“…THE JUICIEST BLOODFEST, THE MOST IRONIC CONTE CRUEL, THE SUBTLEST EVOCATION OF WISPY HORROR.”—Washington Post Book World

Return, if you dare, to the dark realms of terror with intrepid guide Karl Edward Wagner as he once again seeks out the most fear-inspiring tales of the year. Cower in horror as Jack the Ripper reaches out from the grave to take bloody vengeance on a rock band… even as a “retired” serial killer experiences the perfect end to a perfect life… while an injured woman receives a blood transfusion only to find she has lost control of her will… and a garbage dump spawns a malignant new breed of life—or death…Join Dennis Etchison, Ramsey Campbell, Wayne Allen Sallee, T.E.D. Klein, Lisa Tuttle, and their fellow masterminds of the macabre on this year’s unforgettable, chill-packed journey into the heart of the horrific!OPEN THE CREAKING DOOR OF TERROR AND ENTER A WORLD WHERE FEAR IS YOUR ONLY COMPANION…A kid’s camping supplies turn out to be not quite what the catalog advertised…A pulp writer’s imagination really gets the better of him…A suburban dog-run turns out to be an exercise in terror…A juror’s identification with a convicted murderer becomes more than simple sympathy…TRAVEL INTO REALMS WHERE NIGHTMARES LURK AT EVERY CORNER. THE ONLY TOUR-GUIDE YOU’LL NEED IS…THE YEAR’S BEST HORROR: XXII