THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF WORLD HORROR STORIES VOL. 1 edited by James D. Jenkins & Ryan Cagle
"For this groundbreaking volume, the first of its kind, the editors of Valancourt Books have scoured the world, reading horror stories from dozens of countries in nearly twenty languages, to find some of the best contemporary international horror stories. All the foreign-language stories in this book appear here in English for the first time, while the English-language entries from countries like the Philippines are appearing in print in the U.S. for the first time."
Pilar Pedraza, 'Mater Tenebrarum' (Spain)
Flavius Ardelean, 'Down, in Their World' (Romania)
Anders Fager, 'Backstairs' (Sweden)
Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)
Frithjof Spalder, 'The White Cormorant' (Norway)
Jose María Latorre, 'Snapshots' (Spain)
Luigi Musolino, 'Uironda' (Italy)
Martin Steyn, 'Kira' (South Africa)
Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)
Lars Ahn, 'Donation' (Denmark)
Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)
Cristina Fernández Cubas, 'The Angle of Horror' (Spain)
Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)
Elisenda Solsona, 'Mechanisms' (Catalonia)
Michael Roch, 'The Illogical Investigations of Inspector André Despérine' (Martinique)
Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)
Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)
Marko Hautala, 'Pale Toes' (Finland)
Yvette Tan, 'All the Birds' (Philippines)
Ariane Gélinas, 'Twin Shadows' (Québec)
Flore Hazoumé, 'Menopause' (Ivory Coast)
"A collection of translated horror from around the world. In the introduction, it explains that many great horror stories are missed due to lack of funding for translation in indie presses. So Valancourt invested a lot of time and energy to bring the best indie collection of translated horrors. There are so many unique stories in this collection. Indie has always pushed the boundaries which is what I loved much about it. I’m so happy I got to read stories from other parts of the world with this collection and I hope to see more from some of my favorites." @shereadshorror
"As someone who has very recently fallen in love with short stories during these long months in quarantine, this beautiful anthology was a real treat. THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF WORLD HORROR STORIES is an assemblage of chilling tales from nineteen countries, translated from thirteen different languages, and packaged in this stunning edition.
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I really have to commend Valancourt Books for all the work, care, and love that went into this amazing book. There was clearly a mission to focus solely on horror from non-English speaking countries, stories usually only enjoyed by their local audiences and yet to be introduced to readers such as myself. Valancourt really searched the hidden crevices of the globe in order to find these horror gems that varied in style and culture." @the_wandering_reader
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I really have to commend Valancourt Books for all the work, care, and love that went into this amazing book. There was clearly a mission to focus solely on horror from non-English speaking countries, stories usually only enjoyed by their local audiences and yet to be introduced to readers such as myself. Valancourt really searched the hidden crevices of the globe in order to find these horror gems that varied in style and culture." @the_wandering_reader
"It was so interesting to get pulled into the various worlds from dozens of countries all over the world. Creating Horror folklore is such an innately human trait I was just completely fascinated, creeped out, and excited to dive into this collection.
My favorites:
Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)
Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)
Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)
Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)
Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)
Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)
Between funding, translating and publishing this collection and reissuing some of the most rare and sought after Paperbacks From Hell, Valancourt forever has my loyalty as a reader."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @thehorrorhypothesis
My favorites:
Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)
Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)
Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)
Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)
Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)
Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)
Between funding, translating and publishing this collection and reissuing some of the most rare and sought after Paperbacks From Hell, Valancourt forever has my loyalty as a reader."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @thehorrorhypothesis
As a fan of all things horror, The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories checked all of my boxes and more. Reading through these stories, you can feel the time, effort and energy that Valancourt put into finding and translating these stories. I never would have read or even known about these authors if it weren’t for Valancourt putting in the legwork. For me, this book gets five stars with an asterisk. The asterisk noting that if you are the type of reader who only likes one single type of horror and you don’t like to venture out beyond that, this book may not be for you. I mean, we all know readers who will read a psychological horror, for example, and then complain that they don’t normally read that and then they give a low rating because it’s not a slasher. If that’s you, stick with slashers. If, on the other hand, you are the type of reader who likes to expand your knowledge of horror fiction and likes to get your scares in varying ways, this book is for you.
If you are unsure where to begin in your horror journey, this anthology will bring you some stories from all over the world without having to put on a mask or leave your house to experience. As true with most collections and anthologies, not every story is a 5 star smash hit... but that does not mean that each story did not unnerve me, bother me, or scare me in one way or another with varying degrees. You can expect to be entertained by every story in these pages for sure! Fans of international horror or literature will eat these stories up and I definitely recommend this for yourself or to gift to others! Just think of ALL the horror stories around the world we still have no concept of... and all the new scares that await! 4⭐! @findingmontauk1
THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF WORLD HORROR STORIES (vol. 1) is a horror anthology featuring stories from all over the world. They’ve been translated into English, so horror-obsessed people like myself finally get a chance to enjoy them.
The @night_worms review team received paperback copies months ago, so I took my sweet time reading through it all. And while I certainly have my favorites, I think every story is at least four stars, some are five, and a couple of them are in the “all the stars” category. @shereadswithcats
The @night_worms review team received paperback copies months ago, so I took my sweet time reading through it all. And while I certainly have my favorites, I think every story is at least four stars, some are five, and a couple of them are in the “all the stars” category. @shereadswithcats
I decided to read this anthology over a period of several weeks instead of back to back. I would pick up the book, read a story, and set it down for a while. I believe that this greatly increased my overall enjoyment of the collection. Like any anthology, I liked some stories better than others but there were quite a few standouts for me.
𝘚𝘦ñ𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪 by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico)
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 by Christien Boomsma (Netherlands)
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 by Yvette Tan (Philippines)
𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘴 by Elisenda Solsona (Catalonia)
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Attila Veres (Hungary)
There is truly something for every fan of horror in this book. No matter the type of horror you love most, you will find something to enjoy in the pages of this excellent anthology. @teamredmon
𝘚𝘦ñ𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪 by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico)
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 by Christien Boomsma (Netherlands)
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 by Yvette Tan (Philippines)
𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘴 by Elisenda Solsona (Catalonia)
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Attila Veres (Hungary)
There is truly something for every fan of horror in this book. No matter the type of horror you love most, you will find something to enjoy in the pages of this excellent anthology. @teamredmon
Horror isn’t exclusive to one country, one language, or one culture. It’s world wide. No matter where you’re from, you may have been exposed to a few pieces of horror from other countries, but I’d be willing to be that even if you’ve read translated works, the average reader isn’t doing so with much frequency.
That’s where valencourt books comes in. They’ve scoured the globe to bring you translations of horror stories from all over the world.
There really is something for everyone here. The book is labeled as volume one, and I really hope that Valancourt continues with this excellent premise, and that the execution can remain top notch. PICK THIS ONE UP @steelrainreviews
That’s where valencourt books comes in. They’ve scoured the globe to bring you translations of horror stories from all over the world.
There really is something for everyone here. The book is labeled as volume one, and I really hope that Valancourt continues with this excellent premise, and that the execution can remain top notch. PICK THIS ONE UP @steelrainreviews
"This anthology features 21 translated horror stories from countries other than the usual USA or UK. That is the whole premise of the book… bringing horror stories from other countries to broaden our horror loving horizons. Was it successful? Yes and no.
🌍 Of these 21 stories, 12 were from European countries. There were 3 from Africa, 2 from North America, 2 from South America and 1 story from Asia. This imbalance is unsettling, especially considering 4 of the European stories are from Spain. Perhaps Valencourt will provide more stories from non-european countries in the subsequent volumes. I thought the sub-genres explored were diverse. My top 3 alone cover bizarro, witchcraft and psychological. Other stories include cosmic horror, parallel dimensions, ghosts, demons and oddly enough birds. There was even dark humor.Overall, I give this anthology 4 stars! I’d recommend it, but don’t expect much geographical diversity." @mrsbeverlygibbs
🌍 Of these 21 stories, 12 were from European countries. There were 3 from Africa, 2 from North America, 2 from South America and 1 story from Asia. This imbalance is unsettling, especially considering 4 of the European stories are from Spain. Perhaps Valencourt will provide more stories from non-european countries in the subsequent volumes. I thought the sub-genres explored were diverse. My top 3 alone cover bizarro, witchcraft and psychological. Other stories include cosmic horror, parallel dimensions, ghosts, demons and oddly enough birds. There was even dark humor.Overall, I give this anthology 4 stars! I’d recommend it, but don’t expect much geographical diversity." @mrsbeverlygibbs
"There is something so special about international horror, IMO. It just seems a little more creepy and sinister than the “regular” American horror I’m used to reading. I feel like their folklore tends to be darker. It dives into places that I’ve never read before. It gives me the cold chills, but the ones you feel deep in your soul. But there is always something lost in translation. I feel like the majority of the stories suffered because of this. Like we lost some of the feeling and emotions meant to come through in its original language. My number one favorite was the first one in the book, UIRONDA. It’s written by an Italian author 🥰, @luigi_musolino_82so I might be a little biased 😂 I really felt the main character’s despair. It was just amazing. I’m even contemplating learning more Italian and reading more of his work in its original language. Unfortunately this collection fell under the “I disliked most of the stories” category for me. Either way I’m really excited and curious to see what other international horror stories @valancourtbooks releases.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 @marcyreads
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 @marcyreads
Usually when you read an anthology of horror stories they tend to be similar in some way, and you've heard of a few of the authors.This was not the case for The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories!
The thing tying these stories together is what made this a highly anticipated read for me: all but one of the stories in this collection have been translated into English for the first time! Valancourt did an excellent job tracking down and translating these works and I appreciated how it wasn't an anthology of only men. There's 9 stories by women! Some of the stories didn't work for me, but that's typical for an anthology. There's a story for all readers of horror and strange fiction though: everything from ghosts to creepy children to pure evil beings.
Definitely would recommend picking this book up!
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars and I'm looking forward to seeing what the folks at Valancourt find for volume 2! @readswithdogs
The thing tying these stories together is what made this a highly anticipated read for me: all but one of the stories in this collection have been translated into English for the first time! Valancourt did an excellent job tracking down and translating these works and I appreciated how it wasn't an anthology of only men. There's 9 stories by women! Some of the stories didn't work for me, but that's typical for an anthology. There's a story for all readers of horror and strange fiction though: everything from ghosts to creepy children to pure evil beings.
Definitely would recommend picking this book up!
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars and I'm looking forward to seeing what the folks at Valancourt find for volume 2! @readswithdogs
What an interesting experience this was. The book is an anthology of horror stories from various authors in several different countries around the world. Each and every story in this book was so different from the others, I had to pick it up and put it down quite a few times to really allow myself to absorb and reflect on every story I read. I cannot imagine the amount of work it must have been to collect all of these pieces unless you were already familiar with some of the authors' work. As with most anthologies, not every story worked for me but, some of them I adored. If I had to narrow it down to three favorites, I would say that The Time Remaining by Attila Veres from Hungary, The Collector by Tanya Tynjala from Peru and Senor Ligotti from Mexico would be my choices. All three of these stories were so different and all unlike anything I have ever read. If I had not been given a copy for review, I can't honestly say that I would have ever found these authors on my own.
Thank you to @valancourtbooks for introducing me to some new to me names in this genre that I love so much and to @nightworms for setting up this party.
🖤🖤🖤.5/🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 @keelyfuse85
Thank you to @valancourtbooks for introducing me to some new to me names in this genre that I love so much and to @nightworms for setting up this party.
🖤🖤🖤.5/🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 @keelyfuse85
"I have to applaud the editors at Valancourt for the immense time and effort it must have taken to not only comb the globe for great stories, but to also translate them for this book. The magnitude of such an endeavor is overwhelming to me. Luckily it was all worth it as this is a fantastic collection of horrifying short stories from around the world!
The stories vary widely in their plots and the type of horror they contain, so there is truly something for everyone here. It was exciting reading this collection as each new story also introduced me to a new author, many of whom I would love to read more from. As with all anthologies there are hits and misses, but overall this is a solid group of entertaining and terrifying tales!!
Some stand outs for me are:
“Mater Tenebrarum” by Pilar Pedraza (Spain)
“The Time Remaining” by Attila Veres (Hungary)
“Señor Ligotti” by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico)
“The Bones in Her Eyes” by Christien Boomsma (Netherlands)
“All the Birds” by Yvette Tan (Philippines) 4 Stars! @reading.vicariously
The stories vary widely in their plots and the type of horror they contain, so there is truly something for everyone here. It was exciting reading this collection as each new story also introduced me to a new author, many of whom I would love to read more from. As with all anthologies there are hits and misses, but overall this is a solid group of entertaining and terrifying tales!!
Some stand outs for me are:
“Mater Tenebrarum” by Pilar Pedraza (Spain)
“The Time Remaining” by Attila Veres (Hungary)
“Señor Ligotti” by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico)
“The Bones in Her Eyes” by Christien Boomsma (Netherlands)
“All the Birds” by Yvette Tan (Philippines) 4 Stars! @reading.vicariously
There are 21 tales in this anthology, almost all of them making their translated to English debut. So much work went into assembling this book, I have to tell you--the weight of importance carries over to the reader. I am horribly ignorant of anything outside of American horror so I went into this book with excitement and an eagerness for a new experience.
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My favorite stories were also the most memorable to me long after I read them--the other stories have all faded a bit.
DOWN, IN THEIR WORLD by Romanian Flavius Ardelean was this unusual mash-up of subterranean/folklore that worked well for me
The body horror of Finn Marko Hautala’s PALE TOES
THE COLLECTOR with Greek mythology vibes by Tanya Tynjälä
BACKSTAIRS by Swedish author Anders Fager was unsettling and scary
I think most people will mention, THE TIME REMAINING by Attila Veres a weird, psychological horror story about a toy that is...well, dying. I could see this as a film.
I just want to thank Valancourt for this anthology and encourage readers to buy this for their horror collection. I feel these World Horror volumes will inform our understanding of horror and serve to enhance our love of the genre more fully. @mother.horror
DOWN, IN THEIR WORLD by Romanian Flavius Ardelean was this unusual mash-up of subterranean/folklore that worked well for me
The body horror of Finn Marko Hautala’s PALE TOES
THE COLLECTOR with Greek mythology vibes by Tanya Tynjälä
BACKSTAIRS by Swedish author Anders Fager was unsettling and scary
I think most people will mention, THE TIME REMAINING by Attila Veres a weird, psychological horror story about a toy that is...well, dying. I could see this as a film.
I just want to thank Valancourt for this anthology and encourage readers to buy this for their horror collection. I feel these World Horror volumes will inform our understanding of horror and serve to enhance our love of the genre more fully. @mother.horror
First of all, what a labor of love! The amount of time, love and effort put into this anthology can be FELT in each page. High praise to James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle for putting this together.
Each story is translated from a non English speaking language from countries all over the world! Wow, being able to experience horror in other countries was magical. I love the dark, melancholic feel of the collection as a whole.
Every story transported me somewhere new and I enjoyed the ride. If you're looking for jump scare, gory horror, you won't find that here. Instead, I'd describe these stories as beautiful and enchanting taking you on a journey to experience horror in faraway places. @spookishmommy
Each story is translated from a non English speaking language from countries all over the world! Wow, being able to experience horror in other countries was magical. I love the dark, melancholic feel of the collection as a whole.
Every story transported me somewhere new and I enjoyed the ride. If you're looking for jump scare, gory horror, you won't find that here. Instead, I'd describe these stories as beautiful and enchanting taking you on a journey to experience horror in faraway places. @spookishmommy
