An anthology that celebrates stories of darkness overcome by the light is a tricky endeavor, to be sure. The best thrillers put their audience into the depths of the pit, and readers won’t be satisfied with a cheat or treacly ending. This premise makes a promise—expect darkness, then watch it fail.
For certain, the anthology doesn’t cheat on the number of offerings and poetry. The panoply of stories offer everything from ghosts to leprechauns, and the poetry have a similar wide range. This reviewer doesn’t feel qualified to review poetry so you won’t see any further mention of the poems other than to say they were all enjoyable and creative.
Many prose entries stand out, not surprising as this book has a few Realm nominations (as of this writing). One of them, “The Forbidden Library” by Anne J. Hill, is steeped in mystery and takes unexpected turns through most of the story. Atmospheric and creepy at the start, the tale resolves with an interesting premise. This also wins the award for being a story that writers will appreciate the most.
“The Guardian of the Maelstrom” by Maseeha Seedat, describes just what a ship in the middle of a rageful tempest will encounter when it sails into the eye of the storm. The technical language, the memorable main character, and the vivid descriptions of the sea is a unique combination of Melville and Derelith.
Many ghost stories inhabit the pages of this book, each with their own flavor. “The Ghost in the Thicket” has darkness but also mystery. While set in modern day, it has an appealing Victorian tone to it that kept me enthralled throughout. I was sorry to see this one end.
While fantasy is a common genre through the book, Beka Gremikova’s “A Taste of Life” took the world building of a fantasy novel and captured it in a short story. The reader senses the history, the culture, and the tragedy through the details of this delightful entry. A beautiful tale of love lost—but not entirely—this offering will remain in your memory long after it’s done.
A few of these stories read like a Twilight Zone episode but one is more suited to the television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Because of its singularity, “Nightfall” by D. A. Randall makes an impression as a huis clos premise with a wonderful twist at the end. To me, this story saluted old black-and-white thrillers. I would pay to see this on the silver screen.
“The Headless Henwoman and the Kissing Curse” by Kristiana Sfirlea is so unique that it’s hard to describe. In the humor section, its laugh-a-minute narrative concerns a headless henwoman, headless hens, headless horsemen, headless horses. Oh jeez, just about everyone is headless and yet the story isn’t so grim as it is grin. But wrapped in its absurd premise is the complex character Sable and lessons on life’s (or death’s) true purpose.
Overall, What Darkness Fears is a great read any time of year, and certainly any time you desire an intriguing collection of a triumph over darkness. So go ahead and read your dark tales in October, but remember that Darkness has an enemy, and fear it, it should.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/What-Darkness-Fears-Anne-Hill/dp/1956499008