The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 4

Fear is the oldest human emotion. The most primal. We like to think we're civilized. We tell ourselves we're not afraid. And every year, we skim our fingers across nightmares, desperately pitting our courage against nameless/shivering dread. What scares you? What frightens you? Horror wears new faces in these carefully selected stories. The details may change. But the fear remains/lingers. The Best Horror of the Year Volume 4 is a new collection of horror brought to you by Ellen Datlow, winner of multiple Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, in collaboration with Night Shade Books.

"The 18 scary stories that Datlow (Supernatural Noir) has selected as the best of 2011 hint at even worse horrors lurking beyond the fringes of their narratives. In 'The Little Green God of Agony,' Stephen King profiles an exorcist and faith healer who purports to give physical form to pain. In 'Final Girl Theory,' A.C. Wise tells of a cult horror film that triggers a grim collective fantasy in the minds of its viewers. Peter Straub's 'The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine' achieves a Twilight Zone type of unease through disorienting shifts of time and place. In 'The Show,' Priya Sharma works a creepy variation on the classic horror theme of the 'sham' spirit medium whose skills prove genuine. The variety of concepts and styles on display, and Datlow's comprehensive introduction, will please horror readers of all stripes." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.