Monday, September 19, 2011

Horror Fiction Help V: Another Short Story to Find...

Okay, for the fifth time, a reader seeks our help in horror! Reader Rayo writes:

It's a short story I read 10 years ago. It was in a horror anthology from the mid-90s though the story could be older. The story (or perhaps part of a story) is a menu/recipe for preparing an exquisite cannibal feast. It breaks down the "meal" course by course in the language of fine dining, detailing how to prepare every disgusting dish as all of the body is used. It's the only story that ever made me gag. Any ideas?

Any ideas indeed! Well, it doesn't sound familiar to me, but surely one of you guys knows...

Update: Looks like we've already found it! It's "The Secret Shi Tan" by none other than Graham Masterton, first published in The Hot Blood Series: Fear the Fever (1996, Pocket Books). I myself have only read the first two anthologies in that series. So thanks, Lazlo!

7 comments:

lazlo azavaar said...

I know this one. The Secret Shih Tan by Graham Masterton. I read it in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror: Thirteenth Annual Collection (from 1996).
Originally published in The Hot Blood Series: Fear The Fever.

Will Errickson said...

Cool! I only read the first two in the HOT BLOOD series. Thanks Lazlo!

highwayknees said...

Kinda reminds me of Masterton's disgusting ,but excellent novel FEAST. Or was it RITUAL? I always get those two titles mixed-up.Probably because I read them in an omnibus of his 3 novels,(all were in one volume).WALKERS was the other one.
I reccommend FEAST and RITUAL especially!But Walkers is good too...

Anonymous said...

That story was made into one of the better episodes of The Hunger television series.

Anonymous said...

YES! This is one of my favourite series! (should I even admit to this?) This brings to mind another question though...

Around the same time The Hot Blood Series started up, there was another, similar anthology available - I think maybe there was two, maybe three books in it. The first book ended with a trippy tale by Clive Baker; something about a room in a house that possessed people to do all sorts of crazy...carnal...type things.

Ring any bells? The story, or the series?

Anonymous said...

I got some novels by Graham Masterton, but not those you're talking about, I have Death dream, Death trance, Mirror, Night warriors amongst others, are they interesting enough? or are weaker that the ones you mentioned?

Francisco

Anonymous said...

Hm. I have found two books "Little Deaths" and "I Shudder At Your Touch", both of which contain stories by Barker, and neither one sound exactly how I remember. Maybe it wasn't him after all.