Evermore

Of the several Poe-themed horror anthologies published in recent years, this volume comes closest to evoking the streak of morbid curiosity that was Poe's unique contribution to weird fiction. The 16 stories (12 original to the book) run the gamut from period pastiche to modern reinterpretation of concepts in Poe's writing. Fred Chappell, in "The White Cat," sees a skeleton key for unlocking the enigma of Poe's obscure prose poem Eureka in mysterious events that might have taken place in Poe's last days of life. F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre's "The Clockwork Horror" blends science fiction and horror for an exceptional speculative backstory to Poe's essay on clever robotics, "Maelzel's Chess-Player." Steve Rasnic Tem, in "The Masque of Edgar Allan Poe," and Joel Lane, in "All Beauty Sleeps," both effectively distill obsessions and passions of Poe's classic characters into the experiences of tragic contemporary everymen. Not all the contents measure up to the quality of these selections, but most show an imaginative ferment lacking in more derivative competitors. (Oct.)