THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR

Another mammoth and eclectic collection of 44 tales and six poems drawn from 1991's short-format output. And, though there's no shortage of gore for splatterpunk fans, it's no coincidence that the most effective stories here are also among the most understated: Robert Holdstock and Garry Kilworth's scholarly, ironic quest for immortality, ``The Ragthorn''; Nancy Springer's evocation of an ancient cat goddess; a quietly eerie tale of strange visitors from Stephen Gallagher; Gloria Ericson's abused wife and her eventual retaliation; Joanne Greenberg's theft of memories by hell's denizens; and, in a decidedly different vein, Pat Cadigan's end-of-the-world/vampire yarn. Also on the agenda: black-market adoptions, aliens, angels, Robin Hood, more vampires, obsessions, swordsmen, boxing, succubi, mermaids, body parts, Peter Pan, musicians, packages, Russian monsters, deathbirds, Santa, predatory children, mutilation, several fable/fairy tales, blood, magic realism, dinosaurs, evil machines, racism, devils, and more. Add on the useful roundups of 1991's fantasy and horror in general, and the upshot is indispensable for fantasy/horror short- story enthusiasts. Pity the price tag has left orbit and was last seen heading for Mars.