After Sundown was the perfect Halloween read. This fantastic collection of horror covers all bases for any fan. From classic hauntings to niche folklore and tales of all monsters from spider to sasquatch. Even mundane human fears such as dentistry and bad parenting turned to stomach curdling stories.

Butterfly Island.
Not so much a short story as an opening to an unfinished story. Whilst I've enjoyed C J Tudor's novels, this piece didn't really have much of an impact on me. But wait! From here on it gets far better.

Research
Tim Lebbon never let's me down. I love this guy! Humans are the worst of all monsters, meet the neighbours from hell on this gobsmacking torture tale.

Alison Littlewood -Swanskin
Beautiful and heart-wrenchingly cruel, the underlying social commentary makes this one a real heavy hitter.

Sarah Lotz- That's The Spirit
A wonderfully quirky tale of clairvoyance versus non believers. Worth noting- Sarah also writes weird horror as a twosome under S.L.Grey.

'Gave' felt long and draining (haha). The entire plot consists of an elderly man desperate to donate blood. Not such a fan, far too much statistics and equations, it felt more like a math class.

Ramsey Campbell - Wherever You Look
Someone else needs to read this one and explain it to me. Perhaps I was just brain tired but I feel like I missed something?

Angela Slatter-Same Time Next Year
I loved the atmosphere of this fleeting moment from a ghosts perspective.

Mine Seven
I always enjoy new folklore, in this case a siberian creature. I'll be looking out for more from this author.

A Hotel In Germany
Perhaps my favourite of After Sundown. Catriona Ward spins an entirely unique story of Cara, an enslaved vampire.


I shan't cover them all as the discovery is as much fun as the atmosphere , but I HIGHLY recommend this anthology. Another incredible publication by Flame Tree Press!
Thankyou to Anne Cater at RandomThings for my copy.

After Sundown is a collection of horror stories you won't want to read after sundown! These stories can definitely keep you up at night. There's a good mix that kept me entertained and I enjoyed them all (which is unusual with me and anthologies).

Looking for a Halloween read? Looking for scary, startling, shivery good fun? Well, here you have it! Grab After Sundown and start reading. Just don't plan on sleeping after.

After Sundown is an anthology of 20 stories which cannot be read after sundown. Some of these stories were more sci-fi and fantasy than horror. However, they were quite well-written.
From the first story, I was hooked. My only problem with it was that I would have loved to find out what happened next. I finished that story wondering if their situation got any better or worse.
Swanskin by Alison Littlewood was my favorite of them all. It was deeply unsettling and I read the whole story with a feeling of unease.
Mine Seven by Elena Gomel was also another favorite. I like reading about the mythology of other countries and I found that creature very interesting.
I think the one that came in third place for me would have been Branch Line by Paul Finch. It was a true horror story with the typical jilted lady ghost. As someone who loves the horror genre, it was a fantastic read and I found it perfect as the last story of the collection.
It Doesn't Feel Right by Michael Marshall Smith was quite a spooky read as a parent. All parents know what it's like to deal with children like these mentioned in the story. However, I'm pretty sure our stories don't end like this one did.
Some notable stories are Last Rites For The Fourth World by Rick Cross, Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell, We All Come Home by Simon Bestwick and Bokeh by Thana Niveau.
The other stories were good reads but the ones I mentioned were the ones I remembered even when I finished the book.

This book should be read by adults due to large amounts of blood and gore (typical with horror stories), There was mild sexual content and some obscenities.

‘After Sundown’ is a collection of a short stories that is guaranteed to keep you awake at night.

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. It is the first of what will hopefully become an annual, non-themed horror anthology of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer.

With it coming up to Halloween, there’s not much opportunity for trick or treating with the pandemic so, why not settle into a collection of horror stories about things that go bump in the night, paranormal and disturbing people.

The book is packed with some well known authors from CJ Tudor, author of ‘The Chalkman’ and Avon Books author Paul Finch as well as some new names who submitted their own stories.

Packed with 20 stories and dependent on your type of horror, there’s something for everyone who enjoys unsettling reading. There’s stories of ghosts, flesh eating butterflies and women who are really swans. These stories are genuinely disturbing and as I got closer to the end of each of story, I found myself tensing up for the big reveal.

This collection of short stories makes for fascinating and unsettling reading, injected with a bit of humour to decrease the fear factor. A book filled with all types of horror, from new and established authors, ‘After Sundown’ is a must read for all horror fans.

You can buy ‘After Sundown’ from Amazon.

AFTER SUNDOWN: AN ANTHOLOGY OF NEW BEST SHORT STORIES - 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.’

My favorites:

’Research’ – by Tim Lebbon

’That’s the Spirit’ - by Sarah Lotz – Love It!

’Same Time Next Year’ – by Angela Slatter

’Mine Seven’ – by Elana Gomel

’It Doesn’t Feel Right’ – by - Michael Marshall Smith

’Creeping Ivy’ – by Laura Purcell - Love It!

’We All Come Home’ – by Simon Bestwick

’Alice’s Rebellion’ - by John Langan

’A Hotel in Germany’ – by Catriona Ward

Thank you, NetGalley and Flame Tree Press, for loaning me an eGalley of AFTER SUNDOWN in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Butterfly Island- This one didn't really do it for me. I'm not really a fan of comedy blended with horror, and the tone of this leaned too comedic for me. Fantastic opening line, though.

Research- Nice, basic little horror/thriller story. Not much to say about it, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Swanskin- Reminded me of the stories of selkies. Beautifully written and beautifully sad folk horror. EDIT: I actually ended up googling and Swan Maidens are a thing! The more you know.

That's the Spirit- Sarah Lotz, writing as SL Grey, has written some of my favorite horror stories and I was really excited for this one! Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. I was initially excited about the "psychic fraud" aspect of the tale, as it's something I haven't encountered in a horror story yet, but it felt too vague and like it ended far too abruptly

Gave- An eerie read that I connected with a little too much and was a little too close for comfort to the current world situation right now.

Wherever You Look- Campbell is another one that I always enjoy, and this story- while not my favorite of his- was a fun little read. ,

Same Time Next Year- This is probably my favorite story so far from this collection! This is what I love about short story collections- finding a new author I've never read before. A simple ghost story reworked a bit into something interesting, with just enough tantalizing details to keep you guessing and hooked. Read like a high-class urban legend.
Mine Seven- Another one I really enjoyed. I adore Scandinavian horror, and this one leaned heavily on a culture and folklore I've never heard of- which is another thing I love in horror, so it was like a two-for-one special to me! Well-written and interesting. I also appreciated the utilization of the real-life horror of global warming.

It Doesn't Feel Right- First of all, this story reinforced my childfree status, damn! I'm in love with this author's writing style and will be looking into more of his work for sure. Definitely one of the more unique horror short stories I've read, and one that I wouldn't mind seeing adapted into a film. I also have to say as an ADHD individual with sensory issues- the toe-seam lumps are REAL and the WORST. Never thought I would see a horror story based on that, but there's a first time for everything!

Creeping Ivy- A fun, spooky old-school horror yarn that seemed to me to be influenced by Edgar Allen Poe.

Last Rites for the Fourth World- Although an enjoyable read, this one definitely struck me more as a dark fantasy than horror.

We All Come Home- Another fun, if sligntly clichéd, read that I think would make an excellent film.

The Importance of Oral Hygiene- Loved this one! Will be looking into this author's other works. My favorite horror messes with your head and this one definitely fits the bill!
EDIT: Apparently I've read a collection of stories by this author before and loved it! I vaguely remember the book now, that it was very strange and surreal- just my type!

Bokeh- I love a good faerie tale horror! Once again, my childfree status has been reinforced.

Murder Board- I know I said earlier that I don't typically like the blending of horror with comedy, but this one worked for me because it was more horror than comedy. Reminded me in tone of the movie Ready Or Not.

Alice's Rebellion- John Langan does Alice In Wonderland, and it's lovely. His writing is always a treat!

The Mirror House- Eerie exploration of domestic life and humanity. Another one in this collection I really enjoyed.

The Naughty Step- It's rare for a twist in horror to actually be surprising, but this one was. A nasty little tale, and I mean that in the best way possible.

A Hotel In Germany- An interesting read, but I'm not sure how I feel about it as a short story. It felt a bit too much like I had picked up a novel and opened it at random, like it was something chopped out of a bigger story.

Branch Line- Classic ghost story and a fun way to end the collection.

Overall, I enjoyed this collection of horror shorts. I do tend to prefer ones with an overarching theme, but it was fun reading a more varied collection this time around. Not my favorite collection I've ever read, but definitely had more hits than misses for me.

3.5 stars

After Sundown is an anthology of 20 stories in the horror genre. Flame Tree Press hopes this open submission process mixing established and new authors will be an annual event.

There's a good selection of stories in this collection, and it was fun to dip into these tales during October. As with most story collections, there are some you love and others that don't do it for you, but I'm sure there's something for everyone in here. Horror can be interpreted in many different ways. What scares one person, may have no effect on another depending on your tolerance levels and familiarity with this type of writing. I personally didn't find anything in these tales that particularly chilled me or had me looking over my shoulder.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy many of the stories. My personal favourites were Swanskin by Alison Littlewood (which I absolutely loved), Research by Tim Lebbon, Mine Seven by Elana Gomel (I particularly liked the setting and atmosphere in this one), Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell, We All Come Home by Simon Bestwick and Murder Board by Grady Hendrix.

I'd happily look out for this anthology again next year to see what's been accepted and included.

I was provided with a free copy of this anthology via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more thoughts on this book please see the review on my blog: https://geeking-by.net/4-horror-anthologies-to-get-you-in-the-mood-for-halloween/

My first clue to there this anthology being a let down should have been that there’s not actually a synopsis given regarding the content. The synopsis attached to the book is more concerned with telling the reader how the anthology was created rather than what it actually contains. Before reading the anthology I had overlooked that the synopsis describes After Sundown as a “non-themed horror” anthology. Horror is a vast genre with multiple sub-genres which I’m inherently aware of, so I go into any horror anthology prepared to meet short stories on a variety of topics.

The problem is that the stories within the first half of the anthology are avant-garde. It isn’t that they’re “non-themed horror”, it’s that the idea of horror the author has chosen to portray in their story is so experimental that it simply doesn’t relate to anyone but the author. One particular story is focused on a man who donates blood and recounts the time the world’s overpopulation figure suddenly began to count down instead of up. There’s no twist, it is literally pages of a man giving blood, remarking on the hundreds of people are dying every day and the lack of blood donations. While this is all horrific it isn’t a horror story and is also extremely distasteful during a pandemic. If the author wanted to use the genre to comment on the pandemic and/or blood donations in a time of crisis they failed.

Other stories in the first 50% have the fatal flaw of bad pacing. They read like a chapter in a book, leading up to action which would finally reach its climax in the next chapter. The problem with the short story format is that there is no next chapter. One interesting story took forever to get to the point where the heroine realises she has the magical abilities to save the day, only for the story to abruptly end with her going to do just that. Did she manage to use her magic to save everyone? Who knows.

The second half of the book was much better. It wasn’t that these stories suddenly towed the traditional horror storyline; they were just better paced, they made sense, and they chilled you to the bone. They felt as though they were written with the reader in mind (with the aim of terrifying the reader!). These were the stories that I expected when I picked up this book, and if this is going to be an annual publication that is what the editor/s need to focus on.

I always have at least one book of anthologies that I'm actively reading open next to the bed. The stories are short enough that I can finish them in an evening's reading or even less and it allows me to find more authors to follow....as if my TBR pile is not already very long. This book of short stories is a little different from the usual format as there is no "theme". Just a group of excellent writers allowed to flex their story telling skills in such a manner that will scare you into NOT reading them before bed! The stories cover a wide variety of horror themes, just as the genre does, and you will definitely find a few that you'll recommend to your friends and family...I loved them all. My horror loving cousins are getting their very own copies for Christmas this year. The book synopsis says this will be the first of a series of work, I'll be watching for the next one.

Is there ever a better time of year to experience an anthology of short horror stories than right now? This book was the perfect October read and it’s been such a long time since I read a book of short stores that this looked to be the perfect combination.

I must say this was both a wonderful and surprising book. There are so many names that people will recognise here such as Grady Hendrix and C.J Tudor among them. Some wonderful names I really as looking forward to was reading Stephen Volk’s short story. In case you’re unaware Stephen Volk is the mind and writer behind the famous and terrifying BBC event that was Ghost Watch. That being one name I really enjoyed seeing listed.

This is a wonderful achievement for both Flame Tree Press and Mark Morris, this is unique collection of startling, strange tales that are suitable for anyone’s tastes in horror. What I really loved was the effort that was clearly put into making sure this book had that varied amount of stories with very different aspects of the genre. There is post apocalyptic stories, reworked stories and fairytales and even if you are someone who likes to make your own mind up on the supernatural potential in a story, there are a number of stories in the 20 tales that do have you thinking was it the narrator going mad or was it really the ghost of a murdered girl.

I do find it so interesting that some of the tales that were my favourite were written by some of the women authors in this collection. My personal standouts included ‘Swanskin’ by Alison Littlewood and Laura Purcell’s wonderfully strange ‘Creeping Ivy’. As is the way with anthologies, there were stories I did like, stories I didn’t, some I found uncomfortable but overall, this made to be a genuinely fun experience.

I know the introduction from Mark Morris makes it clear that the book is intended to be read start to finish as a whole piece but I know for a fact I will find myself returning to some of my favourite stories in this collection again and again and will definitely be investing in the authors new to me.

Thank you to both Flame Tree Press and Anne for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for review! ‘After Sundown’ is available now!

I usually read a lot of short fiction but have neglected this genre recently. I also love horror fiction. So After Sundown came along at the perfect time. I’ve read other horror fiction by the publisher and have generally been impressed so I was looking forward to this and had high hopes for the collection. There’s a risk with collections featuring multiple authors that you get one or two duds that spoil the whole collection. Thankfully that wasn’t the case here. After Sundown is packed with excellent horror stories. The stories are all very unique so no two are alike. I’d only heard of a few authors before so it was good to stumble across so many new voices to explore further. The best stories are Butterfly Island by C. J Tudor, Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell, Murder Board by Grady Hendrix and Branch Line by Paul Finch.

An excellent collection of short stories by some well known and some new to me authors.
All of them are well written even if not all of them are horror.
I thoroughly enjoyed and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

After Sundown is a fantastic collection of short stories from established authors and new talent.

Each story was gripping in their own unique way, no story felt the same or was on the same theme. I was really kept on my toes while reading these stories!
There were, of course, a few standouts:

Swanskin by Alison Littlewood. A tale in which swans have their skins stolen and they have to stay in human form, serving their husbands. There was just something so ethereal about this story, and the imagery the author used was so vivid.

Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell. A historical piece of fiction about a diary unearthed at a dig site and the intriguing story within its pages. This was just a brilliant atmospheric read, I'm definitely putting Laura Purcell's book on my tbr list.

The Naughty Step by Stephen Volk. A story about a social worker called to a house after a little boy witnesses his mother's death. Goodness, this pulled at my heartstrings and was creepy at the same time.

Branch Line by Paul Finch. A cold case interview about a young boy who went missing in the 1970s and the unbelievable tale of the survivor. I love a ghost story, and this one was both realistic and creepy.

I had an issue with the fact I felt some stories could have been longer, particularly CJ Tudor's Butterfly Island, I would have read an entire book about that story!

I would recommend this collection, not only for horror lovers, but if you enjoy stories that really pull you in and keep you enthralled.

I received a copy of this anthology from Flame Tree Press. Billed as horror, some were and some weren't. I liked some and loathed others. But that is the beauty of short stories you can move on if one doesn't grab you. I liked the stories by C.J. Tudor, , Ramsey Campbell, Michael Marshall Smith and Grady Hendrix the most. I liked the others to varying degrees.

Anthologies somehow soothe me. A collection of stories from different writers in one place is even better.

After Sundown will probably and hopefully be the first volume of an annual horror anthology from Flame Tree Press. Being the first of such a promising project, Editor Mark Morris has done a wonderful job of picking up the stories.
However, the genre of a few of the stories is more of a psychological thriller and apocalypse rather than being actual horror. But that warning has been given in the introduction. I enjoyed most of the stories though.

Sixteen of the twenty stories being commissioned from seasoned writers in the genres and four picked from an open submission; this collection will give you the pleasure of a spooky October read.

Short story collections are good ways of finding new authors to try out, I've lost count of the number of times I've read an anthology book and ended up putting a load of new books onto my list of things to eventually get round to reading. After Sundown is a great example of this, as not only was there only the one writer in this book that I'd already known of, but with no connective theme, other than horror itself, to bring these stories together, there was a huge variety in the tone, style, and feel of all of them.

The book features twenty stories in all, sixteen of which come from already established writers, and four from an open submission to the publisher. I honestly wouldn't have been able to pick out these four submitted stories, as all of them were of such high quality. There was also a great variety here, with stories that felt very modern and relevant to events going on in the world today, to stories with a science fiction bent to them, some traditional ghost stories, a Victorian chiller, and some very strange and 'trippy' entries too. What ever style appeals to you most, there's definitely going to be at least one story in this collection that appeals.

'Butterfly Island' by C.J. Tudor is the first book in the collection, and one feels very different to many of the others. It centres on characters in some kind of apocalypse like scenario. It's not clear what's happened to the world, but it seems like there aren't many people left around, and that life has become something of a cheap commodity. The lead character murders a couple of thugs at the start of the story, and this see,s to be something that no one bats an eyelid at. This narrator, along with a group of his friends and some other survivors, decide to head to Butterfly Island, a remote island that was shut off by a reclusive millionaire before the end of the world. However, once they arrive on this deserted island they find brutalised remains, and begin to be hunted through the jungle by more than one killer assailant. This story has a much more action adventure feel to it, and it's makes me think of brightly light movies of the early 2000's that seemed to love using tropical locations to film in.

In contrast to this story 'Creeping Ivy' by Laura Purcell is much darker and more gothic in tone. Told in the form of a journal recovered from the ruins of Hindhead Manor, it tells the story of a man in the 1800's, the former master of Hindhead Manor. The story recounts the events following the death of his much older wife, a woman he describes as having hated, and who spent all her time in her greenhouse tending to her beloved plants. The author of the journal is happy with the passing of his wife, finally feeling free of her, yet also harbours guilt at being responsible for her death. Dismissing all of his staff, he chooses to be alone in the Manor, yet begins to sense that there is some other presence there with him, one that could be responsible for the sickness overtaking him. This story is much darker in tone and setting, and made me think of classic ghost stories like The Woman In Black, thanks to the creeping madness that seems to be setting into the lead, and the isolated setting of the story.

'Murder Board' by Grady Hendrix is in comparison a much more modern story, and one that feels a little comical in places. Following an aged rock star and his much younger wife in their isolated modern mansion, the two of them play a game during a torrential storm. They use a Ouija board. The older rock star claims that this board has advised him through important decisions throughout his life, and believes in it completely. However, when the board spells out 'i will kill u', this leads to a dangerous situation. Convinced his wife wants him dead, the rocker convinces his assistant to murder her, which leads to a domino event that just leads to worse and worse as the story unfolds. 'Murder Board' is one of those stories where things spiral out of control, and where you wish the characters would just talk to each other, but their misunderstanding and desperation are ultimately what leads to tragic events, rather than any obvious outside force.

My favourite story in the book has to be 'Branch Line' by Paul Finch, which sees a man recounting the story about the time he and a childhood friend walked up an abandoned train line during the 70's in order to get a load of porn mags (what else were kids in the 70's supposed to do?). During this journey one of the teens recounts a few stories about how the track is supposed to be haunted, one of which is particularly chilling. Thinking it's just the usual kind of local stories, they forget about the supposed ghost and focus instead on the prize awaiting them, but when they have their own horrific encounter the story takes a terrifying turn. The slowly building atmosphere of this story, along with the very normal, recognisable setting, made it incredibly creepy. I'm so glad I'm not able enough to walk along abandoned train lines, because this would have put me right off it.

This collection has some amazing stories in it, some that were a slow burn, others that had visceral fear. It had ghosts, monsters, and very human horror. It presented a range of stories that included the fantastical, and made the everyday into something that could inspire fear.

What a collection is this: the first "Anthology of New Best Short Stories," a non-themed Anthology of Horror from Flame Tree Press, and oh! the authors included!


"Butterfly Island " by C. J. Tudor: Think Pandemic. Think 2020. Think "Survivor " without camerapersons or first aid. Think stranded on a jungle island with psychosis. Think "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"


"Research" by Tim Lebbon: Obviously, the Misery-trope has not been overdone. This writer's neighbors are not exactly fans....but oh my are they psychotic. But the best aspect of good Horror is when it twists, when it turns on you, and you find yourself gasping with astonished delight: that "I can't believe that just happened!" moment...


"Swanskin" by Alison Littlewood: I can't express how angry I became at the injustice in this historically-ser feminist story. To consciously refuse magic as a cultural and personal choice, to effectively imprison women, to mock and brutalize and condemn.....




"That's the Spirit" by Sarah Lotz: intriguing premise, spooky as it works out, and an ending that makes the reader wonder what actually is fact here?


"Gave" by Michael Bailey: I don't think about global population reduction; I worry about overpopulation. But in this story, plague reduces global population at an incredible rate, while an elderly gentleman is a lifelong donor, and reminisces in statistics.


"Whenever You Look" by Ramsey Campbell: This Master of Horror seems to like books, writers, bookselling, as a venue. How an unassuming writer struggles to identify a passage he may, or may not, have written or read, is engrossing. Reading Ramsey Campbell always makes me feel I belong in the story (of course intensifying the fears).
oh, and another thing about Mr. Campbell's work?
ALWAYS TERRIBLY SCARY!!!


"Same Time Next Year " by Angela Slatter: A winning combination of regretful sadness and OMG horror. Won't forget!


"Mine Seven" by Elana Gomel: Glorious! Enwraps Cli-Fi with Arctic Circle history and environment and delivers abject terror coupled with empowering hope.


"It Doesn't Feel Right " by Michael Marshall Smith: A very subtle tale about parenting tribulations....until IT SCARES THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME! NIGHTMARES!


"Creeping Ivy" by Laura Purcell: Oh, Vengeance: thy Name is Woman and thy weapon is Nature.


"Last Rites for the Fourth World" by Rick Cross: Wow. Just an amazing story, unexpected, so much tragedy and so much hope.


"We All Come Home" by Simon Bestwick: Oh my goodness. This one is Scary from Page One. How I rooted for the protagonist, who easily elicited my empathy. Did he succeed? Read for yourself...but not at night, alone.


"The Importance of Oral Hygiene " by Robert Shearman: This one to me has a very formal Victorian aura, and is as much a thriller of the Psyche as it is Paranormal.


"Bokeh" by Thana Niveau: This scary story made me want to be alone, and not anywhere with trees and grass. Of course, reading alone did not distill the fear. Scared me senseless!


"Murder Board" by Grady Hendrix: Misunderstandings, crosscultural confusion, and what Cool Hand Luke referred to as a "failure to communicate" combine into ugly consequences. Or is it the "protective" board?


"Alice's Rebellion " by John Langan: Believe me, you have never seen Alice in Wonderland like this!


"The Mirror House" by Jonathan Robbins Leon: Remarkably feminist in outworking, as an accomplished and gifted academic discovers her reality is an illusion, and then takes action with intriguing consequences. Poetic justice.


"The Naughty Step" by Stephen Volk: This one is seriously edgy, definitely not to be read at night. Shivers!!


"A Hotel In Germany " by Catriona Ward: Subtly unfolded, the theme is always almost out of reach.


"Branch Line" by Paul Finch: This one I REALLY should NOT have read alone at night: not only is a scary story included, but the outcome is in-your-face terrifying!

I received a copy of "After Sundown" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I absolutely loved this book. It offers readers twenty unique horror and science fiction short stories from some of the best authors in the genres including Tim Lebbon, author of "The Silence", and Laura Purcell, author of "The Silent Companions" just to name a few.

The book caught my attention from the start and kept me intrigued until the very last page. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I truly enjoyed all of the short stories which for me is a huge feat. I usually dislike a few of the stories in an anthology, but with "After Sundown' I enjoyed them all, more some than others, but I did honestly enjoy the entire book.

The stories offered variety focusing on both the horror and science fiction genres and they had something for everyone. The stories focused on abductions, murders, creatures and so much more. I think all readers will find something to grasp their attention.

Some of my favourite stories were "Butterfly Island", "Wherever You Look", "We All Come Home", "The Mirror House" , "The Naughty Step", "Branch Line", and "The Importance of Oral Hygiene" (my favourite). After completing this horror anthology, I am definitely interested in reading more of them in the future.

After Sundown is an anthology of compiled stories. Morris has assembled a stellar line-up of stories from the genrr. After Sundown contains 20 stories from well established authors. Four of these stories are from new authors. Every story is different. Some are straight up terror while others are more Supernatural.


This book was a mixed bag for me. I did enjoy some of the stories more than others. Some if the ones I enjoyed include: Butterfly Island by CJ Tudor, Swan Skin by Sarah Lotz, Alice’s Rebellion by John Langon and The importance of oral hygiene by Robert Sherman. There is definitely a story for everyone.

After Sundown is a collection of twenty horror short stories edited by Mark Morris. The contributors are published authors.

BUTTERFLY ISLAND (C.J.Tudor) is set in a post-viral world and features flesh-eating butterflies, a psychotic maniac, mines and some greedy, gun-happy opportunists. 4/5
RESEARCH (Tim Lebbon) an author ends up inside a plot that could easily be his own. 5/5
SWANSKIN (Alison Littlewood) a fishing town with wintering swans, beautiful women and cruel men. 4/5
THAT’S THE SPIRIT (Sarah Lotz) a fraud psychic with an elderly sidekick and electronic aids begins to wonder about the “messages: his assistant denies sending. 5/5
GAVE (Michael Bailey) a regular donor does what he can for a diminishing population 2.5/5
WHEREVER YOU LOOK (Ramsey Campbell) an author of supernatural thrillers finds himself being haunted by a character. 5/5

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR (Angela Slatter) the one light of the year when ghostly Cindy has some weight is not a good night to hang around the cemetery. 5/5
MINE SEVEN (Elana Gomel) when Lena and Bill go on an Arctic winter vacation, the melting ice unleashes a very old curse. 5/5
IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT (Michael Marshall Smith) a father discovers that his is not the only child in the neighbourhood whose socks initiate a “doesn’t feel right” tantrum. 5/5
CREEPING IVY (Laura Purcell) a nineteenth Century garden lover’s plants take revenge for her murder. 4/5
LAST RITES FOR THE FOURTH WORLD (Rick Cross) mythical monsters turn up dead in strange places. 3/5

WE ALL COME HOME (Simon Bestwick) a man returns to the site of a childhood trauma to face a repressed memory. 4/5
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE (Robert Shearman) a woman writes a letter of warning to her husband’s lover. 5/5
BOKEH (Thana Niveau) Vera’s daughter sees fairies, but no the Tinkerbelle kind. 4/5
MURDER BOARD (Grady Hendrix) a Ouija board session sets off a string of deadly events. 5/5
ALICE’S REBELLION (John Langan) post-Wonderland, Alice finds her battles not yet over. 4/5

THE MIRROR HOUSE (Jonathan Robbins Leon) a wife discovers an alternate reality in the pantry. 4/5
THE NAUGHTY STEP (Stephen Volk) a social worker comes to care for a little boy at a murder scene. 5/5
A HOTEL IN GERMANY (Catriona Ward) a movie star and her personal vampire(?) on location in Germany. 3/5
BRANCH LINE (Paul Finch) at almost sixty, Richard Gates is questioned about the disappearance, over forty years earlier, of his classmate, Brian O’Rourke in the abandoned Branch Line. 4/5
This collection is a mixed bag: some are excellent, and five of the stories, Research, That’s The Spirit, Wherever You Look, It Doesn’t Feel Right, and Murder Board, are quite outstanding.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Flame Tree Press.