Poe's Children: The New Horror: An Anthology

Edited by legendary horror writer Straub, whose works tend to vary from the stereotypical horror stories of recent decades, this collection of 12 unusual and terrifying tales strays from the formulaic bloodbaths that stock the shelves of bookstores everywhere. The collection features stories by such established writers as Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Carroll, Straub and Stephen King, whose early story “The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet” is read by John Lee with such earnestness and delight that it makes fans remember why they fell in love with King's prose to begin with. It also offers plenty of fresh voices in the genre. The cast of narrators is equally expansive, with a new voice tackling each new tale and always managing to get it right. A true standout is Mark Bramhall's reading of Dan Chaon's story “The Bees.” A Doubleday hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 8). (Oct.)