Australian Science Fiction (“Ditmar”) Awards 2024 FINALIST in the “Best Collected Work” category
“A spooktacular book that chills and thrills.” – The Book Muse
“This thrillingly subversive anthology of horror-aligned short stories will be a delightful pick for many genre fans.” – Elaine Chennatt for Aniko Press
With stories nominated for The British Science Fiction Association Awards, the Aurealis Awards, and Australasian Shadows Awards!
Curated by Katya de Becerra and Narrelle M. Harris,
This Fresh Hell presents stories by:
A.J. Vrana, Annie McCann, C. Vonzale Lewis, Candace Robinson, Chuck McKenzie, Claire L. Smith, Claire Low, Clare E. Rhoden, Elle Beaumont, Eugen Bacon, Gillian Polack, Greg Herren, Jason Franks, Katya de Becerra, L.J.M. Owen, Narrelle M. Harris, Raymond Gates, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Sarah Robinson-Hatch, Tansy Rayner Roberts.
A driver picks up a hitchhiker from the side of a road; a family moves in to a house that may be haunted; a visit to the cabin in the woods goes terribly wrong…
We all know how those stories end – or do we? In This Fresh Hell, every story begins with a well-known horror trope but ends with a twist, bringing new life and unexpected resolutions to old ideas. Our fears are interrogated, ghosts re-examined, and monsters reconfigured. Emerging and established authors from around the world reignite and subvert horror tropes in 19 wholly original, genre-bending stories.
Among these unexpected tales, a Slender Man is sent to offer help to a boy in trouble; a restorer develops an unusual bond with a cursed doll; a heartbroken influencer has her mettle tested aboard a luxurious cruise from hell; a haunted house hesitates to terrify its new residents… Ranging from the chilling to the quirky, these stories will appeal to dedicated horror fans as well as those dipping their toes into the genre for the first time.
Awards and Honours
Paperweight by Eugen Bacon & Clare Rhoden LONGLISTED for The British Science Fiction Association Awards (BSFA)
The Dark Man, by Referral by Chuck McKenzie is a FINALIST for the Aurealis Awards in the BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY category
After I Found Her by Claire Low is SHORTLISTED for 2023 Australasian Shadows Awards (Australasian Horror Writers Association) in the BEST LONG FICTION category