'A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by, and in tribute to, Shirley Jackson.
'Shirley Jackson is a seminal writer of horror and mystery fiction, whose legacy resonates globally today. Chilling, human, poignant and strange, her stories have inspired a generation of writers and readers. This anthology, edited by legendary horror editor Ellen Datlow, will bring together today’s leading horror writers to offer their own personal tribute to the work of Shirley Jackson.
'Featuring Joyce Carol Oates, Josh Malerman, Paul Tremblay, Richard Kadrey, Stephen Graham Jones, Elizabeth Hand, Cassandra Khaw, Karen Heuler, Benjamin Percy, John Langan, Laird Barron, M. Rickert, Seanan McGuire, and Genevieve Valentine.'
Shirley Jackson is one of the those names in literature where even if you've never read one of her works you'll have heard of her, or you'll have had one of her books recommended to you. She's written some amazing things, and she's inspired great work in others. This collection of short stories, edited by Ellen Datlow, brings together eighteen pieces that have been inspired by Shirley Jackson.
The collection brings together some great writers, some that I'd read before, others who I'd heard of but had yet to experience, and others who were completely new to me. The stories include 'Funeral Birds' by M. Rickert, 'For Sale by Owner' by Elizabeth Hand, 'In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There' by Seanan McGuire, 'A Hundred Miles and A Mile' by Carmen Maria Machado, 'Quiet Dead Things' by Cassandra Khaw, 'Something Like Living Creatures' by John Langan, 'Money of the Dead' by Karen Heuler, 'Hag' by Benjamin Percy, 'Take Me, I Am Free' by Joyce Carol Oates, 'A Trip to Paris' by Richard Kadrey, 'The Party' by Paul Tremblay, 'Refinery Road' by Stephen Graham Jones, 'The Door in the Fence' by Jeffery Ford, 'Pear of Anguish' by Gemma Files, 'Special Meal' by Josh Malerman, 'Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive Home' by Genevieve Valentine, 'Tiptoe' by Laird Barron, and 'Skinder's Veil' by Kelly Link.
Normally when writing about anthology collections I try to write a little about each story, if not going in depth into each one at least giving a sentence or two to show what it's about; but I found that this wasn't something I was going to be able to do with When Things Get Dark, as so many of the stories would be ruined by talking about what they're about, whilst others see so open to interpretation that even if I described it fully I'm not sure for certain that I could tell you what happened, or what was going to happen next. This was a theme I found across several of the stories, and it often left me wanting more from them so that I could try to figure out what was happening, and that I could find out what comes next.
'For Sale By Owner' by Elizabeth Hand is one of these kinds of stories. It follows a trip of friends who discover that they enjoy walking through people's holiday homes when they're left unlocked. Not there to steal anything or cause any harm, they simply get a strange kind of pleasure finding out what lies on the other side of doors they're not supposed to enter. When the three of them come across a huge old home up for sale by the owner they try the door and find it open. Coming up with a plan to stay there overnight in this wonderful house they'd all love to live in, the three of them sneak back after dark. Some unsettling things happen over the course of the night, but nothing majorly odd, until one of them sees something that seems to shatter her mind. I was so intrigued by this story, so drawn in by the mystery of what was going to happen and the slow unfolding of the plot that I was let down when it ended. I wanted to see more, I wanted to find out what this woman saw, what strange forces were at work in that house; but sadly that was not to be.
'Hag' by Benjamin Percy was very different from this, and very much told a complete story; even if it didn't feel the need to answer every question the reader might of had. It's centred around an investigative crime reporter who attends a crime scene with a body washed up on the beach, a body holding a small wooden seagull that she recognises. Travelling to a small island, with her young daughter who's stowed away in the back of her car, she tries to look into where the body might have come from, as well as having to confront a dark memory from her childhood. This story is incredibly creepy, and the remote island population doing odd things in the depth of winter is a great story element, especially when we begin to suspect there's dark, cult shenanigans going on. Whilst I wasn't disappointed by this particular story coming to an end I'd have loved to have seen it expanded upon; and it could have been the basis for an entire novel in itself.
'Money of the Dead' by Karen Heuler is very similar in some regards, in that it felt like a complete story, though one that I'd have loved to spend more time with. The story focuses on the elderly residents of an apartment building who wake up one morning to discover strange packages of money wrapped in red paper on their doorsteps. After discussions amongst themselves they come to the conclusion that the money is meant for the dead, and that perhaps they can buy something with it. Leaving the money out one night, with a note asking for a lost person to return, the residents are shocked when the dead return; especially when this miracle starts to take on a darker turn. This story feels like a monkey's paw kind of tale, one that's teaching people to be careful what they're wishing for, because sometimes the things that haunt our past can haunt us in the present too.
'Special Meal' by Josh Malerman is one of the most unusual stories in the book, less focused on ghosts and haunting themes as most of the others are, and instead imagines a world where maths is illegal. Set over the course of a family meal, we learn that this new world doesn't allow anyone to know maths or numbers, and that if they do they can be taken away. It's an incredibly interesting concept, and one that's brilliant to see Malerman try to convey, using language without any sense of numbers, and how hard it is to do so and how much it can slip through even when you're not talking about maths. It's definitely the most unique story in the collection.
There is so much to When Things Get Dark to like, so many stories with so many different themes and styles that it's hard to really pin the book down to one particular thing. Which I believe speaks to the versatility and skill of Shirley Jackson, about the type of fiction she wrote, and how how much her work has gone on to inspire others; making this a perfect celebration of her.
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