3.0
Blood and Other Cravings
ByPublisher Description
When we think of vampires, an image instantly arises: fangs sunk deep into the throat of the victim. But bloodsucking is merely one form of vampirism. For this brilliantly original anthology, multiple award-winning editor Ellen Datlow solicited stories from many of the most powerfully dark voices in contemporary horror, who conjure tales that will chill readers to the marrow.
In addition to the traditional fanged creatures, Datlow presents stories about the leeching of emotion, the draining of the soul, and other dark deeds of predation and exploitation, infestation, and evisceration . . . tales of life essence, literal or metaphorical, stolen.
Seventeen stories by such acclaimed authors as Elizabeth Bear, Richard Bowes, Kathe Koja, Margo Lanagan, Carol Emshwiller, and Lisa Tuttle redefine the terror of vampirism.
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3.0
“Supposedly a collection of stories about vampirism, however, not all actually are about vampires. As the title suggests the stories are all about some form of blood craving making it a unique collection. Most of the authors were new to me. A solid collection of stories which for the most part I really enjoyed.
1. All You Can Do is Breathe by Kaaron Warren - A man is buried in a mine accident and hailed a hero as a survivor. Down there he was visited by the long man who pinched his nose, now he's terribly cold. Ok. Didn't make a lot of sense. (3/5)
2. Needles by Elizabeth Bear - A vampire couple arrives in the town of Needles as one wants to get a tattoo to see if it will change her back. This was beautifully written. Plus, it's a great story. (5/5)
3. Baskerville's Midgets by Reggie Oliver - An actor tells of his stay at a theatre boardinghouse when a troupe of performing midgets arrive. I don't particularly care for theatre stories but this was well told and I liked the ending. (3/5)
4. Blood Yesterday, Blood Tomorrow by Richard Bowes - Hmm, an intricate plot concerning vampire collectables dealers who have taken a cut. But much more than that. This would make a fantastic book. It is incredibly atmospheric and makes one want to know more. (4/5)
5. X for Demetrious - This begins with an author's note explaining the true event the story is based on. After reading I had to Google to find out about the real story. So, here, we have a man obsessed with vampires stalking him. This becomes so profound he doesn't leave his home or eat anymore. Unfortunately, I did not like the writing style at all. I also found the story simple and predictable. I found my mind wandering while reading. (2/5)
6. Keeping Corky by Melanie Tem - A mentally challenged woman thinks of her 15-year-old son whom she gave up for adoption. She still thinks of him as a baby and she thinks that if she concentrates hard enough she can make things happen. Then she gets bad news about Corky. Well written. Not a bad story but a little boring. (3/5)
7. Shelf-life by Lisa Tuttle - A woman finds her childhood dollhouse in her father's attic. She gives it to her daughter and she starts acting strange. I like this author a lot and as usual, she writes a great story. Not her best but still good. (4/5)
8. Caius by Bill Pronzini & Barry N Malzberg - A man is a lauded radio talk show host. This builds up until we're shown the truth at the end. It is a very short, well-told tale with a questionable end. (3/5)
9. Sweet Sorrow by Barbara Roden - A couple who live next door to a missing girl catches Brian's attention. They seem to be getting younger surrounded by the sorrow. Predictable but utterly entertaining story. (4/5)
10. First Breath by Nicole J LeBoeuf - Someone is sent out to find themselves. The rest would be spoilers. A strange but touching story. (4/5)
11. Toujours by Kathe Koja - Gianfranco raises a boy up to be a world-famous fashion designer. Then he meets a woman unlike all the others. They have a battle of the wills to see who will win the fashion designer. (3/5)
12. Miri by Steve Rasnic Tem - A man starts seeing the world without colour. Then he starts hallucinating and losing time. He then starts having visions of an old college girlfriend until he can't tell reality from the visions. (3/5)
13. Mrs. Jones by Carol Emshwiller - Two middle-aged sisters live together one-upping each other until one of them finds a bat-like creature in the orchard. This was a very well-written story. Fun with a twist ending. My favourite so far. (5/5)
14. Bread and Water by Michael Cisco - I have no idea what is happening here. Something with a disease and/or experiment. (0/5)
15. Mulberry Boys by Margo Lanagan - A man comes to the village and takes a young man, the narrator, with him to catch a Mulberry Boy. Just what a Mulberry Boy is and what they are for follows. A bit of a revenge story as a young man tries to make his village a better place. Wonderful storytelling. (5/5)
16. The Third Always Beside You by John Langan - Siblings have thought for over a decade now that their father had an affair. Gert finds out the truth from Auntie V. Nothing supernatural until the last paragraph. Longer story than others and is very well told. (4/5)
17. The Siphon by Laird Barron - A man working for Roache Industries is a part-time agent for the NSA. He takes a group to look at some real estate and they are attacked. A very long story. Great storytelling and characterization. I enjoyed this a lot. (4/5)”
“https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/46138.Ellen_Datlow is one of the leading editors in the horror game and after almost three decades collecting accolades, she's once again in fine form in Blood and Other Cravings, her latest release with Tor Books.
Although the title could be misleading, the book is not really about vampires, but about the plethora of ways in which humans can desire, crave and love; how they can be needed and, ultimately, how they can sometimes serve as a nothing more than that which satisfies a hunger. The volume contains eighteen tales and all the stories, while staying true to the cohesive element of the collection, are wide-ranging in subject matter, atmosphere and style.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by https://www.horrordna.com/books/blood-and-other-cravings-book-review .”
About Ellen Datlow
was editor of Sci Fiction, the multi award- winning fiction area of scifi.com, for almost six years. Previously, she was fiction editor of
for over seventeen years. She has won the World Fantasy Award seven times, two Bram Stoker Awards, the International Horror Guild Award, the 2002 and 2005 Hugo Award, and the 2005 Locus Award, for her work as an editor. Sci Fiction won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Website. Datlow and Windling are the co-editors of over eleven original anthologies and of seventeen volumes of
.
Other books by Ellen Datlow
Kaaron Warren
Shirley Jackson Award winner Kaaron Warren has published five novels and seven short story collections. She’s sold two hundred short stories to publications big and small around the world and has appeared in Ellen Datlow’s Year’s Best anthologies. Her novel
won three major Australian genre awards. She has lived in Melbourne, Sydney, Fiji, and Canberra; her most recent works are “The Deathplace Set” in
, and
, a novella. Warren won the inaugural Mayday Hills Ghost Story Competition.
Other books by Kaaron Warren
Elizabeth Bear
ELIZABETH BEAR was the recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2005, and is the author of The Eternal Sky trilogy, including
and
. She has won two Hugo Awards for her short fiction, a Sturgeon Award, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Bear lives in Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Other books by Elizabeth Bear
Reggie Oliver
Reggie Oliver is, is an actor, director, playwright, illustrator, and award-winning author of fiction. Published works include six plays; three novels; an illustrated children’s book
; nine volumes of short stories, including
, winner of
; and a biography of the writer Stella Gibbons. His stories have appeared in over one hundred anthologies, and four “selected” editions of his stories have been published. His newest volume of tales,
, was published by Tartarus Press in 2021.
Other books by Reggie Oliver
Richard Bowes
Richard Bowes has, over the last thirty-five years, published several novels, four short story collections, and eighty-plus stories. He has won two World Fantasy Awards and the Lambda, Million Writers, and International Horror Guild Awards for his work.
Other books by Richard Bowes
Steve Duffy
Steve Duffy lives and works in North Wales; his most recent collection of stories,
, was published by Sarob Press in 2023. A winner of the International Horror Guild’s short story award and the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novelette, he’s written for publications in the United States and the UK.
Other books by Steve Duffy
Melanie Tem
Melanie Tem, British Fantasy and World Fantasy Award–winning author, passed away in 2015. The most important of her short stories are collected in
. Tem’s other works include her last novel,
, and a recent collection of her plays and poetry,
.
Other books by Melanie Tem
Lisa Tuttle
Lisa Tuttle is an American-born writer living in Scotland. Her first novel,
written in collaboration with George R. R. Martin, was published in 1981. Her most recent novel,
is the third in a series of supernaturally tinged mysteries set in 1890s London. She has published several short story collections, including her latest,
Find her at www.facebook.com/lisatuttlewriter.
Other books by Lisa Tuttle
Bill Pronzini
's novel
received the Grand Prix de la Littérature Policière as the best crime novel published in France in 1988.
was nominated for best crime novel of 1997 by both the Mystery Writers of America and the International Crime Writers Association. In addition to six Edgar Award nominations and one win for
, Pronzini has received three Shamus Awards, two for best novel and the Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the author of the Nameless Detective novels, the longest-running private investigator series currently in print, which includes the award-winning entries
and
. He lives in northern California with his wife, the crime novelist Marcia Muller.
Other books by Bill Pronzini
Barry N. Malzberg
Barry N. Malzberg is the author of more than thirty science fiction novels and hundreds of short stories, as well as several thrillers and erotic novels under his own name and various pseudonyms. He won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his 1972 novel,
. His 1982 collection of critical essays,
, was a major contribution to the field of science fiction.
Other books by Barry N. Malzberg
Barbara Roden
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Barbara Roden is a World Fantasy Award–winning editor and publisher whose short stories have appeared in numerous publications. A collection of her stories,
, was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, while the title story was nominated for the Bram Stoker, International Horror Guild, and World Fantasy Awards. She is also an award-winning journalist and since 2018 has been the mayor of Ashcroft, British Columbia, where she has lived since 1997.
Nicole J. LeBoeuf
Nicole J. LeBoeuf is a New Orleanian writer of short speculative fiction and poetry appearing in such venues as
and the anthology
. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and their adorably criminal rabbit. Her not-so-secret superhero identity is skater Fleur de Beast with Boulder County Roller Derby. Find her online at nicolejleboeuf.com
Other books by Nicole J. LeBoeuf
Kathe Koja
Kathe Koja is a writer and producer based in Detroit. Her work includes
, and
Other books by Kathe Koja
Steve Rasnic Tem
Steve Rasnic Tem is a winner of the Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, and British Fantasy Awards. He has published five hundred short stories in his decades-long career. Some of his best are collected in
,
, and
. You can find him at www.stevetem.com.
Other books by Steve Rasnic Tem
Carol Emshwiller
Carol Emshwiller grew up in Michigan and in France and for many years divided her time between New York and California. Her stories appeared in literary and science fiction magazines for over forty years and were published in a number of critically acclaimed collections including
and
. Emshwiller’s work has been honored with two Nebula Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention. She was also the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant and two literary grants from New York State. She died in 2019.
Other books by Carol Emshwiller
Michael Cisco
Michael Cisco is the author of many novels, including
, the International Horror Guild Award winner for Best First Novel; Shirley Jackson nominee
;
; and
, as well as the Bram Stoker–nominated nonfiction book
. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, and his most recent collections are
and
. He is the author of two novellas:
and
He lives in New York City.
Margo Lanagan
Margo Lanagan has published two dark fantasy novels,
and
, with a third to come in 2023. She has also published several short story collections, including
, and collaborated with Scott Westerfeld and Deborah Biancotti on the
–bestselling young adult superheroes trilogy,
. She is a four-time winner of the World Fantasy Award and has won nine Aurealis and five Ditmar Awards. Lanagan teaches through the Faber Writing Academy and mentors writers through the Australian Writers Mentoring Program. She lives in Sydney.
Other books by Margo Lanagan
John Langan
John Langan is the author of two novels and five collections of stories. For his work, he has received the Bram Stoker and This Is Horror Awards. He is one of the founders of the Shirley Jackson Awards. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his family and certainly not too many books.
Other books by John Langan
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