Title: No. 252 Rue M. le Prince Author: Ralph Adams Cram In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) & Gothic Short Stories (David Blair) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Horror Dates read: 28th January 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 1895 5th sentence, 74th page: Soon after two o’clock Fargeau, who was in the next room, hour after hour, hearing nothing, very much bored, and disappointed.
A night spent in a haunted house that was cursed by a fellow practitioner of the arts turns a non-believer into one who believes in a number of things. But at what cost?
A short story set in beautiful Paris. About a haunted (make that cursed) house. Definitely a great setting for such a tale. Although, I think that Paris probably makes a great setting for most stories, it’s a beautiful location. Adding a layer of darkness through this house to it… that’s just downright intriguing.
This short story had enough darkness and horror in it to give me pause. It didn’t leave me looking over my shoulder into the dark shadows to see what was hiding for me like some other stories. But, it did make me stop halfway through, take a deep breath and then plough onwards. It just left me somewhat uncomfortable and more than a little bit freaked out.
Although this was dark, mysterious and kind of intimidating, I had a strange feeling of peace when all was said and done. Which was an incredibly unusual reaction. One that I did find intriguing though. Not sure what it says about my psyche that after reading about a creepy, haunted house that has been cursed, I feel at piece. But we’ll leave that discussion for another day…
Title: To Become a Sorcerer Author: Darrell Schweitzer In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Magic Dates read: 13th January 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 1991 5th sentence, 74th page: There was little to do that night.
His Dad was a sorcerer, so how did he become one? And what will it take to make his son walk in his footsteps?
There are four acts to this story. Or chapters. But, to me, they kind of read like the more traditional acts used in the telling of a story.
The first act is all about losing family. About having that love and losing it. About the confusion that this brings along for a young child.
The second act talks more about sorcery. About being set on the path towards sorcery and the journey that that takes you on.
The third act, is really about going into the belly of the beast. Specifically, it’s about actually succumbing to the need for power and going on a journey into sorcery.
Finally, the fourth and final act is the epic battle in which all secrets and plans are revealed.
I enjoyed this unique set up and journey. And I would love to see how this was formed into a full-length novel.
Title: Foundling Author: D.M. Cornish Series: Monster Blood Tattoo #1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Australian authors, Dark fantasy, Steampunk Dates read: 1st – 9th January 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Scholastic Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: Could I see the gastrines, sir?
Meet Rossamnd a foundling, a boy with a girl’s name who is about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor of the Half-Continent. What starts as a simple journey becomes a dangerous and complicated set of battles and decisions. Humans, monsters, unearthly creatures . . . who among these can Rossamnd trust? D. M. Cornish has created an entirely original world, grounded in his own deft, classically influenced illustrations. Foundling is a magic-laced, Dickensian adventure that will transport the reader.
My mum gave me this book when I was still in high school, early teens. And I just couldn’t get into it. I liked the storyline, but, back then, I really wasn’t used to reading books which had another language. I just found it way too overwhelming and put it aside. Now I’m really wondering why. This book was amazing, engaging and impossible to put down. It was fun and interesting. Something that completely drew me in and totally enthralled me.
I love that this kind of employs Murphy’s Law – everything that Rossamund experiences is just one problem after another. Starting with getting on the wrong boat. Which you totally knew, and you completely expected things to start going haywire. Just, maybe not as haywire as what actually happened. It was glorious, entertaining and makes me excited to grab the next book. This story was just an absolutely insane adventure. It not only helped that Rossamund was constantly confused and questioning everything – which helped to explain the world that was being built around you as you were catapulted with him from one misadventure to another.
I loved the world building in this story. You kind of expect fantastic world building when there’s literally an entire dictionary at the back of the novel. But there was something even more phenomenal about this. Something that I found difficult to put down. I loved the creation of Rossamund and his friends. The monsters and people that he encounters. And the roles of the world – I didn’t expect a Lamplighter to be such a dangerous task!
It’ll be interesting to see how Lamplighter will unfold. Already, Rossamund’s adventures are revealing little cracks in the agreements of the world. The discussion of whether monsters are bad or good. The realities of living outside of the orphanage. Seriously, this book is amazing. And I love that it is also written by a fellow Aussie!
Ashputtle is the newest version of Cinderella. With a much darker, far more disturbing twist…
This is an incredibly insane version of Cinderella. Like, seriously insane. One that I absolutely adored. And couldn’t get enough of. And just seriously enjoyed… but it was dark, and made me think of Cinderella (or in this case Ashputtle) as more of a monster than a victim. Which is probably why I loved it so much. Nothing like a sick, disturbing story to make my crazy brain happy.
I found some of the points made about fat people really interesting. The idea that they’re presumed to be stupid or just plain ignored. It was painfully true. But also helped to create a cloak behind which Ashputtle could hide her atrocities. It’s a little bit scary how spot on these moments were and made me stop and think about how I deal with other people.
My biggest question about this short story is – what was done to the children? I know the culprit. I know that they went missing. And I even know why they were the selected victims. But what I don’t know is what was done with them? And my imagination is not leading me to nice, happy places with that…
Title: Master of Chaos Author: Michael Moorcock In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Magic Dates read: 8th January 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 1964 5th sentence, 74th page: “I’ll try this, lady.”
He is the conqueror of lands. The sword of the Queen. But even this castle and its mistress might be too much for the newly appointed Master of Chaos.
When I think of dark fantasy, I think of some incredibly twisty, crazy stories. Ones that have a sense of darkness that you can’t shake. Yet, this story didn’t quite have that feeling of darkness. It was a little bit more light and entertaining. With just a hint of darkness behind the storyline. I love that it’s a story which features trickery as the central battle. One that wins the day in the end.
This story features a castle which protects itself from invaders and conquerors. Just by showing someone their greatest fears. It’s intense, engaging and very, very interesting. I’m not sure what I would be shown if this happened to me. Probably a lot of snakes running around everywhere. (Slithering. Whatever, you get my drift.)
At the beginning of this short story, I found it quite confusing. But, as the story unfolded, I started to gain a little more understanding. And it suddenly became kind of amazing. Definitely a story which I’m going to enjoy reading again, as I discover more and more of this storyline.
Title: Wolf Rain Author: Nalini Singh Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity #3 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters Dates read: 3rd – 5th January 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Hachette New Zealand Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: His energy filled the space to bursting.
Kidnapped as a young girl, her psychic powers harnessed by a madman, Memory lives in a caged and isolated existence… until she comes face-to-face with a wolf. Labelled an empath by her bad-tempered rescuer, Memory knows that her ‘gift’ is nothing so bright. It is a terrible darkness that means she will always be hunted.
But Memory is free now and she intends to live. A certain growly wolf can just deal with it.
Alexei prefers to keep his packmates at bay, the bleak history of his family a constant reminder that mating, love and hope are not for him. But Memory, this defiant and fearless woman who stands toe-to-toe with him, awakens the most primal part of his nature – and soon, he must make a choice: risk everything or lose Memory to a murderous darkness that wants to annihilate her from existence…
Normally as soon as I receive the next book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity, I read it the moment it arrives on my doorstep. Cover to cover. Not even pausing to eat (I eat, but I’ve gotten very good at doing so whilst reading). This time I waited a little bit longer. I was trying to show that I had self-control or some such nonsense… what a mistake. I did manage to stretch my reading over two days instead of less than 10 hours, so that was helpful for the whole adult thing… but otherwise I feel that I exercised some great self-control when reading such a phenomenal book.
One thing that always surprises me about this series is that at no point has it gotten same-same. Normally when I’m looking at such a large series, especially one that is a romance, you tend to start falling into tropes. Which just means that I have to take a few more breaks between each story. Not so with this. I’m not even sure at this point how many Psy-Changeling books, novellas and short stories I have just absorbed. But I do know that it’s a lot. And that I’m seriously grateful for them. 2019 was super crappy, and this was the first book of 2020. What a beautiful way to start the year.
One of the aspects of the storyline in this series which stops it from getting stale is the overarching battles and mystery being faced. There are just enough hints of another being and another battle being fought that you’re not only reading to find out if the couple get the happily ever after you want, but also because there’s some crazy out there trying to destroy the Alliance. In this case, it was a man who had no idea what he was doing. And, although there was kind of a conclusion to that little point of anarchy, I’m not sure that it was completely solved. And it hinted at SO MUCH MORE. Probably why, even after umpteen +++ books, I’m still hanging out excitedly for the next story.
One of my favourite aspects to this story though was the use of a flip side to empaths. No matter what lore or belief system you look at, empaths are generally something gentle and good. They can twist this a little, but I can only think of one other character in all the books I’ve read that was able to put a darker twist on the ability. Memory’s version of empathy is so completely different. Yet, it makes a great kind of sense. After all, you can’t have the light without the dark…. Which doesn’t mean that dark is evil. As this story will surely convince you.
Lia’s been tasked with finding the kidnapped daughter of the “Werewolf King”. But she’s not welcome amongst them, and this journey might bring her face to face with the man she fell for… hard.
I love that I finally got to revisit the world of Lia and Cyrus. That I get to do so in a Christmas collection and when they’re obviously just finding their relationship (the other two stories I’ve read which feature them are further along in the series) just made it that much better. It also gives a little more insight into the hierarchy of the werewolves in this series. Something I surprisingly needed in my life.
I love that the douche nugget in this story who gives Lia such a hard time ends up being guilty of a lot more than just being a pain in the butt. And kind of racist. In a supernatural way. It also shows that not only does Lia have a great past, but there’s also a lot of hidden wars occurring. I’ve only read Touch the Darkin the greater series, so it’s intriguing to find a story which explains so much more of the battle going on.
This is a great, easy, happy read. One that I thoroughly enjoyed. Mostly though, I wish it wasn’t over so soon. I want to return to Lia and Cyrus. I feel WAY too connected to them.
Title: Red as Blood Collection Author: Tanith Lee In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Fairy tales, Feminism, Retellings, Short story collections Dates read: 23rd October – 17th December 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Wildside Year: 1983 5th sentence, 74th page: There were carvings in the sides of the tower, the magic symbols from the chamber as it had been, the zodiac, the Crown, the Sword, the Chalice – she knew such seals must hold the spire safely.
Here are ten devilishly twisted fairy tales as the Brothers Grimm never dared to tell them. With her brilliantly macabre pen, Tanith Lee retells some familiar tales, and concocts some new and unusual ones, as she asks us to consider the possibility that things may not work as our fairy tales have them… In the title story, Lee shows us a perfectly good stepmother, whose Princess stepdaughter reeks of evil. Then there is Ashella, the Cinderella-like girl who, “When the Clock Strikes”, intends to give her Prince Charming a deadly surprise. In “Wolfland”, Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother – who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect. And in “Thorns” you’ll find the haunting answer to the question, “What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty turns out to be the mistake of a lifetime – of several lifetimes, in fact?”
Populated with demons and devils, vengeful gods and not-so-innocent young girls, the ten tales of Red as Blood weave a tapestry of chilling visions, spun by the incomparably fiendish imagination of Tanith Lee!
This is the second feminist collection of fairy tales I’ve ever read. And I don’t know if I like this or Angela Carter’s version better. What I do know is that I love both of them and I will read them again and again. They’re fun, kind of brilliant and super dark. Much more likely in our lives than the pretty Disney-versions that I grew up with.
There wasn’t one story in this collection that I didn’t absolutely adore. Normally I’ll find one or two that just aren’t as good… but that most certainly wasn’t the case. This was brilliant! Honestly, as I turned the last page, I could have quite happily turned around and just started this all over again. I didn’t, because I have a whole stack of other books I want to read by the end of the year… but I don’t often have that desire in the first place.
Now I need to find some more Tanith Leebooks. I have one other sitting in my shelf, but I want so much more now! There is no way that I won’t love it after this. Especially when you’re looking at a story which has a beautiful wordplay on the Brothers Grimm… equally dark versions, but with a focus on the women and the battles that they face.
These two paranormal sisters are just trying to find out a little bit more about Halloween. They just want to be a part of their neighbourhood. But then they’re seen and all hell breaks loose.
I have a younger sister, so I’m all for sisterly bonding. And, honestly, I get really excited whenever there is a story which features some kind of sisterly bonding – I don’t think that there’s nearly enough of these types of stories out there. Or at least, in my shelves. Having said that, not so much into the sisterly bonding that occurs in this short story. There was just something a little too twisted. And as much as I love my baby sister… this is not on the cards for ways that we would bond. Sorry Tal!
Having said all of that, I loved the lore that was involved in creating this world. I feel like it could be incredibly fun and difficult to forget. I would love to know more about such a created reality. Even though this is a standalone and I won’t get the privilege to do so. I might just have to search out more of Brian Evenson’s writings instead…
When you think about some of our practices, they’re kind of odd. Especially if you look at it as though you had never heard of, seen or experienced them. Yes, I’m talking about Christmas, Halloween, those practices. And, coming up to Christmas, it was quite fun to have both of these celebrations explained by alien life forms in quite a dark and plain way. I frequently laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Definitely a fun, and quite dark story about sisters, family and Halloween.
Title: The Princess and her Future Author: Tanith Lee In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Fairy tales Dates read: 1st December 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Wildside Year: 1983 5th sentence, 74th page: But such an idea was foolish.
All she wants is to know what her future holds… but it’s not the shiney, happy ending that she’s hoping for.
One of the things about the more traditional fairy tales that I don’t love is the fact that the women always want a husband, and that husband always ends up being the one rescuing her. Not so in this story. She gets in trouble because she’s trying to find out who it is that she’s going to marry in the future. The answer is certainly not one that she wanted… and there’s a certain level of trickery which leads to quite a tragic ending.
This is a seriously creepy and dark little fairy tale. I’m not entirely sure if it’s based on an original that I haven’t read before. But mostly, it was just a really creepy fairy tale which makes me want to lock all the windows and doors… there was just something particularly dark about this story.
I did thoroughly enjoy the fact that a lot of this story is built of webs of trickery, lies and deceit. Yet, in the end, the villain doesn’t actually lie – he just spins the truth to suit a certain view of the world.
Earth and Skye 