Another collection of The Best Mediocre Horror of the Year and probably the last one I am going to bother with. Most of the stories here are uninteresting and forgettable. The exceptions come (not surprisingly) from Brian Hodge, Nicholas Royle and Tanith Lee. In order:

"Just Outside Our Windows, Deep Inside Our Walls": A girl with a terrible secret befriends a boy with a terrible power who lives next door.

"The Obscure Bird": An amateur ornithologist becomes a little too involved with his work.

"Black and White Sky": Britain is beset by impossible, apocalyptic masses of magpies.

Two bird stories; where was Stephen Gregory this year?

The short list of honorable mentions at the back made me a little sad. Why couldn't we have William Browning Spencer or Steve Rasnic Tem instead of, say, Joe Lansdale? And why is Lansdale required to appear in every horror anthology ever published? Does he have a piece of each editor's soul in a jar in his basement? I can't think of any other explanation. ( )

Finished reading "The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Three" last night, edited by Ellen Datlow and really enjoyed it.

I read a great of deal of short horror stories from multiple periodicals and web sites, much of which is drek. It's wonderful to sit down and peruse this collection, in which every story is so well written, unique, and truly a "best of." Some of the stories I read before, but they helped set the mood for other authors I was not familiar with. The horror tales in this anthology are not slasher/ splatter, but quiet horror, filled with emotion and insight with plots which are skewed just enough to send the proverbial shivers up your spine. Datlow's summation of the year, listing award-winners and numerous recommendations for further reading is especially appreciated. It is a telling recap of the 2010 year of horror and dark fiction.

Some of my personal favorites in this collection are “The Days of Flaming Motorcycles” by Catherynne M. Valente, “The Folding Man” by Joe R. Lansdale, and “Transfiguration” by Richard Christian Matheson. This book is filled with many other wonderful authors as well - Cody Goodfellow, Tanith Lee, Laird Barron, John Langan, and a dozen others. Highly recommended! ( )

I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed -- after the big improvement from Volume One to Volume Two, I had expected that the trend would continue with Volume Three. It didn't. On the back-cover blurb it says the following:

"What causes that delicious shiver of fear to travel the length of our spines?...Every year the bar is raised; the screw is tightened. Ellen Datlow knows what scares us..."

Well, the bar has not been raised, and evidently she doesn't know what scares me because once again I'm left wondering about that "delicious shiver of fear," which, with a few exceptions, just didn't materialize over the course of this book. Still, I keep hoping, meaning I've got Volume Four on my nightstand, ready to go, and I've already pre-ordered Volume Five, which according to Amazon, is expected to be out in June of this year. I think that what keeps me coming back to these collections is that when I find a story that actually sends that cold chill down my spine, I'm inspired to find more work by the author who actually managed to pleasantly provide me with a few downright creepy moments.

In this edition there are again only a handful of stories that I actually like. The usual inclusion of the editor's summation of books, stories, etc. from 2010 is also much appreciated, but overall I just wasn't happy with this installment of the series. Four entries grabbed me; sadly, I'd already read two of them. That leaves a total of two.

Laird Barron's "--30'--" is one I've read before in his excellent collection Occultation; another reread is Norman Partridge's "Lesser Demons." Of the two stories new to me, the best read was "Black and White Sky" by Tanith Lee, one of the most bizarre tales I've read in quite a while. Quiet life in the British Isles is shaken by upward-moving magpies, a strange phenomenon that leads to a terrifying and atmospherically-creepy conclusion. I read this one twice and both times it produced that lovely spine tingle I look for. "Just Outside Our Windows, Deep Inside Our Walls," by Brian Hodge is also a winner -- a boy meets a new neighbor next door, and a friendship begins, but it may only bring trouble since the boy has been locked up for the safety of others. There's definitely a good reason behind it all, which will come as a bit of a shock. I'd also like to point out Cody Goodfellow's story "At the Riding School," a bit on the violent side for my tastes but very well written; "The Fear," by Richard Harland was another one that had me going up until the end when it frustratingly petered out.

I say, is it really too much to ask for stories that send that promised "delicious shiver of fear" down my spine? So far there have only been a few meeting this description -- a definite shame. ( )

I tend not to care for anthologies; the ratio of stories I like versus stories I don’t is usually skewed too far to the negative. This book is the exception. Editor Datlow truly has harvested the best this year; while there were one or two stories that really didn’t do much for me, none of them made me wonder why they had been selected.

The stories run the gamut from werewolves to ugly mutant nuns with foldaway killer robots- mutant nuns who take offense to being mooned- to zombies with feelings. Several are post-apocalyptic. Demons, children with talents so special they scare their parents, horrible things in the Washington state desert (Really? Did you have to set it there? I drive through there sometimes), ancient Greek satyrs and Dianic women; the offerings vary widely. There is something for every horror fan in this book. ( )