Shadow Atlas

This ambitious, high-concept horror anthology of 42 short stories and poems, plus interspersed “case files,” claims to reveal the truth behind the folklore, myths, and legends of the Americas compiled by a private league of explorers. It’s a fun concept, though it ultimately bogs down the volume, with lengthy interstitial material needed to put each piece in perspective—including directives, letters, emails, and maps. This is a shame, as the works themselves are spectacular. The atmospheric “The Man Who Wasn’t There” by Betty Rocksteady, about a nursing student who dreams of suffocating her pediatric patients, takes readers deep into exhaustion and dread. Gerardo Horacio Porcayo’s “The Hollow Place,” a powerful prose poem about an ancient Mesoamerican pyramid, is a brilliant depiction of the temporality of man. Jimena Jurado’s terrifying masterpiece “Waay Chivo,” translated from the Spanish by Julia Rios, sees the eponymous Mayan cryptid descend on the town of Coajomulco. The whole promises a rewarding experience for those with the patience to deal with the extra bells and whistles. (Mar.)