Body Shocks. Edited by Ellen Datlow
Tachyon Publications, 2021

Review by Warner Holme: Ellen Datlow’s Body Shocks is a collection of stories in, as the title implies, the body horror genre. This can be a difficult genre for many readers, and short and long the stories in this book definitely are not for the faint of heart. More than two dozen stories, it’s a pack collection with a relatively wide variety of material.

Cassandra Khaw’s “The Truth That Lies Under Skin and Meat” is a series of priced statements relating to a woman considering her life and the obsessions which meat brings to mind for her. There are very short sections, each headed by a good or service and associated with a particular cost (although a number of the costs are “free”) and the objects themselves each lead into the following text exploring the situation more thoroughly. 

While there are brief sections questioning the issue of nature versus nurture, it is a minor element in this story. Instead the study twisting development of a woman’s homicidal impulses, and how they relate to the possibly supernatural aspects of this story. Specifically, on a number of occasions the lead is described as transforming physically, and while this is not the main aspect of the story it most definitely creates an additional atmosphere of oppression and instability. The way that the situations are described, and the mention of triggers early on, bring interesting questions of control to this tale.

“The Old Women Who Were Skinned” is Carmen Maria Machado’s addition to this anthology. Told matching the same manner of a fairy tale, it details the lives of two elderly women who cannot help but use skins to their advantage, and attract the attention of an emperor. Like most good fairy tales it includes its share of the impossible, including the presence of fairies themselves.

While taking the form of a fairy tale, it is very much an old-style one. There is visceral gore and unambiguous sex within a brief word count. There is a clear and explicit message related to vanity involved, although there are certainly other themes which might be extracted. Nobility get away with crimes they should not, and the ending happens to be anything but happy. It is a nice little story, likely to turn the stomach and twist the heart.

In addition to a wonderful introduction by the author, wearing a she explains her logic and thought processes in creating this collection, each story is preceded by a nice little paragraph discussing the author. These are always appreciated, simultaneously giving a little context to the story and providing an easy jumping on point for readers who want more material from that writer. 

A special note should be given on the interior design by John Coulthart. In addition to a gorgeously disturbing cover, everything from the table of contents to the pages following each story feature images of and related to the human body which remain anywhere from unsettling to downright nausea inducing. Given a certain lack of unity can exist in any anthology regardless of theme, this design work and art is an excellent tool to help connect the pieces to one another.

Overall Body Shocks is easy to recommend to readers who enjoy this kind of horror. There are a large number of pieces with a great variety of style. One shouldn’t enter it with a weak stomach, nor a faint heart. Still for fans of this subject matter, or those who enjoy Ellen Datlow’s work and can handle trying the material, there is bound to be enjoyed.

(Tachyon, 2021)