''Shadows'' was a series of horror

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

edited by Charles L. Grant, published by Doubleday from 1978 to 1991. Grant, a proponent of "quiet horror", initiated the series in order to offer readers a showcase of this kind of fiction. The short stories appearing in the ''Shadows'' largely dispensed with traditional Gothic settings, and had very little physical violence. Instead, they featured slow accumulations of dread through subtle omens, mostly taking place in everyday settings. While Grant himself was very adept at this kind of fiction, he contributed no stories to the anthologies, writing only the introductions and author profiles. The first volume in the series won the

World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...

Anthology Contents

Shadows (first volume)

Published by Doubleday, 1978 *"Naples"

Avram Davidson Avram Davidson (April 23, 1923 – May 8, 1993) was an American writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche. He won a Hugo Award and three World Fantasy ...

(Winner of the

World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...

) *"The Little Voice"

Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...

*"Butcher's Thumb" William Jon Watkins *"Where All the Songs Are Sad" Thomas F. Monteleone *"Splinters" R. A. Lafferty *"Picture"

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime fiction, crime, psychological horror fiction, horror and Fantasy Fiction, fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and ...

*"The Nighthawk"

Dennis Etchison Dennis William Etchison (March 30, 1943 – May 29, 2019) was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction.

*"Dead Letters"

*"A Certain Slant of Light" Raylyn Moore *"Deathlove" Bill Pronzini *"Mory" Michael Bishop *"Where Spirits Gat Them Home" John Crowley *" Nona"

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

Shadows 2

Published by Doubleday, November 1979 *"Saturday's Shadow" William F. Nolan *"Night Visions"

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, as well as an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, the majority being as editor or c ...

*"The Spring"

Manly Wade Wellman Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 – April 5, 1986) was an American writer. While his science fiction and fantasy stories appeared in such pulps as '' Astounding Stories'', '' Startling Stories'', ''Unknown'' and '' Strange Stories'', Wellman i ...

*"Valentine" Janet Fox *"Mackintosh Willie"

*"Dragon Sunday"

Ruth Berman Ruth Berman is an American writer of weird science fiction and speculative poetry. In 2003, she won the Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem. She was also the winner of the 2006 Dwarf Stars Award for her poem ''Knowledge Of''. In 1973, she was a ...

*"The White King's Dream" Elizabeth A. Lynn *"The Chair"

Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghost ...

and

Jane Cozart Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name including list of persons and characters with the name * Jane (surname), related to the given name including list of persons and characters with the name Film and television * ''Jan ...

*"Clocks"

Barry N. Malzberg Barry Nathaniel Malzberg (July 24, 1939 – December 19, 2024) was an American writer and editor, most often of science fiction and fantasy. Life and career Early life and family Malzberg originated from a Jewish family and graduated from Syra ...

and Bill Pronzini *"Holly, Don't Tell" Juleen Brantingham *"The Old Man's Will" Lee Wells *"The Closing Off of Old Doors" Peter D. Pautz *"Dead End"

Richard Christian Matheson Richard Christian Matheson (born October 14, 1953) is an American writer of horror fiction and screenplays, the son of fiction writer and screenwriter Richard Matheson. He is the author of over 100 short stories of psychological horror and magi ...

*"Seasons of Belief" Michael Bishop *"Petey" T. E. D. Klein

Shadows 3

Published by Doubleday, November 1980 *"The Brown Recluse"

Davis Grubb Davis Alexander Grubb (July 23, 1919 – July 24, 1980) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his 1953 novel ''The Night of the Hunter (novel), The Night of the Hunter'', which was The Night of the Hunter (film), adapt ...

*"To See You With, My Dear" Bruce Francis *"Avenging Angel"

Ray Russell Ray Russell (September 4, 1924 – March 15, 1999) was an American editor and writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays. Russell is best known for his horror fiction, although he also wrote mystery and science fiction stories. His most ...

*"The Ghost Who Limped" R. Chetwynd-Hayes *"Janey's Smile" Juleen Brantingham *"Opening a Vein"

& Bill Pronzini *"The Partnership" William F. Nolan *"Wish Hound" Pat Murphy *"Ant" Peter D. Pautz *"Tell Mommy What Happened" Alan Ryan *"At the Bureau"

Steve Rasnic Tem Steve Rasnic Tem (born 1950) is an American author. He was born in Jonesville, Virginia. Rasnic attended college at Virginia Tech, and also at Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned a B.A. in English education. In 1974, he moved to Colorado ...

*"Cabin 33"

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (born September 15, 1942) is an American writer. She is known for her series of historical horror novels about the vampire Count Saint-Germain. Biography Yarbro was born in Berkeley, California. She attended Berkeley sch ...

( Count Saint-Germain series)

Shadows 4

Published by Doubleday, 1981 *"

The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the 1982 horror anthology '' Shadows 4'', edited by Charles L. Grant. It was collected in '' Skeleton Crew'' in 1985. Plot summary At a p ...

*"Yours, -Guy" Robert F. Young *" The Belonging Kind"

John Shirley John Shirley (born February 10, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of horror, fantasy, science fiction, noir fiction, westerns, and songwriting. He has also written one historical novel, a western about Wyatt Earp, ''Wyatt in Wichita'', and ...

and

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

*"Calling Collect"

and Arthur L. Samuels *"Hearing is Believing"

*"Threshold" Deirdre L. Kugelmeyer *"A Visit to Brighton" Alan Ryan *"Echoes from a Darkened Shore" Cherie Wilkerson *"The Blue Chair"

Tabitha King Tabitha "Tabby" Jane King ( Spruce, born March 24, 1949) is an American author. Early life Born in Old Town, Maine, Tabitha King is the third eldest daughter of Sarah Jane Spruce (née White; December 7, 1923 – April 14, 2007) and Raymond ...

*"Meow"

Tanith Lee Tanith Lee (19 September 1947 – 24 May 2015) was a British science fiction and fantasy writer. She wrote more than 90 novels and 300 short stories, and was the winner of multiple World Fantasy Society Derleth Awards, the World Fantasy Lifetime ...

*"The Giveaway"

*"Need"

Lisa Tuttle Lisa Gracia Tuttle (born September 16, 1952) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. She has published more than a dozen novels, seven short story collections, and several non-fiction titles, including a reference book on fem ...

*"Waiting for the Knight" Beverly Evans *"Under My Bed" Al Sarrantonio *"The Hour of Silhouette" Juleen Brantingham *"Snow, Cobwebs, and Dust" John Keefauver *"The Spider Glass"

( Count Saint-Germain series)

Shadows 5

Published by Doubleday, October 1982 *"The Gorgon"

*"Stone Head"

*"Pieta" Alan Ryan *"Boxes" Al Sarrantonio *"And I'll Be with You By and By" Avon Swofford *"Dark Wings"

Phyllis Eisenstein Phyllis Eisenstein (February 26, 1946 – December 7, 2020) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award. Early life Eisenstein was born Phy ...

*"Estrella" Terry L. Parkinson *"Singles" Marta Randall *"The Piano Man" Beverly Evans *"Following the Way" Alan Ryan *"Renewal"

( Count Saint-Germain series)

Shadows 6

Published by Doubleday, October 1983 *"We Share" Lori Negridge Allen *"The Appearances of Giorgio" Leslie Alan Horvitz *"The Touch" Wayne Wightman *"Sneakers"

Marc Laidlaw Marc Laidlaw is an American writer. He is a former lead writer for the video game company Valve, where he worked on the ''Half-Life'' series before his departure in 2016. Before joining Valve, Laidlaw was a novelist working in the fantasy and ...

*"Reunion"

*"By the Hair of the Head" Joe R. Lansdale *"Dreams" Elisabeth Erica Burden *"Crutches"

*"Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie"

Pat Cadigan Patricia Oren Kearney Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is a British-American science fiction author, whose work is most often identified with the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and short stories often explore the relationship between the human ...

*"Cold Heart" Peter D. Pautz *"Peppermint Kisses" Jesse Osburn *"A Last Testament For Nick and the Trooper"

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...

*"Marianna" Melissa Mia Hall *"The Man With Legs" Al Sarrantonio *"The Silent Cradle" Leigh Kennedy *"But At My Back I Always Hear"

David Morrell David Morrell (born April 24, 1943) is a Canadian-American author whose debut 1972 novel ''First Blood (novel), First Blood'', later adapted as the 1982 First Blood, film of the same name, went on to spawn the successful Rambo (franchise), ''Ra ...

Shadows 7

Published by Doubleday, November 1984 *"Mrs Clendon's Place" Joseph Payne Brennan *"Stillwater, 1896"

Michael Cassutt Michael Joseph Cassutt (born April 13, 1954) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. His notable TV work includes producing or writing, or both, for '' The Outer Limits'', '' Eerie, Indiana'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', and '' ...

*"The Haunting" Susan Casper *"Daddy" Earl Godwin *"Seeing the World"

*"Three Days"

*"Still Frame"

Jack C. Haldeman II Jack Carroll "Jay" Haldeman II (December 18, 1941 – January 1, 2002) was an American biologist and science-fiction writer. He was the older brother of SF writer and MIT writing professor Joe Haldeman. Biography Jack Haldeman studied environ ...

*"Talking in the Dark"

Dennis Etchison Dennis William Etchison (March 30, 1943 – May 29, 2019) was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction.

*"A Matter of Taste"

Parke Godwin Parke Godwin (January 28, 1929 – June 19, 2013) was an American writer. He won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 1982 for his story " The Fire When It Comes". He was a native of New York City, where he was born in 1929. He was the ...

*"Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darlin'"

*"Decoys" Jere Cunningham *"Rapture" Melissa Mia Hall *"The Storm"

*"I Shall Not Leave England Now" Alan Ryan

Shadows 8

Published by Doubleday, October 1985 *"The Shadow of the Hawk"

Nina Kiriki Hoffman Nina Kiriki Hoffman (born March 20, 1955, in San Gabriel, California) is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror writer. Profile Hoffman started publishing short stories in 1975. Her first nationally published short story appeared in ' ...

*"Do I Dare to Eat a Peach"

*"The Blind Man" Jessica Amanda Salmonson *"A Demon in Rosewood" Sharon Webb *"Blood Gothic" Nancy Holder *"The Pooka" Peter Tremayne *"Everything's Going to Be All Right" Gene DeWeese *"Cycles" Kim Antieau *"The Tuckahoe" Nancy Etchemendy *"Between the Windows of the Sea"

*"The Battering"

*"Toy" Bill Pronzini *"The Man Who Loved Water"

Craig Shaw Gardner Craig Shaw Gardner (born July 2, 1949) is an American author, best known for producing fantasy parodies similar to those of Terry Pratchett. He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of Hero ...

*"Sand" Alan Ryan *"The Blue Man" Terry L. Parkinson *"Wish" Al Sarrantonio *"A Night At the Head of the Grave" Thomas Sullivan

Shadows 9

Published by Doubleday, October 1986 *"The Jigsaw Girl"

Stephen Gallagher Stephen Gallagher (born 13 October 1954) is an English screenwriter and novelist. Gallagher was born in Salford, Greater Manchester and attended Eccles Grammar School, then graduated from the University of Hull with Joint Honours in Drama and En ...

*"The Lesson" Christopher Browne *"On the Turn" Leanne Frahm *"Moving Night" Nancy Holder *"Sanctuary" Kim Antieau *"Now You See Me" Sheri Lee Morton *"The Fishing Village of Roebush" Leslie Alan Horvitz *"Icarus" Galad Elflandsson *"Ants"

*"Nor Disreguard the Humblest Voice"

Ardath Mayhar Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar (February 20, 1930 – February 1, 2012) was an American writer and poet. Mayhar wrote over 60 books ranging from science fiction to horror to young adult to historical to westerns. Some of her novels appeared under p ...

*"The Skins You Love to Touch" Janet Fox *"Walk Home Alone"

*"The Father Figure" Terry L. Parkinson *"An Ordinary Brick House" Joseph Payne Brennan *"Overnight" Lou Fisher *"The Last Time I Saw Harris" Galad Elflandsson *"Tavesher" Peter Tremayne *"Bloodwolf"

Shadows 10

Published by Doubleday, October 1987 *"Jamie's Grave"

*"Apples" Nina Downey Higgins *"A World Without Toys" T. M. Wright *"Law of Averages" Wendy Webb *"The Fence" Thomas Sullivan *"Moonflower" Melissa Mia Hall *"Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming" Bob Leman *"The Finder-Keeper" Ken Wisman *"Just a Little Souvenir" Cheryl Fuller Nelson *"Like Shadows in the Dark"

*"Office Hours" Douglas E. Winter *"We Have Always Lived in the Forest" Nancy Holder *"Just Like Their Masters" Mona A. Clee *"Pigs" Al Sarrantonio

Final Shadows

Published by Doubleday, September 1991 *"The Boarder" Wendy Webb *"Magpie"

*"Fastening" Julie R. Good *"Past Tense" Brian Hodge *"Under the Boardwalk" Lori Negridge Allen *"The Picnickers" Brian Lumley *"Fry Day" Melanie Tem *"Out Behind the Shed" Bill Pronzini *"Fear a' Ghorta" Peter Tremayne *"The Sweetest Rain" Nancy Holder *"Wrong Side of the Road" Norman Partridge *"Island of the Seals" Samantha Lee *"Thirteen Lies About Hummingbirds" Michael Bishop *"The Stone Face"

Colin Greenland Colin Greenland (born 17 May 1954) is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best-known novel is '' Take Back Plenty'' (1990), winner of both major British science ficti ...

*"Medusa's Child" Kim Antieau *"The Tape" Jessica Palmer *"The Dark Places In Between" Karen Haber *"I'll See You On Saturday Night" Guy N. Smith *"Beijing Craps"

Graham Masterton Graham Masterton (born 16 January 1946, in Edinburgh) is a British author known primarily for horror fiction. Originally editor of ''Mayfair'' and the British edition of '' Penthouse'', his debut novel, ''The Manitou'', was published in 1976. T ...

*"Sarnain" Bernard Taylor *"The Mermaid"

*"Rescheduled" Mike Chinn *"Going Away"

*"A Father's Dream"

Chet Williamson Chet Williamson is the author of nearly 20 books and over 100 short stories published in ''Esquire'', ''The New Yorker'', ''Playboy'', and many other magazines and anthologies. Biography Chet Williamson was born and raised in Elizabethtown, Penn ...

*"The Magic House" Lynn S. Hightower *"When They Gave Us Memory"

Dennis Etchison Dennis William Etchison (March 30, 1943 – May 29, 2019) was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction.

*"A Sailor's Pay" Jack Cady *"Something About Camilla" Juleen Brantingham *"Parallax" Nicholas Royle *"The Door" Sharon Webb *"Photo-Call" David Sutton *"Against the Skin" Mark Morris *"Of Natural Causes" Ashley McConnell *"Mulberry's Crystal" Brian Mooney & Stephen Jones *"Together" David S. Garnett *"The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadows (Anthology) Fantasy anthologies Fantasy books by series Horror anthologies Publications established in 1978 Publications disestablished in 1991 1978 anthologies 1979 anthologies 1980 anthologies 1981 anthologies 1982 anthologies 1983 anthologies 1984 anthologies 1985 anthologies 1986 anthologies 1987 anthologies 1991 anthologies Doubleday (publisher) books World Fantasy Award–winning works