Ellen Datlow - The Best Horror of the Year – Volume One

"Cargo" by E. Michael Lewis. Copyright 2008 by E. Michael Lewis. First published in Shades of Darkness, edited by Barbara and Christopher Roden, Ash-Tree Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"If Angels Fight" by Richard Bowes. Copyright 2008 by Richard Bowes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Clay Party" by Steve Duffy. Copyright 2008 by Steve Duffy. First published in The Werewolf Pack, edited by Mark Valentine, Wordsworth Editions. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Penguins of the Apocalypse" by William Browning Spencer. Copyright 2008 by William Browning Spencer. First published in Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy, edited by William Schafer, Subterranean Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Esmeralda" by Glen Hirshberg. Copyright 2008 by Glen Hirshberg. First published in Shades of Darkness, edited by Barbara and Christopher Roden, Ash-Tree Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Hodag" by Trent Hergenrader. Copyright 2008 by Trent Hergenrader. First published in Black Static 7, TTA Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Very Low-Flying Aircraft" by Nicholas Royle. Copyright 2008 by Nicholas Royle. First published in Exotic Gothic 2, edited by Danel Olson, Ash-Tree Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"When the Gentlemen Go By" by Margaret Ronald. Copyright 2008 by Margaret Ronald. First published in Clarkesworld #21, July. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Lagersttte" by Laird Barron. Copyright 2008 by Laird Barron. First published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Ellen Datlow, Del Rey Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Harry and the Monkey" by Euan Harvey. Copyright 2008 by Euan Harvey. First published in Realms of Fantasy, December. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Dress Circle" by Miranda Siemienowicz. Copyright 2008 by Miranda Siemienowicz. First published in Hecate, Volume 34, No. 1. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Rising River " by Daniel Kaysen. Copyright 2008 by Daniel Kaysen. First published in Black Static 5. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Sweeney among the Straight Razors" by JoSelle Vanderhooft. Copyright 2008 by JoSelle Vanderhooft. First published in Star*Line, September/October. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Loup-garou" by R. B. Russell. Copyright 2008 by R. B. Russell. First published in The Werewolf Pack, edited by Mark Valentine, Wordsworth Editions. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Girl in Pieces" by Graham Edwards. Copyright 2008 by Graham Edwards. First published in Realms of Fantasy, April. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"It Washed Up" by Joe R. Lansdale. Copyright 2008 by Joe R. Lansdale. First published in Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy, edited by William Schafer, Subterranean Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Thirteenth Hell" by Mike Allen. Copyright 2008 by Mike Allen. First published in The Journey to Kailash, Curiosities, an imprint of Norilana Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Goosle" by Margo Lanagan. Copyright 2008 by Margo Lanagan. First published in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Ellen Datlow, Del Rey Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Beach Head" by Daniel LeMoal. Copyright 2008 by Daniel LeMoal. First published in On Spec, Summer, #73 volume 20 number 2. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Man from the Peak" by Adam Golaski. Copyright 2008 by Adam Golaski. First published in Worse Than Myself, Raw Dog Screaming Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Narrows " by Simon Bestwick. Copyright 2008 by Simon Bestwick. First published in We Fade to Grey, edited by Gary McMahon, Pendragon Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Acknowledgements to John Kenny, Frank Ludlow, David Murphy, Eugene Myer, Sheila Williams, Brian Bieniowski, Harlan Ellison, and Charles Tan.

Thanks to Gavin J. Grant for suggesting I approach the editors at Night Shade about spinning off a new best of the year in horror annual.

I'd like to acknowledge the following magazines and catalogs for invaluable information and descriptions of material I was unable to obtain: Locus, All Hallows, Publishers Weekly, Washington Post Book World, and Prism (the quarterly journal of fantasy given with membership to the British Fantasy Society). I'd also like to thank all the editors who made sure I saw their magazines during the year, the webzine editors who provided printouts, and the book publishers who provided review copies in a timely manner. Also, the writers who sent me printouts of their stories when I was unable to acquire the magazine or book in which they appeared.

And thank you to Jeremy Lassen and Jason Williams for taking a chance on a new best of the year anthology.

The twenty-one stories and poems included were chosen from magazines, webzines, anthologies, literary journals, and single author collections. One story and one poem were published in single author collections. One story was originally published in a webzine. The authors reside in the United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Wales, and Thailand. Thirteen out of twenty-one stories are by writers whose stories I've never before chosen for a best of the year volume, which is probably a record.

The Bram Stoker Awards for Achievement in Horror is given by the Horror Writers Association. The full membership may recommend in all categories but only active members can vote on the final ballot. The awards for material appearing during 2007 were presented at the organization's annual banquet held Saturday evening, March 29, 2008, in Salt Lake City, Utah, in conjunction with the World Horror Convention.

Novel: The Missing by Sarah Langan; First Novel: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill; Long Fiction: "Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway" by Gary Braunbeck; Short Fiction: "The Gentle Brush of Wings" by David Niall Wilson; Fiction Collection (Tie): Proverbs for Monsters by Michael A. Arnzen and 5 Stories by Peter Straub; Anthology: Five Strokes to Midnight, edited by Gary Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble; Nonfiction: The Cryptopedia: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange & Downright Bizarre by Jonathan Maberry & David F. Kramer; Poetry Collection (Tie): Being Full of Light, Insubstantial by Linda Addison and Vectors: A Week in the Death of a Planet by Charlee Jacob & Marge Simon; Lifetime Achievement Award: John Carpenter, Robert Weinberg; Richard Laymon President's Award: Mark Worthen, Stephen Dorato, Christopher Fulbright.

The Shirley Jackson Award, recognizing the legacy of Jackson 's writing, and with permission of her estate, was established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. The inaugural awards were announced at Readercon, held in Burlington, Massachusetts.