Not that greatIf you make it the junk at the beginning to read the stories. They are to choppy of stories. No real endings to some and other no point. Didn't care for it

Keeping in mind this the first horror collection I've read, I think it's a great collection -- wide-ranging. I was really super-happy to see a flash fiction, the incredible "No Matter Which Way We Turned" by Brian Evenson, included. The opening and closing stories of the collection, "Nesters" by Siobhan Carroll and "On These Blackened Shores of Time" by Brian Hodge are fantastic bookends for the collection, and as a matter of fact Hodge has two stories in here (the other being "It's All the Same...

As always, an enjoyable collection, though probably not the best of the three I've read. There was one story, "Bright Crown of Joy," by Livia Llewellyn that I couldn't finish at all it was so nonsensical, long and tiresome. There were also a fair number of just meh stories -- more than usual -- and I would say no clear theme (the edition I read last year had a bunch of apocalyptic/zombie tales, definitely influenced by "The Walking Dead"), though perhaps there was a tendency toward vague,Lovecra...

It's not you, Best Horror of the Year, vol 9, it's me. You are typically a quality horror anthology each year, but this year, I just couldn't get into you.The stories I enjoyed most in this year's collection tended to be straightforward narratives involving a (non-Lovecraftian) monster, such as "The Oestridae,""Grave Goods,""Between Dry Ribs," and "The Castellmarch Man." The two-page "No Matter Which Way We Turned" is quick, nasty, and had the only glimpse of dark humor in the entire collection....

A benchmark anthology of horror, as ever.

Overall a very strong collection! There was a bit of repetition in the Lovecraftian pieces unfortunately but otherwise I really enjoyed these stories. I loved "The Days of Our Lives" for it's absolutely nonsensical yet still terrifying narrative and it's ricocheting pace somewhere between a British domestic comedy and a terrifying cult-esque tale of murder and inexplicable horror. "Grave Goods" was also really well written and an interesting exploration of archaeology, ethics, identity, and (of

In a time of endless multi-author horror anthologies, in which only two or three stories usually ring my bell per volume, this was the best anthology that I’ve read in years, in terms of its quality and variety. Excellent addition to an excellent series.

Really impressed with this collection, particularly the stories from Adam Nevill, Siobhan Carroll, Peter Straub, Gemma Files, C.E Ward, Livia Llewellyn, Rebecca Lloyd, Brian Evenson, and Ray Cluley. Brian Hodge's excellent "On These Blackened Shores of Time" was the perfect endpiece.

Been reading this since last year. By far the worst of this series. I'd say 2/3s weren't even technically stories -- they were just scenes or thoughts, or they had no point and told no real story. Only 2 or 3 held my attention. None were remotely scary.Here's two examples of the stories within:A. man goes to brother look for work. brother turns him down and has wife cook him breakfast. he asks her for work and she turns him down too. Then he kills her, waits for his brother, kills him, and kills...

Bounced between three and four stars. Some pretty good stories. A handful that were just flowery descriptions of grim situations, no suspense, meh characters, no payoff, etc. The Process is a Process All its Own by Peter Straub was excellent. Grave Goods by Gemma Files was spooky and suspenseful, second favorite. The Castellmarch Man by Ray Cluley was a lot of fun. On These Blackened Shores of Time by Brian Hodge was the best of the bunch.

I should just stop getting Ellen Datlow anthologies.But after many pages of plodding and pedestrian prose (Livia Llewellyn being a notable exception), I'm finally at Brian Evenson's "No Matter Which Way We Turned". It begins:No matter which way we turned the girl, she didn't have a face.Yes.Update: the Evenson is only 2 pages! Other than the Llewellyn, the Bulkin story is also worthwhile. I don't think the Cluley holds up to his last collection.

Some were far better than others. I had trouble paying attention to a lot of them.

The ninth volume of Ellen Datlow's The Best Horror of the Year is a particularly strong one, and has Lovecraftian overtones, as a handful of stories appeared in her Children of Lovecraft connection. Therefore the stories aren't the kind that make your hair stand on end, but make your skin crawl.Those stories are the "Bright Crown of Joy," by Livia Llewellyn, which I found difficult to get through; "Nesters," by Siobhan Carroll, about a family that stuck it out through the Dust Bowl and don't lik...

Excellent!

"The Best Horror of the Year" makes its welcome ninth appearance in a volume beefier than last year's annual, which was slightly puny in the page count. Not returning is Laird Barron, breaking a remarkable string of consecutive "Best Horror" performances. Barron's "Triumvirate of Terror" compatriots, Nathan Ballingrud and John Langan, are also no-shows. I expect all three writers are brewing something mind-blowing for their inexorable return to these pages. Despite their absence, editor Ellen Da...

I usually like any anthology edited by Ellen Datlow, so I was a bit surprised by this one when I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected. It's not bad, it was just heavily packed with stories that left me saying "What The Fuck?" and not in a good way. Many of the stories meandered around with no clear idea of what they were trying to do or where they were going. There were some notable exceptions, especially toward the end.

I was initially disappointed to see John Langan, Laird Barron, and Stephen Graham Jones - some of my favorite authors and series regulars - absent from Volume Nine of Datlow's Best Horror of the Year series. I learned my lesson about doubting the quality of a Datlow-edited anthology when I was blown away by no less than half of the 21 short stories found within. There's a wide range of horror here, from traditional to cosmic to weird, there's something here for every horror fan. What stood out t...

This was a decent anthology, with a few standouts, like The Oestridae, House of Wonders, Ragman, and On These Blackened Shores of Time. 1. Nesters | Siobhan Carroll - B2. The Oestridae | Robert Levy - A3. The Process is a Process All its Own | Peter Straub - didn’t finish!4. The Bad Hour | Christopher Golden - B5. Red Rabbit | Steve Rasnic Tem - C-6. It’s All the Same Road in the End | Brian Hodge - C7. Fury | DB Waters - C 8. Grave Goods | Gemma Files - C9. Between Dry Ribs | Gregory Norman Bos...

I was just looking over the other reviews, and it's just so subjective. There were stories in here I loved, stories I liked, and some I didn't care for at all. And that's 100% okay. Some people agree with me and some hated the ones I love. What I really enjoy is that Ellen always gives us a wide range of stories—quiet horror, violent horror, Lovecraftian (quite a few this year), psychological, rural—you name it. I'd rather have 50% blow me away, than 100% be just good. All this being said, this

As with most horror short stories or anthologies, given there are a few, there is just not enough time for the reader to really care about the protagonist or set up the given horrific circumstances to really build the creep factor in... every time I buy a book, with horror short stories, I go into it really excited and wind up very disappointed for this very reason... I don't believe it is the author's fault I just think it is a fact of this genre that you have to build suspense and creepiness o...