The Best Horror of the Year. Volume 4

A Weird Writer in our Midst: Early Criticism of H. P. Lovecraft edited by S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press) includes obituaries by his friends; analyses and discussion of his work in the letter columns of Weird Tales and Astounding Stories; criticism from the fan world of the 1930s and 1940s; and more. The Writing Family of Stephen King: A Critical Study of the Fiction of Tabitha King, Joe Hill and Owen King by Patrick McAleer (McFarland & Company) includes a bibliography and index. H. P. Lovecraft: Letters to James F. Morton edited by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press) contains a series of letters between Morton and Lovecraft written over a period of ten years, despite an inauspicious beginning. Morton wrote a critical article responding to a Lovecraft rant about race. The book includes correspondence, samples of Morton’s essays, plus memoirs about Morton by his friends and colleagues. Dim-Remembered Stories: A Critical Study of R. H. Barlow by Massimo Berruti (Hippocampus Press) is about an acolyte of Lovecraft’s who wrote dozens of fantasy and horror short stories and volumes of poetry. Berruti analyzes Barlow’s themes of cosmicism, time, and irony. An Epicure in the Terrible: A Centennial of Essays in Honor of H. P. Lovecraft edited by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press) is an update of the 1991 edition of thirteen essays and a biographical introduction by S. T. Joshi. Citations to Lovecraft’s work have been updated and some of the essays have been slightly revised. A Monster of Voices: Speaking for Lovecraft by Robert H. Waugh (Hippocampus Press) is a collection of essays about the influence of WWI on “The Rats in the Wall,” Lovecraft’s relationship to Robert Bloch and Fritz Leiber, the influence of Roman literature and history on Lovecraft, and other subjects. The volume contains several essays never before published.