Unfolding through fourteen short stories and one novella, DARK WORLDS WE WANDER offers a fresh take on Earth’s last, desperate survivors who will do whatever it takes to keep from starving through a nuclear winter; a woman trapped in her laundry room who battles something terrifying in the clothes dryer; a convicted criminal who picks up an odd companion on his lonely walk to prison across a desert planet; a woman whose new tattoo suspiciously multiplies like an alien virus; and more.
From the most crowded cities to the loneliest reaches of the galaxy, in the now and in the future, exploring humankind’s darkest depths and noblest aspirations, DARK WORLDS WE WANDER is a trip not to be missed.
Dark bleatings, my wandering tribe! Another short story collection for you today, this time from Kristin Kirby, who wrote one of my favourite stories of last year. Let’s get right into it!
Imprints
A girl gets her first tattoo and at the same time, her heavily tattooed friend is acting a little ill and off. The tattoos are…unconventional! As a tattoo lover myself, I thought this story was cool. It’s true that they can be addictive, though I haven’t had this particular issue myself!
Tumble
Jenna realises there’s something in the dryer after she gets trapped in the laundry room, and a race to escape before the cycle finishes and the thing emerges begins. The more you think about this one, the worse it gets, and it’s fun!
Being from Another World
This one is so funny. I can’t tell you why I love it without ruining the reveal but it’s a favourite!
Meat
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! This is the one I was bleating on about last year, mwahahaha! It’s the apocalypse, people, and food is scarce. You might think maintaining a healthy weight would be good in these circumstances, but think again!
Lost Classics of the 90’s
A woman is attacked by a weird creature and then her friend just casually explains it’s from a parallel universe and it emerged from a nearby portal. This is funny sci-fi horror and very enjoyable.
Sojourn
A woman on a different planet frees a sort of bird creature from a trap. There’s not much more I can add but the world-building is wonderful and made me want more.
Fly
Luke is walking through a desert, trying to find a prison that probably doesn’t exist, and makes an unlikely travelling companion in a fly that’s buzzing around him. This one made me sad!
Fallen
Short and brutal – this one follows someone perishing in battle. Again, I can’t say much more, but it made me sad. And pensive. I don’t often get to feel pensive.
The Nyx Effect
A creative writing group has a few members that also hold a ‘who has the scariest nightmare’ contest, where they try to mess themselves up mentally before bed to have scary dreams. Two of them take it quite seriously but it fizzles out and then so does the group. A year later, Jesse – a dickhead – calls Ned and wants to write a book with him about the nightmare thing, but Ned declines because Jesse is unhinged and claims he can get into other people’s dreams and control them.
This one goes in a very satisfying and scary direction, and it’s one of my favourites.
The Editor
What a great idea for a story! I love this one. We begin with a man in a coffee shop, whose actions seem controlled by someone else – the “editor”. Quite nihilistic at the end, but brilliant. And unfortunately, probably very true.
Bitty
Oof this one is dark. A kid has a sister called Bitty, but there are some unconventional things about the family set up and the way the parents are behaving. It comes to a satisfying conclusion but was quite heart-wrenching.
Digestible
A blogger is eating alien burgers and loves them until people start getting sick. The reason that people are getting sick is beyond anything I imagined and it was bloody brilliant. A stroke of genius!
Blunder
Poppy is a single mum doing her best with her teenage son, living in a trailer park with a landlord who is a piece of shit – she owes him money and is struggling to pay and he tries to take advantage of it. Poppy’s son isn’t a fan of this guy either…
Oh my gosh, I love it. I was so surprised by where it went and I have to say, I’ve never read anything in this subgenre of this ilk before.
Rabbit
A guy with no one in his life likes walking and is trying to get fitter but it’s futile, and the reason that it’s futile is horrifying and totally bleak. This is more about the person than the event though, and it evoked a variety of emotions in me at the end.
Maze
This is a novella that takes up the second half of the book, and it’s about a woman who’s a killer for hire. This isn’t really her preference, but some dire circumstances force her hand and she has no choice.
Overall, a very enjoyable collection. Something I realised about Kirby as I proceeded through the book was that she’s really great at endings that surprise and delight, and reveals too. I’m always thrilled by the direction she takes things in. I’d recommend this to general horror readers.
Dark Worlds We Wander is due for release on the 14th Jan, and if you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you.
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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