 A wide-ranging and impressive anthology of horror Strange Girls is a meaty and wide-ranging anthology themed around 22 stories in which women and girls play central roles, which are all authored by women also. I did wonder whether I would have picked up on this general theme if I had not been aware of it in advance? Perhaps after ten or so stories I would have had a light bulb moment and gone “Hang on a minute…..” but then again, perhaps not! This Women in Horror Anthology does not have a feminist agenda and wisely does not ram the female angle down the reader’s throat, instead subtly celebrates the crucial role of women in producing modern horror fiction with a great spread of contributors to sample. Make sure you hang in for the end, as the anthology concludes with very informative interviews with the authors where the editor Azzurra Nox quizzes them about their favourites, pioneering female writers (Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson are regularly name-checked), favourite books and the coolest question: “Have you ever been identified as a strange girl?” in which everybody answers ‘yes’ and often provide extra insightful, often personal, information and hints on how this might have shaped them as both a person a writer. There are also revealing anecdotes on the inspirations behind each individual story. Like most anthologies I read this very slowly and on one level it represents excellent value for money as 22 stories was a hefty chunk of reading. Probably too much. Arguably, Strange Girls might have been stronger if some of the weaker stories had been culled for a slightly more quality over quantity approach. But perhaps that is simply me being a grump reviewer? If a dip in quality here and there does not bother you too much, I would suggest reading the book slowly for there is plenty to enjoy, with the good heavily outweighing a few misfires. I felt the first seven I have referenced were the strongest on offer, but this is open to individual interpretations. I had previously reviewed Rebecca Rowland’s collection The Horrors Hiding in Plain Sight and so was happy to revisit her with Extinguishing Fireflies. This was one of both the stronger inclusions which shrouds its direction nicely; a little girl Lea and her mother have a very close relationship, but other things sometimes end up dead or maimed around her, with the family cat playing a major role. It might put you off having pets forever. It would have fitted nicely within Rowland’s previously published collection which was themed loosely around the horrors behind the household curtains. Jude Reid’s Sideshow was another of my top picks. This was a fascinating tale concerning consent, a young woman (Sylvia) is at an old-fashioned carnival with her boyfriend (Richie), although it never says when it is, it has a 1950s feel to it. She does not really like Richie, but struggles saying ‘no’ to him, one gets the impression he is a high school sports star or something similar and is also a bully. Sideshow has an outstanding opening, with Richie forcing his tongue in Sylvia’s mouth and her feeling the taste of his gum in revulsion, but then the story tales a strange turn with a bizarre role reversal and power shift, which has some style and a dash of sensuality, or is it sleaze? In the concluding interview the author notes playing with the idea of how a normal relationship can be a prison for some which is a theme which lies in the background of Sideshow. Revival by Madison Estes was one of the strongest and sneakiest of the stories as it playfully takes its time laying its cards on the table, whilst retaining a certain amount of ambiguity. It opens with the murder of a young woman, Sara, which was witnessed by the narrator, but then jumps to sometime later when this death has become an obsession and the memory of the killing impossible to shake off. The narrator is a medical student, who has access to corpses and dissection, taking the tale into very unhealthy areas and an unpleasant way of dealing with the earlier tragedy. Rachel Bolton impressed me greatly with the quirky thriller Self-Portrait with Pears. Oddly enough the reader does not find out why the oddly titled Self Portrait with Pears is called so unless the very final paragraphs which was smart. The story centres around a first-year university student, Adam, who becomes obsessed with art student ‘D.C.’ after being introduced by his roommate Josh. Seen from Adam’s point of view, the story’s strength is its restraint, it could head into Fatal Attraction bunny-boiling territory, but it holds back and does not answer all the questions the reader might ask. Alyson Faye’s The Doll’s House is worth a closer look. This was an impressive tale about a deaf little girl, Sophie, sent to live with her aunt after her mother is imprisoned for killing her abusive husband. The story centres upon a very old doll’s house which has been passed down the generations and have figurines which seem to be real and which the deaf little girl can hear. This was a slightly longer story but could have done with a stronger ending and was reminiscent of Josh Malerman’s House of the Head. I thought there was scope to develop The Doll’s House into an even longer work. Erica Ruhe concludes the anthology with Tribal Influence, which was another of the best stories, a six-year-old Guatemalan refugee is picked up at the Mexican border and transferred to a detention centre. After the move it is realised, she has very powerful ESP type powers which can make others feel very strong emotions which she can control. Generally, it is seen from the point of view of the doctor who is sent to understand, and manipulate, her power on behalf of the military. If you are after a fun little story with a witchcraft twang EF Schraeder’s Friends with Benefits is worth checking out. Liza is beginning to get over the death of her mother when she notices a small bruise on her arm which begins to throb and takes an even more sinister twist when she turns to her best friend for help. If killer dolls are your thing make sure you catch Regan Moore’s Cracked, in which a young petty thief seriously regrets stealing a bag which contains an old china doll which comes to life and is both deadly and impossible to shake off. I do enjoy stories set in my homeland of Scotland, and Azzurra Nox’s (the editor) Patterns of Faerytales takes us to Oban in the north west of the country. Cillian and Olivia are just about to get married and leave this small Scottish town for a new life in London. Before they leave, Olivia’s mother gives Cillian a warning and a gift, of sorts, whatever he does he must not let Olivia discover the content of the locked box she gives him. He thinks she is nuts, but needs her advice and hides the box, the story is picked up a few years later and you just know what is going to happen is that it will not be pleasant. Further stories by Angelique Fawns, Angela Sylvaine, Marnie Azzarelli, Hillary Lyon, Charlotte Platt, Ash Tudor, Emma Johnson-Rivardy and Phoebe Jane Johnson throw vampires, death row, an unpleasant family pet, mental health, night terrors and body swopping into the mix. I would suggest avoiding Danielle R Bailey’s The Eyes of the Dead which I did not feel was a good fit for this anthology. I found this story deeply unpleasant and although it has a trigger warning for both violence and rape, it is still not for the faint hearted and I did wonder what was the point of it? It starts off in a remote part of Alaska with the murdered body of a young woman whose spirit still exists. The story then backtracks to the events leading up to her murder and then the graphic killing. If you like extreme horror you might enjoy it, but it left me colder than Alaskan morning. There is much fun to be had here and although the anthology lacks star names, there are plenty of authors featured who could move onto bigger and better things and from the interviews obviously love the genre. Crucially, it also lacks any genuine knockout 5* stories, if you were to compare it to the best anthologies the genre has to offer such as New Fears by Mark Morris or Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year series then it comes up short, but perhaps more fairly, does hold its own against most others on the market and at over 350 pages is excellent value for money. Azzurra Nox has done a fine job of bringing together a large collection of stories loosely themed around women and showcasing authors who we are sure to hear more of in future. 4/5 Tony Jones  For fans of American Horror Story, Shirley Jackson, and Creepshow. You know them. Those girls that aren't quite like everyone else. Those girls who stand out in the crowd. Those girls that dare to be different. Those girls are dangerous. In Strange Girls, twenty-one authors dare to tackle what makes the girls in this collection different. Vampires, selkies, murderous mermaids, succubus, and possessed dolls take center stage in these short stories that are sure to invoke feelings of quiet terror and uneasiness in the reader. Following the successful debut of Women in Horror anthology with My American Nightmare, Strange Girls is the sophomore effort to showcase these talented women in a genre that is often dominated by the male gaze. Dare to take a walk on the dark side.   the heart and soul of horror review websitesComments are closed.
|
Archives
May 2023
|
RSS Feed
|
|