‘Lo! He Abhors Not the Virgin’s Womb’ by Robert Shearman

Selected by Gaynor Jones

To my shame I only discovered Shearman’s short fiction a couple of years ago as part of a horror fiction course, but ‘horror’ doesn’t even begin to describe his work. I’ve never read pieces so disturbing, or so utterly affecting. The ‘ghosts’ that haunt the edges of this particular festive story are varied and many – the eerie balloon friends, the stable family members trapped in stasis between life and death, and even the lost Christmas traditions of ‘the old times.’ If that sounds like an odd mix, then it is, and I haven’t even mentioned the disappointing return of Jesus Christ or the snow that burns your skin on landing. I highly recommend seeking out this incredibly dark alternative Christmas tale.

Collected in We All Hear Stories In The Dark Volume III, 2020

You can read Gaynor Jones’s own Personal Anthology and other contributions here

‘Granny’s Grinning’ by Robert Shearman

Rob Shearman is one of the only people on the planet whose stories consistently surprise, shock, delight, horrify and nauseate me all at the same time. ‘Granny’s Grinning’, I’m loathe to say, made me throw up in my mouth a little, which will no doubt make Rob’s day. It’s only because what came before in the tale was simply a normal domestic family Christmas story that just happened to have a suit that could turn you into a real life zombie. Then, when Granny gets vocal, the tale goes from amusing to all-out horrifying and, once read, it’ll never be forgotten.

First published in The Dead That Walk, Ulysses Press, 2009. Collected in Remember Why You Fear Me, ChiZine, 2012