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itcamefromthepage's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Received as an ARC from Netgalley:
A really interesting and eclectic short story collection that harkens back to the era of Shadows. The tones all vary pretty dramatically but are consistently intriguing.
There was only one story in the collection that I was a bit iffy on, but overall I had a great time with a few new authors to explore in the future.
A really interesting and eclectic short story collection that harkens back to the era of Shadows. The tones all vary pretty dramatically but are consistently intriguing.
There was only one story in the collection that I was a bit iffy on, but overall I had a great time with a few new authors to explore in the future.
hauntedvictoria24's review
5.0
This was great! All of the stories were great but my favorites are Good Bones by Sarah Read, Facts Concerning The Disappearance of The Orloff Six by Alyssa C. Greene, and Remember Me by Ronald Malfi. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Mark Morris, Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
nikki_in_niagara's review
3.0
This anthology is a mixed bag. The stories rated from 0 to 5. Many of the stories were 3 and 4 stars for me. There are a couple of first-rate authors but I had only heard of a few of them. Nothing stands out that I will remember in the long run. A mediocre anthology.
1. Saint Barbara by Nina Allan - A woman meets another woman named Barbara at a poet's reading. She becomes enamoured of her. An interesting story of female rage with a fun outcome. (3/5)
2. Hare Moon by HV Patterson - It is the Hare Moon and a hare has been nailed to Jana's family's home. A church ritual has begun. I like this type of story and this one was a winner. Tension kept mounting which kept me interested. (4/5)
3. Under Cover of Darkness by Stephen Volk - A man tells of how he and others destroy a statue of a fallen paedophile entertainer. I don't get the ending. (2/5)
4. Dusk by Angela Slatter - A woman starts nursing an elderly patient for nefarious reasons. Pretty straightforward story which didn't do anything for me. (2/5)
5. A Face Leaving No Traces by Brian Evenson - A man wakes up in the night with tingling on his neck as if he'd been bitten but nothing was there. This was ok but actually quite boring. (2/5)
6. Good Bones by Sarah Read - A man goes to an older woman's house to do handiwork. He finds cobwebs all over and pretty soon finds out why the house has good bones. I liked this. Very squirmy imagery. Fun. (4/5)
7. Facts Concerning the Disappearance of the Orloff Six by Alyssa C Greene - Six hikers once vanished while out on a 3-week hike. The narrator, a cousin to one of them, describes her group's retracing their footsteps. This was so unique. You just know something weird is going to happen but will never guess what. (4/5)
8. He Wasn't There Again Today by Peter Atkins - A man asks his occult detective friend to help his niece who is being haunted. This was a fun entertaining story but it felt like the end was missing. (3/5)
9. Dodger by Carly Holmes - A woman has no recollection of her three-year-old son. She goes through the motions hating his presence. This was awful, in a good way. As a mother it made me feel dreadful and tense the whole time. I'll remember this story. (5/5)
10. From the Man-Seat by Reggie Oliver - A man goes with his wife clothes shopping and has a harrowing experience. A fun tale with a spooky ending. Felt a little cosmic. Enjoyed this. (4/5)
11. The Service by Ally Wilkes - A woman works as a waitress at an old hotel and is given the job of waiting on the strange ancient owners in a private room. A little bit longer than the others this story goes deeper into details for a well-rounded tale. Enjoyable and entertaining. (4/5)
12. The Late Mrs Applegarth by Mark Gatiss - This is just a couple of pages long. It was hardly worth reading. (0/5)
13. The Fig Tree by Lucy McKnight Hardy - A story of a spooky cultish small village. This was excellent. Some foreshadowing but an unexpected ending. (5/5)
14. If Your Soul Were A Pitchfork, I'd Despise You by Eric LaRocca - I can't give a description as it would be a spoiler but basically, a man writes in a journal about something that is happening to him. I mostly love LaRocca but this was just ok. The story gripped me mostly because of the writing but I didn't particularly like the story. (3/5)
15. Heebie Jeebies by Amanda Cecelia Lang - A woman and her son go to her mother's big house to escape their abusive husband/father. The grandmother teaches Charlie how to get rid of the Heebie Jeebies which make him nervous and scared. A fun story. Well well-written and a feel-good ending. (4/5)
16. Killing Bones by Simon Clark - A woman throws herself in front of a speeding car and then demands the occupants help her save her boyfriend from a monster. A fun read with a doomed ending. Characterization was sufficient for a short story and the characters were each unique. (3/5)
17. Il Crepuscolo by Helen Marshall - An engineer leaves for a Mars space station where he will work on terraforming the planet. I think this is the first sci-fi story. Well written and reflective. A dark gloomy tale. (4/5)
18. Remember Me by Ronald Malfi - A favourite author for me who doesn't disappoint. A ghost follows a group of teenagers who are telling a couple of stories about deaths on the street on Halloween night. Creepy and lets information be known at just the right moments. (5/5)
19. Witch's Clutch by Simon Strantzas - A researcher takes off for a small village where a Witch's Clutch has been sighted. He's been looking for one all his life. A slowly ominous folk tale which was mildly entertaining. (3/5)
20. Camp Never by JS Breukelaar - The last story is quite a bit longer than the others. It"s a tale of the Queen of the Dead who kills bad men and how a 16-year-old girl is influenced by her. This is a frightening story when you try to understand what is happening to the girl. Characters are real and the ending is bittersweet. (5/5)
1. Saint Barbara by Nina Allan - A woman meets another woman named Barbara at a poet's reading. She becomes enamoured of her. An interesting story of female rage with a fun outcome. (3/5)
2. Hare Moon by HV Patterson - It is the Hare Moon and a hare has been nailed to Jana's family's home. A church ritual has begun. I like this type of story and this one was a winner. Tension kept mounting which kept me interested. (4/5)
3. Under Cover of Darkness by Stephen Volk - A man tells of how he and others destroy a statue of a fallen paedophile entertainer. I don't get the ending. (2/5)
4. Dusk by Angela Slatter - A woman starts nursing an elderly patient for nefarious reasons. Pretty straightforward story which didn't do anything for me. (2/5)
5. A Face Leaving No Traces by Brian Evenson - A man wakes up in the night with tingling on his neck as if he'd been bitten but nothing was there. This was ok but actually quite boring. (2/5)
6. Good Bones by Sarah Read - A man goes to an older woman's house to do handiwork. He finds cobwebs all over and pretty soon finds out why the house has good bones. I liked this. Very squirmy imagery. Fun. (4/5)
7. Facts Concerning the Disappearance of the Orloff Six by Alyssa C Greene - Six hikers once vanished while out on a 3-week hike. The narrator, a cousin to one of them, describes her group's retracing their footsteps. This was so unique. You just know something weird is going to happen but will never guess what. (4/5)
8. He Wasn't There Again Today by Peter Atkins - A man asks his occult detective friend to help his niece who is being haunted. This was a fun entertaining story but it felt like the end was missing. (3/5)
9. Dodger by Carly Holmes - A woman has no recollection of her three-year-old son. She goes through the motions hating his presence. This was awful, in a good way. As a mother it made me feel dreadful and tense the whole time. I'll remember this story. (5/5)
10. From the Man-Seat by Reggie Oliver - A man goes with his wife clothes shopping and has a harrowing experience. A fun tale with a spooky ending. Felt a little cosmic. Enjoyed this. (4/5)
11. The Service by Ally Wilkes - A woman works as a waitress at an old hotel and is given the job of waiting on the strange ancient owners in a private room. A little bit longer than the others this story goes deeper into details for a well-rounded tale. Enjoyable and entertaining. (4/5)
12. The Late Mrs Applegarth by Mark Gatiss - This is just a couple of pages long. It was hardly worth reading. (0/5)
13. The Fig Tree by Lucy McKnight Hardy - A story of a spooky cultish small village. This was excellent. Some foreshadowing but an unexpected ending. (5/5)
14. If Your Soul Were A Pitchfork, I'd Despise You by Eric LaRocca - I can't give a description as it would be a spoiler but basically, a man writes in a journal about something that is happening to him. I mostly love LaRocca but this was just ok. The story gripped me mostly because of the writing but I didn't particularly like the story. (3/5)
15. Heebie Jeebies by Amanda Cecelia Lang - A woman and her son go to her mother's big house to escape their abusive husband/father. The grandmother teaches Charlie how to get rid of the Heebie Jeebies which make him nervous and scared. A fun story. Well well-written and a feel-good ending. (4/5)
16. Killing Bones by Simon Clark - A woman throws herself in front of a speeding car and then demands the occupants help her save her boyfriend from a monster. A fun read with a doomed ending. Characterization was sufficient for a short story and the characters were each unique. (3/5)
17. Il Crepuscolo by Helen Marshall - An engineer leaves for a Mars space station where he will work on terraforming the planet. I think this is the first sci-fi story. Well written and reflective. A dark gloomy tale. (4/5)
18. Remember Me by Ronald Malfi - A favourite author for me who doesn't disappoint. A ghost follows a group of teenagers who are telling a couple of stories about deaths on the street on Halloween night. Creepy and lets information be known at just the right moments. (5/5)
19. Witch's Clutch by Simon Strantzas - A researcher takes off for a small village where a Witch's Clutch has been sighted. He's been looking for one all his life. A slowly ominous folk tale which was mildly entertaining. (3/5)
20. Camp Never by JS Breukelaar - The last story is quite a bit longer than the others. It"s a tale of the Queen of the Dead who kills bad men and how a 16-year-old girl is influenced by her. This is a frightening story when you try to understand what is happening to the girl. Characters are real and the ending is bittersweet. (5/5)
ristretto's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
Darkness Beckons has a little bit of everything I enjoy in a horror anthology. The dark, the mysterious, the unsettling, and the short and sweet. You will find it all here.
It’s hard to pick favorites because the quality and diversity of the selection was so good. For holiday vibes Hare Moon a folk horror Ostara cult tale and Remember Me which is a perfect Halloween night read will really set the mood. Facts Concerning the Disappearance of the Orloff Six had true crime horror elements and was giving Junji Ito vibes. Il Crespuscolo was beautiful, dark and haunting. Killing Bones was serving eldritch horror and was such a fun read.
A must read for horror fans looking for a good variety of horror genres. I’m really looking forward the the next anthology!
I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.
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