A diverse short story collection of horror authors. Some of the stories seemed long for short stories (or maybe those just didn't draw me in as much?) But most of the stories stick with me. I picked this up for the Stephen Graham Jones story, which freaked me out, in a good horror story way. In addition to that, there are some really fantastic, original, atmospheric stories here.

I enjoyed this. Easy to pick up and enjoy then take a break and come back to.

Easy book to distract me from the daily hectic from work or the chaotic fun with the kids. It gave some strange dreams too 🤣

So many wonderful and deliciously dark horrific short stories in this anthology! SO glad I went outside of my comfort zone and requested to read this!

Book: Dark Stars
Genre: Horror-Short Stories
Author: Edited by John F. D. Taff
Rating: 3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the associated publisher for this ARC copy!

Overview:

"Dark Stars" is a collection of 12 different short stories written by 12 different authors. Each story brings a distinct and unique style and voice to match your specific "horror mood."
The collection of stories is prefaced with a lovely forward by Josh Malerman (an accredited novelist, short story writer, and film producer) in addition to an enticing introduction by the collection's editor, John F.D. Taff (an exceptional author).
No matter your taste for horror, there is something to be found for everyone in this collection. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and let the world of horror snatch you up.

Content of Stories:

As stated in the overview, there is a little something for everyone in this collection. Whether you prefer supernatural horror or real-world horror, you will find something to sink your teeth into.
Because of that, there may be some stories that don't really do it for you, but that's okay.
The primary aspect of this collection that enticed me is that it invites you to explore the horror genre. It doesn't force you to like it or love it, but it does invite you to expand your reading palette and ponder what horror is.

Sub-Genres:

There's supernatural horror, real-world & contemporary horror, sci-fi horror, you name it.
The variety of stories is so well-picked that I feel compelled to return to some of the stories I wasn't in favor of just to give it another chance.
I can't stress enough that if and when you pick up this book, take your time. Do not blow through all the stories just because you're able. They are meant to be slowly picked through, explored, and digested. Since each story means to invoke a different reaction from you and a different message, it would be a waste to through the entire collection rapidly.
This collection reminds me of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. You wouldn't necessarily read all of them in one go. You would allow the suspense the author builds to settle in your bones and, when you finally reach the end, you would let the resolution clamor around in your head before moving on to the next one.
This is how I would encourage you to read it.

Horror Elements:

This is the first time (besides Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) that I have read anything from the horror genre.
I love horror movies, but reading it is a different story. Therefore, I wouldn't put too much weight on what I say in this section.
Horror, to me, amplifies both the evil and the good in the world. Where there is dark there is always light so horror always made me look on the bright side of things (while giving me my daily dose of scares).
This collection kept my original thoughts of horror intact while encouraging me to appreciate the "what makes us evil" aspect of the human condition.
Not only was I entertained by the way certain authors made me turn on my nightlight (I'm looking at you Coraline Kepnes and Stephen Graham Jones), but I was fascinated by how each author approached the question of "what makes this scary."
For any genre you have to hold the answer to "what makes this romantic," "what makes this sad," etc. But, with horror, the author takes such a deep dive into the darkness that surrounds us and brings it to light for us to get closer to or shy away from.
Therefore, seeing all of these authors take different approaches to building suspense, describing grotesque scenarios, and building relationships was fascinating.

Function of Stories:

That being said, I felt that a lot of these horror elements were a little lost in translation.
I found myself confused as to what was happening, where the characters were moving, etc because some of the descriptions were incredibly abstract.
There weren't a ton of concrete elements to some of the stories and that left me lost and having no idea was had happened.
Again, I don't know if it's because I'm new to horror or I'm just kind of slow when it comes to this stuff, but I was lost.
Some stories had me with every breath of every sentence, but others just fell flat, in my opinion.
I do want to go back and reread some of the stories that had me lost because I want to understand what happened.
I don't mind it all that much just because the collection is so fun to read. It makes me want to sit around a fire and read Mrs. Addison's Nest aloud to my friends.

Final Thoughts:

This collection was a nice introduction to horror writing for me. I appreciated each author's style and approach to the genre and will definitely be returning to some of the stories.
Although I was confused by some of the abstract symbols and/or descriptions in some of the stories, I still enjoyed reading through each one of them.

Who I Would Recommend This To:

I would recommend this book to veteran horror book lovers as well as those who haven't read any horror in their life.
It's so fun to flip through and find the story you love.
If you're new to horror books like I am, please give this collection a read! It might help you find the "type" of horror you want to read.

Favorite Stories:

The Attentionist by Caroline Kepes (this is by far my favorite one out of the collection. It literally had me squirming in my seat with my jaw dropped).
All the Things He Called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones
The Familiar's Assistant by Alma Katsu
Mrs. Addison's Nest by Josh Malerman
Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate by John Langan

This was awesome! I love a good anthology, and if you're interested in a dark anthology this should definitely be on your radar. I love a tight, well-written bit of short fiction and this work definitely delivered! I don't want to say too much, since it's short form fiction and it might give some spoilers, but I admonish you to pick up a copy when this drops!

TW: Stalking, bullying, family drama, slut shaming, mental abuse, loss of baby, loss of parents, abortion, rape,


*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: Dark Stars is a tribute to horror’s long-standing short fiction legacy, featuring 11 terrifying novelettes from today’s most noteworthy authors, edited by Bram Stoker Award-nominee John F.D. Taff, with an introduction by bestselling author Josh Malerman (Bird Box).Created in the tradition of the 1980 horror classic anthology Dark Forces edited by Kirby McCauley, this collection features all original novelettes showcasing the top talent in the horror field today, with a committed line-up of stories from both established names and up-and-coming voices. Dark Stars is not themed, allowing each author to write their very best horror story, unhampered by the need to conform to any unifying tropes.The committed contributors to Dark Stars are:John F.D. Taff (Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The End in All Beginnings and The Fearing).Josh Malerman (Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Bird Box).Priya Sharma (World Fantasy Award-winning author of All the Fabulous Beasts).Stephen Graham Jones (Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Mapping the Interior and The Only Good Indians).Alma Katsu (Bram Stoker Award finalist and Locus Award-winning author of The Hunger).Usman T. Malik (Bram Stoker Award-winning and Nebula Award-nominated author).Caroline Kepnes (New York Times bestselling author of You and Hidden Bodies).Chesya Burke (over 100+ published short stories in horror & dark fantasy).Livia Llewellyn (multi-Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author).Gemma Files (Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Experimental Film).John Langan (Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Fisherman).Ramsey Campbell (Multiple World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Award-winning author).
Release Date: March 22nd, 2022
Genre: Horror
Pages: 368
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 3.5

What I Liked:
• I love horror anthologies
• Some of the great writers of this generation
• Love that they can write any kind of horror story without a theme

What I Didn't Like:
• Some stories the points were lost
• Lot of rambling on

Overall Thoughts: I enjoyed the foreword from Josh Malerman. I thought it was a great start to the short stories in front of us.

The Attentionist (Caroline Kepnes - I found this interesting 1/4th of the way into it and then it switched gears and became so over the top confusing and weird. I'd say there were pages in which I was truly confused. We meet Reg and Maeve; two sisters that are completely different. Reg resigns that her whole world is sitting by the phone answering every call that comes come, hoping for a boy crush to sweep her away. Maeve on the other hand is fine to just exist and if her crush, Tony from work calls or doesn't call she is fine with that. One day "Tony" calls and Reg answers the phone flirting with him and tells him where Maeve is swimming at. Maeve returns home and much to her chagrin Reg starts to yell at her because she's upset that she didn't being home Tony and his friends. Soon after Maeve is being tormented with daily phone calls from some one pretending to be Tony. He calls and tells her he is going to eat her thighs and she's a fat gross pig. This goes on and on until one day Reg calls her downstairs and tells her that they caught the man that has been harassing her. His name is Carl and he's been doing this to girls all over town. One day we find out that Reg knew that Maeve was lying about who was calling and was listening in on the phone calls. Overall Reg is a horrible sister who chose to encourage the abuse her sister was going through while getting revenge on her for not bringing home Tony that one time. The ending fell flat for me. Maeve waits twenty years to get back at Reg by cooking a pig instead of a turkey for Thanksgiving. That's it? Well okay then! ⭐⭐2.0

A Life in Nightmares (Ramsey Campbell) - Talk about gibberish! I honestly was lost in so many moments that the author leads you off course with a short story dealing with a man whom dreams while awake. Whenever life is serious he slips into a dream like state replacing bad things with odd moments. You never know what's real or fake and a lie or truth.
⭐⭐⭐ 2.5

Papa Eye (Priya Sharma) - We meet Ravi a doctor. He comes to an island named Papa Eye. There's a part in the beginning where he comes to Little Isle and is met by Hector. Ravi makes a comment about the place being beautiful but then says he means it more as a comment than a question. Why would that format of a sentence ever be a question? We bounce around between timelines of when he was arriving to the island and when he is coming to terms with no emotions during his divorce. He is the new doctor on the island is in charge of taking care of Kate. Kate is dying of cancer and losing her mind a little every day. I liked this story a lot. We find out the town doesn't age at a normal rate. Ravi has been offered the opportunity to stay on the island. ⭐⭐⭐⭐4.5

Valcano (Livia Llewellyn) - A story about a woman kicked out of her sewing job on campus for making her own dress on the clock. She's an alcoholic and very self destructive. After being fired she goes in search of a job and manages to stumble upon one sewing curtains with another student. This story was creepy. There's a room where the sewing machines are and the atmosphere here is off the charts. Something lives in the darkness beyond the fan, into a dark dark room. They're warned not to enter but as was pointed out by her being rebellious, she never listens. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0

All the Things Called Memories (Stephen Graham Jones) - I haven't been a fan of Stephen Graham Jones books at all but this one... Wow. Creepy. This story about is about a husband and wife who are in quarantine together during covid. The wife Macey is doing a study on her husband for fear when she unlocks something supernatural from him that's he's buried since elementary school. I seriously had to turn the lights on to read this one. So creepy! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0

Final Thoughts: This collection of stories is a serious time commitment. I felt like I've been reading for months and haven't gotten anywhere, so just be prepared to put some time into these stories. Each book is around an hour to 45 minutes to finish. I'm not a person that can sit down and read story after story as though they are a story, so trying to get through these stories took some effort on my part. I'm DNFing this book. It just feels like it's never going to end. I found it so long winded. Some of the stories are good but it's like an hour between each story and its putting me in such a reading slump. I found myself dreading this book, which sucks for the stories I didn't get too. I was just bored.

WOW. Phenomenal collection with stories that stick with you long after you turn the page. I'm particularly haunted by Stephen Graham Jones's contribution--a gross, unsettling, completely wonderful feeling.

Editor John Taff's anthology Dark Stars contains work by horror authors like Stephen Graham Jones and Alma Katsu; the 12 selections are strong and varied. I don't think I'll ever be able to let go of Caroline Kepnes' entry, though. It shines a light on human nature that's reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's work. This is a really solid horror anthology, worth a spot in any collection.

This anthology is full of such a diverse group of authors across a wide array of horror subgenres. It is dark in ways you expect and many you don’t. It is literary, intelligent, and for the most part very well written.

Dark Stars is a healthy mix of established horror legends with newcomers. It includes horror heavyweight Ramsey Campbell as well as Priya Sharma, who will be familiar to readers of Ellen Datlow’s horror anthologies.

Kirby McCauley’s 1980 anthology Dark Forces was a landmark in the horror fiction landscape, featuring the original publication of Stephen King’s “The Mist,” as well as stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Manly Wade Wellman. A book that still has a place of honor on my bookshelf. John F.D. Taff put together Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror as a conscious tribute to Dark Forces, including pieces by prominent authors from all across the horror genre.

This anthology isn’t for everyone and some of us old-time horror fans might want to argue what is and what isn’t horror, but in their own way, each author is true to the genre.

Not all are my cup of tea, but that is more a matter of personal taste than any comment on the writer’s gifts.

Thanks to @Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, Macmillian-Tor Forge for the chance to read this e-Arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

First I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this collection in exchange for an honest review. This is a short story collection from today’s horror authors. It pays homage to the short story collection Dark Forces from back in 1980. There were stories I liked, stories I loved and stories I could do without. The short story from Stephen Graham Jones was so worth the price of admission. It scared me and that doesn’t happen often. The story involves a couple in quarantine because well, COVID. Spooky shit starts to happen, but is it supernatural or the power of suggestion because of being cooped up together or is it something else? I also loved Josh Malermans’s introduction, it set a scene that I enjoyed. Introductions can make or break a short story collection. It was well written and would have made a great novel in my opinion. There are solid stories in this collection. I must admit, I love, love short story collections, (blame Stephen King) and these stories fed that love. I also discovered authors I haven’t read before and if a collection can do that, well then, I’m all in. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-book ARC for me to read. This review is my honest opinion.

This collection of stories was great. I was surprised by many of the stories because they didn't read as horror, necessarily, until I was deep into the story. I liked a lot of the characters and strange situations in them. My favorite story was probably "Papa Eye," which was about a doctor moving to a strange island. The subtle horror elements in this one, like many of the stories, built up to a really interesting climax and reveal.

I recommend this collection to readers who enjoy stories that start out with every day situations that build up to something strange and/or horrific.

Horror author John F.D. Taff has curated some of the most dynamic horror fiction anthology projects in recent years. His newest addition to this list is Dark Stars, which features a foreword from bestselling author Josh Malerman, as well as his story, “Mrs. Addison’s Nest.”
Dark Stars is a healthy mix of established horror legends with newcomers. It includes horror heavyweight Ramsey Campbell as well as Priya Sharma, who will be familiar to readers of Ellen Datlow’s horror anthologies. Livia Llwellyn’s work is exquisite and her piece herein, “Volcano,” is no exception. Horror rock star Stephen Graham Jones offers up a story called “All the Things He Called Memories,” which fans of his recent books, including My Heart is a Chainsaw, will want to devour. One of the most memorable and haunting pieces is by Chesya Burke with “Trinity River’s Blues,” about a character who can see dead people, particularly a musician, T-Bone Walker, who was a favorite of the protagonist’s grandmother. The dead here are different than what readers will expect. Musical tie-ins and allusions in horror are done very well here, which fans of John Hornor Jacobs’s Southern Gods will enjoy.

Alma Katsu presents “The Familiar’s Assistant,” which starts with someone standing on the doorstep to a vampire’s house and becomes an entertaining romp thereafter. Vampire fans will want to take a bite out of her story. Finally, Taff himself has a piece, “Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream,” which was also among the best of this well put together collection. While it is a natural pick for Halloween displays, it also fits with Women in Horror month as well as for local author displays in public libraries.

A solid collection of twelve horror short stories with only two slight duds. The horror themes were varied with the stand out stories being "Papa Eye," "All the Things He Called Memories," and "Mrs. Adison's Nest."

Dark Stars is a horror anthology that contains 12 tales written by various authors, including Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, and Alma Katsu, and it is edited by John F. D. Taff. It includes a foreword by Josh Malerman and an afterword by Ramsey Campbell.
This book was a fun, scary read for me. Some of the stories are quite gory, while others are more inclined to psychological horror. I liked most of them, and some of them really gave me the chills. I will definitely check out other books by some of the authors.
I’d recommend you this book if you are a fan of horror, or if you are just looking for a scary read.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for giving me a copy of this book!
I really enjoyed this book of short stories. I didn't know what I was getting into when I started reading the stories, but each was very different. There are some very dark stories in here. If you don't like that kind of horror, I'd be careful with a few of the stories. Here are my favorites of the collection:
Papa Eye
All the Things He Called Memories
Trinity River's Blues (honestly could enjoy a whole book series about this)
The Familiar's Assistant
Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream
The Sanguintalist (Also would like a whole book series)
Mrs. Addison's Nest
Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate (warning this does have the creature that Indigenous people will not say. If don't know what that is, it's the name of the second episode of Supernatural.

I received a copy of this anthology from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kirby McCauley’s 1980 anthology Dark Forces was a landmark in the horror fiction landscape, featuring the original publication of Stephen King’s “The Mist,” as well as stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Manly Wade Wellman. John F.D. Taff put together Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror as a conscious tribute to Dark Forces, including pieces by prominent authors from all across the horror genre.

I’ve been a fan of Gemma Files’s writing for some time, so it was no surprise to me that her story, “The Sanguintalist,” was my favorite of the anthology. It’s a stellar entry in the “occult detective” subgenre. Main character Lala Mirwani’s ability to access thoughts and memories from samples of a person’s blood proves invaluable in solving a murder. But the murderer isn’t the only threat she faces: her life has been made more difficult by the fact that she’s a trans, non-white immigrant. Recent years have seen a number of books that use horror to examine various kinds of structural inequity, and “The Sanguintalist” is a shorter but still worthy addition to the trend.

Ramsey Campbell contributed a story to Dark Forces, so it’s great to see him in this successor anthology as well. His story, “A Life in Nightmares,” is full of creepy imagery supporting a truly inventive concept.
John Langan’s “Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate” is a wonderful take on a classic monster. He pays tribute to two masters of the horror genre in this story while still making it his own. Readers who grew impatient with the “story within a story” aspect of his novel The Fisherman may find this piece off-putting for the same reason, but as someone who loves that kind of nested tale, I really enjoyed this.

Priya Sharma’s “Papa Eye” was one of the stories in this anthology I was most looking forward to reading, because of how much I loved her story “The Crow Palace” in Ellen Datlow’s Black Feathers. It turned out to be a gripping tale, although perhaps less frightening than I was expecting.

Stephen Graham Jones has been getting a lot of attention for his novels, but my favorite piece of his is the short story “The Night Cyclist,” so I was really happy to see that he’d written a short story for Dark Stars. That story, “All These Things He Called Memories,” was another one of my favorites. It has a wonderful atmosphere of creeping unease. There are no jump-scares or gore, but it made me side-eye the shadowy corners of the room.

There were a couple of stories that didn’t work for me. In Caroline Kepnes’s “The Attentionist,” it makes sense that some time needs to be spent building the relationship between the two main characters, as this is a very important part of the story. But this “establishing the relationship” section of the story dragged on too long. Nevertheless, this is a great anthology. Hopefully, it will do what the anthology that inspired it did: showcasing some of the brightest voices in horror and introducing readers to writers whose work they’ll love.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'd this at 40%, so my review applies to the stories through that point.

I've been reading way more horror than usual since it's Halloween season, and I recently finished the best horror anthology I've ever encountered, "Slasher Girls and Monster Boys," which I finished not to long before starting this. Maybe it was just the direct comparison that swayed me, but I found myself just bored with this.

A fabulous mix of tales and a juicy volume. Perhaps the greatest, most powerful story is by the editor himself, John FD Taff, with standouts by Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, and Caroline Kepnes who leads off the anthology with her unique style.

These 12 short stories will chill you to your bones. 💀 There are so many talented and notable authors included and a nice wide range of writing styles.

The collection opens with a strange story by Caroline Kepnes, the author of the book series YOU, and takes place in the 1990s - which was fun.

From there, the reader gets to experience numerous unique stories that deliver all the bizarre scariness that well done horror has to offer.

Fans of the authors Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, and Josh Malerman will want to read this and see what little spooky tales they have provided.

This is also great for discovering more authors to enjoy- Some that I found from this book include Gemma Files, John F.D. Taff, Priya Sharma, and John Langan (his story, Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate, was SO creepy- probably my favorite in the collection).

💥 HORROR FANS: RUN AND PREORDER THIS!

Great range of horror. No story is the same and and were all thought provoking. Worth the read and good for the spooky season.
Is a bit of an investment in time because although these stories are short they read a bit long, but still good.