Tell Me Something Tuesday: Do You Enjoy Anthologies?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

DO YOU ENJOY ANTHOLOGIES?

I'm not sure why, but I'm not the hugest fan of anthologies. It might be because I need my stories to breath, or because I need to get really up close and personal with the characters. What I know is, it's rare that I thoroughly enjoy a short story collection. But of course...

Here goes a short list of my favourite anthologies so far, complete with (redacted) blurbs and some fangirling on my part...
(Note: these are all adult/mature teen reads. More info in the original reviews).

WINDOWS INTO HELL

Good or bad, our journey doesn't end at death. For most of us, the afterlife begins in an office where an overworked and underappreciated demon decides our long term fate. In order to accommodate our unique shortcomings, a myriad of custom fitted Hells wait with open arms to teach us. No cliché fire and brimstone here, except as decorations. Besides, that would be the easy way out. Yes, there is a way out. All you have to do is learn one simple lesson. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

I adored Windows into Hell by James Wymore et al. Because of the afterlife setting of course...but also because it's imaginative and thought-provoking, and most of the stories are cleverly connected, which is required for me to really enjoy an anthology to the fullest. I don't know if this book is still available somewhere, since the publisher shut up shop more than one year ago, but you really should try to locale a copy. As the blurb says, Hell is not always fire and brimstone, folks. Some of these "quiet" stories will haunt you for life.

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SPARROW HILL ROAD

Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross - a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea. It’s been more than sixty years since that night, and she’s still sixteen, and she’s still running.

Speaking about afterlife...Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan Mc Guire (for which I've only written a mini so far) is a real anthology, in the sense that - as the author states on her site - it "began as a series of short stories published through The Edge of Propinquity, from January through December of 2010. All twelve stories were accompanied by stunning black and white photography, and remained archived online for over a year". Later, they were republished as a collection, and they originated a sequel (in proper novel form). McGuire builds on urban legends we all have heard of, and expands/adds layers to them with skill, humour, depth and a lot of heart.

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I DIDN'T BREAK THE LAMP

Are they in our imagination, or are we in theirs? Mad Scientist Journal has brought together twenty-six tales of people with uncertain existence. These accounts range from cheerful to dark, stopping off at frequent points between. Imaginary friends share space with witches, monsters, nightmares, and maybe a few things that have not yet been dreamed.

In I Didn't Break the Lamp by Dawn Vogel (editor) et al., people of all ages deal with their imaginary friends, sometimes outgrowing theirs, more often getting old in their company...except, it turns out that these imaginary friends are *big shock* as real as they come. There's hardly a story in here that doesn't put a spin on the imaginary friend trope or doesn't challenge (or at least hits) the reader in some way. Some of the twist are truly brilliant!

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13 TALES TO GIVE YOU NIGHT TERRORS

Murder, mayhem, maniacs...Journey with us into the dark heart of horror as authors from around the globe reveal their deepest fears. We meet a pair of twins with a sick sense of humor, a troubled family tormented by ghosts, and a man who keeps a chupacabra as a pet. Plus a department store massacre, a terrifying costumed stalker, and much, much more.

13 Tales to Give You Night Terrors by Troy H. Gardner et al. revisits old horror tropes in a fresh way. Most stories are cunningly contrived, often with a nice twist. It doesn't hurt that a few of these stories are openly queer 🙂. The whole collection is well-written and multifaceted - from straight-up horror to its psychological variety.

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Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of March:

• March 17th:  What book(s) do you consider a lucky find?
• March 24th:  Spring break: no post (or create your own post)
• March 31st: Are you an impulsive book buyer? (this was a question I submitted!)

I'll be back for the meme on March 31st, of course...😉

Now tell me something...how do you feel about short stories? Do you have any favourite collection that you can recommend?