This one was rough. The book is far too long, and while there are a few diamonds in the rough… it’s a looooottttt of rough. Which is a shame.

There are 26 short stories in this anthology, and the vast majority are bad, boring, poorly structured, or just not well written. Nobody in the group loved it. While we all agreed there are a few real standouts, most of the stories—about 20 of them—are forgettable and dull. No one said they’d recommend the book as a whole, though a few people did feel strongly that they’d recommend two or three individual stories that were really good on their own.

The editor didn’t do their job curating a selection of truly outstanding dark fiction. There are some genuinely spooky and exciting tales here, and a few clever takes on what dark fiction, horror, or scary stories can be—stories that convey real foreboding or explore themes like the trauma of colonization or the power of ancient traditions. But most of the writing is, frankly, weak.

So weak that many members were surprised to learn this book had won awards.

You can probably skip this one and just go for a walk alone… in the woods… at night… with no moon. It’s a faster—and better—way to get spooked.

BUY THIS BOOK