Elemental Forces is the fifth volume in the non-themed horror series of original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in horror, and 4 selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a short open submissions window. A delicious feast of the familiar and the new, the established and the emerging.
Contributing authors: Poppy Z. Brite, Andy Davidson, Aaron Dries, Paul Finch, Christina Henry, Laurel Hightower, Verity Holloway, Jim Horlock, Gwendolyn Kiste, Annie Knox, Sarah Langan, Tim Lebbon, Will Maclean, Tim Major, Luigi Musolino, Kurt Newman, Nicholas Royle, David J. Schow, Paul Tremblay, P.C. Verrone
Previous titles in the series, all still in print, are: After Sundown, Beyond the Veil, Close to Midnight and Darkness Beckons.
Dark bleatings, my dearest tribe. I have an anthology review today, and let me tell you upfront, it’s an absolute belter. Let’s get into the stories! Apologies in advance for the swearing but, quite frankly, it’s warranted.
The Peeler by Poppy Z Brite
In true Billy Martin style, there’s a real air of “something’s fucky”, even before we know that something is, indeed, fucky. I don’t often see anyone flayed, you know. What a great story to open the book with.
The Entity by Nicholas Royle
Tim is house-sitting and having an increasingly creepy time. Things are moving, his bed is messed up after he’s made it, his computer files are disappearing. Something is – you guessed it – fu…sorry, I won’t keep saying it. But it is. This one was creepy, and then jaw-dropping.
Nobody Wants to Work Here Anymore by Christina Henry
Funny in a really dark way. At a fast-food burger place, someone gets a little obsessed with a rat they claim to have seen. Unsure what’s real or not at first, but it all becomes clear in a very dark but humorous way. Also, I spent most of my working life in customer service, and I can’t help but feel like this is a quite accurate comment on what it’s like.
The Scarecrow Festival by Tim Major
Gavin invites Andy to an exclusive, non-publicised town event where everyone makes scarecrows depicting film characters, popular figures, etc,. Andy accepts because he has nothing better to do basically, but he’s confused by the invitation because though they used to be friends, it’s been decades since they last saw each other or really talked. Very folky, very “Oh dear, I think Andy might be doomed”. Great creepy idea, and I’d love to see more of this town!
The Wrong Element by Aaron Dries
I’ll admit to being mildly confused by this one, but I think that was the point. Holy trauma, Batman! This story is a bit of a tangled web that untangles, but then you wish it didn’t untangle because…good grief! A change of pace and a different type of horror than the first few.
Mister Reaper by Annie Knox
After a botched suicide attempt, Stephanie wakes up in the closed mall that she works in, face to face with a creature-like Grim Reaper. But this dude is not quite the scythed one that we all envision. Not quite the type of Grim Reaper that you want to boot in the balls, like Arnold Rimmer did. It’s very weird, and oddly uplifting, and very unique.
The Call of the Deep by Laurel Hightower
Mel works in a facility with one of those underwater wet rooms with a pool. She thinks they’re checking for radiation, but actually there’s something…else…in the depths. Nightmare fuel, I tell you!
The Plague by Luigi Musolino
An anti-vax, anti-pharm man comes down with what he thinks is the flu, but is instead diagnosed with the bubonic plague. Of course, he won’t take antibiotics, even in these circumstances. I thought I knew where this was headed but I absolutely didn’t – surreal and scary.
Jack-A-Lent by Paul Finch
A man (a criminal, actually) is desperate to confess something to Father O’Shea, but the priest doesn’t quite expect what he is told. A story of Judas – or possibly a demon – in the flesh, right here in present day. Paul Finch is great at merging bland, old, real-world Britain with horrible supernatural scariness.
The Only Face You Ever Knew by Gwendolyn Kiste
This is one of my favourites. Catherine and Veronica have been together three years and are recently engaged when Veronica disappears. The police track her down at her parents house, who she has been estranged from for twenty years. Confused, Catherine travels there but things only get more confusing and sad from there. This story starts very mysteriously – I was hooked – and then it gets really unsettling. It’s almost folky, and it’s sinister as hell. The subtext is great but I was really here for the horror, and it did not disappoint. I think this would make an excellent screenplay.
They Eat the Rest by Jim Horlock
A group of upper-class people are dining and their hunger seems insatiable. I think this is a comment on the class divide and the wealth gap, and because of the (excellent) dark humour of it, I did not expect it to be so grisly! Very enjoyable.
The Note by Paul Tremblay
This is creepy as fu…heck, and another favourite. A man and his wife go out for ice cream and pass by an abandoned-looking house with an overgrown garden. There’s a note taped to the door and the wife is curious, so husband keeps a look out to make sure there isn’t anyone home (there’s one light on inside). She reads it, goes weird, won’t tell him what the note said, and then his life takes a deeply confusing, upsetting turn. The mystery had me so intrigued throughout.
Unmarked by Tim Lebbon
A dead man is friends with an old, living man called Ronnie. The ghost doesn’t know where his own remains are but he’s been letting Ronnie know where the bodies of other missing people are, so Ronnie can help the police. It’s such an interesting relationship. It’s full of existential dread but also hope. I absolutely love this one.
Red Meat Flag by David J. Schow
It’s hard to say much without just giving away the story because this one is quite short, but it feels like it’s about perception vs reality, what you think you know as opposed to what you actually know. It’s one of the most thought-provoking in the book.
A Review of Slime Tutorial: The Musical by P.C. Verrone
Enjoyed the story-telling method of this one – it’s written as a theatre review of a bizarre play about a sentient mound of slime that consumes the characters as the play goes on. Completely bizarre, and would be worthy of a screen adaptation in Tales from the Crypt.
The Doppleganger Ballet by Will Maclean
A man discovers how he will die, and it disturbs him. This concept scares the bejesus out of me, and not just the bit I mentioned!
Eight Days West of Plethora by Verity Holloway
Mancino starts on a quest (as I view it). It’s a story that takes its time, and I was enjoying trying to figure out what sort of horror this was, exactly. I was not expecting the body horror grisliness!
The Daughters of Canaan by Kurt Newton
This story is absolutely batshit (which I always mean as a compliment). Evoking elements of Egyptian mythology, our protagonist initially worries she’s delusional because she keeps seeing dog-headed men that no one else seems to notice. She confides in Gerard, a nice co-worker. He believes her and “does some research”. It was mad.
A House of Woe and Mystery by Andy Davidson
THE APOCALYPSE! I love this story – one of my favourites, right up my street. Something world-ending has happened and let me tell you, of all ways humanity could end, the way it’s spelled here is so scary!
I Miss You Too Much by Sarah Langan
This is not only my favourite in the whole anthology, but one of the scariest stories I’ve ever read. I deeply regret reading it at night, right before planning to go to bed. Sarah Langan, if you read this, how dare you do this to me?! I can’t possibly go to sleep now, lest the nightmares will come!
Nightmares of Slurkins.
The less I tell you, the better. I initially was drawn in by the difficult, complex mother/daughter relationship, which I think was captured unbelievably well. And then…oh god, the effing horror! And, a note here about the editing – I was already of the mind that Mark Morris put these stories in the perfect order, but ending with this belter was a stroke of genius. Now, my overall impression of the book isn’t just one of being spooked and disturbed and entertained, I’m left with a lasting impression that’s making me side-eye the book in case it’s possessed.
I have to say, this is a fantastic anthology. I’ve read so many this year and this is easily in the Top 2 (side by side with Bound in Blood, from Titan). Not only are the stories all full of varying types of horrors, and an assortment of topics and atmospheres, but the order in which they’re placed is excellent. There’s an increasing feeling of dread as you go through, a sort of escalation of darkness and intensity as you go from start to finish. Brilliant work all around.
If you’d like to check out the book, editor, or publisher, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Happy Goat Horror 
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