Thirteen is a lucky number for Series XIII, for some of the best horror tales of the last thirteen years were published in time to make this volume. As Karl Edward Wagner says, “I sifted through to find stories that hold the power to chill readers’ imagination—whether through icy terror or with a disquieting shiver. Here are the eighteen stories from 1984 that best succeeded in evoking a mood of horror.”Here is Stephen King, of Pet Semetary fame, with one of his scariest, Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut.Here is Ramsey Campbell, of Incarnate, with Watch the Birdie, a shocker.Here are Charles L. Grant, Dennis Etchison, and Gardner Dozois and a dozen more tellers of terrors!This is the Thirteenth!

HORRORS GALORE!“Wagner has done his work well, and DAW deserves the thanks of horror readers, and librarians catering to them, for keeping this anthology going, its price low, and its quality high”So comments the American Library Association’s Booklist about this series, and this latest volume will uphold their estimate. Once again Karl Edward Wagner has probed the horror tales of the past year and come up with a headsman’s basket of spine-chilling goodies.Among the authors you will find: Ramsey Campbell, Dennis Etchison, Michael Kube-McDowell, Manly Wade Wellman, M. John Harrison, Sheila Hodgson, and many more.All sure to give you the willies! Don’t try reading them all at one sitting!

OF CLANKING CHAINS, EERIE HOWLS, AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT...Karl Edward Wagner, a master at unearthing the most haunting tales of terror created by his fellow practitioners in the dark art of freezing your blood, has, with this new collection of THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES, come up with a truly unforgettable gallery of ghoulish delights.From a man dangerously bespelled by the merest glimpse of a beautiful, mysterious woman... to a child who can only watch helplessly as, one by one, his family begins to disappear... to a co-ed beset by eerie memory lapses on a college campus where Death teaches one final course... to an invitation to a Halloween ceremony where being the guest of honor means being the guest of horror... here are nineteen magnificent chillers by brilliant new talents and such acclaimed authors as Tanith Lee, Charles Grant, Ramsey Campbell, Dennis Etchison, and William Nolan.

THE UNIQUE ANNUAL OF WEIRD TALES“I’ve always thought that the short story was the ideal format for spooky fiction. While there are no more magazines like Weird Tales or Unknown, the publisher of DAW Books remains true to the tradition. THE YEAR’S BEST HORROR STORIES anthology seems destined to become as important a fixture as the old magazines were. The latest one indicates a healthy level of craftsmanship and imaginative fertility in a field which has so few outlets for budding writers."So wrote Don Hutchison in his review of the previous collection. This year continues the high tradition with a spine-chilling selection by the series’ new editor, the well-known writer of fantastic adventure, Karl Edward Wagner. The eighth annual includes favorite writers as: HARLAN ELLISON, RUSSELL KIRK, CHARLES L. GRANT, EDDY C. BERTIN, HUGH B. CAVE, RAMSEY CAMPBELL, and many more!

They lurk in the shadows, preying upon humans, body and soul, haunting both dreaming and waking hours, leading the unwary down deceptive, twisting pathways to the very home and heart of Evil. They are the creations of this year’s masters at the fine art of terror, unforgettable tales that will have you starting at the slightest unexplained sound, and glancing over your shoulder, fervently hoping to find nothing there. Once again, Karl Edward Wagner has courageously prowled the dark alleyways of fright fiction to bring to you truest chillers of the year.From a Halloween haunting even spooks would fear to attend ... to a young glamour girl who learns far too late just how "draining" stardom can really be ... to a relic of the past which reveals almost too much about the future, here are eighteen compelling excursions into the many realms of horror by today's newest talents and such top tale-weavers as Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Charles L. Grant, and Dennis Etchison.

Horror stories have always fascinated the imagination, and those which stir the most terror are by far the most eagerly read. And this collection once again brings together the finest fright-filled tales from the most skilled purveyors of ice for the veins. Here, selected by master craftsman Karl Edward Wagner, are fifteen sleep-destroying potions—from a man's haunting encounter with a long-buried madness ... to a writer lured to a rendezvous with destiny by his bizarre fascination with a deadly ancient ritual—by Ramsey Campbell, Dennis Etchison, Harlan Ellison, Gardner Dozois, M. John Harrison, and their fellow brewers of nightmare visions.

Continuing the tradition of selecting the finest gooseflesh stories of the last year, DAW's annual anthology is unique. This year, as last year, the selection has again been made by the master of the terror tale, Karl Edward Wagner. Some comments from reviews of his previous volume are quoted:"The tales are of uniformly high quality. A first choice for fear."—Kliatt"An admirably compact and economical way of achieving an overview of contemporary horror fiction. It includes occult, supernatural, and what might be called realistic horror. The average quality of the stories is high . . ."—A.L.A. Booklist"Meaty, taut, and crackling with nervous energy."—Los Angeles Times"When the editor is Karl Edward Wagner you can be sure that the net is cast wide . . . Good, solid, well-crafted—you can apply all the adjectives that Karl's writing attracts to his anthology. Don't miss it."—British Fantasy Society Bulletin"Each story is a classic case of horror, guaranteed to give shivers and make you lose sleep."—Spaceship PRK, Orlando, Florida

You are now holding Series XII, nineteen stories representing the cream of the crop of 1983’s harvest of horrors. This collection is the result of a year’s work, of reading through hundreds of stories published in books and magazines of all descriptions from the United States and Europe in order to select the best of the best. Many of the top authors in the horror genre are represented here, but alongside them you will find exceptional work from new and unfamiliar writers ...Virtually all types of horror fiction are represented here: traditional, New Wave, historical, contemporary, psychological, science fiction, mainstream. The only criterion for selection was excellence. The Year’s Best Horror Stories is intended for the novice horror fan as well as the jaded sophisticate, and Series XII is the latest collection of the very best for those readers who expect the very best.

“... THE JUICIEST BLOODFEST, THE MOST IRONIC CONTE CRUEL, THE SUBTLEST EVOCATION OF WISPY HORROR.”—Washington Post Book WorldReturn, if you dare, to the dark realms of terror with intrepid guide Karl Edward Wagner as he once again seeks out the most fear-inspiring tales of the year. Cower in horror as Jack the Ripper reaches out from the grave to take bloody vengeance on a rock band ... even as a “retired” serial killer experiences the perfect end to a perfect life ... while an injured woman receives a blood transfusion only to find she has lost control of her will ... and a garbage dump spawns a malignant new breed of life—or death ...Join Dennis Etchison, Ramsey Campbell, Wayne Allen Sallee, T.E.D. Klein, Lisa Tuttle, and their fellow masterminds of the macabre on this year’s unforgettable, chill-packed journey into the heart of the horrific!

TERRIFYING STORIES THAT WILL LEAVE YOU SHUDDERING AT EVERY BARELY GLIMPSED SHADOW— Once again, Karl Edward Wagner has dared to prowl where many fear to tread, seeking out the finest tales of terror by such masters of malice and mayhem as Ramsey Campbell and Ed Gorman—haunting and harrowing legends calculated to strike fear in the hearts of even the most stalwart readers. A photographer whose obsession with images may bring to life trouble beyond his wildest fantasies.... A couple caught up in an ancient ritual that offers the promise of unending health, but at a price that may prove far too high.... A woman whose memory may be failing her with the passing years—or for a far more unnatural reason.... These are just three of the provocative, imagination-grasping stories included in this year’s ghoulish gallery.

FROM ANCIENT HORRORS TO THE BIRTH OF NEW PERILS—Blood will tell in this latest fright-filled brood of chillers. From a midnight rendezvous with unspeakable doom ... to eerie visitors from beyond the grave ... to a May Day festival of renewal and ruin ... to a nightmare vision with a monstrous life of its own ... welcome to these sixteen excursions into dread and darkness, an unforgettable tour of terror under the expert guidance of Karl Edward Wagner.Here is your one-way ticket to the many dwelling places of fear, mansions of madness erected by such masters as Stephen King, Charles Grant, Ramsey Campbell, Dennis Etchison, Jane Yolen, and Jack Dann.