• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Connect With Me
    • Request An Honest Review
    • Beta Reading Requests
    • Testimonials
  • Book Review Archive
    • Book Review Archive
    • Audiobook Review Archive
    • Spooky Children’s Book Review Archive
  • Interview Archive
  • Referral Links
  • Podcast Recs
  • Policies
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

[Book Review] Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror

May 15, 2022      Erica Robyn      1 Comment

Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror edited by John F.D. Taff is an anthology of twelve tales. The blurb explains that this anthology was created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology Dark Forces which was edited by Kirby McCauley. The tales within this collection certainly have a certain vibe to them!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating in any way. 

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror edited by John F.D. Taff

My favorite tale from this collection was Trinity River’s Blues by Chesya Burke. I definitely need to read more of their work very soon!

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale-

Foreword by Josh Malerman

What a beautiful foreword! Josh really paints a great picture here that brings light into the darkness, especially deep into the pandemic. This is a true time-capsule and a wonderful tribute to kick off this collection.

Introduction by John F.D. Taff

I’m so in love with this intro! John explains what his goals were in creating this collection, but to sum it all up, he wanted to, “flaunt the range of this genre to readers.” This made me even more pumped to dive into the tales!

The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes

When a phone call comes in from a boy asking for Maeve, Maeve’s sister Gretchen answers. As she delights in the attention she has from this boy on the call, she makes an assumption and overshares. This oversharing she thinks will help them, but it does quite the opposite.

My goodness Caroline Kepnes is amazing at creating absolutely wild characters. These two girls reminded me of the boy-obsessed girls I went to middle school with, and I can definitely see something like this actually playing out. Phew…

A Life in Nightmares by Ramsey Campbell

A man is haunted by nightmares filled with creatures. As he lives life in and out of these nightmares, the years pass by in a blink.

This one reminded me of a horror version of the movie Click. I had a hard time telling what was a nightmare and what was real!

Papa Eye by Priya Sharma

When a man is sent to work as a doctor on an island, he feels that things are a little off. But the locals are about to open his eyes and show him their secrets.

The organization of this tale was so fun! I loved that we got scenes from what happened before the doctor moved to the island mixed in with the scenes of what happened when he arrived.

Volcano by Livia Llewellyn

Following two young adults as they work to transform an area of their campus, they are both drawn to go past a point that they have been warned not to pass.

I honestly have no idea what was really going on in this tale, but I loved it anyway! It was so unsettling.

All the Things He called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones

Deep in the pandemic lockdown, this couple struggles with the isolation. The wife starts a conversation one day to learn her husbands biggest fear. After that, strange things begin to occur. But is this just his wife experimenting, or is something more sinister happening?

My goodness, this one was so unnerving. Just the elements of the pandemic itself, but then add in the paranoia? That ending had me squirming in my seat.

Trinity River’s Blues by Chesya Burke

Seeing ghosts since she was a child, Trini learns that she has more power than just to see spirits. She can actually call upon them. But when she calls upon the wrong spirit, she finds herself in danger.

This one was so much fun to read but it’s also filled with darkness. There’s a wonderful underlying message of learning from past generations.

The Familiar’s Assistant by Alma Katsu

When a person who is sick of their current life sets a goal of meeting a vampire, their patience is tested. But will their patience be rewarded?

This was a dark and twisted tale that had a wonderful full circle format!

Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream by John F.D. Taff

When a man and his son are still reeling from the grief of losing their wife and mother, they move to the middle of rural Illinois to change the scenery. But then a snow storm hits out of no where and odd things occur.

This was such a sad tale. I felt so bad for these two, but especially the father as he coped with everything.

The Sanguintalist by Gemma Files

Sent to read the blood of an unidentifiable victim, this character is sent on a path to chase down those that harmed the victim. But they uncover much more than that.

What a neat premise this was!

Mrs. Addison’s Nest by Josh Malerman

Each of these men know something odd is going on, but they can’t remember what. They just know that they have tattoos that are trying to remind them of something…

This tale was so twisted! It reads a bit like a fever dream, and I was just as confused as the characters! What fun!

Challawa by Usman T. Malik

On a trip for a change of scenery, this woman is determined to gather as much research as she can. But then on a tour she hears a local monster myth and finds that it’s related to her main research goal.

This one was heartbreaking! Two big CW’s here that hit me really hard: cheating, miscarriage.

Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate by John Langan

On a quest for revenge, our main character, Michelle, approaches a man she thinks murdered her brother and his girlfriend, and they talk.

Phew, the dialogue in this one was chunky! We learn first what happened before the tale tells us in detail, how things led up to where they were now before the big ending.

My Final Thoughts on Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror

I would recommend this one to fans of slower horror; Horror you can kick back and relax and read, without feeling like you need to read as quickly as possible to see what will happen next.

This read was more like floating on a lazy river in the middle of the night. While you can’t see what’s coming around the next turn, you know that you will get there just as quickly as you were meant to.


Snag a copy through Bookshop to help support local indie bookshops:

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
I run on hot tea, good books, and loud music. She/Her.
 

Search This Blog

Sign Up For Post Notifications


Loading

Recent Popular Posts

  • [Book Review] Try Again by Wesley Southard
  • [Book Review] Shades of the Black Stone by Wile E. Young
  • 7 July 2022 Book Releases I Can’t Wait To Read
  • [Book Review] The Razorblades in my Head by Donnie Goodman
  • [Book Review] H is for Hell Anthology

An Easy Guide to Locating Horror Reviews Without Losing Your Mind created by Lori of Barks At The Ghouls
Shirley's Book Blogger List
Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs by Kindlepreneur

Categories

ericarobynreads

Sickness Is In Season by Aiden Merchant has everyt Sickness Is In Season by Aiden Merchant has everything a horror fan craves! From light and spooky, to full-blown spine-chilling terror, this collection of short stories is a killer mix.

No matter what your personal favorite sub-genre of horror is, you’ll be sure to find something that sinks its teeth into you within this collection!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #sicknessisinseason #aidenmerchant #crossroadspresss #horrorbookrecs #horrorshortstories #horrorbookstagram
My April book haul 😍🖤🙌 My April book haul 😍🖤🙌
NH friends! Don’t miss the book event with @greg NH friends! Don’t miss the book event with @gregorybastianelli.author tonight in Exeter at @waterstreetbooks! 

I’m SO peeved my back pain flared up and I can’t drive out… but I am so excited that Waterstreet Books sent a signed copy my way! 😍

I can’t wait to see photos from the event!!
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a totally The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a totally captivating but nerve-wracking tale that is certainly not for those that fear tight spaces… While reading this tale, I felt so horribly claustrophobic. But I couldn’t stop. I had to find out what happened next!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #ladiesofhorrorfiction #horrorbookstagram #horrorbookrecs #theluminousdead #caitlinstarling
The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is a chilling gothic horror story about what it means to be human. In these pages, you will see plenty of the darkness that humanity can create, but you will also see the light!

Ready to dive into a dark and dreary tale about gruesome medical practices set in Victorian London? Go pick up The Workshop of Filthy Creation today! I can’t wait for you all to meet Maria!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #gothichorrorreads #horrorbookrecs #theworkshopoffilthycreation #richardgadz #horrorbookstagram
Max is one of the most hilarious people that I fol Max is one of the most hilarious people that I follow on Twitter! I originally learned who he was after seeing him participate in the KillerCon 2020 Virtual Event. I went to follow him and his publishing house, Perpetual Motion Machine (that he runs with Lori Michelle), immediately after his reading.

Within the PMM publishing house, they also have the imprint, Ghoulish Books, which launched in January of 2022. Max’s latest book, Maggots Screaming!, launched today April 12th, 2022 from that imprint. In celebration, I’m so excited to be sharing this interview with Max!

Check out the full interview on my blog today! 

#horrorauthor #horrorauthorinterview #maxboothiii #supporthorror #promotehorror
Diaries of the Damned by Ivan Radev is a collectio Diaries of the Damned by Ivan Radev is a collection of tales that span numerous dark fears. But as always, even in the darkness, there’s a bit of light.

In the foreword, the author warns that this is a book of fears, and boy does he play on fears wonderfully! Each tale is presented to readers in the first person to really get readers in the characters shoes. Please use caution here when you dive in. The author does not shy away from the darkness.

Phew, this read will take readers on quite the journey! It was the perfect read for a dark and rainy spring weekend.

#bookreview #horrorbookreview #horrorbookstagram #diariesofthedamned #IvanRadev #horrorbooks
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 Erica Robyn Reads