Shivers VI

This sixth more or less annual mix of reprint and original stories celebrates some of the best and brightest talents who contribute regularly to Chizmar's genre-leading magazine Cemetery Dance. Stephen King tops the list with "The Crate," a darkly funny monster-on-the rampage tale rarely reprinted since its first publication in 1979. Lisa Tuttle's "Bits and Pieces" is a deft and disturbing fantasia on the battle of the sexes, and Peter Straub's novella "A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter" is a grim tale whose stand-alone incarnation was named one of 2010's best books by PW. The other 18 stories, which include work by Glen Hirshberg, Melanie Tem, Brian Hodge, and David B. Silva, run the gamut from supernatural terror to psychological suspense, and from subtle dark fantasy to violence and gore. The uniformly high quality of writing makes this volume a must for any horror fan. (May)