The Doll Collection

Book excerpt: A treasure trove of all-new stories exploring the dark side of dolls, puppets, mannequins and more—featuring Joyce Carol Oates, Jeffrey Ford and others. The seventeen original stories in this anthology feature everything from life-sized clockwork dolls to all-too-human Betsy Wetsy-type baby dolls. Moving past the cliches of the doll trope, each one delves into the uncanny creepiness of these bizarrely lifelike objects. Master anthologist Ellen Datlow has assembled a menagerie of beautifully terrifying stories from critically acclaimed authors such as Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Pat Cadigan, Tim Lebbon, Richard Kadrey, Genevieve Valentine. The collection is illustrated with photographs of dolls taken by Datlow and other devoted doll collectors from the science fiction and fantasy field. The result is a star-studded collection exploring one of our most primal fears. Stories in this anthology by: Stephen Gallagher, Joyce Carol Oates, Gemma Files, Pat Cadigan, Lucy Sussex, Tim Lebbon, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Stephen Graham Jones, Miranda Siemienowicz, Mary Robinette Kowal, Richard Bowes, Genevieve Valentine, Richard Kadrey, Veronica Schanoes, John Langan, Jeffrey Ford