Best New Paranormal Romance
Anthology of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Tales About Lovers
Love, romance, and the supernatural mingle in this excellent collection of short stories.
Editor: Paula Guran
ISBN-13: 978-0-8095-5653-3
312 Pages
$12.95 U.S.
You won’t find any weak, indecisive, young maidens pursued by darkly sardonic men with chiseled features in these pages. This particular collection highlights a dozen new paranormal romance short stories by some of today’s top science fiction and fantasy writers.
A New Twist on Romance
The stories were chosen from fantasy and literary publications, and from fantasy, literary, and romance anthologies by editor Paula Guran. According to the introduction, to qualify for inclusion the stories had to feature a new twist on a romantic relationship between two entities (not necessarily human or male/female), contain some supernatural elements, expose a dark secret of some kind, and have a satisfying conclusion, although happily-ever-afters are not required here. In fact, many of these stories have a darker, creepier version of what “happy” and “ever after” actually mean to the characters.
Some of the most memorable stories in Best New Paranormal Romance include: Elizabeth Bear’s “Follow Me Light,” which describes a woman able to see unusual auras surrounding people; Catherine Asaro’s “The Shadowed Heart,” a passionate tale centering around a burned-out star fighter pilot and a young teacher; Heather Shaw’s “Single White Farmhouse,” a comical story about a promiscuous home and its reluctant inhabitants; Deborah Coates’ “Magic in a Certain Slant of Light,” which portrays a deeper meaning of magic in romantic relationships; and Sandra McDonald’s “Fir Na Tine,” a quirky tale about one woman's craving for fiery men throughout her life. Stories by authors Claudia O’Keefe, Delia Sherman, Jane Yolen, Elizabeth Hand, Rebecca York, Sarah Prineas, and John Grant are also included in the anthology. The stories end with a blurb about each author detailing their numerous awards and publication credits.
Subgenre of Romance
For non-purist lovers of romantic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, or horror who are willing to explore new story ideas, Best New Paranormal Romance offers a delicious taste of this subgenre of romance. Ranging from demure to explicit and from whimsical to disturbing, these short stories represent a wide variety of styles and subject matter.
The selections include both male and female points of view, and focus strongly on the supernatural elements rather than mushy love scenes, making this collection suitable for paranormal fiction lovers of both sexes. Although some occasional overlaps exist within the stories – wounded soldiers, animal transformations, good witches, and overactive shrubbery – each contains its own unique story and characters sure to win over new readers of paranormal romance.
To learn about paranormal films, read Stephen King's 1408 Now on DVD, Shadow of the Vampire, and F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu.
