Dark Stars features talented authors and varied subgenres of horror, but it’s not the most cohesive of short story collections.

This short story collection features a wide array of notable horror writers coming together as a homage to the 1980s horror anthology, Dark Forces. The stories tackle a variety of topics from psychological horror to dark fantasy. A young girl becomes the victim of a terrible summer fling. A man’s scientist spouse starts the wrong experiment when they’re locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic. A disillusioned doctor travels to a mysterious island. A man seeks to become a vampire’s familiar. These stories and more come together to create Dark Stars.

If you’re a lover of all types of horror, this anthology is perfect for you. It brings together a diverse range of horror stories to give you a taste of everything. It’s also fantastic if you’re new to horror and want to figure out what kind of stories you’re interested in. Dark Stars perfectly demonstrates the range of talent and writing in horror at the moment. At the same time, as an anthology, it didn’t feel cohesive. The stories differed so much that it was difficult to enjoy all of them, and the book was easy to put down and forget about. It would change drastically depending on personal taste, but some stories were excellent, and some didn’t hold my attention at all. As an anthology, Dark Stars does exactly what it set out to do, but that doesn’t mean it was completely enjoyable.

A collection of horror to appease every palate. From horrors real, imagined, and perceived to horror that mixes genres - Dark Stars has something for everyone. Fantasy-horror, science fiction-horror, female leads, male leads, family stories, LGBTQ+, witchcraft, necromancy, voodoo, creatures, ghosts, etc. Dark Stars has it all and more. Don’t like one of the stories? Skip to the next one. Each story is a short read that immerses the reader in a completely different reality. Excellent for veteran horror fans or beginners who want to find what type of horror speaks to them.

I was kind of disappointed with this one because I didn’t expect it to be short stories. There was a lot of heavy topics in this collections from stalking and sexual abuse to family drama and loss. It was alright but not amazing or something I couldn’t put down because I did put it down quiet often and forgot about it. DNF

I got this as a digital acr from NetGalley for an honest review.

I thought this was an enjoyable and diverse collection of horror stories. I would definitely recommend to fans of horror.

I was so excited to see this anthology – I’m a fan of several of the featured authors. Having their short stories bundled together was such a treat.

As with any collection, I liked some of these stories better than others. My favorites included the following: All the Things He Called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones. This is a horror story set during Covid when a couple are quarantined together. It has a creepy, slow madness that gradually seeps into your bones.

The Familiar’s Assistant by Alma Katsu – I’m always a vampire fan, but this was more about the new familiar (as it’s adequately titled) and his relationship with the current familiar. Let’s just say he has aspirations.

Mrs. Addison’s Nest by Josh Malerman – The line between dreams, reality, and the past are blurred as four friends try to determine the difference. I enjoyed the nod to Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

I admit some of the stories I didn’t get. They were confusing or ended abruptly, and I shrugged and moved on to the next one. Maybe they were just over my head.

This is an eclective mix of horror and thriller authors that is sure to appeal to fans of those genres. I settled in with some favorites as well as discovered some new ones.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5/5

This Review is Spoiler Free!

Dark Stars is a wonderful showcase of works from a broad range of some the horror genre's most iconic authors. This collection is a great survey of several different subgenres, and there truly is a story here for everyone. That being said, I think the best way to review this collection is to individually address and rate each story.

The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes
4/5 Stars. I really enjoyed this look at suburban horror through the lens of a young girl. Chilling and well done.
A Life in Nightmares, by Ramsey Campbell
2/5 Stars. This one felt very stream of consciousness to me, not my cup of tea
Papa Eye, by Priya Sharma
3/5 stars. Really loved the unique setting of this one.
Volcano, by Livia Llewellyn
3/5 Stars. The creepy basement of a college dorm was a fun setting to read, however the cosmic horror in this one felt a little bit vague. I think that was the intention, but not my favorite.
All the Things He Called Memories, by Stephen Graham Jones
4/5 Stars. I really liked this one! A husband and wife trapped in their house during Covid find themselves talking about her latest scientific experiment put on hold by the pandemic. The conversations awaken old demons.
Trinity River's Blues, by Chesya Burke
4/5 Stars. This one was also really great, and I want to seek out more by this author!
The Familiar's Assistant, by Alma Katsu
4/5 Stars. This one was super creepy and well done! Great worldbuilding while still feeling "complete" as a short story.
Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream, by John F.D. Taff
5/5 Stars. This one was my favorite! Which is surprising because I'm absolutely emetephobic. However this fell into one of my favorite types of horror - expansion upon the already horrific.
The Sanguintalist, by Gemma Files
2/5 Stars. This one felt really rushed and more high concept than the short fiction lens allowed for. While well written, I found myself really wanting more from this one.
Mrs. Addison's Nest, by Josh Malerman
2/5 Stars. I really thought I'd like this one more, and there was some truly chilling imagery here. Just, not for me.
Challawa, by Usman T. Malik
4/5 Stars. While very different from the Taff story, this one also ended up blending in real world horror and expanding upon it. Lots of great imagery and that ending was amazing.
Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate, by John Langan
4.5/5 Stars. This one was super creepy. Clarice and Hannibal Lecter vibes with Creature Feature elements.

Overall, Dark Stars was a fun read. While there are certain stories I really liked and others that just weren't my thing, that always tends to happen with survey anthologies. Definitely hoping to check out other works by many of these authors as well!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

I really don't tend to gravitate towards short story collections... except perhaps for spooky collections like this one. Reading a book of scary stories reminds me of being a kid and being more scared of the artwork in SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK than the stories themselves... so I was delighted to be invited directly by the publisher to read this collection by some of my go-to authors, along with some that I was unfamiliar with.

"The Attentionist" by Caroline Kepnes is one that I was looking forward to when I saw the list of authors. I am familiar with Kepnes' writing - having both read and listened to her books physically and on audio. This short story involves two sisters in the '90s. Belittled by their father, they are both boy-crazy but seemingly unpopular. The story shifts with a caller who Maeve listens to, despite his horrifying words, keeping it a secret. It's an unsettling story - with the ending it is nicely tied up... I don't think I would want this one to be expanded into a longer story and at the same time it does fit nicely with her longer books. It makes for a strong start to the collection!

"A Life In Nightmares" by Ramsey Campbell is a brief string of nightmares, each flowing into the next. There's some creepy imagery here and the long shadows could be more chilling with more context... though I suppose, in its way this one stays tightly together with the nightmare theme- and I appreciate the incorporation of the adage that you can't read in dreams. It's more of a conceptual horror story, so I didn't actually find it all that chilling... I have read of of Campbell's novels and you can see the same style here with the mix of nightmares and reality.

"Papa Eye" by Priya Sharma marks the first story in the collection that I wish was expanded into a longer format. It doesn't really read like traditional horror - there is some creepiness to the island, but the story moves so fast that it never really felt that scary. It reads a bit more like fantasy. But I did find it well-written. This is my first experience with Sharma's writing and there are some really interesting ideas here about long life and memory. But, for a short story, the cast size is a bit cumbersome.

"Volcano" by Livia Llewellyn is another intriguing short story and my first experience with the author's writing. The main character, Callie, is a deeply unpleasant young woman who can't stick with anything until she finds a new job at her university in Washington state. There's some eerie imagery here, but no real answers. Still, I appreciated her vivid writing - although I wanted this to build into something a bit more concrete, just for my own taste.

"All The Things He Called Memories" by Stephen Graham Jones is another story in the collection that I was really looking forward to reading - and Jones certainly delivers. Set during the pandemic, a couple has only themselves for company. Marcy researches the human mind at a university, but her upholsterer husband, Bo, is a pretty good sport about being her at-home guinea pig. Until they start discussing formative fears... and suddenly Bo isn't feeling quite the same in his own home. So far, this one scared me the most in the collection. It's a short story, but a deeply satisfying one where the characters come immediately to life and feel fully fleshed out.

"Trinity River's Blues" by Cheesy Burke is a supernatural short story from another author that I am unfamiliar with. It moves along quickly, but makes me want some more details to ground this more in reality. There's some solid imagery, but it wasn't as frightening as I wanted it to be. Although, I did enjoy the jazz angle. And it was fun seeing another fictional Charlier Parker (I do wish that John Connolly had a short story in this collection!!).

"The Familiar's Assistant" by Alma Katsu is another one that I was looking forward to before starting the book. It's a traditional vampire story - short and nicely described. The ending felt a little bit abrupt and this is another one that I would have liked seeing more to it with even more details. But there are some surprises, too, and it's nice to have a classic feeling story included.

"Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream" by the editor, John F. D. Taff is another new-to-me author and I was delighted to discover that he's from Illinois! This nightmare of a story is a frightening one on many levels - from the rapid death of his wife, the move to Carbondale and the horrors at the rest stop... It's more gripping than some of the other tales and it feels modern with the mask wearing, and pandemic fear layered on. This one left some pretty big questions in its wake to add to its fear... But I definitely want to check out more from Taff!

"The Sanguintalist" by Gemma Files is another one that veers more into fantasy than horror. Despite the main character using blood magic to solve crimes, it still feels like fantasy. It thrusts the reader right into these characters and its setting making it feel like it's already part of an established landscape that Files created elsewhere first. It's not really a straightforward story and while the diversity that it adds rounds out the collection, I had a hard time connecting to the storyline or feeling any fear while reading it. The convoluted magic parts just didn't work for me and I did end up skimming this story.

"Mrs. Addison's Nest" by Josh Malerman is another one that I looked forward to when reading the author list. This story has a certain Stephen King flair (four best friends/troublemakers), but the titular villain fails to incite any real fear. The discombobulated where/when, coupled with the abrupt ending made this one a bit of a disappointment to me, unfortunately.

"Challawa" by Usman T. Malik is probably one of my favorite stories in the collection from another new-to-me author. The phosphorus angle is fascinating. and I am always partial to a historical foundation for a modern horror story. The characters come to life and I really found this to be fascinating with moments of creepiness, though not overall scary.

"Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate" by John Langan is my introduction to his writing as well. I enjoyed this story quite a bit. While I can see how this could be successfully expanded into a full-length novel (perhaps redoing the final scene to be one with less dialogue). The supernatural angle is well-laid out and I ma sure that I am not the only one who correctly predicted the supernatural being at the heart of this story, but this is still one of my favorites in the collection, for sure.

All in all, this wasn't quite as scary as I hoped it would be (probably this needed the drawings to really haunt nightmares!). It is a modern and diverse collection and while I am sure not all stories will resonate with all readers, there are some that will really work to give you nightmares of your own!

It was an unexpected surprise to be sent an e-ARC of Dark Stars, and for that I am so grateful and send many thanks to Jordan Hanley @ Tor Nightfire & Netgalley,

(Can we all agree that Tor Nightfire is the BEST!?)

Dark Stars is a tribute to horror’s long-standing short fiction legacy.
This anthology features 11 terrifying novelettes from today’s most noteworthy authors, edited by John F.D. Taff, with an introduction by Josh Malerman.

The introduction, alone, was a masterpiece! TBH, it was probably my favorite part of this anthology! SO well done and well said!

As with any anthology, I loved some stories more than others. Overall I thought they all had something unique to offer! Whether it was a slow burn psychological terror or trippy cosmic horror, there is truly something for everyone.

This was an interesting collection of short stories. There were some I really liked and wished they didn't end and there were others I had to skip over. Overall it's an ok read.

I normally really love short stories, especially in the horror genre, but for some reason, I just could not get into this one. The stories seemed very bizarre, which I normally like, but I had difficulty following these.

I don't know why I keep coming back to horror stories when I'm so very picky. And, in this case, I was not satisfied. Even Stephen Graham Jones didn't do much more than make me roll my eyes. The stories aren't scary or even vaguely unsettling; they're just weird, bland. The kind of horror I like best is highly detailed, quiet, usually in the form of creepy environments. But these just felt like normal life with a very forced drop of "weirdness" that set everything off-kilter without giving us a payoff.

Although it didn’t bother me much, I find this book to be potentially extremely triggering on many fronts. There is abuse, bullying, losing a baby, rape and abortion among other things. I feel that in the right story, these ideas can be potentially helpful to telling the story. However, this is not one of those books. This book is for shock factor and has little else in the way of value beyond that.

Dark Stars is meant to be a definitive collection of what horror is now, at least as according to its esteemed editor. So the idea if noble. To that end, Taff assembled a lineup of some well recognizable names (and a few newer ones) who write literary horror. So, the method is solid.
The execution though, despite best intentions, turned out to be peculiarly disappointing.
Story after story that was overwritten and overstylized (as in style over substance, heavily) into heavy dense soporific nightmares that tried as I might just mostly really didn’t work for me.
A dozen authors featured here provide longer stories, some are practically novelettes, a length I normally enjoy, though with these stories I mostly wanted them to end. I’m sorry to say they dragged.
It may be down to the pure reader/author incompatibility – the way I normally don’t care for Ramsey Campbell, whom these stories are stylistically strongly reminiscent of. He is featured here along with the editor himself, who oddly enough has one of the more dynamic stories in the collection. In fact, Taff is one of the main reasons I selected this anthology, having just read a terrific tale of his in Orphans of Bliss. It seems, at least in theory, he and I have very different ideas of what horror is today. If this collection was an accurate representation of the state of the genre, I’d probably steer stronger toward other genres.
I seem to enjoy Taff as a writer more than I do him as an editor.
The other standouts were a vampire tale from Alma Katsu and the closing Wendigo one from John Langan. Love me a Wendigo story.
But overall, this was way too slow, ponderously slow, ponderous in general in that look how literary we’re being collection of stories. Mind you, my preference in genre is toward the quieter darker psychological nightmares than gore and guts and noise, but this was too overdone on that side, well intended as it was. User mileage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.

This review will also be posted on my Goodreads page. I found this collection interesting- no one story stood out to me in particular as the best. I enjoyed the variety of the collection and I was excited to see some authors I enjoy in the bunch.

DARK STARS …. Edited by: John F.D. Taff
Publication: 5/ 10/ 22 by Macmillan - Tor / Forge ( Tor Nighfire )


An eclectic melange of 12 brilliant novellas demonstrating the true diversity of modern
day horror from not only the giants of the genre, but also rising stars. Destined to be a seminal
work in the genre .. and certainly not defined by the worn tropes of horror. This is not extreme horror or splatter and relies upon the more cerebral aspects of fiction. These beautifully crafted gems each occupy at least one hour on the audio version, and provide time for wonderful world building and characterization. Although elements of chilling gore and cannibalism can be encountered… most rely on “quiet” horror, with elements of the supernatural, Lovecraftian horror, dark fantasy, neo-noir and even humor. There are no clunkers here in this heady mix of stories … but my personal favorite 5 Star stories are: “The Familiar’s Assistant” by Alma Katsu… elements of terror , excitement , thrill and even humor are accompanied with the purposeful meeting of a Vampire, and it’s consequences; “All The Things He Called Memories” by Stephen Graham Jones …. quiet horror oozes from the pandemic inducing horror of lockdowns. … with nothing to keep the hands busy, the mind starts feeding on itself with the house acting like a sensory deprivation tank; “Trinity River’s Blues” by Chesya Burke …explores the awesome power of possession; and “The Sanguintalist” by
Gemma Files …a forensic non-binary (“they”) neuromancer uses the ability to access thought and memories from the blood of the recently deceased to help solve murders …
These gems showcase not only the giants of the genre, but also the bright voices of rising stars driving the diversity and vibrance of the modern day emerging horror genre. Although constructed as a homage to the landmark 1980 original anthology of “Dark Forces” … edited by Kirby McCauley…. It will easily stand on its own merit. At the end of the book, each author
briefly discusses their inspiration for their stories. List of the Contributors include; Caroline Kepnes; Ramsey Campbell; Priya Sharma; Livia Llewellyn; Stephen Graham Jones; Chesya Burke; Alma Katsu; John Taff; Gemma Files; Josh Malerman; Usma T Malik; and John Langan.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for supplying an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Thankfully, I now have many new authors to follow … especially the writers of my personal favorite stories.

A solid anthology. The last story used a trope/monster that I really don’t like seeing in fiction, so that may have colored my overall opinion. There are several really good entries, though. Definitely worth a horror fan’s time.

Dark stars is a horror anthology, packed with a little bit of everything. I love short story anthologies because not all of the stories are the same. Like most anthologies, certain stories will stand out against others but each one is unique and still enjoyable.

That being said my favorite stories were by Stephen Graham Jones, Caroline Kepnes and Josh Malerman. No surprise there considering these authors are amazing at what they do, but that is my personal preference of course.

If you’re a fan of horror, and I’m talking about any type of horror, you will like this anthology.

I will say, the stories at the end slowed me down a bit, so I do wish the order was a bit different.

A worthy successor to Kirby McCauley's 1980 classic (and a person favorite), Dark Forces. Like McCauley, John F.D. Taff has gathered original tales from some of the finest practitioners of his era, including such luminaries as John Langan, Gemma Files, Alma Katsu, and Stephen Graham Jones. Unlike McCauley, Taff also includes an afterword by the legendary Ramsey Campbell that rates amongst the best commentaries in the horror anthology tradition. Packed with thought-provoking scares and a dash of humor, Dark Stars is a must-have for any serious horror library.

DARK STARS -NEW TALES OF DARKEST HORROR edited by John F.D. Taff
As Josh Malerman says in the forward, “Horror is having a moment.” We are living in a time of seeming unlimited options as horror fans. There is no end to the different sub genres that are available. This is great for fans who are always able to keep the stories feeling fresh. This anthology is perfect for mixing it up and keeping it dark. Stalkers, cosmic, historical, dreams, vampires; the settings and plots are nicely varied as are the authors.
A lot of these authors are well known all stars such as Caroline Kepnes, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, Josh Malerman, and John Langan. My favorite story was called Trinity River’s Blues by Chesya Burke because I was just hypnotized by the smooth storytelling. Although all of them are good.
These stories take place all over the world making it feel like you are on a nightmare vacation at times

Twelve burning lights, winking like fireflies across the canvas folds of evening. Twelve lights, some pulsing, some flashing; some flickering on, some blinking out.
~
Twelve dark stars, dwarfing everything else way up there, above the sky. Twelve stories of pitch-black horror.
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Anthologies are funny creatures; a heap of individual limbs, each with gnashing teeth & pumping hearts, assembled together to construct an upright body, how hideous, how beautiful. It's a wonder if they can stand, a miracle if they can walk, or even stumble, along.
~
DARK STARS takes long, successful strides, by & large, but it never quite bounds, never quite leaps. Despite housing a dozen different authors, each with their own style & voice, this collection still feels of the same brushstroke. It knows what it is, it's distinct.
~
The tales in here fit nicely under the larger horror umbrella. They explore different pockets of the genre, from psychological to folklore to cosmic. The diversity is enough to still the feeling of treading the same tracks, excavating the same bones.
~
That said, many of these stories, while not bad or forgettable by any means, are just...fine. They're good horror stories, but there's nothing here that I'll carry with me after leaving the final pages.
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It's for that reason that DARK STARS is successful as an anthology, as a whole, but its individual contents are lacking in their memorability.
~
Still, I do have some standouts that make this collection worth giving a look:
• "The Attentionist" | Caroline Kepnes
• "A Life in Nightmares" | Ramsey Campbell
• "All the Things He Called Memories" | Stephen Graham Jones
• "Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream" | John F. D. Taff
• "Mrs. Addison's Nest" | Josh Malerman
~
Thank you to Tor Nightfire & NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book! Keep an eye out for this one when it's released on May 10.