Oftentimes, when one enjoys a particular genre of literature, there are various books and authors to look to. Lovers of history can look to Guns, Germs, and Steel, while political junkies will look towards The Audacity of Hope or Manufacturing Consent. However, how often does a single book draw one into a genre they did not know existed? I would imagine it is much more uncommon than starting with a genre and then finding the book—which is why I must recommend The Weird, an anthology of (aptly named) “Weird Fiction” spanning multiple countries and time periods.

For such a strange subgenre, The Weird does what all definitive, genre-specific anthologies should aspire to: it provides a dazzling array of short stories that all adhere to the hazy, vague genre of Weird Fiction. Though writers like HP Lovecraft and Franz Kafka (both of whom are included in the volume) are the more well-known authors of bizarre, off-the-wall and wholly unique short stories, The Weird encompasses stories from the world over. Its highlights include The Vegetable Man, a 1917 tale where an explorer in the jungle slowly metamorphoses into a plant, or The God of Dark Laughter, a story detailing a murder occurring between two ancient, warring clown cults. The Weird is one of the few books that I can say changed my life, both for its inspiring me to seek out underappreciated literature; and for revealing the unknown underbelly of fantastical, mysterious, and altogether perturbing fiction. Whether this “out of the box” fiction tickles your fancy or not, this is a book that won’t show up in your English class.