Fears: Tales of Psychological Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow, is a collection of unsettling stories that dig deep into the darker sides of the human mind. With contributions from authors like Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Graham Jones, and Josh Malerman, the book explores fear in all its forms—from creepy relationships to the terrifying thoughts we keep hidden. Some stories are more unsettling than others... yaay, but each one leaves an impression. If you enjoy psychological horror that lingers with you long after reading, this anthology is a must.

This book pulls you in fast, keeps you guessing, and leaves you thinking about it long after the last page. Every moment feels deliberate, every twist hits just right, and somehow, it’s exactly the story you didn’t know you needed. By the end, you won’t just have read it—you’ll have *felt* it.

Fears by Ellen Datlow is a collection of horror stories from renowned authors, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. While the first story had a promising spark of horror, the rest failed to deliver the same impact. Some were so dull that I had to DNF them, which is disappointing considering Datlow’s reputation for curating compelling anthologies.

I have read her earlier works and found them engaging, but this collection lacked the thrill and tension necessary for good horror. The stories didn’t evoke fear or suspense, making them feel flat and uninspired. I was hoping for eerie, spine-chilling narratives, but instead, many felt tedious and forgettable. A few had interesting concepts but lacked execution, making the overall experience underwhelming. If you’re a hardcore horror fan, this might not satisfy your craving for terror. I expected more, and sadly, this one didn’t deliver. The book deserves 3 stars.

Compelling anthology, with Margo Lanagan's "Singing My Sister Down" a stand-out highlight. Datlow's always been a great horror short story editor, nothing's changed here!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This is a collection of short stories that deal with deep seated fears. Not of irrational things, but of the most rational, supposedly, thing out there, people and what people can do to each other. Humanity is supposed to be joyus and peaceful, but Sartre had it right, hell is other people and this collection exemplifies that.

Oh, my. Psychological horror, indeed.

The author list alone is pretty impressive. Josh Malerman, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Graham Jones. And some new (to me) authors that I fell in love with- Priya Sharma, Hailey Piper, Livia Llewellyn. If you're looking for horror that leaves you with the unrelenting need to scrub and scrub and scrub your skin because you just can't quite get rid of the stench, this is your book.

4 stars. All the trigger warnings. Seriously.

This is the second or third time I've requested one of these collections and I'm sure it will be the last. It's the authors I know that attract me, and while I do enjoy some of the stories (usually by those same authors I was looking for) there's a lot more to wade through that I don't enjoy. Ultimately, I think a collection of 21 stories is overwhelming and it is hard to remember most of the details about individual stories. This book would be better for a reader looking for something to pick up once in a while rather than read all the way through.

Standouts in this collection were A Sunny Disposition by Josh Malerman, Back Seat by Bracken McLeod, My Mother's Ghost by Priya Sharma, Cavity by Theresa Delucci and Teeth by Stephen Graham Jones.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC.

Fears: Tales of Psychological Horror has 21 stories. The last one is an out of print story by SGJ, which may have been the main reason I picked this up. There are some other fantastic stories in here as well though! Loved discovering new authors that I want to read more of.

My favourites were Bait by Simon Westwick, A Sunny Disposition by Josh Malerman, Back Seat by Bracken McLeod, My Mother's Ghosts by Priya Sharma & Teeth by SGJ.

Ellen Datlow’s anthology Fear: Tales of Psychological Horror is a chilling journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind, offering a masterclass in what psychological horror can achieve. With contributions from renowned authors such as Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, and Josh Malerman, this collection delivers a rich and varied exploration of terror grounded in the complexities of human relationships and emotions.

The anthology’s strength lies in its diversity—both in themes and voices. Each story presents a unique facet of fear, from the oppressive weight of familial dysfunction to the haunting consequences of betrayal and violence. These tales strip away the comforting veneer of the supernatural to reveal the visceral horrors of human behavior. Whether it’s a parent’s unspeakable sacrifice, a toxic game with deadly stakes, or the unraveling of a family trapped in a nightmare, the stories force readers to confront the unsettling truth that the scariest monsters often live among us.

Hard to beat a collection of stories by so many talented authors! Definitely recommend for fans of psychological horror.

Once again I absolutely love collections. Especially when they’re in the horror genre. A particular fav of mine is psychological horror and/or thriller. This was an interesting and chaotic ride from start to finish. I never knew what was coming next!

Had to quit reading after dark. Lots of great authors here. Amazing shorts. Absolutely loved this one

This book is an anthology of psychological horror stories. For some there may be triggers such as animal abuse, sexual and child abuse. I found some of the stories to be great and others rather dull. I gave each story a rating and then did a cumulative rating of the whole sum. I had a various range of ratings from 1-5, and all numbers were used at least once. The ones I liked most were: A Sunny Disposition, My Mother's Ghost, England and Nowhere, Endless Summer, One of These Nights, Souvenirs, and Where are you Going and Where Have you Been?

This was the second short read that I have by Jason Malerman, and I can't wait to read more by him. A Sunny Disposition is a 5/5 in my book. This was my first time reading Priya Sharma, and I can't wait to read a full-length book by her as well. I thought My Mother's Ghosts was very well told. When I was kid, a friend read a book to me, that I was fascinated with, and then I found out that there was a movie of this book with Laura Dern. When I read the short story Where are you Going, Where Have you Been? It reminded me of that movie. I didn't know the name of the movie, but I remember Dern was in it, so I looked up her filmography, and found that the movie Smooth Talk was based off that book. I am ecstatic to have discovered this movie again because I loved it. and I also loved the story. I really enjoyed reading this short story and cannot wait to read more by Joyce Carol Oates.

I am happy to have come across and read this book because it has introduced me to new authors and re-introduced to authors and their work. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for allowing me to read this Arc for my honest opinion.

Don't read it at nighttime. The best of the best in the scariest way. Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ellen Datlow’s latest anthology is a masterclass in psychological horror, delivering twenty-one chilling tales that plumb the darkest corners of the human experience. Featuring works from renowned authors like Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Graham Jones, and Priya Sharma, these stories explore the terrifying realities of dysfunctional families, twisted relationships, and unrelenting violence.

The horrors here are deeply unsettling and disturbingly relatable, from heinous confessions to sickening betrayals and desperate struggles for survival. What emerges is a stark reminder that true terror often lies not in the supernatural but in the depravity of the human mind. Each story lingers long after the final page, a collection both thought-provoking and haunting—ideal for fans of visceral, unflinching horror.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

Love, love, love it! A lot of my favourite authors are in this book and I just loved them all! Each bringing a different perspective and uniqueness that I just couldn't put down! Five stars!

What a great collection of stories! I loved all of the different perspectives on fear. I’ve been trying to read more short stories so I can learn how to better write to a prompt. These ones were a great opportunity at study. The author of “Pelt” clearly either has a parrot or knows someone who does because wow, it was spot on with that! It really made me identify with the story even though it wasn’t about parrots at all. But my favorite story was “Cavity”. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to be a woman, read that story. It’ll tell you everything you need to know. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from these authors!

Huge thanks to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

This was a great read, refreshing. 21 short horror stories exploring the nature of fear as it stirs in dysfunctional families, toxic friendships, and mismatched lovers, and culminates in relentless stalkers, remorseless killers, and perpetrators of savage rituals.

This anthology’s stories might lack in blood but will still get under your skin. Psychological horror features seemingly ordinary individuals doing truly monstrous things to each other while leaving a great deal of violence to the readers’ imagination. Datlow is an editor who has produced many well-regarded anthologies of horror.. Datlow has gathered a multitude of talented authors In this book. This collection features tales from popular horror writers such as Stephen Graham Jones and Josh Malerman, along with other authors not known. How else would I find authors that I’ve never heard of until I read them in an anthology edited by Datlow. I always like to read all the anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow. Why? Because she knows how to find new and or good authors for her horror anthologies. I am a big fan of horror. I liked this book as the stories put me in a different perspctive than the current world is in. I’ve added some more authors on my list that I want to read. If you’re a fan of horror, this is a must read. If you want to try horror for the first time, read it. Datlow introduce this anthology so you know what the stories are about. She lets you know in more detail about her thoughts were for collecting stories for this anthology and the others that she has done. I think she does this so if you aren’t interested, you can find something different to read. So far, Datlow has a loyal fan of her anthologies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This one took me a lot longer to finish than I expected and I really didn't love many of the stories in this one. I don't think any of the stories were particularly bad, but none of them grabbed me like I wanted them to. I think the most memorable story was the first one (Bait by Simon Bestwick) and I think that was definitely a five-star story for me. I liked the overall theme explored throughout each of these stories but on a story-by-story level, they were mostly forgettable to me. Perhaps I am just not conducive to remembering more psychological and less supernatural horror. The Donner Party by Dale Bailey was another standout story from the rest and I think the beginning and end of the collection were both stronger than the middle. A lot of the authors in the collection were new to me (including the two mentioned above as far as I know) and so I am glad I got to read from a variety of new with some old. I think ending the collection with SGJ was a great choice as I always love his writing style and his story Teeth is definitely another memorable one. All in all, an okay collection but not one I see myself returning to.