Laughing at Shadows

If, as editor Reistroffer (who previously put together the Dark Little Dreams anthology) notes in his introduction, horror writing and humor writing are opposite sides of the same coin, then the 12 darkly comic stories in this diverting anthology give that coin a playful flip. Reistroffer’s selections are enjoyably varied and run horror’s gamut from vampiric monsters to more psychological chills. Andrew Johnston’s “Overdue Notice” is told through a succession of increasingly threatening overdue book notices from a library. Santiago Eximeno similarly plays with form in “Your Diabolical Baby,” which reads as a what-to-expect-when-you’re-expecting–style instructional guide for mothers with evil infants on the way. Other standouts include Sean Logan’s “The Night Stockers,” which turns a virus-run-amuck scenario into a gonzo romp, and C.L. Raven’s “Dying Art,” which is narrated by an aesthetically inclined serial killer who fashions the remains of his victims into objets d’art. A handful of these tales lean too heavily on absurdism and fall flat, but the best amplify the outrageousness inherent in horror fiction to great comic effect. Horror fans on the hunt for lighter fare will be pleased. (Mar.)