Tag Archives: Dark Fantasy

Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for black thorn white rose book cover

Title: Sweet Bruising Skin
Author: Storm Constantine
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fairy tales, Retellings
Dates read: 24th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: She smiled continually in the presence of others, nodded often, but spoke little of herself.

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Synopsis

This magnificent retelling of The Princess and the Pea is dark, twisting and not at all what you would expect. Filled with fantastic fairy tale tropes and a world of manipulation.

Thoughts

This is my second (I think) Storm Constantine short story. It has that same sense of mystery and darkness as the first story I read. This great feeling of manipulation and comeuppance throughout that is kind of impossible to forget. The strength of women – not one of the more glowing, benevolent strengths, but that dark one we can all harness shines throughout this story.

The lead voice in this story is not the kind of woman I have ever dreamed of being. Or wanted in my life. But I do love stories like this. She not only has found a way to completely harness her own son to her, but also manipulate every single circumstance that comes their way. It’s horrifying and somewhat evil feeling. But it is also really, seriously great. And when the tables are turned… I gave a somewhat gleeful cackle of joy.

Although this story features two incredibly scary and manipulative women, it also has a nice little titbit at the end. One where the ties of sisterhood are realised and acknowledged. It might be a nice happy ending, but it is one in which everyone realises what they wanted in life.

<- Silver and GoldThe Black Swan ->

Image source: Goodreads

Dance Master by Faith Hunter

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
the-jane-yellowrock-world-companion

Title: Dance Master
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #3.3
In: Blood in Her Veins (Faith Hunter) & The Jane Yellowrock World Companion (Faith Hunter)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Dates read: 17th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: He would add the bill to Leo’s account along with his customary thirty percent tip.

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Synopsis

After the tumultous occurrences of Mercy Blade, Jane and Bruiser once again unite for a job. And a little dancing.

Thoughts

I have some seriously mixed feelings about Bruiser and Jane ending up together. Mostly, I think that I don’t want it to happen. I have too much of an attachment to Rick. But, there is this great chemistry between them. And reading short stories like Dance Master which tell things from Bruiser’s point of view… then I start to feel a little more inclined towards their eventual relationship. I still prefer Rick, but that may change as the series evolves…

Jane’s love of dancing helps to give her a slightly more vulnerable aspect to her personality. Something that is fun and not all about killing. Even in the middle of this short story, when she is hunting down a rogue, there is still the time to dance. The fact that it also involves a bit of a romantic / seductive moment with Bruiser just ties in everything quite nicely.

Honestly, there isn’t anything ground shaking that occurs in this short story. Rather, it just sets the scene for the continuation of the flirtation between Bruiser and Jane. Or at least, that’s how I’m reading this short story at the moment… I need to actually read Raven Cursed first and see if my hunch is correct. I’m pretty sure that Jane and Bruiser are going to get together soon though…

<- Blood, Fangs, and Going FurryRaven Cursed ->

Image source: Faith Hunter

Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry by Faith Hunter

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Blood in Her Veins

Title: Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #3.2
In: Blood in Her Veins (Faith Hunter)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Dates read: 16th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Into the night?

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Synopsis

Rick is suffering. Experiencing his first change and feeling noodles of guilt over his betrayal of Jane. But what if she’s the only one who can save him?

Thoughts

At the end of Mercy Blade, I was honestly a little bit disappointed and frustrated. It ended on such a cliff hanger and I seriously wasn’t impressed. Plus, I couldn’t get up to get this short story or the next novel in the series because I had my very big, very cuddly dog on my lap… but then I got the chance to read this… and I was so very, very happy!

This short story luckily gave me all sorts of closure from the feeling of loss that I experienced at the end of Mercy Blade. Not only was it able to provide a little more information on one of Jane’s ruined relationships, but it also provided a hint as to her feelings towards Rick. The depth of them anyway. They’re kind of obvious throughout Mercy Blade, but it was nice to have that little bit of extra confirmation…

This is a great short story that gives a little extra closure from the previous novel. There are still so many questions and I still have this need to know more about what happens in the future. But overall, it did help to just give that extra piece of closure that I was otherwise missing. And now I will dig through my piles of books and start on Raven Cursed.

<- Mercy BladeDance Master ->

Image source: Goodreads

Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock, Book 3): Hunter, Faith ...

Title: Mercy Blade
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Dates read: 12th – 16th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: He stopped right at the edge of saying we indulged in kinky sex, but I could see the thought in his eyes, appraising, looking over my clothes.

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Synopsis

Jane Yellowrock is a shape-shifting skinwalker – and a vampire killer for hire. But lately she’s found herwelf taking bloo money from the very vampires she used to hunt…

Things are heating up in the Big Easy. Weres have announced their existence to the world, and reviewed the bitter tensions that run between them and their old enemies: vampires. As a trusted employee of Leo Pellissier, Blood Master of the City, Jane finds herself caught in the cross fire.

When Jane is attacked by a pack of marauding werewolves, she is thankful for the help of a mysterious stranger named Girrard. He explains that he used to be Leo’s “Mercy Blade”, a sacred position charged with killing vampires who have gone insane. What Jane doesn’t know is why this powerful assassin left New Orleans – or, more troubling, why he’s now returned. It’s definitely not to make Jane’s life easier…

Thoughts

I did start this book like two years ago. And then I got distracted and it ended up back on my shelf. Now I’m not entirely sure why I did that. This was a great story. And now I’m remembering why I started buying up all the Jane Yellowrock books as soon as I read the first short story. Not entirely sure why I took such a long pause between reading the second and third book though… I’ll try not to make that mistake again.

The ending of this novel is kind of heartbreaking if I’m being honest. Rick and Jane are put through the absolute ringer throughout this novel and I don’t know if they have much hope for the future. Yes, Bruiser is still hanging around for a romantic entanglement, but I definitely prefer Rick and really hope that things get sorted. The ending of this is such a damn cliff-hanger on ALL relationships, so I seriously can’t wait to read Raven Cursed.

A whole new series of supernatural beings are introduced in this novel, and, that, partnered with Jane remembering more of her past alone makes it impossible to put down. But, of course, that’s not all there is to it… there are insane politics, vendettas and a multitude of entanglements that leave you somewhat reeling at the end of this story. And, as always, not everything is as it seems. There are wonderful little twists throughout that make you hope for the happily ever after that you just don’t quite get in this novel.

The more I read this series, the more I love the intricacies of politics and inter-species relationships throughout this whole world that Hunter has created. The use of a character as a way to reduce madness is something that I didn’t anticipate, but it worked incredibly well. Adding an extra unexpected, layer of world building that I think will continue to develop as the stories in this series progress.

<- Blood CrossBlood, Fangs, and Going Furry ->

Image source: Amazon

The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic edited by Mike Ashley

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Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic
Author: Mike Ashley, Steve Rasnic Tem, Richard A. Lupoff, Doug Hornig, Tom Holt, Tim Pratt, Diana Wynne Jones, John Morressy, Clark Ashton Smith, Michael Kurland, Michael Moorcock, Robert Weinberg, Darrell Schweitzer, Ralph Adams Cram, Ursula K. Le Guin, A.C. Benson, Lawrence Schimel, Mike Resnick, Esther M. Friesner, Tim Lebbon, David Sandner, Marion Zimmer Bradley, James Bibby, Louise Cooper & Peter Crowther
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Magic, Short story collections
Dates read: 8th January – 7th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: “I heard all you field hockey chicks are lesbians,” Curly said, still smiling.

Synopsis

23 spellbinding tales of sorcery, wizardry and witchcraft.

From Gandalf to Harry Potter, sorcerers and wizards have always enthralled us. It is their power, above all, that we covet – the ultimate wish fulfilment of being able to do whatever we want – to fly, or make ourselves invisible, or to conjure something from nothing.

Here, from some of the most outstanding writers of fantasy, is a wonderfully varied collection of stories which explores the tensions and dilemmas in dealing with magic, from a child’s first struggle to control magical powers to epic clashes between the forces of good and evil.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to seriously get into this collection. But, once I did… I was completely hooked. I quite obviously love fantasy from the books that fill my shelves. But, as I’ve gotten older, I have found that I am drawn again and again to fantasy of a darker bent. Although not all of these short stories suited that desire, they just weren’t that dark… this collection was still seriously brilliant.

The stories in this collection just completely run the gamut. There are some serious, dark and twisted stories. Some that are fun and light. And a few that make you question the state of the world as we know it. All the stories were enjoyable in one way or another, although maybe not as memorable as some of the other short stories that I’ve read.

This is a great little collection. One that is interesting and fun. There was a lot surrounding ideas of chaos throughout, which makes it one of those collections that I’ll probably want to read again. There always seems to be this sense of confusion and intricacy about chaos stories that just makes me want to read them again and again.

<- The Mammoth Book of CthulhuTen Things I Know About the Wizard ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

The Eternal Altercation by Peter Crowther

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: The Eternal Altercation
Author: Peter Crowther
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Magic
Dates read: 7th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: And now, here he was, gas can in hand, standing on the town’s edge, looking along its wind-blown Main Street at a clumsy array of buildings that owed more allegiance to an old back-and-white Randolph Scott western than to anything even vaguely reminiscent of the Brave New World promised by the turn of the millennium.

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Synopsis

There is a never ending battle taking place right beneath our very eyes. One that involves trains.

Thoughts

This was a seriously tripped out little short story. It was one that I felt like I couldn’t quite focus on. Not because I wasn’t completely absorbed whilst reading it, but because there was this really unfocused and slightly insane feeling to the story. One that I really enjoyed but makes it quite difficult to write a review.

This story’s sense of chaos was a fantastic ending to a collection which was all about dark magic. One that often employed chaos – after all, that seems to be the root of everything dark in many of these stories. I loved that you ended on this hectic, intense and somewhat confusing short story that seriously made you sit back and think after you turned that final page. It was a great way to end.

This is one of those short stories that no matter how many times I read it, I will probably experience something new. A new epiphany, a new understanding or a new feeling… whatever it is, it will be different each time. And although I don’t want all of my shelves filled with such stories… it is nice to know that I have some that will continue to shock me and pull me in.

<- Last RitesThe Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Down Among the Dead Men by Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: Down Among the Dead Men
Author: Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Blood Is Not Enough (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, War
Dates read: 20th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: He fingered the spoon compulsively, turning it over and over; it was hard and smooth and cold, and he clenched it as tightly as he could, trying to ignore the fine tremouring of his hands.

Synopsis

He always thought that they were friends. That he was their saviour. But, then he realises that they’re all dead here. Just some are a little more dead than others.

Thoughts

There seem to be a few Jewish / war / prisoner of war stories popping up in my reading at the moment. And although they’re completely heart-wrenching, kind of devastating and seriously intense… they’re also kind of completely amazing. And I am definitely in love with them. What I didn’t expect was to find one such story in a collection of monstrous fantasy stories…

At the beginning of this story, I figured it was going to be dark. After all, it starts with the moment that the narrator first realises that his friend is a vampire. But, then I thought he was going to be a nice vampire… there were so many justifications for his actions. And then things got dark again. Which to me, is the mark of a great story – one which takes you through ups and downs and makes you constantly question your assumptions. The fact that it was done in only a very few pages just made it all the more impressive.

This short story had a much darker, more twisty ending than what I had expected. Which, of course, is kind of why I loved it. There is something fantastic about a dark ending that leaves you disquieted and uncomfortable.

<- The Chill Clutch of the UnseenCatching Flies ->

Image source: Amazon

The Walker Behind by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: The Walker Behind
Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Magic
Dates read: 20th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1987
5th sentence, 74th page: “At once sir,” said the hag, suddenly turning deferential.

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Synopsis

She can hear the footsteps following her, so she goes to an inn with a bad reputation. It turns out that there is more to the Walker Behind than meets the eye.

Thoughts

I loved the dark, mysterious atmosphere of this short story. I love that there was so much background in this tale that hinted at a whole world behind the pages. Especially in the lead’s life and the ways in which she chose to live it. There was just an intensity and greatness to this story that I found impossible to look away from.

The poetic justice that is reaped out in this story is a little bit graphic, but certainly what I would do if I had any form of power (I don’t, I can dream). The idea that people can’t just get away with their acts of atrocity, and that sometimes those who are not quite evil, but definitely not good come out all the better… it’s a great series of fairly typical tropes that always leave me smiling.

Starting out as a somewhat scary tale and ending as one that had me smiling made this an incredibly little journey to take. Especially when everyone is in quarantine… it was just nice to have the company of a few interesting characters for a few moments.

<- The Wizard of Ashes and RainThe Last Witch ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

The Chill Clutch of the Unseen by Kim Newman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Chill Clutch of the Unseen
Author: Kim Newman
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror
Dates read: 5th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: It occurred to him that she might have inherited the job of station-master – station-mistress? – while he was paying attention to what might be coming into town as opposed to what was happening right here.

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Synopsis

He’s been doing this job for years. Protecting his town from the things that go bump in the night. But, now, he’s found the last monster… and he’s getting old.

Thoughts

This short story starts right in the action. Or at least, right in the waiting for the action and the creepy imagery of an old man just waiting… waiting to kill something. It’s all written from his kind of intense point of view and you just sit there in awe throughout the entire story. Anything that you expect to happen… it quickly doesn’t quite happen the way that you expect it to.

My favourite part of this story is honestly the ending. It rounds out the old man’s life and finishes up his purpose in the world. But, it also hints that whilst his cycle is over, the overall cycle is still continuing. That there is more going on in the world than we would expect and you just sit there contemplating what could be hidden just beneath the surface…

The appearance of the incredibly insane Invisible Man in this story nicely rounded everything out for me. There is something fascinating and entertaining about the story of that man… so I seriously enjoyed reading about him. And his demise. After all, you can’t have a good monster book without the monsters dying at the end…

<- The TotalsDown Among the Dead Men ->

Image source: Amazon

The Wizard of Ashes and Rain by David Sandner

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: The Wizard of Ashes and Rain
Author: David Sandner
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Dark fantasy
Dates read: 2nd April 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2001
5th sentence, 74th page: Amanda had stood in the upstairs hallway looking at herself in the full-length mirror.

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Synopsis

Sarah just wants to save her sister from the monster in her dreams. But she has an interfering mother and a whole set of complications as she hunts down the wizard who could help her solve it all.

Thoughts

This story was a little hard to follow at the very beginning. Not in a bad, what the hell is going on way. But there was just so much thrown at you from the very beginning, so it took a while for me to really get my head around what was going on. Yet, even taking that time was an incredibly fun adventure. It was something that swept me off my feet and completely enthralled me. And once I finally clicked as to what was happening? I was even happier.

As an older sister, I know the feeling of doing anything to protect my younger sister. So the fact that through this whole story, Sarah is just running around trying to find a way to keep her baby sister safe… I completely understand that drive. It’s probably why I enjoyed this story so much when it’s not really of the style of storyline that I normally throw myself into.

I enjoyed the short journey that this tale took me on. And the idea of everything coming full circle again and again works so damn well in a short story. There is just something about the sense of things repeating over time that makes me incredibly happy and only seriously works when it’s a short tale. It’s not a technique that I tend to enjoy in a longer length novel.

<- ForeverThe Walker Behind ->

Image source: Hachette Australia