What makes this anthology so intriguing is the exploration of what it means for someone or something to be considered monstrous.Whether that its familiar monsters from stories or unimaginable horrors, this anthology will make readers consider that concept, consider what it means to be a monster and confront those fears. 

These stories range from the downright frightening to creepy, all of which which keep you awake at night and try to figure out if those dark tales and supernatural creatures exist in our modern world or if humans have ever really escaped the dark, as we hold a light up to the darkness in an attempt to fight it, like a campfire in the darkness. Each story will make you wonder if those creatures that go bump in the night will still be there if you just look out of the corner of your eyes.  Some stories are contemplative and some are just scary but all will make you want to read each story, especially if you love horror

Absolutely splendid.

As many know, Ellen Datlow is one of the greatest editors of horror of all time. There are few others in horror with the capacity and ability to consistently create terrific anthologies with compelling themes, pulling together some of the biggest names in the business to newly discovered writers. Screams from the Dark is a massive 29 tales of monsters, beginning with a discussion of where the word "monster" originates.

An this anthology has it all. Vampires, evil cults, eldritch nightmares, succubi, werewolves and Bigfoot. the stories are memorable and fresh, each complementing the other with favorites being:

"You Have What I Need" by Ian Rogers, a high octane monster story of vampires attacking an ER. Fast paced and above all, fun, with some dark insinuations on just why this attack has occurred.

"Wet Red Grin" by Gemma Files. A highly disturbing tale concerning an old ritual to "redden bones." Files' writing is, put simply, absolutely haunting and this one stays with you.

"Children of the Night" by Stephen Graham Jones is, in no uncertain terms, funny. It's hilarious. It's a story of a man named Tol caught up in things too much for his poor mind to understand, from vampires to Bigfoot. Jones hits tension and suspense perfectly and leaves you scared and amused all through.

"Knock Knock" by Brian Evenson is a genuinely frightening tale and John Langan returns for more cosmic nightmares in "Bloedzuiger" is a tale of horror involving fishing (what else from Langan?)

Indrapramit Das also delivers another knockout tale in "Here Comes Your Man." erotic, charged, with the language we should expect from Das after the Devourers.

It's a stunning collection, something for everyone, with monsters old and new.

5/5 stars

This is a wonderful collection, sure to make you keep a few extra lights on at night! This is a huge collection, with nearly thirty short stories, and none felt repetitive and I wasn’t once bored. These stories were brought together in the face of the question, “What do monsters look like?” And they offer answers that range form the stereotypical monsters you might expect to the various ways humans can be monsters to ideas or concepts exemplifying monstrosity. The collection really is diverse and robust and was a lot of fun to read, including at least one story that had me physically uncomfortable, literally, as well as emotionally uneasy, which is not a thrill I get from short stories very often. With that said, one thing this collection isn’t overfilled with is gore. There are acts of (physical) violence and some depictions of gore, as well as a smidgeon of body horror elements in a few stories, but for a collection this large covering the idea of monstrosity there is markedly little. I don’t hold this against the collection, though. I love visceral, gory, graphic stories, even though I realize blood and guts can sometimes be used to hide an otherwise lackluster story. So it is in fact a testament to this collection that is succeeds at such a high level and never once feels like it is leaning on tricks or stereotypes. Being a gorehound I did miss it, but the stories all worked without it, and more importantly none felt lazy.

Short stories are often hit or miss, and collections that are from a variety of author often more so. Not the case here. I genuinely enjoyed every story in this collection. Sure, I enjoyed some more than others, but that’s because we all have our preferences for this or that or the other. Every story in this collection hits, and all are a lot of fun to read. This collection reveals the face of monstrosity and you won’t want to look away!

I want to thank NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Tor Nightfire, who provided a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a truly interesting horror collection. Most of them are only about half good, but this one was a good 80% great! Ellen Datlow did a fantastic job collecting the stories to be inside this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

My favorite short story collection of last year was When Things Get Dark an anthology of stories inspired by Shirley Jackson and edited by Ellen Datlow. It included works by some of the biggest names in horror and I loved it. So when I saw that Datlow had put together another anthology of horror stories, Screams From the Dark I Knew I must have it.

This anthology pays homage to the idea of monsters and the myriad of ways that some of the biggest names in horror interpreted that was both a delight and horrifying. As with any anthology there were high and low points- but let me just say that even the low points were still pretty darn good. This one was a win for me all the way around. My favorites included.

- Wet Red Grin by Gemma Files This story centered around an old ritual called reddening the bones ( this is a real thing!) and this foray into fol horror was terrifying.
- Three Mothers Mountain by Nathan Ballingrud. This is a tale about witches who grant the townspeoples wishes and there is a horrible price to be paid for their services.
- Bloedzuiger by John Langan is a fishing tale that will leave you with the hope that you are never near a large body again.

I am a short story fan and this one was a lot of fun. It was interesting to see the myriad of different ways that these authors thought about monsters. It ranges from humorous to horrifying and there’s even a bit of fantasy and sci if thrown in. This book gave me so much pleasure- the perfect beach read. Maybe just don’t read the Langan story while you are there. Horrifying fun, fun, fun!

Many thanks to #netgalley and #tornighfire for an advanced copy of this book.

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Screams from the Dark is anthology of 29 short stories discovering the monstrous. I love a good anthology, but this one fell a little flat for me. It was compiled to celebrate very classic tropes of horror, but it felt very basic. To someone who is new to horror stories, I feel like this would be a great place to start. More veteran horror readers might not be a huge fan of every story in this anthology.

There were definitely some great stories in this collection, but it mostly felt average, totaling up to a 3.3 average rating. Now, a 3 is not a terrible score and I would still recommend this to people who are interested. There are some great authors in this collection, and I felt it wasn’t the best stories these authors could have given.

However, I did love a few stories, listed below:
The Island by Norman Partridge
Burial by Kristi DeMeester
and my personal favorite, Bloedzuiger by John Langan

For anyone who loved The Fisherman, Bloedzuiger will be a lovely surprise. Of course, Datlow saved the best for last.

Those were my five star stories, but I also had a few four star stories, so some honorable mentions are:
Red Wet Grin by Gemma Files
Children of the Night by Stephen Graham Jones
The Smell of Waiting by Kaaron Warren

This is my first Datlow anthology, and while I wasn’t as happy with it as expected, I do plan on reading more of her compilations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy. I’m a day late, but Screams from the Dark is available now!

Screams from the Dark is a hard one to review for me because the stories I liked, I liked a lot. But I did find myself skimming some of them, especially at the start -- the first few stories didn't really work for me, so I was disappointed to begin with. I had high expectations because I generally love Ellen Datlow's anthologies.

I liked the concept of the anthology and the variety of monsters. Many of the stories had a strong premise but writing didn't work for me: for example, Fran Wilde's The Midway was so, so cool (sea creature powering an amusement park, but it needs to be fed regularly) but the action was often hard to follow. Most of my favourite stories were by authors I already knew and loved. John Langan and Stephen Graham Jones were standouts, as always.

Because I did wind up skimming or starting stories and deciding not to finish them, I'm giving this one three stars. But some of the stories were closer to five stars, so I think it's absolutely worth picking up.

It's hard to rate and review short stories. Some of these I LOVED--especially the first three to four stories--while others I ended up skimming some. This is a looooong collection (Amazon says almost 500 pages) so there is something for everyone. And I think some of my issues are more issues with short stories and how some of them just end and feel incomplete (my least favorite) as I prefer a complete resolution. Having said all that, this was a great collection.

I’m always hesitant about story collections for fear that they will be uneven, but Screams in the Dark is like sitting before a campfire with friends: all the stories might be different, but you’re eager to turn to the next. Several stories dive into questions of social justice alongside horror, too, asking the reader to think about how class starus or race impact the characters right alongside sea monsters or blood magic. Lots of fun!

Fair warning, you'll get more mileage out of Screams From The Dark if you come into it expecting dark fantasy rather than horror fiction. This is a collection of stories about monsters-- from vampires to sea monsters to witches to Bigfeet and hellhounds and giants. There's even a story about a literal Universal monster mash. So be prepared for a little tonal whiplash and you'll be rewarded with a mostly MONSTROUS good time.

:)

That said, almost every contribution here is stronger in setup than conclusion. Several stories just.... end, either right before a horrifying revelation might happen or sometimes without anything happening at all. ("Everyone survived and went home. But, boy, there certainly was something out there in the woods that night, wasn't there?")

It's a weird pattern, and it leads to the better stories feeling kind of samey and forgettable. (The rougher ones are the stories that stuck in my mind afterwards, unfortunately.) But at a certain point the fun becomes "Guess what monster this is about!", which gives Screams From The Dark a propulsive readability absent in most any other anthology I can think of.

Do you know what a monster is? Are there such things as monsters? To find out, this is a great book of monsters and monstrous stories to read. By the end of this book you will be much more aware about monsters. In fact, I think you will find yourself looking for more monsters stories if you can stop “hiding under the cover.” The authors for this book are excellent writers — even the ones I have not known. I love reading Datlow anthologies as she has that special knack of choosing the stories that will entertain you. These are bone chilling stories that will terrify as well have you keeping the lights on. I always discover authors that I have not read or known before, so I always end up putting those on my author list to read. I thought that the idea of collecting monster stores was fascinating as I had never thought of that. If you don’t read this, you are missing out on some great horror!

Let me start by saying, I did enjoy most of these 29 shorts. That being said, some just didn't do it for me. Now that may not be the case for everyone so I do believe everyone who enjoys this genre should give this a try. I enjoyed reading each authors Interpretation of monsters. That was extremely entertaining to me. Again I'm not one to give anything away so with that being said I enjoyed this enough and do believe others probably will more than me.

Screams in the Dark is a collection of 29 Monster and Monstrous short stories that verity as much as the authors do. I liked reading about how the author interpreted the idea of a “monster” and how that played into their story.

As with all anthologies there are some great reads and some that just didn’t do anything for me. I did think it was a fun way to explore these authors and their writing styles as many of them were new to me. The balance of the anthology kept me off kelter and it was fun to always be anticipating what would come next.

The stories cover a wide range of aspects (aside from the monster), and they all have degrees of terror, horror, or introspection. It was a ride to read these, that is for sure. There were a few that really stayed with me, but above all most were just fun, entertaining reads to pass the time.

I think readers looking to explore new and different authors, have fresh experiences and need reading that might fit a bit more into random times in life (like waiting rooms, between meetings, or lunchtime) will find this anthology a nice read.

I received an ARC via NetGalley, Tor Nightfire Publishing and I am leaving an honest review, 3.75 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

SCREAMS FROM THE DARK: 29 TALES OF MONSTERS AND THE MONSTROUS pretty much sums up the synopsis, I think. And I can honestly say, this anthology delivered. I requested this book because I'm a sucker for a short story and because I'm fond of those ambiguous concepts we get to explore with horror. What is a monster?

When you pick up this collection of short stories, I highly recommend reading the "Introduction" written by the editor, Ellen Datlow. Ellen begins the whole book with that same question: What is a monster? The short piece tied the whole anthology together for me as I skipped around and read through the variety of tales. And I'm happy to say it is a huge range! I was very pleasantly surprised to see how incredibly different in style, plot, and tone each story was. Ellen nailed the selection and proved that monsters come in all shapes and sizes.

I don't want to ruin any stories for anyone, so I will be intentionally vague. Plus, there were 29 stories, so I cannot possibly review all of them. BUT! There are a few I want to mention that stood out to me.

"The Virgin Jimmy Peck" by Daryl Gregory was so funny and irreverent. I don't think I've read a story quite like it before, and I really enjoyed the poke at secret societies and the unlikely hero. I also really enjoyed the use of "Rosemary's baby" as a verb.

"Three Mothers Mountain" by Nathan Ballingrud was on the opposite end of the spectrum in the sense that it was a tale about witches told like a classic tale about witches. No big spin on the idea of the crone in the woods. But I love tales about witches with cabins deep in the dark woods with shelves full of jars and books and bones! So I felt the inclusion of a classic monster helped show the range of stories in the anthology.

Finally, the next two are what we all came for: the horror stories that got under my skin.

"The Atrocity Exhibitionists" by Brian Hodge was haunting and probably more traumatizing than I know. It was one of those stories that just flowed along, relatively harmless at first. A normal girl complaining about her cool but taxing job. When I tell you that the ending STILL pops into my brain at random moments of my day, I'm telling you that I am probably going to be dealing with the psychological consequences for a while. Well done!

"Crick Crack Rattle Tap" by A. C. Wise creeped me out more than any other story in the book. Holy shit. The psychological jumble caused by extreme sleep deprivation and postpartum depression. The recovery from a relationship oozing with gaslighting. And the creepiest fucking rhyme and baby-snatching monster-thing I have read in a long time. It made me want to keep my feet safely in the confines of my bed all night.

This was a fantastic gathering of stories about monsters and the monstrous! The huge variety will ensure that there will be a little something for everyone.

𝙸𝚏 𝙴𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝙸’𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝… 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛.

Seriously, Datlow is the Queen Midas of anthologies... Anything this woman touches is gold and 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤: 𝟐𝟗 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 is no exception.

Once again, Datlow masterfully weaves together a collection of stories that are all unique from each other but have a common thread linking each of the 29 stories together.

Monsters. It doesn’t matter how you define them, human or supernatural, they are what terrifies us to the core, what goes bump in the night, the reason so many of us horror fans stay up reading late into the night… and this collection will having you reading with the light on.

As with many anthologies there are strong stories that steal the spotlight, some that hold their own, and a few that fade into the background. These were my favorites:

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝
A reality much like our own, but with a little more bite... Left me thirsty for more.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐲
Who’s really the monster, man or beast? I found myself holding my breath waiting to find out.

𝐖𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐧
Gemma has the amazing ability to create such vivid imagery I can see the story play out like a film in my head, every bloody second of it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐜𝐤
Jimmy’s a dipshit, Mrs. Y is my hero, and letting your child grow up is hard… Also, I fucking loved this story.

𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐩
As a mother I found this incredibly unsettling, yet like a deer in headlights, I couldn’t look away.

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨
What happens when a human monster meets a not so human monster or when a gardener meets a bird watcher?

𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥
I love that DeMeester’s writing style is unapologetically feminine. I devoured this story to the very end.

Thanks @tornightfire @netgalley for the ARC. 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 is available June 7, just in time for some delicious summer horror reading!

Screams from the Dark is the latest horror anthology that is neither good nor bad. It's me, not the book. I'm sure readers will love the stories. I found them okay. None really stood out as being scary. They were well written and presented unique ideas, but did little for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.

Ellen Datlow’s Screams in the Dark brings together a master class of modern horror authors in her new collection focusing on the theme of “Monsters and the Monstrous.” There are twenty-nine individual stories and just given the length and quantity I find it harder to read through anthologies in one cohesive sitting like I would a short story collection, but each story stands out in the way it explores the monster and human, and how the lines are often blurred between the two.

From Stephen Graham Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, Cassandra Khaw and more, these stories maintain a perfect balance of classic monster tropes with modern takes as each monster feels wholly original. “Crick Crack Rattle Tap,” by A.C. Wise explores the psychological horror of postpartum with a chilling legend of a baby snatching monster while Gemma Files “Wet Red Grin,” follows a parasitic monster infesting a nursing home. This gory tale maintains suspense as the narrator works to uncover the mystery of the paranormal. In fighting the monster, we see the lack of dignity and humanity offered to those at death’s door, and even after the monster’s demise there remains a haunting inevitability that death comes for everyone in the end.

This collection holds something for every horror fan to enjoy and is likely one I’ll read again because these are stories worth sitting with.

Such a mixed bag (and quick read at about 500 pages) anyone with an interest in horror is bound to find a story that plucks those emotional strings and sends chills down their spine.

Did Not Finish-27 percent.

I feel really bad. I thought this would be up my alley. Getting to read 29 stories about monsters and monstrous things during one of the rainiest weeks ever should have been a good deal. Instead I found myself losing interest the longer I read. The first short story I read was great, the next confusing, and then it went downhill from there. After I got to Joyce Carol Oates offering, I just gave up. Here are the reviews I have for the stories I read.

"You Have What I Need" by Ian Rogers (4.5 stars)-I loved this tale of a different world in which vampires and other supernatural beings wonder this Earth. A doctor named Tasmin who works at the ER is going through the motions until a woman named Rosalie comes in and says she's been bitten. What follows is the protocol that the hospitals must do when someone is bitten. Things turn for the worst though and Tasmin finds herself growing closer to Rosalie. The main reason why I couldn't give this 5 full stars is that there is a whole subplot (what are the vampires up to) that was left unexplored. This is a short story. Having things left hanging doesn't work.

"The Midway" by Fran Wilde. (2 stars)-I was so confused reading this. Some octopus/Cthulhu monster that lives beneath 'Staley's Sea Amusement Arcade' is not the only sinister monster at play. I think I just gave up trying to understand what was happening and then the ending occurred and I just assumed the character, Skyla, may be dead? Or something? I don't know.

"Wet Red Grin" by Gemma Files (2.5 stars)-It was so freaking repetitive. You want to read about old ladies, old as dirt, with yellow teeth and a wet, red grin? The character of Lainey was not one I was rooting for and I was left unsatisfied by the ending. The story just dragged too which didn't help matters.

"The Virgin Jimmy Peck" by Daryl Gregory (2 stars)-I don't know. I just skimmed this again this morning to refresh my memory and I give up.

"The Ghost of a Flea" by Priya Sharma (2 stars)-Nope.

"The Atrocity Exhibitionists" by Brian Hodge (1 star)-It was at this point I started to skim.

And then was where I left this collection.

The typical mix of good and less good horror stories. I always look for collections edited by Datlow because I know that within them I'll find some clever and original stories (as well as some I don't like as much but can--when I'm not reviewing them--skip over). Here I've read them all, and especially enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones, Joe Lansdale, Nathan Ballingrud, and Gemma Files's contributions.