Under the tutelage of a charismatic caretaker, a young boy learns that the rules don’t apply to “exceptional” people; under the blinders of parental love, a parent considers the after-effects of his daughter’s criminal exoneration. One suburban dad finds himself inexplicably drawn to something he spies while walking the family pet, and another discovers buried compulsions awakened by his daughter’s dental deformity. Sorting through a deceased relative’s belongings, a family stumbles upon a horrific treasure, as a drifter with a dark secret wanders the Old West. While a military officer spends his days delivering despair, a procrastinator is consumed by guilt after making a deadly mistake, and a businessman stumbles upon a bizarre family photo gallery. Postpartum paranoia and isolation threaten one mother’s sanity until an outside threat pushes her over the edge while another mother picks at her son’s psychological scabs until he scrambles for release. Urban blight bears down on a convenience store owner; a middle-aged man takes a terminally ill acquaintance captive to avenge his lover’s death; a depressed suburban housewife makes a strange new friend, and a neglected teen finds solace and inspiration in a vicious classmate’s company. When her brother moves back into the family home, a woman becomes consumed by what he leaves behind; when a man disappears, his sister considers the warning signs he may have been leaving since childhood. One couple abandons urban life for the isolating wilderness while another plays a dangerous game, hoping to rekindle their relationship. While one son revisits the scene of his father’s horrific crime spree, another returns home to ponder his family’s well-hidden secret. From unique twists on traditional terror tropes to fresh frights found in the most innocuous of places, these tales will surprise and unnerve even the most veteran horror fans.
These 21 dreadfully dark tales held me captive from first to last story. This is unusual for me, for as much as I love anthologies I nearly always find myself skipping one or 2 stories in a book of this size. I never hold that against them, it's only the law of averages that deems not every story can be a winner with every reader. Somehow, Shadowy Natures beat those odds, at least with me. The only negative thing I could say, is that some of the endings were a bit vague for my tastes, but even then it did not take away from the fact that I enjoyed the story. Some readers may take offense at the subject matter in a few of the more gruesome tales. Don't say I did not warn you. A few of my favorites were: "Heart Skull Heart" by Bryan Miller a contemporary tale that could have easily been ripped from today's headlines. Being based on reality made it all the more unsettling.
"The Wolf Gang" by Barrie Darke begins innocently enough as a man goes home with a coworker after a long day in hopes of a good night sleep, before an early start in the morning. It's not long before I questioned his judgement because if it were me I would have been too scared to sleep in that house. "In A Mother's Eyes" by Andrew Punzo Finds a lieutenant making the sad visit to inform a mother that her son was killed in action and getting a quite unexpected reaction. "Maternal Bond" by KC Grifant in which a new mom battles lack of sleep and postpartum depression really got under my skin as I recalled my own earliest days of coping with a baby who cried non stop. "Ring Rock" by James Edward O'brien is told from the point of view of a man who went along with his wife's wishes to purchase her dream home even though for him it was a nightmare come true. "Accessory" by K.N. Johnson pretty much blew me away. It was not what I expected from a simple beginning of a girl who was born unwanted to a father who only wanted boys. This was a twisty psychological horror that I won't soon forget "Itch" by Louis Stephenson was high on the gross out scale. after reading it I think I may have even grossed myself out by using that word.. scale. Yuck. "Walking On Knives" by Mathhew R. Davis tosses us into the midst of a stale marriage looking to spice things up and finding the wrong kind of excitement. "Like Abigail Winchell" by Christina Delia takes a look at the fine line between friends and frenemies, be they real or imagined.
If I have not singled out other stories it does not mean I did not enjoy them, only that these are the ones still embedded in my mind, and that days after finishing this book I can still recall them off the top of my head.
I received an advance copy for review.
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