Isolation edited by Dan Coxon

Publisher - Titan

Published - Out Now

Price - £8.99 paperback £5.99 Kindle eBook

Lost in the wilderness, or shunned from society, it remains one of our deepest held fears. This horror anthology calls on leading horror writers to confront the dark moments, the challenges that we must face alone: hikers lost in the woods; astronauts adrift in the silence of deep space; the quiet voice trapped in a crowd; the prisoner, with no hope of escape. Experience the chilling terrors of Isolation.

Featuring Paul Tremblay, Joe R. Lansdale, Ken Liu, M.R. Carey, Jonathan Maberry, Tim Lebbon, Lisa Tuttle, Michael Marshall Smith, Ramsey Campbell, Nina Allan, Laird Barron, A.G. Slatter, Mark Morris, Alison Littlewood, Owl Goingback, Brian Evenson, Marian Womack, Gwendolyn Kiste, Lynda E. Rucker and Chikodili Emelumadu.

Isolation for introverts is something I tend to crave the quiet, no distractions and a chance to read. But of course come March 2020 I found the last thing I needed was being on my own. I recall the eeriness of walking deserved streets, closed shops and the knowledge that everyone was cut off from everyone else. In the end lockdown was ok but knowing that actually you don’t spend pandemics reading but largely worrying about the future means it’s made a lasting impression. In the impressive Isolation a new horror anthology edited by Dan Coxon we get a whole host of stories from an startlingly high quality range of authors all based around what Isolation can mean.

Among the stories I enjoyed were

The Snow Child by Alison Littlewood - a middle aged daughter returns to the remote arctic circle to meet her mother. They have been estranged ever since her younger sister went missing on the woods but now her mother appears distracted by mysterious ice children around the house. Eerie, unsettling, tragic and like a modern fairy tale with a deep worry that there will be no happy ending. A very impressive start.

Friends For Life by Mark Morris - A tale exploring how the aftermath of the pandemic affected people. Daniel is a middle aged man who has recently lost his mother. A little flyer advertising Friends for Life makes him unexpectedly seem a new social group but a little outing gets quite dangerous. I really liked the mix of a tale examining how we all wanted to rebuild some connections after the pandemic and yet also descends into some very pure folk horror too!

Solivagant by Angela Slatter - a neighbour wakes up in her small town to find all her chickens killed. A ship worker who keeps herself to herself suspects she knows who did this. This tale feels like the culmination of a very long story and yet Slatter nimbly makes us understand through our narrator what has happened. A horror noir tale of loneliness, betrayal and a sinking feeling of hopelessnes yet one that for all of that has moments of humour. A standout tale.

Lone Gunman by Jonathan Maberry - this story is like a drum solo with short powerful sentences as our main character wakes up beneath a mountain of the dead. I really enjoyed this tale that used a familiar apocalypse idea but makes us focus on one man trying to summon up the energy to get up and fight again. It feels epic and personal at the same time.

Second Wind by M R Carey - a tale that mentions offhandedly an exorcist named Castor will grab attention for readers of a certain series. But more widely we meet a rich businessman who wants a career after death but finds living in his corpse not quite the thrill he used to have. A wonderful use of character voice but also one about the dangers and power of connections. Really enjoyed it!

Under Care by Brian Evenson - a nightmare to wake up in with a man finding himself in a ward on his own tended to by a strange nurse. Very little is explained but this feels like one of those nightmares where nothing adds up and yet everything gets worse. Genuinely unsettling!

The Long Dead Day by Joe R Lansdale - a weird west tale of grim survival on an isolated farm. Lansdale builds an atmosphere of despair, no win situations and yet also explains the world this story takes place in subtly. Clever and bleak!

Chalk. Sea. Sand. Sky. Stone by Lynda E Rucker - Claire has lost her husband and finds herself carrying their child and now sits on a deserted beach near Margate. This tale aches with loneliness but also an unsettling presence that Claire finds herself wary of in the dilapidated house they live in. Rucker’s exploration of Claire’s life and emotional state is delivered beautifully but we get the horrible sense sone thing worse is getting near.

Ready or Not by Marian Womack - another excellent story exploring life on post Brexit Britain. Alison feels very wary of her neighbour and is now very alone. A tale of a toxic relationship; how an immigrant working in the U.K. is treated by the state and also her workers and neighbours. This is a horror story based very much in reality with dark secrets waiting at the end. Another nightmare of a tale but one that feels all too real.

Jaunt by Ken Liu - a very impressive story exploring how our world can change in unexpected ways. Starting with a campaign to limit international travel in the concerns of the pandemic Liu posits a new VR technology taking the world by storm. We get mini time jumps and rotating points of view as Liu explores in just a few pages how technology could aid and also disrupt the world. Everything from a new middle class craze to economic and political disruption made this a very thoughtful and also slightly optimistic tale.

The Peculiar Seclusion of Molly McMarshall by Gwendolyn Kiste - a strange outsider in a town goes into her house and never leaves. All people can see is her sitting down and staring out. A story that takes this strange moment and without really explaining things explores how people can get obsessed and create conspiracy theories but sometimes this can still come true. An excellent nightmarish tale.

Fire Above, Fire Below by Lisa Tuttle - a woman who is conscious she is named Cassandra tells us her life story of being able to sometimes predict the future. An ability that ends up making her alone and isolated. Another brilliant tale that as well as giving us a strange and eerie tale also explores our need to make a connection. A very fitting finale

This is a top quality anthology with even more great tales from the likes of Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Paul Tremblay and Ramsay Campbell. Something for everyone and most of all it should make you consider why isolation is terrifying and our own relationship to the concept. Highly recommended!