num_pages: 666
description: This colossal collection of truly original horror and nonsupernatural suspense proves that the contemporary horror genre is alive and kicking--with enough talented heirs to keep it breathing for many years to come. Here the well-known masters of the macabre--Stephen King, Bentley Little, Ramsey Campbell--join up with those who deserve to be: P.D. Cacek, who chills us to the bone with her disturbing story, "The Grave"; and Michael Marshall Smith, author of a one-of-a-kind mathematical horror story, "The Book of Irrational Numbers." Exceptionally different in style, the common denominator of these 29 never-before-published short stories is their ability to haunt and terrify. As editor Al Sarrantonio states in his introduction, "if it scares you, that's it." Worthy stand-outs in this massive fear factory are Joyce Carol Oates's quasi-gothic tale, "The Ruins of Contracoeur," the sorrowful tale of a family forced into exile because of the patriarch's fall from grace. "Not ten days following the upheaval of our lives, ... Father, disgraced and defeated, uprooted his family from the state capital to live in the ruin of Cross Hill, his grandfather's estate in the foothills of the Chautauqua Mountains." Despite its classic horror style, Oates's contribution is very much set in the contemporary world of computers and high technology, and for 13-year-old Graeme Matheson, losing access to the Internet is almost as disturbing as the faceless man who haunts him at night. F. Paul Wilson (The Barrens and Others, The Tomb) contributes the book's most traditional vampire story, "Good Friday." Vampires have taken over Europe, and America seems about to suffer the same fate. The nuns of a New Jersey Catholic school quickly realize that no amount of holy water can save them from the undead. Over 650 pages, a quarter of a million words, and enough adrenaline rushes to keep the average horror reader up for nights, 999 is dark decadence indeed . --Naomi GesingerCONTENTSAmerikanski Dead At The Moscow Morgue by Kim NewmanThe Ruins of Contracoeur by Joyce Carol OatesThe Owl and the Pussycat by Thomas M. DischThe Road Virus Heads North by Stephen KingKeepsakes And Treasures: A Love Story by Neil GaimanGrowing Things by T.E.D. KleinGood Friday by F. Paul WilsonExcerpts from the Records of The New Zodiac and the Diaries of Henry Watson Fairfax by Chet WilliamsonAn Exaltation of Termagants by Eric Van LustbaderItinerary by Tim PowersCatfish Gal Blues by Nancy A. CollinsThe Entertainment by Ramsey CampbellICU by Edward LeeThe Grave by P.D. CacekThe Shadow, The Darkness by Thomas LigottiKnocking by Rick HautalaRio Grande Gothic by David MorrellDes Saucisses, Sans Doute by Peter SchneiderAngie by Ed GormanThe Ropy Thing by Al SarrantonioThe Tree Is My Hat by Gene WolfStyx And Bones by Edward BryantHemophage by Steven SpruillThe Book OF Irrational Numbers by Michael Marshall SmithMad Dog Summer by Joe R. LansdaleThe Theater by Bentley LittleRehearsals by Thomas F. MonteleoneDarkness by Dennis L. McKiernanElsewhere by Willam Peter Blatty
language: English
title: 999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense
titlecomplete: 999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense
genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery, Thriller, Collections, Anthologies, Horror, Fantasy, Supernatural, Suspense
ratings_count: 3436
awards: awardedAt: 915177600000
name: Bram Stoker Award
category: Anthology, awardedAt: 946713600000
name: World Fantasy Award
category: Best Anthology
publisher: Avon Books