellent.

Night Visions VII edited by Stanley Wiater (Dark Harvest) is disappointing; the Gary Brandner novella, while not all that original, is entertaining. Chet Williamson's novella is excellent, his short stories good (but not among his best); Richard Laymon's story "Wishbone" isn't bad. But no real standouts.

The Bureau of Lost Souls, by Christopher Fowler (Century Hutchinson, U.K.), reprints seven stories from his two City Jitters collections last year. The five new stories are much better.

Christmas Ghosts, edited by Kathryn Cramer and David G. Hartwell (Wynwood), is a good collection of ghost stories including originals by Gene Wolfe, Chet Williamson and a knockout by Martha Soukup. Not all that horrific but definitely for anyone interested in fantasy and dark fantasy.

Forests of the Night, by Tanith Lee (Unwin Hyman, U.K.) is a combination of horror, SF, and fantasy, including her World Fantasy Award-winning story "The Gorgon" and eight originals.

Antique Dust, by Robert Westall (Viking), is his first adult collection of short stories. He's better known in England than in the U.S. Even if the stories aren't always original in plot, the writing freshens them; all are about an antique dealer named Geoff Ashdon, his friends, family and acquaintances in England--and the ghostly doings around them. It's an excellent collection.

Arrows of Eros, edited by Alex Stewart (NEL, U.K.), has a terrible cover and a gimmicky title, but there's some decent fiction. It's a combination of SF and horror, and better than it looks.

In the Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave, by Garry Kilworth (The Bodley Head, U.K.), contains a novella and several stories (including fantasy and SF published in Omni and Asimov's) and one marvelous mainstream story ("The Bloody Orange") which was shortlisted for a British award and chosen by Ruth Rendell for a British mainstream Best of Year collection. Excellent work by the author of The Songbirds of Pain.

Things That Go Bump in the Night, edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg (Harper & Row), is a young adult collection of dark fantasy and a wee bit of horror. That wee bit includes stories by William Sleator and Mary K. Whittington.

Stalkers, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg (Dark Harvest), has some excellent stories of "terror and suspense" by James Kisner, F. Paul Wilson, Robert R. McCammon, Ed Gorman, All Sarrantonio, and Charles de Lint.

Zenith, edited by David S. Garnett (Sphere, U.K.), is an original anthology of science fiction, some with horrific overtones. There were excellent SF/horror stories by Garry Kilworth and Andrew Stephenson (both included here).

Other anthologies and collections with some good original horror fiction were: Warhammer: Ignorant Armies, edited by David Pringle (GK Books, U.K.); Full Spectrum II edited by Lou Aronica, Shawna McCarthy, Amy Stout, and Pat LoBrutto (Bantam); Memories and Visions; Women's Fantasy and Science Fiction, edited by Susanna Sturgis (Cross Press), The Further Adventures of Batman edited by Martin H. Greenberg (Bantam); Fear and Trembling by Robert Bloch (Tor); The End of Tragedy by Rachel Ingalls (Simon & Schuster); Somewhere in the Night, edited by Jeffrey N. McMahan (Alyson Publications) supernatural stories featuring gay men; Sisters in Crime edited by Marilyn Wallace (Berkley); Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty, edited by George R. R. Martin (Bantam); Three Dreams and a Nightmare, and Other Tales of the Dark, by Judth Gorog (Philomel); Other Edens III edited by Christopher Evans and Robert Holdstock (Unwin, U.K.); October Dreams (Kubicek & Associates); Winter's Tales, New Series Five, edited by Robin Baird-Smith (St. Martin's); The Omni Book of SF #6, edited by Ellen Datlow (Zebra); Soft and Other Stories by F. Paul Wilson (Tor); Blackbeard's Cup: And Other Stories of the Outer Banks by Charles Harry Whedbee (John F. Blair).

There are a number of magazines covering events and/or reviews in the horror field, including Fear, Gorezone, Locus, Science Fiction Chronicle, SF Eye, New Pathways, The New York Review of Science Fiction, the Horror Writers of America newsletter and The Scavenger's Newsletter. In addition, Mystery Scene magazine, published by Ed Gorman and Bob Randisi, now covers horror and science fiction as well as the mystery and crime genres. It's valuable for its reviews, market reports and essays. The Blood Review: The Journal of Horror Criticism, published by Ruben Sosa Villegas, is a new literary quarterly journal specializing in the horror genre and featuring reviews, interviews and essays. Its first issue looked promising. According to the HWA newsletter, the journal is looking for fiction to run in its Halloween 1990 issue.

The small specialty presses remained active in 1989. Arkham House published The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions by H.P. Lovecraft, with texts edited by S. T. Joshi. Included is an introduction by August Derleth. Dust jacket is by Raymond Bayless. Mark V. Ziesing published The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, with dust jacket by J.K. Potter and interiors by Mark Bilokur; By Bizarre Hands, a collection by Joe R. Lansdale (two originals) with dust jacket by J. . Potter and interior illustrations by Mark Nelson; and Book of the Dead edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector, with dust jacket and interior illustrations by J.K. Potter. All of Ziesing's books were designed by Arnie Fenner and most are available in both signed limited editions or less expensive trade editions. Scream/Press published Heatseeker, John Shirley's collection (three originals), with dust jacket and interior illustrations by Harry O. Morris, introduction by William Gibson, and foreword by Stephen P. Brown. The Dream/Press imprint published Collected Stories by Richard Matheson, clothbound, no dust jacket. Most Scream/Press titles are published in either signed limited volumes or less expensive trade editions.

Underwood-Miller published Screams: Three Novels of Terror by Robert Bloch (first hardcover publication of three tales of psychological suspense) with dust jacket by Ned Dameron, and Horrorstory: The Collectors Edition, Volume Five, edited by Karl Edward W anger, the first of five hardcover volumes collecting Wagner's Year's Best Horror Stories (DAW)--three of the original annuals per volume. Volume Four has just been published--they're working backwards--and all volumes will have dust jackets by Michael Whelan. Other Underwood-Miller books published in 1989 were: Apocalypse, by Nancy Springer, in a trade edition with dust jacket by Ned Dameron; Harlan Ellison's Watching, a collection of Ellison's commentary on film and modern culture, with dust jacket by Ilene Meyer; and Feast of Fear: Conversations with Stephen King, with a dust jacket by Clark Ashton Smith. Most Underwood-Miller books are available in signed limited and trade editions. Eel Grass Press (through Mark V. Ziesing) published Nantucket Slayrides, containing three short novels--two reprints by Lucius Shepard and one original by Robert Frazier, in a signed limited and trade edition, with dust jacket by J.K. Potter. Charnel House published The Stress of Her Regard, a new novel by Tim Powers, illustrated by the author with an introduction by Dean R. Koontz and an afterword by James P. Blaylock. There are two signed limited editions.

Dark Harvest published Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons, illustrated by Simmons and Kathleen McNeil Sherman with dust jacket by Dan Simmons. Other Dark Harvest books were Swan Song, by Robert R. McCammon, in its hardcover edition; The Eyes of Darkness and The Key to Midnight, both by Dean R. Koontz (originally released under the Leigh Nichols pseudonym), with illustrations by Phil Parks; Night Visions VII, edited by Stanley Wiater, featuring short fiction by Richard Laymon, Chet Williamson and Gary Brandner, illustrated by Charles Lang; the above-mentioned Razored Saddles, illustrated by Rick Araluce, and Stalkers, with dust jacket and interior art by Paul Sonju. Most of Dark Harvest's publications come in signed limited and trade editions. Morrigan Publications (U.K.) published Winterwood and Other Hauntings by Keith Roberts, a compilation of previously uncollected stories and one original with artwork by Roberts, with an introduction by Robert Holdstock, available in a signed limited and trade edition; In the Land of the Dead by K. W. Jeter, with dust jacket by Ferret, in a signed limited and trade edition; and Alligator Alley by Mink Mole and Dr. Adder, with a dust jacket by Ferret, in a signed limited (with cassette and T-shirt) and trade editions.

Donald M. Grant published Adventures of Lucius Leffing, a new collection by Joseph Payne Brennan, illustrated by Luis Ferreira, in a signed limited edition. The Whitney Museum of American Art published Stephen King's story "My Pretty Pony" with photographic art and design by Barbara Krueger in a signed limited edition. Kerosina Publications published Gene Wolfe's collection Storeys from the Old Hotel with a dust jacket by Pete Lion in a signed limited as well as unsigned limited edition. Nantier beall Minoustchine (NBM) published a graphic novel version of Vic and Blood, art by Richard Corben, text by Harlan Ellison, in a signed limited and trade edition.

Several small presses published chapbooks in 1989, including Axolotl's (recently taken over by Pulphouse Press) Westlin Wind by Charles de Lint, cover by Donna Gordon and introduction by Emma Bull, in a signed limited and trade edition; and its Axolotl Special edited by John Pelan, with stories by Lucius Shepard, Michael Shea and Jessica Amanda Salmonson, also in a signed limited and trade edition. Cheap Street published John Sladek's original short story, "Blood and Gingerbread," illustrated by Judy King-Rienerts (available only by subscription). Footstep Press published Chet Williamson's original story "House of Fear" in a signed limited edition with illustrations by Douglas Klauba, and "Hurry monster," by Graham Masterton with illustrations by Ken Snyder in a signed limited edition. Hell's Kitchen Productions published Narcopolis, an original anthology of dark fantasy poetry, edited by Peggy Nadramia and covert artwork by Harry O. Morris. Available in a trade edition. Dagon Press published Haunters of the Dark, an art portfolio by Dave Carson, consisting of six black and white plates depicting works by Lovecraft, Derleth, Campbell, Bloch and Lumley. Introduction by Ramsey Campbell, afterword by Carl T. Ford. Signed limited edition. Gryphon Publications published Doctor Departures and Others, a collection of stories by Alan Nelson from Weird Tales and F&SF in a limited edition. Lord John Press published Stephen King's novella "Dolan's Cadillac" in two signed limited editions; 2 A.M. Publications put out "Wishes and Fears," a novelette by David Starkey with cover and interior art by Douglas C. Klauba. Ministry of Whimsy Press published The Book of Frog by Jeff VanderMeer, illustrated by Penelope miller. Triskell Press published "The Stone of Drum," by Charles de Lint, illustrated by Donna Gordon with an introduction by James P. Blaylock in a signed limited edition.

The production of graphic novels for adults has increased, with news of more to come. Some of the more interesting ones: Blood by J.M. DeMatteis and Kent Williams (Epic), great artwork, imaginative plot (except for taking the easy way out with a cyclical ending). Lovely impressionistic artwork. Vampires, mutants and mystics. One reservation: the two main characters are both made most of the time so why is there full frontal female nudity and not male full frontal?

The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Stories by Edgar Allan Poe (Fantagraphics), illustrated by Daryl and Josef Hutchinson. Nice production.

Pigeons from Hell by Robert E. Howard (Eclipse), introduction by Ramsey Campbell, adapted by Scott Hampton. Beautifully rendered adaptation of Howard's horror story (although I haven't read the original, I gather the racial overtones have been removed) but the story as told in this version has very little depth.

The Magician's Wife by Jerome Charyn and Francois Bouq (Catalan 1987), won a French award for best comic book. Mysterious, sensuous, lovely, and depressing. Most definitely worth a look. Pioneers of the Human Adventure by Francois Bouq (Catalan), is a group of eleven absurdist vignettes, most oft hem strange and wonderful.

Taboo 2, edited by Stephen Bissette (Spiderbaby Graphics), excellent cover art by John Totleben, some good pieces by Eddie Campbell, and a collaboration by Tim Lucas and Simonida Perica; fourth called "Sweet Nothings," which is a lovely surreal piece. While the rampant sexism in "Wet" and the heavy duty misogyny of S. Clay Wilson's pieces are offensive, there isn't much that is actually taboo except for pieces by Rick Grimes and Tom Marnick. There are some other good chillers by Stephen Bissette, Mark Askwith and Ray Taylor, Michael Zulli, Richard Sala, and Cara Sherman-Tereno, who has produced one of the best AIDS/vampire stories I've seen.

Horror: The Illustrated Book of Fears, edited by Mort Castle (Northstar Publishing) is a kind of a combo graphic novel/magazine. This premiere issue has a good cover by Mark Bernal--a strangled Raggedy Ann doll--and some good illustrated stories by Richard Christian Matheson (illustrated by Bernal) and Mort Castle (illustrated by Gary McClusky). Also, what I take to be an original short story by J. N. Williamson along with an interview with him. A promising debut, but the material is consistent in quality.

Tapping the Vein, Book I by Clive Barker (Eclipse), features stories from the Books of Blood. The first, "Human Remains," adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell--disappointingly vague and not scary enough. "Pig Blood Blues," adapted by Chuck Wagner illustrated by Scott Hampton is much more amorphous and evocative. Tapping the Vein Book II, "Skins of Our Fathers," illustrated by Klaus Janson is, to me, too unsophisticated for the subject matter. John Bolton's "In the Hills, In the Cities," in contrast, is terrific. Powerful, realistic illustrations with a dark brooding feel.

Clive Barker's Hellraiser (Epic) is a new series of original stories by various writers and artists that take place in the Hellraiser universe. Barker was the consultant on the "bible" for the project but doesn't seem to be involved otherwise. This first issue features several original stories, most of them being variations on some poor jerk opening of the Lament Configurations (puzzle boxes), summoning up a cenobite and paying the grisly price. Despite the cover blurb, they're not as horrifying as the films. Some of the art is good, though, specifically that of Kent Williams, Mark Chiarello and Ted McKeever (who also provides the most original story). Upcoming issues will have stories and art by Phil Nutman, Neil Gaiman, David McKean, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Their abilities could make a big difference to the product.

RAW Volume 2, Number 1 Open Wounds from Cutting Edge of Comix: Great graphics, incomprehensible texts. The best are "Paul," by Pascal Doury, "Bulemic," by Villard and Jacques Loustal, the new installment of Maus by Art Spiegelman, and "Here," by Richard McGuire.

Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, (Piranha Press), a series of fractured fairy tales for adults with macabre humor. All written and illustrated by Dave Louapre and Dan Sweetman. The series includes: Volume 1, "A Cotton Candy Autopsy," unhappy clowns go on a brutal trip; Volume 2, "The Deadjohnson's Big Incredible Day," regular middle class couple with their dog go out for an adventure--only they're dead (this doesn't seem to bother them and no one else seems to notice); Volume 3, "Diary of a Depressed Tap Dancer," "Olga Schump was a tap dancer, and not happy about it in the least... the depression born of tap dancing clung to her back like some insane organ grinder's monkey"; Volume 4, "The Black Balloon (A Happy Story),"--Happy if, like the protagonist, you don't mind being born and living your life strapped to an electric chair; Volume 5, "The Crypt of the Magi," a horror parody of O. Henry's classic "The Gift of the Magi," it's silly but strangely effective, although the characters are much too old for the plot---weakest of the lot but still not bad; Volume 6, "Happy Birthday to Hell," Wally (aka Satan) tells his side--funny and weird. The entire series is highly recommended. I can't wait for the next installments.

Stray Toasters by Bill Sienkiewicz (Epic). The first three volumes of the series came out in 1988, the fourth in 1989. A gorgeous, eerie, frightening, and ultimately incomprehensible story about child abuse. It's also beautiful to look at, fascinating, and worthwhile.

Lea: The Confessions of Julius Antoine by Serge LeTendre and Christian Rossa (Fantagraphics). An odd, morally shaky story about a man on the edge whose obsession with young girls destroys his life (kind of like Lolita, which it's compared to in the blurbs). The blurbs seem to imply that he is an innocent persecuted for his fantasies, and that the book "exposes the hypocrisy that surrounds sexual crime." Frankly, I'm not sure what they're referring to. It's quite clear that Julius is no innocent. Fires by Mattotti Catalan (1988) is brilliant. Beautiful and mysterious, it's about a magical island, its inhabitants, and their encounter with a battleship and its crew.

Bell's Theorem by Schultheiss (Catalan) is a three volume SF/adventure series about a convict offered freedom if he takes part in some medical experiments. He proceeds to search for his identity while being hunted by unknown parties. Visually evocative and sensual as well as frightening and nightmarish.

Last year, the hottest new item on the scene was graphic novels. They're still proliferating like mad, but this year trading cards are making their mark. A sampling: Jonestown Massacre Memorial Cards edited by Dennis Worden and Wayne Honath (Carnage Press). Black and white cards illuminated by KAZ, Charles Burns and other artists. Some amazing art for collectors. Basically, a history of the cult. Really bizarre.

Freakards with art by Drew Friedman, "cool cards for collectors" (Shel-Tone Publications). Fascinating trading cards with capsule descriptions (no writers' credit) of a wide variety of genetic freaks, mostly members of circus sideshows--midgets, dog-faced boys, Siamese twins, etc. The subtitle is "portraits of peculiar people."

Iran-Contra Scandal Trading Cards by Paul Brancato and Salim Yaqub (Eclipse Enterprise) are thirty-six cards delineating who was who and the intertwining connections in the biggest federal scandal since Watergate. The information was compiled by the Christie Institute, a non-profit public interest law firm that has filed suit against key figures involved in the scandal. Covers everyone's involvement from Ollie North to Joseph Coors through John Hull and the Medellin cocaine cartel up to Ronald Reagan. Brilliant Job. Order before the CIA confiscates them.

Friendly Dictator Trading Cards: Featuring Thirty-six of America's Most Embarrassing Allies, written by Dennis Bernstein and Laura Sydell, illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz in his best expressionistic style (Eclipse). A disturbing and depressing overview of American involvement in other countries' affairs (primarily Central and Latin America with a bit of Africa and the Mid- and Far East thrown in). These are the leaders our self-righteous government has propped up for economic/political reasons without regard to rampant human rights abuses. Terrifying, even taking into account the political bias. A must buy for learning your government's miserable history since World War II.

The Bush League trading cards written by Paul Brancato and illustrated by Salim Yaqub (Eclipse). T his batch, done up as baseball cards, is a fascinating and appalling history of our current president, following his career as an oilman circumventing Mexican law (a practice that made him a millionaire), through his rumored long-term affair with his personal appointments secretary, to what would happen if Quayle took over. It implies that the current and Reagan administrations made dirty deals with foreign nations and leaders in order to make political capital. Most of the information has been published in various sources, but this series sets it all down starkly and puts it into perspective.

Rotten to the Core Trading Cards: The Best and Worst of New York City's Politics written by Peggy Gordon and Dean Mullaney, illustrated by Rick Bryant and George Kochell (Eclipse), should be mandatory for all public schools. A civics lesson on how a big city works--and doesn't work--and how corruption can become endemic.

As usual, here are some odds and ends I've come across in the past year that may be of interest: The Fall of the House of Usher, by Philip Glass and Richard Foreman, was performed as an opera in New York to mixed reviews. Odd, expressionistic sets and acting reminiscent of the film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Send Bygraves, by Martha Grimes, illustrated by Devis Grebu (Putnam), is a bizarre mystery poem by the well-known American mystery writer. Beautifully illustrated line drawings. Almost Goreyesque, but not quite as nasty. Dark, strange, provocative. The most mysterious figure in the book is the Scotland Year detective Bygraves, whom no one ever sees.

Macho Sluts, by Pat Califia (Alyson Publications, 1988), is a profoundly disturbing collection of erotic stories about sadomasochism, mostly lesbian. In the introduction, the author tells how she had to take out any portrayals of "unsafe" sex, for the publisher, which is promoting safe sex.

Visions of Poe: A Selection of Edgar Allan Poe's Stories and Poems, with photographs and an introduction by Simon Marsden (Knopf, 1988) is exactly what the title says, with effective, haunting, surreal photographs. A lovely coffee table book.

Dreams and Nightmares: The Fantastic Visions of Windsor McCay, edited by Richard Marshall and an introduction by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics, 1988), is a collection--gathered for the first time--of fantasies, allegories and political cartoons by the creator of Little Nemo.

News of the Weird: Over 500 Bizarre But True Stories That Reveal Weirdness, Weirdness Everywhere, by Chuck Shepherd, John J. Kohut, and Roland Sweet, illustrated by Drew Friedman (Plume). Funny compendium of incompetent bank robbers, weird pieces of legislation, peculiarly motivated homicides and more.

In the Forbidden Zone, by Michael Lesy (Anchor), the author of Wisconsin Death Trip interviews people whose professions force them to deal with death on a daily basis--undertakers, detectives, slaughterhouse workers, the officials in charge of death row, people who work with AIDS patients, a professional soldier, etc. Although it takes a few chapters to figure out where he's going and if it's worth it, stick with him: the cumulative effective is quite fascinating and powerful. Highly recommended.

The Grand Guignol; Theatre of Fear and Terror, by Mel Gordon (Amok, 1988), is a history of the theatre of Grand Guignol, which began in turn-of-the-century Paris and lasted more than sixty years. The theatre, celebrating horror, fear, sex, and violence, was a progenitor of the splatter film. The text includes a history of the theatre, one hundred plots of the Grand Guignol, photo-documentation of three plays, and the scripts of two full plays. A must read for anyone interested in influences on the horror field.

Rants and Incendiary Tracts, Voices of Desperate Illumination 1558-Present, edited by Bob Black and Adam Parfrey (Amok Press and Loomponics Unlimited), is great stuff for people who brought you Apocalypse Culture. From Marat to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to Valerie Solanas (the woman who tried to assassinate Andy Warhol in the late sixties) to Kathy Acker.

Modern Primitives (Re/Search) is the newest of this publisher's volumes on the avant-garde. The growing revival of tattooing, piercing, and scarification is examined in text and photos. Practitioners are interviewed in depth. Some of the photos are pretty rough, but this is fascinating and highly recommended.

The Torture Garden by Octave Mirbeau (Re/Search) is a beautiful new reprint of an 1899 classic called "the most sickening work of art of the nineteenth century." The book follows a dissolute Frenchman to a garden in China where torture is practiced as an art form.

Giger's Alien (Morpheus International) is a hardcover with wraparound dust jacket, over 150 detailed color reproductions, design sketches, paintings, scenes from the movie, and on the set photos. With an introduction by Timothy Leary.

The Horror Writers of America held a banquet and other events the weekend of June 16-18 at the Warwick Hotel in New York City. Ace Books sponsored a party Friday evening and Saturday morning there was an HWA business meeting and several panel discussions. The Bram Stoker Awards for outstanding achievement in horror literature were presented at a banquet on Saturday, June 17. Laurence Kirshbaum, president of Warner Books, was the keynote speaker. The recipients of the awards were: Life Achievement: Ray Bradbury and R. Chetwynd-Hayes; Best Novel: The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (St. Martin's): First Novel: The Suiting by Kelly Wilde (Tor); Novella: "Orange is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity" by David Morrell, published in the anthology Prime Evil (NAL); Short story: "Night They Missed the Horror Show" by Joe R. Lansdale, published in the anthology Silver Scream (Dark Harvest/Tor); Collection: Selected Stories of Charles Beaumont (Dark Harvest). Following the banquet, another party was hosted by HWA and Tor Books.

Flyers have been sent out announcing the first World Horror Convention to be held in Nashville, Tennessee, February 28 - March 31, 1991. It will be organized by the same staff who ran the 1987 World Fantasy Convention in Nashville, and it will concentrate on all forms of the genre, including fiction, art and movies. Writer Guest of Honor will be Clive Barker, with Jill Bauman as artist Guest of Honor and David J. Schow, Craig Spector, and John Skipp as masters of ceremonies. For the first two years the convention will remain in Nashville. Membership is limited to one thousand.

The winners of the 1988 Rhysling Awards sponsored by the SF Poetry Association were Long Poem: "White Trains," by Lucius Shepard (Night Cry); Short Poem (a tie): "Rocky Road to Hoe," by Suzette Haden Elgin (Star * Line) and "The Nightmare Collector" by Bruce Boston (Night Cry).

Because of limited space in this volume, I was unable to publish some excellent novellas that I would have otherwise included. I'd like to strongly recommend the following: I, Said the Fly by Michael Shea, Children of the Wind by Kate Wilhelm, The Ends of the Earth by Lucius Shepard, Dirty Work by Pat Cadigan, The Place Where all Things Go to Die by Susan M. Watkins, The Boy in the Tree by Elizabeth Hand, On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks, by Joe R. Lansdale, At First Just Ghostly by Karl Edward Wagner, The Devil and Clocky Watson by Robert Westall, and, Confessions of St. James by Chet Williamson. Also, because there were so many strong stories to choose from this year, it was very difficult to make some final decisions. I'd like to cite a few fine stories that I just couldn't fit: "Stalker" by Ed Gorman, "Models" by John Maclay, "Each Night, Each Year" by Kathryn Ptacek, "The Sculptor's Hand" by Nicholas Royle, "Third Rail" by Wayne Allen Sallee, "Children of Cain" by Al Sarrantonio, "I Live in Elizabeth" by John Shirley, "Brothers" by David B. Silva, "The Unmasking" and "Hooks" by Steve Rasnic Tem, "The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneaux" by Robert Westall, "Leavings" by Gahan Wilson, and "In the Heart of the Blue Caboose" by Ken Wisman.