Monday 21 March 2022

Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror - Book Review

 


'Dark Stars, edited by John F.D. Taff, is a tribute to horror’s longstanding short fiction legacy, featuring 12 terrifying original stories from today's most noteworthy authors, with an introduction by bestselling author Josh Malerman and an afterword by Ramsey Campbell.

'Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent. Dark Stars features all-new stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, and Alma Katsu, with seasoned author John F.D. Taff at the helm. An afterword from original Dark Forces contributor Ramsey Campbell is a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

'Within these pages you’ll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harboring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You’ll encounter terrible monsters—both human and supernatural—and be forever changed. The stories in Dark Stars run the gamut from traditional to modern, from dark fantasy to neo-noir, from explorations of beloved horror tropes to the unknown—possibly unknowable—threats.'

Anthology books can sometimes be a bit of a mixed bag, especially if they're bringing together different authors with various styles. They can present you with stories and writing that's different to what you'd normally pick up, giving you the chance to try new things. Dark Stars was one of these types of books for me, with only a few of the twelve authors being ones whose work I'd read before.

The first story in the collection is 'The Attentionist' by Caroline Kepes, which tells the story of a young teenage girl and her sister. The story begins by introducing us to these two young teens, their relationship with each other, and their growing focus on boys. The two girls are in the throws of puberty, and have become seemingly obsessed with guys; or at least the narrators sister Reg, who is definitely hyper fixated. One day Maeve gets a phone call from someone claiming to be a boy she met at work, but it soon turns out to be something much more sinister. This story is horror in the most real sense, in that it doesn't deal with ghosts or monsters or dark forces, but the horror of other people. Kepes crafts a tense story that manages to draw you in and keep you feeling on edge because it's something real, something that could happen to you; which makes it genuinely scary.

'A Life in Nightmares' by Ramsey Campbell is almost an exact opposite to the first. If the first story is something that could easily happen this is one that you never want to happen to you. Its disjointed narrative unfolds across a series of scenes that take place across the life of Maurice, who we watch from childhood, through to adolescence, and into adulthood. The scenes skip to key moments in his life, from his first day at school to his wedding day, and with each of these something bizarre and nightmarish seems to be following him through his life like a nightmare. The end revelation for this story is a pretty interesting one, and one that I'd love to see more of as it's super interesting. Campbell manages to craft a narrative that feels like a fever dream, with reality and the nightmarish flowing together and mixing, with events shifting and jumping across the years. It's a unique feeling story, and one that might not be for everyone; but if you like things a bit more cosmic horror you'll enjoy this one.

Priya Sharma's 'Papa Eye' felt like one of the least horror of these stories. The story didn't frighten or scare me, and its connections to the past and history made it feel more like a folk story; which I suppose does often make it feel more akin to horror than most other genres. The story takes place on a remote island, where a new doctor begins to make strange discoveries about the inhabitants, and starts to discover that there are strange and supernatural things taking place, and that people aren't quite what they appear to be. Whilst not a story that scared me, it's an interesting one for sure, and I'd happily read more about this strange community and the lives they lead.

I have to admit, I did have some difficulty with 'Volcano' by Livia Llewellyn. The story centres on Calliope, a student at a small college campus who's struggling to find work over the summer period. When she manages to find a job replacing fabric on chairs in the college, as well as creating new curtains for the various function rooms, she seems to have the perfect job. However, the basement room she has to work in has a strange, open door leading into a series of dark underground tunnels, and it has an odd effect upon her. I have to admit, I struggled to really understand everything that was happening in this story, and perhaps that's part of the horror of it, not knowing why the strange things are happening. Unfortunately, this became one of my least favourite stories in the collection as I was left scratching my head by the end.

'All The Things He Called Memories' by Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favourites of the collection. Set during the Covid lock-down, the story follows couple as they're forced to live and work together around the clock in their home. Bo is a simple kind of guy, an upholsterer who likes a quiet life, whilst his wife Marcy is a research scientist. When the two of the share their deepest, irrational fears as part of Marcy's latest research project Bo begins to experience odd things throughout the house. As the strange events begin to build Bo is let questioning if things are even happening or if perhaps being trapped at home has gotten to him. I've seen some authors online saying that setting any work during the Covid pandemic is a bad idea, that it will date your story, that it will put people off because it will remind them of an awful time; but this story works perfectly because of it. It feels a lot more relatable as we've all had bad times during Covid, all felt isolated and alone, and it just makes the horror here hit home all the more.

Chesya Burke's 'Trinity River Blues' feels like it could be part of an urban fantasy series, and whilst it does have horror elements to it the more urban fantasy parts of the story definitely help it to stand out in this collection. In this story we meet Trini, a young woman who can see ghosts and interact with the spirit world. Raised by her grandmother after her mother died giving birth to her, Trini funds joy in her powers, even having a best friend who's a ghost. However, when a dark spirit comes calling one day it puts Trini's life in danger. This story was a lot of fun, had a flavour to it that was different from other stories on offer in the book, and ended up being another character that I could see myself reading more about.

'The Familiar's Assistant' by Alma Katsu is, surprisingly, the only vampire story in this collection. Vampire stories are incredibly popular, and there's normally one or two popping up in horror anthologies; and this time it's the turn of Alma Katsu to give us her twist on the genre. This story doesn't follow a vampire, however, but a young man who has spent weeks seeking one out. After working up the courage to finally approach the home the vampire is living in he's allowed in, and eventually is allowed to stay and help the vampire's familiar. This story feels less a tale about vampires, and more about obsession, about this one person's desires and the lengths that they're willing to go to to achieve them. It's an interesting and dark story for sure.

'Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream' by John F.D. Taff (the book's editor) is a pretty chilling and unique kind of ghost story, one that feels like the perfect definition of a scary short story. The story centres on a recently widowed father and his son, Gus, as they travel across the country to their new home; trying to make a fresh start of things after their tragic events. When the two of them stop at a small rest stop along their route things begin to spin out of control when a bizarre blizzard sweeps in out of nowhere, trapping them inside. Not only that, but a ghostly presence with a focus on Gus begins to make its presence known. In a lot of ways this story made me think of episodes of shows like The Twilight Zone, where you'd get a creepy, unexplained story with a clear arc and a satisfying resolution by the time the credits roll. The story doesn't rely on leaving half revealed truths or vague hints in order to disturb the reader, and it doesn't really leave you questioning what would happen next. Instead, it give you this wonderful, self contained tale that just feels incredibly satisfying to read.

'The Sanguintalist' by Gemma Files is another that falls quite neatly into the urban fantasy genre, following Lala Mirwani, a forensic necromancer for hire. Lala uses her abilities to experience memories through blood to help the police with murder investigations, and is called in to help when the brutalised remains of a trans woman is found. Lala's magic reveals a series of events that sends Lala into a world of dangerous magicians and spell-casters, where she gets tested to her limits. I really enjoyed this story, and not just because it gave an Indian trans woman a starring role, but because this felt like a perfect pitch for a urban fantasy series filled with great characters, and an interesting world. I really hope that this is a character and setting that Files comes back to in the future, as we need more heroes like Lala.

Josh Malerman's 'Mrs Addison's Nest' is a story that I think is definitely worth more than one read. Telling the story of a group of four friends who've come together to track down and fight a woman from their past, a woman they're convinced is a powerful, evil witch, the story messes with the mind and chronology as the titular monster tries to mess with the characters. The story was honestly a challenge to begin with, thanks to the shifting, almost dreamlike narrative, but Malerman manages to really make it work, and once you know a bit more about what's going on you can re-read the story with more information and get a lot out of it. In some ways it reminds me of IT with the group of adults coming together to fight a childhood monster; yet it doesn't copy the King story in any real way, and feels completely its own.

'Challawa' by Usman T. Malik was a story that I really enjoyed. Set in Ganeshpur in India, this felt like a wonderful folk horror that drew on the history of the region to deliver a chilling story. It follows Karima, a woman who's travelled home to India with her husband Ed after spending a number of years in the US. Whilst Ed doesn't really want to be there, Karima finds herself getting lost in the local history and culture, as she learns about the Challawa, a type of spirit said to haunt the area. This story is packed full of history and culture, and we get to find out a lot about both Karmina and Ganeshpur over the course of the story. You spend so long getting to know the characters and exploring their lives that I almost forgot it was supposed to be a horror story, until the sudden dark turn the ending takes in the most chillingly delightful way.

The final story for the book is 'Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate' by John Langan, and it takes readers to a remote iced over lake where a woman has travelled to confront a man who she believes to be responsible for the death of her brother. The woman, Michelle, has travelled into the remote wilderness to talk with Walter, a man that she not only believes killed her brother and his girlfriend, but to also be a monster. Over the course of the conversation that begins between the two of them we learn  lot about Walter's life, his failed marriage, and the reason why he committed his crimes. Unfortunately, there's something dark and unnatural inside of Walter, and the story of his transformation into a creature of myth is one that will terrify. I really enjoyed this story, and loved how much time was given over getting to know the characters, their lives, and how then ended up at this point. The horror of the story didn't really come into play until the end of things, but by the time it did I was totally invested in the tale, and loved the way it ended. 

Dark Stars  has a big mixture of different types of horror, from a range of authors from different backgrounds and experiences, and this really shows in their work. no two stories feel the same, and even if they're tackling similar themes and ideas they're all so different. The ghost stories have little in common, the urban fantasy stories are both unique, and the folk horror tales feel like complete opposites. Dark Stars seems to showcase how varied and how different horror can be, and what different people bring to the genre. Whether you've come to this collection to check out an author you already like, or to try something new, the sheer variety on offer here means that you're guaranteed to find something to like.


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