An incredible fourth book in the horror anthology series which Booklist called “Highly recommended for longstanding horror fans and those readers who may not think horror is for them. There is something for everyone in this one.”
Darkness Beckons is the fourth volume in the non-themed horror series of entirely 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 the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window. A terrifying cocktail of the familiar and the new, the established and the emerging.
Previous titles in the series, all still in print are After Sundown, Beyond the Veil and Close to Midnight.
Dark bleatings, my beckoning tribe! I’m here talking about another Mark Morris edited anthology from Flame Tree today. This one precedes the outstanding Elemental Forces anthology, so I’ve read them backwards really, but that did nothing to distinguish my excitement. Let’s dive in!
Saint Barbara – by Nina Allan
Two women meet at a book signing and forge a friendship out of their individual dreams of revenge. There’s a whole world in this short story, a whole world of dastardly intrigue…
Hare Moon – by H.V. Patterson
I love this! A sacrifice is made during a ‘hare moon’ – a family is selected (a decapitated hare’s body hanging outside their house lets them know this), and the story goes from there. Wonderful folk horror with great imagery and a nasty sting in the tail.
Under Cover of Darkness – by Stephen Volk
This is a whole new type of horrifying. A man wants to remove the gravestone of a dead paedophile. A horrible revelation is made, and the writing is excellent.
Dusk – by Angela Slatter
Sissy is a homecare nurse (she’s a fraud) who robs rich people to pay off loan sharks. But she’s picked the wrong target this time, and the wrong item to “borrow”. Super creepy!
A Face Leaving No Traces – by Brian Evenson
A guy wakes up feeling like he was bitten on the neck but there’s nothing there. It reminds him of an apparently dead ex – J – who he implies was somehow eternal, a vampire most likely. There’s more, but I don’t want to spoil it. It just kept getting creepier and more disturbing and the sense of paranoia and fear at the end is palpable. Fantastic.
Good Bones – by Sarah Read
Jim is paid to fix some things in an old lady’s house, but there’s something very wrong with the old lady. The house is cobwebbed, almost to desertion, and he gets turned around trying to find a bathroom. While trying to find it, he finds something else…
It was very creepy and got scarier by the page.
Facts Concerning the Disappearance of the Orloff Six – by Alyssa C. Greene
Ooh, nature horror! This was different, with ever so slight The Ruins vibes. Years ago, a group of six went missing on a hike. The cousin of the only inexperienced one – and the one rumoured to be to blame – goes out with her friend and two others to make a documentary, trying to uncover what happened. They find something, and it was not at all what I expected or could have even imagined. The true stuff of horror, this is. Very good, I liked it a lot!
He Wasn’t There Again Today – by Peter Atkins
Loved it! Humorous tone. A woman sees a ghost but is confused because the person the spirit belongs to is alive. She enlists the help of her cousin to figure things out, and the end is surprising, fun, and very entertaining.
Dodger – by Carly Holmes
Oof, this one is a favourite and one of the most impactful. A woman, who I think has severe post-natal depression that was left untreated for a whole three years, hates her kid. Or rather, hates the absence of her former life, where her time and attention and body weren’t constantly demanded. It’s so upsetting and unsettling and horrific, but brilliant.
From the Man-Seat – by Reggie Oliver
First person, conversational. A man is talking about his new love and then about a friend who something weird and unfortunate happened to. I’m honestly a bit confused! It was really good and I loved the writing, but I’m unsure what actually happened.
The Service – by Ally Wilkes
A server works for a wealthy family doing private dinner service in a hotel, but these folk are….off. Weird. The kind of weird that makes you want to grab a crucifix. I thought this one was scary and really atmospheric, the author absolutely nailed the story telling.
The Late Mrs Applegarth – by Mark Gatiss
A man who was useless at making an effort for his wedding anniversary when his wife was alive has spent the last five years since her death taking the idea of her out for a nice meal. It ends in a spooky but wholesome way, and I enjoyed it.
The Fig Tree by Lucie McKnight Hardy
Holy crap – all I could think was, “Get out of there you guys!” A family go for a short stay in a small place in Wales, where the landlady of the pub next door seems a bit too interested in their baby. Absolutely brilliant and very dark – definitely on the darkest side of folk horror that I’ve read so far. A favourite! Love love love love LOVE this story.
If Your Soul Were A Pitchfork, I’d Despise You – by Eric LaRocca
Heinous. This is about what happens psychologically after a man is assaulted. It’s excellent…hideous, depressing, but so raw and honest and wonderful. And horrific. And unnerving. And awesome. All of the things.
Heebie Jeebies – by Amanda Cecelia Lang
Possibly my favourite in the whole book. A boy and his Nona are close – she teaches him to catch and release his fears (the heebie jeebies), but they don’t seem like just his imagination. Great writing, great idea, great imagery, just all around a great horror story.
Killing Bones – by Simon Clark
This one feels like it would make a great Goosebumps episode. A trio think they hit a woman after she ran out in the road but she’s fine…physically at least. She’s panicked, and she leads them somewhere, and then we get the truly brilliant brand of horror that Clark is known for.
Il Crepuscolo – by Helen Marshall
I am so sorry to say that I was a bit confused by this one and I don’t think I get it – I’m not its audience. But Marshall’s writing is great!
Remember Me – by Ronald Malfi
A really nice ghost story. A boy that was killed by a drunk driver is a ghost, and spends Halloween following people around, hoping to be remembered. There are stipulations in this world about when ghosts appear, what they can do, and why they can do it. Such an interesting idea and a perfect Halloween read.
Witch’s Clutch – by Simon Strantzas
A man is searching for someone but comes across two women and a girl instead, who invite him to stay because of a horrible storm. They’re talking about Daddy returning home and their garden. I thought I had predicted where it was headed but ohhh boy was I wrong. Right up my street, for genre and atmosphere, and I loved it.
Camp Never – by J.S. Breukelaar
I feel really bad but this one also wasn’t for me, but please don’t read anything into my lack of information about it, for which I apologise. I have to admit that I lost half my notes (I still haven’t found them, thus leading to my husband’s rather smug reminder that it would be better if I stopped hand-writing everything). The stories in the back half of this book are ones I’ve had to review entirely from memory and this one just didn’t stick with me, though I do generally enjoy Breukelaar’s stories.
Overall, another outstanding anthology from Mark Morris, with hardly any stories out of the twenty that I didn’t love (and those few just come down to personal taste – the writing across the board is great).
I’d recommend this to horror readers! If you’d like to check out the book, the editor, or the press, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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