'The Book of the Dead’ review: Jonathan Strahan’s afterlife anthology

What happens when we die? In The Book of the Dead, editor Jonathan Strahan assembles a terrific mélange of premier science fiction, fantasy, and horror authors to deliver nearly 30 fascinating narratives that explore possibilities beyond this earthly realm—and the realities those deaths leave behind.

Bedtime stories from beyond the grave

In “Time Is a Liquid,” Kelly Robson uses science fiction to tap into the complexities of grief. Elaine reluctantly accepts a run-of-the-mill gig guiding an alien through mass-murder sites. “Humans were disgusting, but oh so exotic, and a trip to Earth was picturesque and cheap.”

But Frank is different, encouraging Elaine to “commune with your ghosts.” What Elaine chalks up to a glitchy translation app turns out to be advice to reach out to departed loved ones after a devastating loss. Is she ready to heed the alien’s words?

The aimless friend group of Lambda Award-winner Cadwell Turnbull’s millennial-angsty “The Dead-End Party” is either cursed or blessed to road-trip on a repeat they don’t understand—even after watching every time-loop film they can find.

A gas station encounter leads Trevor and his friends to a lost-soul gathering with “RV races through the desert, and battle royale brawls, all-day raves on any drug you could imagine, tons of drinking…and yes, of course…lots of sex.” Soon, Trevor strives to cut through the undead’s hedonism and sit with fellow traveler Reina to parse out what’s real.

In “The Heart in Service to Hunger,” bestselling author Nghi Vo gives the Buddhist myth of the hungry ghost a sapphic-horror twist. Two female servants connect in turn-of-the-20th-century New Orleans, but when one falls horribly ill, her lover must steal food from their cruel, wealthy employers.

After Xiulan dies, her hunger grows, leading to the ultimate meal—with a healthy dash of revenge.

With illustrations by Galen Dara, The Book of the Dead successfully assembles, as Strahan states in the anthology’s introduction, “a kind of vast mural of death in many incarnations—sometimes loving and ruminative, sometimes unsettling and horrifying.”

As Halloween, Day of the Dead, and All Souls’ Day approach, The Book of the Dead is a fitting read for those who prefer their spooky season with existential angst, body horror, and dark comedy from beyond the veil.