Gathering The Bones

GATHERING THE BONES is an international horror anthology edited by Jack Dann, Ramsey Campbell, and Dennis Etchison. The editors each solicited a third of the stories from writers in their respective countries -- Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States. The edition by HarperCollins Voyager came out February 2003. The US edition from Tor was scheduled for publication in hardcover and trade paperback in August 2003. The hardover did not see general release, but the trade is available from online vendors.



Reviews

Publisher's Weekly: "English is the common language and horror the dialect in this melting pot anthology of 34 new stories drawn about equally from each editor's country of residence: the U.S., Great Britain and Australia. Mixing contributions from seasoned pros with the work of newcomers and showcasing approaches that vary from graphic realism to surrealistic nightmare and cross-genre splices, the contents resist pigeonholing and fulfill the editors' ambition to portray horror as "a field whose boundaries are no longer rigidly defined and where literary values coexist with the leading edge of popular culture." Steve Nagy leads off with "The Hanged Man of Oz," a creepy riff on The Wizard of Oz that subversively sets the "we're not in Kansas any more" tone for selections that follow. Kim Newman excels with "The Intervention," a Kafkaesque black comedy about a deprogramming victim that deftly balances absurdist social satire with paranoid horror. Lisa Tuttle's "The Mezzotint" is one of several stories that evoke classic horror fiction, in this case a tale by M.R. James, whose plot she brilliantly inverts in an account of sinister deceptions that darken a romantic relationship. In most stories the subtle and suggestive trump the physical and gruesome, such as "No Man's Land" by Chris Lawson and Simon Brown, where vividly described horrors of trench warfare prove an avenue to more awe-inducing terrors. Although there are as many competent but unremarkable stories as there are standouts, this book shows that distinctions of national origin and cultural difference dissolve in horror stories expertly cast from a crucible of quality. (Aug. 23) Forecast: Best known as an SF and fantasy author, Dann should help the book cross over to readers of those genres. Traditionalists will welcome the absence of horror's more outrageous and self-consciously strange writers. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information."
Kirkus Reviews: "Thirty-three original horrifics from America, Great Britain, and Australia, some from established stars, others from hot new supernovas ... This sheaf kicks off brightly with Steve Nagy's The Hanged Man of Oz, about a new figure discovered in the Judy Garland movie, a hanged man in the woods where the live trees are tricked into giving up their apples. And Dorothy and the Tin Man and Scarecrow, as well as the Wicked Witch, are not the characters you thought they were. Fun and inventive...."
Library Journal: "From Steve Nagy's skewed vision of the land of Oz ("The Hanged Man of Oz") to Lisa Tuttle's subtle tale of altered reality ("The Mezzotint"), the 33 original tales in this collection explore the varied forms and enduring appeal of horror fiction. Featuring authors from the United States, Great Britain, and Australia and compiled by three masters of the genre (Dennis Etchison, Ramsey Campbell, and Jack Dann), this volume includes stories by Gahan Wilson, Terry Dowling, Steve Rasnic Tem, Ray Bradbury, and other genre veterans and newcomers. There is not a bad apple in the bunch, and most of these tales are subtly told without the splatter and gore so common to modern horror. Yet they evoke a real sense of spine-shivering eeriness and uneasiness. One of the strongest collections of the year, this volume belongs in horror and short story collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information."
Horror Quarterly: All in all the thirty-four stories included in the volume cover a wide range of themes and subgenres, but always sticking to what we can define as "mainstream" horror ... With one exception, that I will mention rightaway because it's the most offbeat, disquieting piece in the whole book, Robert Devereaux's "Li'l Miss Ultrasound". A true example of modern, technological horror ... Repulsive and fascinating at the same time, Devereux's story will remain in your memory for a long time.
Joe Rattigan in The Alien Online writes: Gathering the Bones is deserving of applause from the word go. ... What is good to see however is something most readers of horror anthologies have been crying out for for some time now - newcomers in the ranks. ... Of the new blood, Steve Nagy's 'Hanged Man of Oz' is currently drawing much praise, and although it failed to live up to my expectations after having heard so much about it, it's still an interesting and assured first professional sale. Using the Ring-era mixture of technology and urban legends, this delves into less traditional ground, using a genuine myth (or true story, depending on your beliefs) as eerie background.
Rattigan continues with ... Among the more unusual stories that I enjoyed are 'Mr Sly Stops for a Cup of Joe' by Scott Emerson Bull (a very odd and effortlessly enigmatic read) Kim Newman's 'The Intervention' (a lovely frustrating, satirical nightmare), 'Blake's Angel' by Janeen Webb (which I was thoroughly enjoying until an ending that was slightly too abrupt for my comfort; maybe I just wanted more) and Isobelle Carmody's haunting and mysterious 'The Dove Game'.
Robert Guy Cook writes in a review on "infinity plus" that "A fair portion of the better offerings are prime examples of what can be done by taking established tropes, stripping them down to their bare essentials, and then reconfiguring them in startling and innovative ways -- not a new writing technique, by any means, but if it works, so what? Steve Nagy's 'The Hanged Man of Oz', for instance, is an atmospheric and witty recombination of Ringu and L Frank Baum, which pretty much tells you all you need to know but certainly shouldn't stop you reading it. Christmas telly will never be quite the same. ... And then there is Isobelle Carmody, a writer of the most consistently evocative and sensuous prose, with 'The Dove Game', a characteristically shadowed tale of twisted love and fractured time and the beautiful, painful signs we create to try (and usually fail) to tell other people the stories we live by, the stories we make our lives out of. Carmody is always worth reading, and for sheer virtuosity of style and plot, 'The Dove Game' is worth the purchase of the whole book."
He continues with ... "Gahan Wilson's 'The Big Green Grin' is a neat little urban fairy tale about sibling rivalry that'll have you warning your kids about vacant lots and paying newfound respect to Mother Nature. Scott Emerson Bull's 'Mr Sly Stops For A Cup Of Joe' is short, fierce, and very funny, a set-piece encapsulation of the broader, darker absurdities of the world and all its egos. Mr Sly is one of the most potent and distressingly likeable übermonsters I've ever met (not that you would ever want to actually meet him)" ... and especially liked Chris Lawson and Simon Brown's 'No Man's Land', Mike O'Driscoll's 'Sounds Like', and Robert Devereaux's 'Li'l Miss Ultrasound'.
Jason Nahrung in Fantastic Queensland: "In collecting stories of horror from three continents, the editors aimed to provide what is largely a niche talent with big publisher exposure, and to expose the reading pubic to the many splendid thing horror has become. It seems they've succeeded. The paperback edition is now on the streets. The anthology of writers from Australia, the UK and USA has been nominated for an International Horror Guild award (as has one of its stories, The Mezzotint, with winners announced on April 10), and received mostly positive reviews since last year's large-format release. Like all anthologies, it has its brilliants and not-so-gripping, but very little bad. The spread of styles means most readers should find something to their taste and enough nibbles to be worth the price of admission. ... The book starts strongly, with Steve Nagy having been oft-mentioned for casting rather dark shadows over viewings of The Wizard of Oz. Another standout is Robert Devereaux's Li'l Miss Ultrasound, a frightening example of horror's ability to take the mundane (in this case, beauty contests) and exaggerate them to the nth, unnerving degree. Similarly Aussie Stephen Dedman finds a way to haunt a soccer match which leaves an enduring afterimage, and a touch of social conscience too. Of other Aussies here, Sara Douglass introduces some medieaval atmosphere, Terry Dowling provides a bit of collectable trivia, Simon Brown mixes sorcery with surgery, and Isobelle Carmody teases a young jackeroo in Paris. Brown backs up with an emotive tale co-written with Chris Lawson: its images of a World War I battlefield linger."
Paula Guran writes in Cemetery Dance, Issue 47, (reprinted/posted on Dark Echo) that readers should ... Take note: that darling deviant Robert Devereaux hits the heights of sick with his satire of beauty pageants (and more) in "Li'l Miss Ultrasound." There's not a single bit of gore here, not a drop of blood, just perfect craft and some aspects of our culture taken past all previously established limits. Only a lobotomy will get this one out of your head. ... "The Wind Sall Blow For Ever Mair" by Stephen Dedman is a haunting little tale in which justice is done. It's opening and closing images will stay with you even if the rest eventually falls away. ... Scott Emerson Bull's "Mr. Sly Stops for a Cup of Joe" balances between the very real and the slightly absurd with an intriguing anti-hero. Mr. Sly is a character akin to Hannibal Lector -- a likeable monster. ... The masterful Graham Joyce's antho-ending "Tiger Moth" is absolutely luminous. It's a prime candidate for those who like to define things as "not horror."
From Booklist: [A] bunch of fair to superb stories that altogether bear out Neil Gaiman's contention that horror is a condiment. Horror laves humor in Gahan Wilson's marvelous "The Big Green Grin," which comes complete with a cartoon. Horror becomes the ultimate antiwar comment in Chris Lawson and Simon Brown's "No Man's Land." Horror arises from inexplicability in Isobelle Carmody's "The Dove Game." Horror is the undeniable aftertaste of Robert Devereaux's devastating "Li'l Miss Ultrasound," a satire on the sexualization of everything and the voyeurization of everyone that for sheer, enraging outrageousness very nearly equals Swift's "A Modest Proposal." And there are 30 more flavors of horror in the book. Ray Olson Copyright - American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Claire Sutherland from the Herald Sun in Melbourne writes, "There are a few bright spots: George Clayton Johnson, author of the novel (and later two movies) Ocean's Eleven, plus several episodes of The Twilight Zone, contributes a chillingly effective prelude to a child's murder, with a satisfying snap in its tail. Victorian medieval specialist Sara Douglass conjures up an atmospheric piece of witchery. And Steve Nagy's The Hanged Man of Oz grabs you by the throat with the intriguing premise that in a scene from The Wizard of Oz, a man can be seen committing suicide."
Lee Battersby writes in Ideomancer that "from the fabulous cover art to the long and impressive contents listing ... the anthology promises an absolute carrion feast of memorable stories. And there are some moments of unerring quality amongst them. The Wind Sall Blow For Ever Mair by Stephen Dedman runs along quite smoothly, a safely mainstream cross-cultural haunting story for the most part but with a final image that damn it, I can't budge from my mind weeks later (I played soccer for 15 years, man, it just ain't fair). Scott Emerson Bull's Mr Sly Stops For a Cup of Joe, with it's hugely awful and immensely likeable antagonist, rooted so firmly in the real world that gas-station shopping will be done at a slightly quicker clip from now on; the odd and disturbing The Hanged Man of Oz by Steve Nagy that opens the volume and which I defy you to read without heading for the video store, just in case.... [and] Step up, Robert Devereaux. Now let us be straight here: I've watched a lot of horror movies. I've read more than my share of horror stories. Christ, I've even resorted to Guy N. Smith in times of need. It takes more than a little to make me uncomfortable. Li'l Miss Ultrasound is repulsive. Some of the imagery contained in this story will make you feel actively nauseous. But make no mistake, it is a horror story that deserves to win awards, and deserves to be remembered long after its contemporaries have been forgotten. In fact, you'll spend a long time trying to forget what you read in this story, and you'll fail."
Debra Adelaide's review in the Sydney Morning Herald states that "Terry Dowling's The Bone Ship relies on restraint until its twisted end ... Conversely, Sara Douglass's 16th-century tale is violent and nasty from the start. It's a revenge story in which the cold and the mud of a midwinter English battlefield provide more than just atmosphere. Robert Deveraux writes a brilliantly sick satire on the rivalries and passions of the child beauty-queen industry: the contestants are all unborn and paraded via ultrasound technology."
Lorien Kaye writes in The Age that "he most disturbing stories are those in which the horror seems a natural extension of the world as we know it: a beauty pageant for foetuses, where digital manipulation is used to "dress" them in provocative outfits (Robert Devereaux's Li'l Miss Ultrasound); a nightclub bouncer inducted into a secret world of killing for pleasure (Aaron Sterns' The Watchmen); older citizens queuing interminably for their right to health care in the not-so-distant future (Fruma Klass's Jennifer's Turn)."
Jonathan Strahan posted a review of Rosaleen Love's story -- The Raptures of the Deep -- on his blog late last month while working on his review column for Locus, which should appear in the June issue. He wrote that a "sense of Lovecraftian weirdness underpins Rosaleen Love's superbly strange, and occasionally seemingly incoherent entry in Jack Dann, Ramsey Campbell and Dennis Etchison's Gathering the Bones, The Raptures of the Deep. ... Love powerfully exploits glimpses of giant squid and weird chitinous things to evoke an almost overpowering sense of paranoia that overwhelms any questions of plot, logic or coherency. At once ominous and threatening, The Rapture of the Deep is one the finest pieces of weird fiction ever written by an Australian, and shows Love's deep understanding of the geography of anxiety."
Strahan continues in his June review in Locus ... "With its heft and bearing, Gathering the Bones, Jack Dann, Ramsey Campbell, and Dennis Etchison's big budget tricontinental horrorfest resembles nothing quite so much as Kirby McAuley's Dark Forces ... Gathering the Bones is ultimately an attempt by three skilled and perceptive editors to map the geography of modern horror, and it is for the most part very successful. The best stories here are certainly amongst the best horror that will be published all year, and there is a broad enough selection for most palates."

He reiterates his blog entry by stating that he believes Rosaleen Love's The Raptures of the Deep is the finest story he's seen from her to date, and also lays praise upon Terry Dowling -- The Bone Ship; Tim Waggoner -- Picking Up Courtney; Steve Rasnic Tem -- Out Late in the Park; Janeen Webb - Blake's Angel; Simon Brown -- Love Is a Stone; and Graham Joyce -- Tiger Moth, which is the final story in the anthology.
Adam-Troy Castro wrote a detailed review at SciFi.com that highlighted Robert Devereaux's Li'l Miss Ultrasound and Kim Newman's The Intervention as the stories he considers the best in the anthology. He writes that the Devereaux offering furthers his "reputation for going where less timid souls would never venture. A takeoff on the popular pre-school beauty contests that account for the celebrity of the doomed child model Jon-Benet Ramsey, it posits a future where mothers make careers of entering their fetuses into competition. Computer-imaging dresses the unborn in increasingly provocative garb, the children once born are all but ignored, and the prize goes to the embryo whose random motions look most like a pose on the cover of Vogue. As uncomfortable as fiction gets, it's dark as satire gets, it wrings a thousand separate variations on its nasty one-joke premise, and emerges a queasy but unqualified winner." The Newman tale is "a devastatingly paranoid takeoff on 12-Step Programs, presents a hapless protagonist whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when friends and family and co-workers yank him away from his daily routine and have him committed to an Institution where, we're given to understand, he's doomed to stay until he admits he has a problem. Alcoholics and drug addicts go through this all the time, but this man is neither: indeed, his biggest problem is figuring out just what he's supposed to be confessing to. The absurd awfulness of his baffling situation, and the constant self-righteous assurances on the part of everybody around him that all this abuse is for his own good, make for a story as perversely funny as it is horrific."

He also notes that Graham Joyce's Tiger Moth, "which closes the volume, is like one of the more benign Twilight Zone episodes in that the protagonist's magical experiences provide him with nothing but the moxie to change his life for the better. Odd as it may be to end a horror anthology with the story of something good happening to somebody, the experience is refreshing after all the awfulness that precedes it."

Table of Contents

Introduction -- Jack Dann, Ramsey Campbell, and Dennis Etchison
The Hanged Man of Oz -- Steve Nagy 4 and 7
The Bone Ship -- Terry Dowling
Li'l Miss Ultrasound -- Robert Devereaux
The Intervention -- Kim Newman
Blake's Angel -- Janeen Webb 1
The Obedient Child -- George Clayton Johnson
Sounds Like -- Mike O'Driscoll
The Wind Sall Blow For Ever Mair -- Stephen Dedman 1
"The Mezzotint" -- Lisa Tuttle 2
The Lords of Zero -- Tony Richards
Smoke City -- Russell Blackford
Moments of Change -- Thomas Tessier
The Big Green Grin -- Gahan Wilson 6
Both And -- Gary Fry
Love Is a Stone -- Simon Brown 1
Memento Mori -- Ray Bradbury
The Mistress of Marwood Hagg -- Sara Douglass
The Right Men -- Michael Marshall Smith
The Raptures of the Deep -- Rosaleen Love 3 and 6
Out Late In the Park -- Steve Rasnic Tem 3
Bedfordshire -- Peter Crowther 5
Mr Sly Stops For a Cup of Joe -- Scott Emerson Bull 4, 5, and 7
Finishing School -- Cherry Wilder
Jennifer's Turn -- Fruma Klass
Mother's Milk -- Adam L.G. Nevill
No Man's Land -- Chris Lawson and Simon Brown
The Watcher At the Window -- Donald R. Burleson
Coming of Age -- Joel Lane
Picking Up Courtney -- Tim Waggoner
Watchmen -- Aaron Sterns
Gardens -- Melanie Tem
Under the Bright and Hollow Sky -- Andrew J. Wilson
The Dove Game -- Isobelle Carmody
Tiger Moth -- Graham Joyce
Cover illustration for HarperCollins Australia/Voyager edition by Nick Stathopoulos
Jacket design for Tor edition by Harry Grossman
Jacket art for Tor edition by Kamil Vojnar

1 -- shortlisted for the 2003 Aurealis Awards
2 -- nominee, short story, for the International Horror Guild Award
3 -- Locus 2003 Recommended Reading List
4 -- forthcoming in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: Volume 15, edited by Stephen Jones
5 -- forthcoming in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection, edited by Ellen Datlow, and Kelly Link and Gavin Grant
6 -- forthcoming in Year's Best Fantasy, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
7 -- shortlisted for the 2004 British Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction
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