Lost Signals

This eclectic mix of superb horror fiction delves into the what-ifs of radio technology and what might lie in its impenetrable static. The stories all unsettle the reader. In Matthew M. Bartlett’s eerie “Where Night Cowers,” a young boy finds a radio with mysterious powers. A man wrestles with the lamentations of those he has wronged in Betty Rocksteady’s “The Desert of Wounded Frequencies.” In Josh Malerman’s “The Givens Sensor Board,” the titular piece of equipment has unspeakable capabilities. Some stories are as creative as they are disturbing, including T.E. Grau’s “Transmission,” in which a lonely man confronts a transmission that mentions supernatural forces. The authors play with the unnameable and unmentionable; there are no cheap scares or easy answers. The complex setups lead to satisfying payoffs that leave readers intrigued and shaken, as good horror is meant to do. This satisfying collection is a welcome addition to the genre. (Sept.)