Torn Realities

Torn Realities, edited by Paul Michael Anderson, collects nineteen stories written in the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft. The contributors are mostly contemporary writers who draw on Lovecraft's fascination with dangerous knowledge and the sense that people are cut loose from the everyday world.

Rather than centering only on the familiar Cthulhu mythos, the anthology widens its scope. Several tales feature creatures that existed long before humanity and unsettling beings whose minds are beyond comprehension, and the gods in these stories are kept general rather than tied to one set of myths. The stories also seek the gray areas of horror, following ordinary people who find themselves in unusual and frightening situations.

The lineup includes Clive Barker's Rawhead Rex, a widely recognized classic of horror, alongside work from JW Schnarr, Jamie Lackey, C. Deskin Rink, Philip Roberts, C.M. Saunders, Brad Carter, Kathryn Board, James S. Dorr, Gerard Houarner, Kenneth W. Cain, Joseph Williams, Mitch Richmond, Lee Davis, Matt Moore, Jessica McHugh, Bob Mustin, Jeff Suess, and Allie Marini Batts.