Dark Stars - So Many New Things To Be Scared Of!
“And when they ask themselves, what is this strangeness haunting my life, befouling my every decision, when they turn to look back at all the terrible choices barreling down toward them, the last rotting wisps of me will pour into their brain and whisper what I whisper to every one of you I’ve ever met: you were dead long before you ever thought to run.”
Dark Stars is an outstanding collection of short stories by some of horror’s greats! Edited by John F.D. Taff it includes stories from Caroline Kepnes, Ramsey Campbell, Priya Sharma, Livia Llewellyn, Stephen Graham Jones, Chesya Burke, Alma Katsu, Gemma Files, Josh Malerman, Usman T. Malik, John Langan, and John F.D. Taff himself.
Have you bought it yet?
Seriously, go buy this.
There’s also a great foreword written by Malerman that talks about writing during the pandemic and how a lot of these stories were inspired by that. Taff also speaks to how this collection was inspired by an older collection Dark Forces. There’s an afterword by Campbell who wraps it all up really well, including the fact that he was featured in Dark Forces and now of course, in Dark Stars. Coming full circle!
What I love the most is how vastly different each story is from the other. That’s the beauty of allowing diverse voices a space to write and share their work. Each story tackles a different type of horror, has completely different characters, and focuses on so many different elements that scare us.
Book Mood Board - all images found on weheartit.com
My personal favorites were The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes. It’s a fascinating take on teenage love and the dangers that young women face from outside factors, but also internal needs. I also thoroughly enjoyed All The Things He Called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones which is absolutely terrifying – catch me whipping my head around every time I walk up stairs now just to make sure there’s absolutely no one behind me….maybe I’ll just check one more time…
Alma Katsu’s story about a vampire is a refreshing take on the genre, showing how absolutely terrifying and cruel vampires can really be. No billowing white shirts here. Just puddles of blood and darkened alleys. Lastly, Mrs. Addison’s Nest by Josh Malerman. I always yell at him on twitter for giving me new things to fear every time I read a new story. Now I have to be afraid of holes in the woods and library shelves…THANKS JOSH.
But honestly, every story in here is wonderful and I’m so thrilled with this collection. It’s on shelves now and I highly recommend picking it up!
A big thank you to Tor Nightfire for sending me a copy in exchange for a review. Ya’ll are doing such amazing things for the horror genre, I bow down to you, WE’RE NOT WORTHY!
“By the violent flash, the library aisle is revealed, and with it, Mrs. Addison crouched upon the top shelf, her face without expression, her eyes like silver, reflecting the light before it goes dark again.”
