For lovers of dark fiction
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The Fallen follows a man who is tormented by an entity named Azazael. The characters are brought to life by the authors decisive no-nonsense prose style. Horace, the protagonist, is a troubled every man whom the reader can easily relate to. Azazael, by contrast, is an elusive figure, simultaneously male and female, alluring and terrifying  a mercurial presence that taunts both Horace and the reader. The conversations that occur between Horace and his tricky tormentor delve into fascinating psychological and spiritual terrain. Plot-wise, the story zigs and zags and deftly avoids falling into formula. As for the ending, it is as satisfying and unexpected as the rest. I give this one my highest recommendation.
3256569
These stories are quite something. Dark fables written in a prose that reads like a modern spelling of some Old English prose romance, rich in symbolism and filled with beautiful, haunting imagery. They are akin to eerie dreams translated into prose, ones that sometimes steer into pure nightmare territory.
Very first story already serves as excellent example of this, as it is eerie and dreamlike from the very begging, and gradually transforms into truly chilling nightmare. Quite a few of these stories achieve that, this gradually growing feeling of dread and of inevitable tragedy, and they achieve it such a manner that their peak points are all the more potent for it. Not all of Lady Dilke's fictions are like that, not always will things end on this dark and tragic note for the men and women that haunt them, but they are always permeated by ethereal eeriness. Darker ones are dark indeed though, the relentless bleak tragedy of "The Serpent's Head" or "The Outcast Spirit" can be almost exhausting in its own way. Even the positive ones are best enjoyed slowly tho, one at a time.
Most of them are short affairs, these small morsels of dark beauty. But longer stories are also the most striking, most potent ones.  "The Hangman's Daughter", "Triumph of the Cross" and "The Mirror of the Soul" are rightfully pointed out, as they alone would justify the price of admittance. Every single story here is a gem in its own way though.
Get this if you appreciate uniqueness, quality and dark beauty, ie. everything that is sorely missing from so much of our modern macabre fiction.
215578
Fans of the lighter, softer side of crime fiction should take a look at the THIRTEEN from the MESDAMES OF MAYHEM.

The book was suggested to me by a rather circuitous route (cousin of / who is a work colleague of / who mentioned it to...), which is the only reason I would have even tried it to be honest. But the writers in this anthology include a number of winners and finalists from Canada's Arthur Ellis awards, so it was interesting to compare against the local short story competition winners I've been reading recently.

The majority of these stories are considerably more on the cozy side than I would normally go near, but there were one or two entries that I enjoyed a lot. There's a combination of fun, humour, supernatural stuff, and some decidedly odd goings on, which makes it a good collection for readers to dip into. Whilst it does suggest that it moves from dark supernatural to comedy capers, there's little here that's dark enough for me, but for fans of cozies this would be a great introduction to some of Canada's top female crime writers.

[...]
3323855
If you like your books dark with a lot of mystery and intrigue surrounding the characters than this is your book. I have to admit I had a bit of a hard time getting into this one- there was a lot going on, but once it began to move it got GOOD. The male characters in this book (Vladimir and Boris) are sick and twisted but clearly have a reason for being the monsters that they are. Carter, the heroine of the story, is pretty easy to connect with and I really liked getting to know her character. Although I have to say, I really felt for her throughout the story. She is obviously just young and nave and clearly doesnt have a clue as to what she has gotten herself into.

Besides the characters of this book, I found the plot to be quite mind boggling. If you're looking for a story that will answer all of your questions, please be warned that this will not occur for this book. It ends on quite a big cliffhanger so you will be waiting to see what happens next (and honestly, you will have a strong NEED to find out what happens).

All in all, this is a pretty good novel. It is DARK though so fans of this type of book will love this one. If you're not into dark reads than I suggest finding something else as this one could really bother you. I on the other hand am a HUGE fan of this genre, so it certainly wet my appetite! Now to just read the second book in the series would be amazing!
807702
The spare prose in "From Away" transports the reader to a mysterious world of dark secrets in which the elements of normality assume a sinister aspect. It is a large, complete world with its own mythos, creatures and conspiracies.

The Island people are fun and real. There is wisdom in their dialogue and pathos in their fears. And there is a huge cast of them, each with their own unique voice. Some of them know some of what's happening and some others fear what might be . . . but no one knows all.

Perhaps most impressive of all is that this is genuine serial fictionjust as advertised. This is not a rambling text dump that the author didn't want to edit. The first episode is a satisfying contained story yet I cannot imagine any reader not wanting to explore the dark further. It is a thriller in the grand tradition of Lovecraft and Poetruly I do not hesitate to invoke those great names.

"From Away" announces the presence of a new talent in Weird Fiction. Give it a download.

C
4141377
I was unfamiliar with the author's work prior to reading this book, so I frankly had no idea what to expect. As I got into it, however, I found it to be darker than other stories, but not quite in a noir sense. With elements reminiscent of Alan Dean Foster's Thranx, surrealism reminisncent of the movie Transcendenz, and just plain weirdness that would probably resemble Videodrome in movie form, the story has a way of taking hold of you. A part of me feels a morbid fascination while another part of me would like to see what sort of universe Werbeloff will continue to  create.
3937444
Being a devotee of dark urban fantasy and having acquired and devoured the most recent offerings of my favorite authors; I was trawling for some prose to fill the void when I came across this title.  I was delighted to find that Dead Man was just the ticket.  I have not been awarded a free copy of this book in return for my review; I paid for the privilege - and gladly.  I highly recommend this book to my fellow fans of dark fiction.  Mr. Finn is definitely going in my "breathlessly waiting for the next installment" queue.
3786380
Another fine novella from Darkfuse.

To those who read lots of dark fiction, and ghost stories in particular, this is familiar territory. We even feel like we have been in this house before. Yes, there is the creaking floorboard and the shadow moving in the next room. Wasn't the staircase over there? Let's find the closets, because as we all know, a lot of things happen in closets and basements. Oh never mind. That doesn't matter.

While this story will definitely feel familiar, what isn't so common is the quality of the writing and the depth of the characters. Ghost stories should be creepy and unnerving, and this one sure is; but the very good ones are often sad---filled with the heartbreak of loss of loved ones and the anguish of those left behind.

Malfi delivers. We feel deeply for these characters. We appreciate the texture and depth of his narration and description. And even though we have been here before, we still feel the chill to the spine and the tug to the heart.

I guess that is why we will always read ghost stories. Particularly really good ones like this.
4443033
This novel is an exquisite headtrip into dark gothic beauty. The set-up of the haunted asylum is a classic from horror literature, just as the murder mystery around which events unfold feels like something lifted from Edgar Allan Poes fevered imagination. The tortured protagonist, Phineas Soul, also feels as unsettling, uneasy and as unreliable a narrator as one might expect to find wandering the halls of the House of Usher with the Red Death at his heels. The prose that draws us in is poetic and lush in a way thats not as in fashion in most horror fiction today as it once was, but if you have a taste for it, whilst sitting atop the mound of a premature burial with a cask of Amontillado at your side, then you will find much to enjoy here. One of my favourite things about this novel is the contrast between the dream-like atmosphere of life in the asylum and the portrayal of the more drab and mundane characters that intrude upon it  in the same way that reality can puncture a dream (or nightmare)  and how it is kept ambiguous whether one world or the other is preferable, and which is the more disturbing to inhabit.
Recommended for lovers of Baltimores Bard and the Old Gent of Providence by two Mistresses of the Morbid  long may they reign!
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If you like your vampires ala Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, or even Patricia Briggs, don't expect more of the same here.  Those writers obviously draw a compelling dark fantasy realm, where the vampires are frightening, complex, and darkly mysterious.  Here the vampires are as human as you or I.  They even refer to themselves that way.  There are no evil demons in possession in "A Quick Bite" but I found myself suprisingly drawn into the story of how Lissa, a 202 year old vamp, and Gregory a mid-thirties physchiatrist meet.  I found the vamp's family all to be intriguing and fairly fleshed out and I can see reading more books about them.  There are definately some aspects of the relationship that don't ring true, for example how quickly they fall in love.  Obviously, also, in real circumstances, if you were mind tricked, tied to a bed, and made 'dessert' for a vampire, you'd probably be freaked out and running away from, and not straight to, the vampire.  However, this isn't reality and that is what I like to escape from when I read.  I found this to be a fast, lightweight read that I enjoyed every minute of.
2112357
A surprisingly dark and well-crafted novel that packs a punch.
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Ive come to expect nothing but the best in dark fiction from Grey Matter Press, and once again, they didn't disappoint. This offering is part gritty crime story, part road novel, and part psychological horror. A hit-man hellbent on revenge while battling the ghosts of his past that may or may not actually be real ghosts - who couldn't love that premise?

Tautly written, and moves like a bullet. A genre-crossing story that scratches a lot of itches.

One very minor complaint: Baxter is British-Australian, and a few times it shows, with these American characters using phrases (like you lot) that Americans don't say or in calling a ski mask a balaclava, which is a word Ive never heard any American anywhere say ever.

Then again, Baxter also writes phrases like this: ... I want to stand atop a pile of bones and blood and scream my $&@!ing defiance at the heavens, and then spill my own life out at my feet and let the blackness take me forever.
Which is part of one of the best paragraphs Ive read in a while. So whats a few Britishisms among friends?

Highly recommended.
2236057
Dreamscapes Into Darkness is the latest entry in the Enter At Your Own Risk series from Firbolg Publishing. What makes these anthologies of Gothic horror fiction highly unusual, if not unique, is that they match up classic horror tales by well known authors from the past with modern horror stories written by less well known contemporary authors. I found that aspect appealing for a couple of reasons. First, I think it helps educate readers about classic literature, introducing them to often obscure stories from famous authors that they may not have read before, as well as introducing them to current authors who are new to them. Secondly, by presenting stories written in the distant past along side stories being written today, the reader discovers similarities as well as differences between the horror fiction of the past and today's horror fiction. The classic tales date from the 1800s into the early 1930s. Created in a vastly different age, their plots often involve overtly supernatural events, while the story telling technique is usually complex and sophisticated and the language rich and evocative. In contrast, many of the modern tales have character-driven plots that rely more on internal, psychological terrors than on external supernatural horrors, and they tend to be written in a more quiet, stripped down conversational style. All of the stories  new and old  are well written, thought-provoking and entertaining. And all of the stories are more or less on the Gothic end of the literary spectrum in that they employ atmospheric settings and gloomy states of mind for artistic impact instead of achieving cheap shock effects from mere blood and gore. Editor Alex Scully does a skillful job of thematically matching up the classic tales with the contemporary ones. Each story in the volume in some way relates to an overriding cautionary theme of be careful what you wish for, it just might come true. Other anthologies in the series have their own overriding themes.  My favorite matched up pairs of old and new tales in this collection (and this is purely a matter of personal taste) are Frank R. Stockton's His Wife's Deceased Sister (1895), paired with the Story of Alfred Maus by David G. Robinson, J. D. Beresford's The Looking Glass (1922), paired with Lead Us Not Into Temptation by Joe Powers, D. H. Lawrence's The Rockinghorse Winner (1928), paired with One More by Gregory L. Norris, and  my favorite in the collection, Mary Shelley's The Mortal Immortal (1833), paired with Shelley Unbound by Bo Balder. Ms. Balder's tale has the limitless depth and expansive range you find in the best classic Gothic tales. Add to this a literary style that manages to be edgy and avant-garde while at the same time being luxuriously poetic in an almost traditional way, and it's a remarkable piece of writing and a very clever story offering a fresh take on an old idea. Recommended.
4295936
A top-shelf collection of dark and erudite fiction. These are a thinking mans weird tales, written with articulate and literate prose, and displaying an incredibly creative and vivid imagination. There was not one story in this collection that I didn't love, and several them haunted me for some time after reading them. Film Maudit and A Plague of Naked Movie Stars were standouts, as was Loveliness Like a Shadow, and the title story Alectryomancer. Dunhams Manor Press is definitely a small press to watch, I can only hope they continue to deliver works from talented writers like Christipher Slatsky.
3406189
What is The New Black? Its not only the name of the book, but also a genre in itself. New Black, or neo-noir, is ostensibly what noir literature has evolved into over many years and many stories. I say ostensibly because after Laird Barrons foreword and Richard Thomas introduction, the definition, if there can be one, remains nebulous. As Barron points out, neo-noir simply means dark fiction, and even within that niche, theres a hell of a lot of territory to cover. Youll find horror between these pages, but youll also find elements of many other genres, some of which may come as a surprise. Classification issues aside, The New Black is simply an extraordinary collection of fiction.

An aging boxer strives to assuage one type of pain with another in Craig Davidsons Rust and Bone, a hard-hitting story of crippling guilt and atonement in the ring.

Micaela Morissettes The Familiars straddles the line between magical realism and supernatural horror. An imaginary friend comes of age along with its companion, bringing to light the darkness lurking on the edges of childhood fancy.

Roy Keseys absurd yet emotive Instituto asks what perfection is, explores the possibility of attaining it at a price, and explores the relation between physical scars and the memories attached to them.

The unreliable narrator of Benjamin Percys Dial Tone struggles to make sense of his seemingly dull life, in a sort of reverse murder mystery that delves into the aimlessness and alienation of the digital age. An unorthodox haunting overshadows the proceedings.

With Its Against the Law to Feed the Ducks, Paul Tremblay brings an understated take on post-apocalyptic literature. This story, viewed through the eyes of a child, is all the more emotionally potent for the illusion of normalcy the family strives to maintain.

These are by no means highlights. Richard Thomas has drawn together an astonishing array of talent, and this is the rare collection in which every story is a highlight in its own way. Its stories adeptly bridge the divide between genre and literary, becoming a hybrid that any reader of fiction will appreciate. This is a book for fans of writers as diverse as Stephen King, Jos Saramago, Alice Munro, Gary Braunbeck, and Flannery OConnor. In many of the stories, characters internal lives are comprehensively revealed within the framework of heavily plot-driven narratives. Dark shadows loom and the occasional viscera glistens, while between the lines a far different tale unfolds.

Kafka said that A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. If thats the case, this book is more like a bonfire that begins with a spark and ends up burning its way into all corners of our minds. Wherever your taste in fiction lies, The New Black is a stunning and essential collection.
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Not for the faint of heart, but a wonderfully complex and dark paranormal fantasy.
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This book is not your usual horror fare. Don't get me wrong: I love horror. I read other genres as well. This one is, in my opinion, dark fiction, not horror. If you are looking for terror, "Fevre Dream" probably won't fill that bill for you. Don't let that put you off, though. This book is rich, multi-layered, full of beautifully-drawn characters.

The vampire characters are not stereotypical. Some are dominant, arrogant, powerful. Others are weak, whiny, vacillating. The riverboat folk are all strongly written. You can really root for Marsh and York to win-- over their enemies and over their own natures.

I have to say that the epilogue brought a little lump to my throat -- and I didn't expect that at all.

I loved this book.