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A review by nikki_in_niagara
Darkness Beckons by Mark Morris
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)