BOOK REVIEW: DARK STARS (2022) EDITED BY JOHN F. D. TAFF

18/7/2022

Dark Stars (2022)
Edited by John F. D. Taff
Review by: Mark Walker

Available at AMAZON
ISBN-10: 178909898X
ISBN-13: 978-1789098983

Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent edited by John F.D. Taff. Within these pages you’ll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harbouring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You’ll encounter terrible monsters―both human and supernatural―and be forever changed. These stories 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.

I’m doing it again. Another anthology! I think the attraction for me, certainly when reviewing books around a busy work and home life, is that you can dip in and out without losing track as easily as you can with a full-length novel. It’s nice to be able to grab a book before going to work or over lunch and be able to devour a tale in one sitting; short stories are great for busy people or those who don’t manage their time well. I’m saying nothing.

Dark Stars is a powerful addition to my recent roster of anthologies, and I enjoyed reading the twelve dark tales contained within. There is no real over-arching theme with Dark Stars, it is just a solid and varied collection of creepy tales and unnerving characters. What you get here is an eclectic mix of vampires, murderers, aliens, pagans, voodoo, ghosts, demons, and a wendigo! All from a great collection of authors including Caroline Kepnes, Ramsey Campbell, Priya Sharma, Livia Llewellyn, Stephen Graham Jones, Chesya Burke, Alma Katsu, John F.D. Taff, Gemma Files, Josh Malerman, Usman T. Malik, and John Langan.

It's usually about this time in the review that I say how I won’t look at each story in turn or pick out my favourites for fear of suggesting that there are any poor entries in the book. This isn’t the case for Dark Stars; this time around they are all excellent, and every entry is worthy of a place in this book. Inevitably everyone will find particular stories that they resonate with more than others but, with Dark Stars, I enjoyed them all and found none of them lacking. They all had an impact on me and intrigued me and I never found myself flicking forward to see if I was near the end of a story that was not working or with which I was bored. Dark Stars was a breath of fresh (rank) air.

A couple of the stories that I really enjoyed were Josh Malerman’s “Mrs. Addison’s Nest” a multilayered, King-esque fight against the forces of darkness shared by old school friends and John Langan’s “Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate” a slow-burn encounter with the Wendigo. Also, Livia Llewellyn’s “Volcano” speaks volumes of the power and rage inside women and is particularly pertinent when considering everything that is going on in the world right now. But, regardless, every tale presented here is a triumph, there are no album fillers here.

This might be the shortest review I have written for Ginger Nuts as there really is no real reason I can think of as to why you wouldn’t want to read this collection. If you want horror, darkness, mystery, and death, then you need look no further. In his foreword, Josh Malerman talks about Horror "having a moment” and how this collection is a celebration of that moment; a collection of twelve writers marking a mini renaissance of Horror. Dark Stars houses an incredible pool of writers and a collection of talent that it would be an honour to be part of.

“Horror is everywhere,” he says, and it is true, regardless of what the more conservative among us might think, Horror pervades every part of our lives, on TV, radio, in films and books – even real life. It is everywhere. And Dark Stars is a celebration of the diversity, variety and joy of horror, an escapist joy to die-hard fans, and the start of a slippery, yet attractive slope for newbies.

So, grab a copy, settle in, and enjoy.

Come

Join us

And gaze at the stars

Dark Stars
by John FD Taff

Twelve chilling and thrilling stories from the darkest stars of modern horror including Josh Malerman, Caroline Kepnes, Stephen Graham Jones, Ramsay Campbell and more…

Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent edited by John F.D. Taff. Within these pages you’ll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harbouring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You’ll encounter terrible monsters―both human and supernatural―and be forever changed. These stories 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.