Ho Ho Ho!

Lets talk today about the joys of collections and anthologies. feasts of short fiction; names toi look out for and at this time of year a lovely short read before you have your next nap after eating.

Everything's Changing by Chelsea Stickle — Runalong The Shelves - for ultra short slash fiction this is an inventive and surprising set of tales i really enjoyed.

Song of the Mango and Other New Myths by Vida Cruz-Borja — Runalong The Shelves - a very varied and really interesting set of tales exploring Filipino culture and myth which is a very rewarding set of reads.

Turning of the Seasons - A Dark Almanac by JS Breukelaar and Seb Doubinsky — Runalong The Shelves - a fine set of dark tales await in this collection with a seasonal spin on folk horror.

Unquiet Spirits - Essays by Asian Women in Horror edited by Lee Murray and Angela Yuriko Smith — Runalong The Shelves - an unusual take on horror but well worth reading is this essay collection a collection of asian horror writers explore the roads and cultures that led to their choice of genre.

Eclectic Dreams - The Milford Anthology edited by J W Anderson, Pete W Sutton and Liz Williams — Runalong The Shelves - tis the season giving and this collection supports the Milford writing retreat. It has a series of tales written by writers including an up and coming author named Neil Gaiman.

White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link — Runalong The Shelves - a brilliant set of tales inspired by classic tales in a very impressive set of ways for the adult reader. A writer to enjoy.

Twice Cursed edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane — Runalong The Shelves - this collection has a similar spin but this time with a focus on curses and a fine collection of authors is assembled to entertain.

Multiverses - An Anthology of Alternate Realities edited by Pressman Grassman — Runalong The Shelves - while the idea of the multiverse has been overused this book still manages a good number of cool tales playing with the subject.

The Gold Leaf Executions by Helen Marshall — Runalong The Shelves - I strongly mourn Unsung Stories but they went out on a high with this truly brilliant collection by a fantastic author spinning across genres at will.

No One Will Come Back For Us by Premee Mohamed — Runalong The Shelves - Premee Mohamed for me is now a must read author and this stunning collection underlines the talent they have. Intelligent, smart and gorgeous stories to savour.

The Other Side of Never - Dark Tales From The World of Peter And Wendy edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane — Runalong The Shelves - an inventive anthology exploring the depths of the Peter Pan tales and works really well

New Suns 2 - Original Speculative Fiction By People of Colour edited by Nisi Shawl — Runalong The Shelves - New Suns was a brilliant collection and this sequel rises to the occasion too and has a fine array of talent to explore,

Zombies! By Paul Kane — Runalong The Shelves - Xmas is about having a bite and these zombie tales do indeed have something to sink their teeth in.

Chinese Myths - From Cosmology And Folklore To Gods And Monsters by Xueting C Ni — Runalong The Shelves - More for non-fiction fans this intelligent exploration of the legend and history of various Chinese Gods and Monsters plus much more is fascinating.

My Life In Horror - Volume 2 by Kit Power — Runalong The Shelves - and staying in non-fiction this concludes Power’s stunning walk through iconic pieces of horror and more importantly how they shape or bring back memories of growing up. Brilliant writing

Runalong The Short Shelves - Cloisterfox — Runalong The Shelves - You like weird fiction? you should subscribe to this magazine quickly!

No Happily Ever After by Phil Sloman — Runalong The Shelves - this collection is amazing at wrong footing the reader, building dread and even has the most sinister ice cream van ever!

Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic by Tobi Ogundiran — Runalong The Shelves - Another of the best collections of the year. Varies, intelligent and a delight to read!

Odes To the Multiverse by Tonya R Moore — Runalong The Shelves - yes there is a multiverse but really just a great collection of smart genre fiction to indulge yourself with.

Nightfall and Other Dangers by Jacob Steven Mohr — Runalong The Shelves - an inventive and varied collection of spooky tales by a writer to look out for.

Horror Library - Volume 8 edited by Eric J Guignard — Runalong The Shelves - for more fine horror delights this anthology has some stunning tales for a wintry night.

Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho — Runalong The Shelves - a welcome re-issue and reminder that Cho is one of the best fantasy writers around is this joyous collection of quality tales.

Spec Fic for Newbies by Tiffani Angus and Val Nolan — Runalong The Shelves - for those just starting to dip into genre be they authors, bloggers or readers this guide is well worth a look!

Umbilical by Teika Marija Smits — Runalong The Shelves - another great discovery for me of the year is this varied, lyrical and smart collection of tales crossing all the genres!

Promise by Christi Nogle — Runalong The Shelves - moving into some impressive weird fiction is this interesting collection of tales to tuck into

Misery and Other Lines by CC Adams — Runalong The Shelves - an impressive trip to London’s scary side the Underground at halloween what could go wrong?

Nordic Visions - The Best of Nordic Speculative Fiction edited by Margret Helgadottir — Runalong The Shelves - I do love exploring the fiction of the world and this tale opens up a whole new suite of the globe to me and fine selection of authors to discover too!

Darkness Beckons edited by Mark Morris — Runalong The Shelves - and as the nights get long a fine shivery collection awaits in this collection and several are absolutely stunning.

Writing The Uncanny - Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V Hirst — Runalong The Shelves - back to non fiction we get this very fascinating set of essays exploring the power of uncanny fiction and it really is a fascinating look bind the writer’s curtain

Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Joshua Uchenna Omenga — Runalong The Shelves - and another fine mix of stories and essays is to be found in this collection which makes its points really well

Extracting Humanity and Other Stories by Stephen Oram — Runalong The Shelves - for more unsettling Black Mirror style SF this collection is worth a look

Alphaland and Other Stories by Cristina Jurado — Runalong The Shelves - the kind of collection that once you start you will read nothing else. Well worth hunting down