A Different Darkness and Other Abominations

Though all set in Musolino’s native Italy, the 11 stories in this outstanding collection, most translated into English for the first time, feature horrors that resonate far beyond national borders. Several are worked up from folk themes, among them “Les Abominations des Altitudes,” about mythical Alpine creatures that lure mountaineers to a terrifying fate, and “The Carnival of the Stag Man,” in which two men hunt a godlike creature from the prehistoric past. “Pupils,” a variation on the story of the Pied Piper, tells of an ancient “lord of dust” who poisons children with awareness of the hopelessness of their futures. Common to all are profound moments of existential dread when characters are plunged from their ordinary world into one of disorienting uncertainty and despair. The masterful “Lactic Acid” does this best: a jogger takes an unfamiliar shortcut and ends up trapped outside his former reality. American horror readers are sure to welcome this powerful voice. (Nov.)