Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingBallantine #C.J.Tudor #ASliverofDarkness

There was a time in my life in which I actively avoided short story collections because I felt that they were largely unsatisfying. Slowly over the years, however, I have begun to change my mind. Books like this are the reason why.
Ms. Tudor is always an author who has a finger in several genres at once. This collection served to highlight that ability. Each entry is delightfully unique ranging from horror to thriller to fantasy. These stories are twisty, dark, and often funny.
The best story of this collection was “Runaway Blues”. I loved this one because it was a Stephen King tribute. It was one of the darker stories and surprised me a few times. I also enjoyed “The Block” because of its atmospheric creepiness. I also loved “The Copy” because of its cat character. Can’t resist that.
There were a fair bit of apocalyptic-based stories in here. While those were the ones that had the most humor, at least for me, they were my least favorites. It’s hard to get me interested in that sub-genre. It’s just not that compelling.
Overall, two thumbs up for this collection. I hope Ms. Tudor releases another soon.

I've really enjoyed C.J. Tudor's novels so I was excited to read this book of short stories to try something new from her. Like with most short story compilations, a few of the stories didn't really resonate with me but I enjoyed most of them. I thought it was interesting that there was a little introduction to each story giving a little background to the story. I would definitely check out more of her short stories in the future!

The short stories in this collection include dystopia, horror and twisty surprises. I am not a huge fan of short stories, but I thought that all of these were good, and some were better than good. I wouldn’t describe any of them in exactly the way that the blurb does. There is an introduction from the author preceding each story. These were unnecessary as far as I’m concerned. Maybe for Edgar Allan Poe you might want to know the author’s thought process or creative inspiration. Here, not so much.

Some standouts for me were:

End of the Liner - A dystopian story in which the nature of a cruise is gradually revealed.

Runaway Blues. The narrator describes his experience with the Fat Man, an enigmatic blues musician. This one had the conclusion that shocked me the most.

Gloria. Is this cleaner good or bad? You decide.

The Copy Shop. A repair shop makes everything better.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

CJ Tudor is a master of their craft. I will read anything they write and this short story collection proves why!

A Sliver of Darkness is an intense collection of 11 horror short stories that range from the dystopian End of the Liner to the gruesome Runaway Blues to the surreal I'm Not Ted. Author C. J. Tudor has been likened to Stephen King, and while the short stories are comparable to King's early works in the short format, she has a vibe all her own.

The variety of styles and subjects intrigued me as I devoured this compilation. Many of the stories felt so rooted in realism that I was caught off guard when things turned dark. The more fantastical tales kept me guessing what could possibly happen next with a creeping sense of foreboding. I completed the last story feeling utterly unsettled, which is the aftereffect I'm seeking when reading horror.

Check this one out for mind-bending stories that will haunt you for days. This was my first read from C. J. Tudor, and I assure you it won't be my last!

*3.5*

This is a great collection of short stories! As C.J. mentions in the book, this came about after dealing with grief and not feeling sold on her other book. While I don't want that to happen again, I do hope C.J. writes more short story collections in the future!!

My favorites were:

The Block - 5 - Sneaking into an abandoned apartment building in the dead of night never ends well!
The Lion at the Gate - 4 - I love stories about artwork coming to life, but one that "bites" is extra terrifying.
The Copy Shop - 4 - How easy I can see someone being obsessed with this notion of having the "perfect" copy. Dark side of obsession.
Butterfly Island - 4 - Isolation and kind of reminds me of The Ritual by Adam Neville where a group of friends goes on an adventure because what could go wrong?! C.J. mentioned she's thought about turning this into a novella and I VOTE YES to that!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the introduction to A Sliver of Darkness, the debut short-story collection by C.J. Tudor, the author provides a very personal glimpse into her life, with the passing of her dad, and the impact that it had on her and her writing. A finished manuscript was scrapped because it didn’t work and rather than skip the publication year, C.J. suggested a collection of short stories be published in its place.
As I read the introduction it almost felt as if this book was a ‘something is better than nothing’ release by a beloved author.
But trust me when I say that this book is a premier collection of dark works by one of the best horror/thriller writers of the modern era. When Stephen King says ‘If you like my stuff, you will like this’ he is telling the truth.
This collection of eleven short stories is a wonderful read. The stories vary in length and theme, but in her style, everyone features twists that you don’t see coming and glimpses into our nature that sometimes break and other times bite.
I want to tell you what my personal favorites are, but I find that I can’t narrow down the list. As I tried to, I kept thinking ‘Oooh that one was good’ and so I won’t. Just read the damn book and try to decide for yourself.
One thing that I will mention is that C.J. introduces each story with some thoughts on the inspiration of the story and her thoughts about the process of writing it. I love to peek into the mind of writers and see behind the curtain as they go about their craft.
Overall this collection is highly recommended. If you are a fan of Stephen King, Kelly Link, or the horror or thriller genres, there is definitely something here for you.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy of this book. I'm leaving this review voluntarily!

First, I have to say that this was not really a book of horror stories unless you are a really scaredy cat. I'm not a fan of short stories. They are usually a hit or miss for me. This collection was great. I enjoyed most stories. There were a few that I believe should be turned into a standalone novel. I wanted the story to continue or to dig even deeper and was disappointed when the story ended. There is a lot of potential in those! I like that the author included a little bit of a background story for the individual stories. Overall, a great read (even for those who don't like short stories).

A Sliver of Darkness is a horror anthology with eleven short stories. I can genuinely say that I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection. It's not often that I can say that as I am usually only half impressed. This collection is what I expect when I want to read a horror anthology. As I was reading, I felt nostalgia for early Stephen King horror anthologies like Skeleton Crew and Night Shift. It was that good.

To start each story, the author gives us a peek into what motivated her to write the story. All of the stories were creepy, twisted and disturbing. It is hard to pick a favorite. If I was hard pressed, I would have to say "Dust", "The Block" and "Final Course" are the ones that stuck with me the most. I definitely think there is something in here for any horror fan. I highly recommend it!

This was a fun read. There are 11 short stories in the collection, along with an introduction to each story where Tudor tells you what or who inspired the story. There is also an introduction to the whole collection where the author details how this collection came to exist.

Most of the stories were great. Really well written with good character development and excellent plots. There were one or two that I didn't enjoy as much, but none of them are ones I would consider bad, just kinda meh. My favorites were End of the Liner, I'm Not Ted, and Gloria. I would definitely pick this up if you like horror/thrillers and short stories.

My thanks to Random House, Ballantine Books, author C.J. Tudor, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

CJ Tudor is the QUEEN of creepy.
I don’t do a lot of short stories but I will read anything she publishes and I loved this!
Of course I enjoyed some more than others but each one she was able to fully flesh out and fully invest you in a character or situation in such a short amount of time. While also leaving you in goosebumps.
Loved it!

A Sliver of Darkness

This is a short story collection from beloved author CJ Tudor. Each story begins with a short intro by the author explaining the inspiration behind the story, which I thought was very fun. Like most anthologies, I really enjoyed some stories and some were just okay. My favorite was End of the Liner, in which a group of survivors after the end of the world have been living on a cruise ship out at sea for literal decades. The old people get ceremonially “retired” and our main character is hearing rumblings that she’s about to be retired. The cruise ship was clearly a Disney knockoff-type ship in its heyday, so you have the creepy mashup of murals of kid-friendly characters peeling off the walls/servants in costumes and a tense Big Brother atmosphere. Other favorites were The Completion, Dust, and Final Course.

Some stories were slightly “meh” but none were duds. Overall a good collection.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy!

I do not read a lot of short story collections - but CJ Tudor has been a fav author of mine so I have been slowly going through these here and there - which I do like that option. Just quick little story when i only have a few mins to read was really nice. And - they are good overall. I really like the insights to Tudor’s writing process. And my favorite, standout stories include: Runaway Blues, End of the Line, And i am not Ted, but I think all of them were really great and very well written.

What a mixed bag of short stories. Fans of Tudor need to give this a chance as there are stories that most likely will appeal to them. I found the Lion at the Gate and The Block too creepy. I would love to hear more about Gloria as she’s a fascinating woman. The End of the Liner needs to be flushed out into a longer story. Give this a read. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed every story in this collection! Each one had me completely invested. There were times where it was very clear the author was taking inspiration from the pandemic and shutdowns that were happening while she was writing, which I thought brought an interesting element to the stories.

If anyone knows me, they know how much I love short story collections, and this one was no exception. Especially when they are dark and twisted like these are. If you love the creepy and the weird, please check these out!

This was a very fun collection of alternate reality horror short stories! I've really enjoyed C.J. Tudor's books in the past so I knew I would love this as well. I wish i could read full length novels of all of these short stories, because I keep thinking about them and wish there was more. I also really enjoyed the forwards to all the stories where the author talked about the origins and the basis behind all the stories, it was really interesting and a nice look into the behind the scenes of writing the stories. I personally wasn't scared or deeply unsettled by any of the stories, which is the only reason it's a 4 not a 5. But otherwise, it was a very enjoyable collection!

Each story was unique in their own way. They were all well written and eerie.


If you love short stories, this is for you. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for a honest review

In true, C.J. Tudor fashion, she's left me terrified once again.

This shiver-inspiring collection of short stories feel plucked from the darkest recesses of Tudor's imagination. One never quite knows what horror to expect with each new tale, and there are some that will undoubtedly stick with me for years to come (the Block and the cruise ship in particular).

Perhaps of particular value, especially as a writer myself, are the insights provided in each introduction. They offer the reader an opportunity to better get to know Tudor and also more keenly sus out the undercurrents of each story. I left A Sliver of Darkness feeling inspired to look at my surroundings with the lens of a writer (but also absolutely horrified, obviously).

I also found this shift from novel to a collection of short stories both fitting and refreshing. I have loved all of Tudor's books, but this collection offered a more expansive look into her creative mind.

Like all anthologies I read, this one was just alright. There were some stories I enjoyed or connected with but then others that just seemed boring or forgettable. I think Tudor is a stronger novel writer than short story one.
The stories I enjoyed (even though some were not developed enough):
End of the Liner
I'm Not Ted
The Final Course
The Copy Shop

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.