NIGHT VISIONS 11

The latest volume in this distinguished horror anthology series marks the first time that all three contributors have offered single novellas for their 30,000-word blocks of previously unpublished fiction. Each is an exceptional addition to its author's body of work and a fine example of how horror invites the blending of elements from other genres to yield imaginatively original hybrids. Kim Newman extends his long-running series on the paranormal adventures of secret agent Richard Jeperson and the Diogenes Club in "Swellhead," an architectural boggle of pop music references, '60s television programming, James Bond movies, subtle political commentary and nods to Jules Verne. Tim Lebbon's "In Perpetuity" morphs the horror tale into a quest fantasy with its account of a loving father challenged by an eerie curio collector to bring him "proof of love" in exchange for his kidnapped son. "Hands Up! Who Wants to Die?" by Lucius Shepard is a perfect piece of hardboiled supernatural noir that might have been written by Jim Thompson were Thompson partial to Everglades settings and plots involving "witches and spacemen and scum of the earth." It bodes well for future volumes that all three writers are from the generation that hit its creative stride in the 20 years since the series was inaugurated. Their stories are not likely to resolve the long-running debate whether the novel or short story is the better vehicle for the horror tale, but they will give readers deciding for themselves much entertaining food for thought. (Dec. 16)