Dark Stars by John F D Taff is a horror short story anthology. The book has stories written by some of the famous authors. But, only a few stories are interesting and creates an atmosphere. All the others stories are just boring. I had many expectations while picking up this book. So, I downloaded it in audiobook as well as on Kindle. But, all of my hopes were shattered. Still I tried hard to finish the book and it became a real struggle for me.

The book deserves only 3 stars for the stories I liked. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book.

Editor John F.D. Taff brings together 12 delightfully dark novelettes of horror fiction that showcase the breadth of today's horror talent pool in Dark Stars.
In the forward Josh Malerman talks about horror having a moment and how he hopes that this anthology captures a snapshot of that moment. The book certainly showcases a diverse range of stories, styles and themes - showing the modern reach of horror - yet each one fits snuggly in this impressive collection.
Personal favourites include Alma Katsu's dark vampire tale The Familiar's Assistant and Taff's own Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream in which a grieving father and son are reunited with some old family ties but there is not a story among them that doesn't deserve your attention.
So dive on in, and swim past the familiar, you may just discover your next favourite author or 12.

I didn’t know all the author feature in this anthology by Stephen Graham Jones and Ramsey Campbell were enough to know it was an interesting anthology.
I got more than I bargained because I loved the short stories by the author I knew but discovered some new to me author.
Not all the stories are at the same level but there’s a lot of different tropes and twists to make it a gripping read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A fantastic collection of dark stories from some incredible authors! With varying themes, in this collection, there is something for everyone!

A excellent book of short horror stories from various authors including the master Ramsey Campbell. Not a dud in this collection,. I have the original Dark Forces book this stands up to that book
I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley for a review.

“Horror is something like black taffy these days, enough elasticity to stretch across any room (even the word “room” feels a little confining while discussing the modern state of horror: Is it a room actually? Could be something else), and you’ll find that elasticity here in the pages of this book.”

The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes

Reg and Maeve really want Tony to call. Naturally, he’ll have a friend so the sisters will be able to go on a double date.

“The phrase you learn in school is fight or flight. As if those are the only choices. As if we’re all so quick to throw a punch or make a run for it. Some of us are slow. We just need a minute to think.”

A Life in Nightmares by Ramsey Campbell

When past and present, reality and nightmares collide.

“I don’t know why I should dream about the past”

Papa Eye by Priya Sharma

When Ravi goes to the island, they see life and death in a whole new light.

“We’ve been struggling with how to explain it. Now you can see for yourself.”

Volcano by Livia Llewellyn

A new job, a new colleague, a pervasive darkness.

“It still bothers me that I can’t remember last night.”

All the Things He Called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones

When you’re quarantining with your partner, a research scientist, who wants to discuss your greatest fear. You know, besides the pandemic.

“”Because our minds are puzzle boxes,” Marcy said, obviously. “You can twist them this way, that way, and, if you’re really lucky, maybe once in a while you unlock one of them.””

Trinity River’s Blues by Chesya Burke

Jazz, a murder of crows and a woman who sees dead people.

“This here … this is longing. Its power manifested. You don’t understand who you are and so you let your fears and insecurities control you.”

The Familiar’s Assistant by Alma Katsu

Eric has spent weeks tracking him down. Now he’s standing at the vampire’s door.

“You can’t accept a monster in your life and think that you’re safe. That you’ll be able to control him.”

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

Peter just wants to drive his son to their new home. The weather has other ideas. So does Peter’s dead wife.

“Because, as I’ve learned, separation doesn’t diminish the love a child has for their parent.
Nor does death.”

The Sanguintalist by Gemma Files

The blood speaks to Lala.

“Tell me now. Show me, if you can’t form the words. Let me see it.
Let me see it all.“

Mrs. Addison’s Nest by Josh Malerman

This all started in detention fifteen years ago. It ends now.

“REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE”

Challawa by Usman T. Malik

Karisma returns to Pakistan with her husband. While she’s there, she plans to do some research.

“Challawa. A mercurial creature that shimmers and is gone. A mirage that evaporates when you get close to it.”

Enough For Hunger and Enough For Hate by John Langan

Michelle is trying to track down her brother’s killer. And his body.

“There was nothing I wanted more than to spend every waking second with her.”

Usually when I pick up an anthology, it’s because there’s one particular author’s story I need to read. This time around, that author was Stephen Graham Jones.

With anthologies, I always find the stories are a bit of a mixed bag. I love this because there’s usually something for everyone. I also dread this because I know it’s just as likely I’ll encounter stories that I’m not so keen on.

My horror preference is the “would you like more blood with that?” variety. I actively seek out reads where I have the overwhelming urge to look over my shoulder and question whether it’s safe to turn out the lights, as well as my decision to eat before reading. I’m not as comfy with ambiguity so some reads here didn’t work as well for me.

I enjoyed many of the stories but they didn’t elicit fear in me. The most horrified I felt was when I realised I’d finished more than one story with no way of explaining what it was about because I had no idea.

One of my favourite things about anthologies is the opportunity to find authors whose books have somehow flown under my radar. While I loved the story I came here for, I was also introduced to two authors whose books I definitely need to investigate in the near future: Priya Sharma and Usman T. Malik.

Content warnings include addiction, death by suicide, domestic abuse, miscarriage and sexual assault. Readers with emetophobia may have trouble with some scenes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this anthology. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

Anthology books can sometimes be a bit of a mixed bag, especially if they're bringing together different authors with various styles. They can present you with stories and writing that's different to what you'd normally pick up, giving you the chance to try new things. Dark Stars was one of these types of books for me, with only a few of the twelve authors being ones whose work I'd read before.

The first story in the collection is 'The Attentionist' by Caroline Kepes, which tells the story of a young teenage girl and her sister. The story begins by introducing us to these two young teens, their relationship with each other, and their growing focus on boys. The two girls are in the throws of puberty, and have become seemingly obsessed with guys; or at least the narrators sister Reg, who is definitely hyper fixated. One day Maeve gets a phone call from someone claiming to be a boy she met at work, but it soon turns out to be something much more sinister. This story is horror in the most real sense, in that it doesn't deal with ghosts or monsters or dark forces, but the horror of other people. Kepes crafts a tense story that manages to draw you in and keep you feeling on edge because it's something real, something that could happen to you; which makes it genuinely scary.

'A Life in Nightmares' by Ramsey Campbell is almost an exact opposite to the first. If the first story is something that could easily happen this is one that you never want to happen to you. Its disjointed narrative unfolds across a series of scenes that take place across the life of Maurice, who we watch from childhood, through to adolescence, and into adulthood. The scenes skip to key moments in his life, from his first day at school to his wedding day, and with each of these something bizarre and nightmarish seems to be following him through his life like a nightmare. The end revelation for this story is a pretty interesting one, and one that I'd love to see more of as it's super interesting. Campbell manages to craft a narrative that feels like a fever dream, with reality and the nightmarish flowing together and mixing, with events shifting and jumping across the years. It's a unique feeling story, and one that might not be for everyone; but if you like things a bit more cosmic horror you'll enjoy this one.

Priya Sharma's 'Papa Eye' felt like one of the least horror of these stories. The story didn't frighten or scare me, and its connections to the past and history made it feel more like a folk story; which I suppose does often make it feel more akin to horror than most other genres. The story takes place on a remote island, where a new doctor begins to make strange discoveries about the inhabitants, and starts to discover that there are strange and supernatural things taking place, and that people aren't quite what they appear to be. Whilst not a story that scared me, it's an interesting one for sure, and I'd happily read more about this strange community and the lives they lead.

I have to admit, I did have some difficulty with 'Volcano' by Livia Llewellyn. The story centres on Calliope, a student at a small college campus who's struggling to find work over the summer period. When she manages to find a job replacing fabric on chairs in the college, as well as creating new curtains for the various function rooms, she seems to have the perfect job. However, the basement room she has to work in has a strange, open door leading into a series of dark underground tunnels, and it has an odd effect upon her. I have to admit, I struggled to really understand everything that was happening in this story, and perhaps that's part of the horror of it, not knowing why the strange things are happening. Unfortunately, this became one of my least favourite stories in the collection as I was left scratching my head by the end.

'All The Things He Called Memories' by Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favourites of the collection. Set during the Covid lock-down, the story follows couple as they're forced to live and work together around the clock in their home. Bo is a simple kind of guy, an upholsterer who likes a quiet life, whilst his wife Marcy is a research scientist. When the two of the share their deepest, irrational fears as part of Marcy's latest research project Bo begins to experience odd things throughout the house. As the strange events begin to build Bo is let questioning if things are even happening or if perhaps being trapped at home has gotten to him. I've seen some authors online saying that setting any work during the Covid pandemic is a bad idea, that it will date your story, that it will put people off because it will remind them of an awful time; but this story works perfectly because of it. It feels a lot more relatable as we've all had bad times during Covid, all felt isolated and alone, and it just makes the horror here hit home all the more.

Chesya Burke's 'Trinity River Blues' feels like it could be part of an urban fantasy series, and whilst it does have horror elements to it the more urban fantasy parts of the story definitely help it to stand out in this collection. In this story we meet Trini, a young woman who can see ghosts and interact with the spirit world. Raised by her grandmother after her mother died giving birth to her, Trini funds joy in her powers, even having a best friend who's a ghost. However, when a dark spirit comes calling one day it puts Trini's life in danger. This story was a lot of fun, had a flavour to it that was different from other stories on offer in the book, and ended up being another character that I could see myself reading more about.

'The Familiar's Assistant' by Alma Katsu is, surprisingly, the only vampire story in this collection. Vampire stories are incredibly popular, and there's normally one or two popping up in horror anthologies; and this time it's the turn of Alma Katsu to give us her twist on the genre. This story doesn't follow a vampire, however, but a young man who has spent weeks seeking one out. After working up the courage to finally approach the home the vampire is living in he's allowed in, and eventually is allowed to stay and help the vampire's familiar. This story feels less a tale about vampires, and more about obsession, about this one person's desires and the lengths that they're willing to go to to achieve them. It's an interesting and dark story for sure.

'Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream' by John F.D. Taff (the book's editor) is a pretty chilling and unique kind of ghost story, one that feels like the perfect definition of a scary short story. The story centres on a recently widowed father and his son, Gus, as they travel across the country to their new home; trying to make a fresh start of things after their tragic events. When the two of them stop at a small rest stop along their route things begin to spin out of control when a bizarre blizzard sweeps in out of nowhere, trapping them inside. Not only that, but a ghostly presence with a focus on Gus begins to make its presence known. In a lot of ways this story made me think of episodes of shows like The Twilight Zone, where you'd get a creepy, unexplained story with a clear arc and a satisfying resolution by the time the credits roll. The story doesn't rely on leaving half revealed truths or vague hints in order to disturb the reader, and it doesn't really leave you questioning what would happen next. Instead, it give you this wonderful, self contained tale that just feels incredibly satisfying to read.

'The Sanguintalist' by Gemma Files is another that falls quite neatly into the urban fantasy genre, following Lala Mirwani, a forensic necromancer for hire. Lala uses her abilities to experience memories through blood to help the police with murder investigations, and is called in to help when the brutalised remains of a trans woman is found. Lala's magic reveals a series of events that sends Lala into a world of dangerous magicians and spell-casters, where she gets tested to her limits. I really enjoyed this story, and not just because it gave an Indian trans woman a starring role, but because this felt like a perfect pitch for a urban fantasy series filled with great characters, and an interesting world. I really hope that this is a character and setting that Files comes back to in the future, as we need more heroes like Lala.

Josh Malerman's 'Mrs Addison's Nest' is a story that I think is definitely worth more than one read. Telling the story of a group of four friends who've come together to track down and fight a woman from their past, a woman they're convinced is a powerful, evil witch, the story messes with the mind and chronology as the titular monster tries to mess with the characters. The story was honestly a challenge to begin with, thanks to the shifting, almost dreamlike narrative, but Malerman manages to really make it work, and once you know a bit more about what's going on you can re-read the story with more information and get a lot out of it. In some ways it reminds me of IT with the group of adults coming together to fight a childhood monster; yet it doesn't copy the King story in any real way, and feels completely its own.

'Challawa' by Usman T. Malik was a story that I really enjoyed. Set in Ganeshpur in India, this felt like a wonderful folk horror that drew on the history of the region to deliver a chilling story. It follows Karima, a woman who's travelled home to India with her husband Ed after spending a number of years in the US. Whilst Ed doesn't really want to be there, Karima finds herself getting lost in the local history and culture, as she learns about the Challawa, a type of spirit said to haunt the area. This story is packed full of history and culture, and we get to find out a lot about both Karmina and Ganeshpur over the course of the story. You spend so long getting to know the characters and exploring their lives that I almost forgot it was supposed to be a horror story, until the sudden dark turn the ending takes in the most chillingly delightful way.
The final story for the book is 'Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate' by John Langan, and it takes readers to a remote iced over lake where a woman has travelled to confront a man who she believes to be responsible for the death of her brother. The woman, Michelle, has travelled into the remote wilderness to talk with Walter, a man that she not only believes killed her brother and his girlfriend, but to also be a monster. Over the course of the conversation that begins between the two of them we learn lot about Walter's life, his failed marriage, and the reason why he committed his crimes. Unfortunately, there's something dark and unnatural inside of Walter, and the story of his transformation into a creature of myth is one that will terrify. I really enjoyed this story, and loved how much time was given over getting to know the characters, their lives, and how then ended up at this point. The horror of the story didn't really come into play until the end of things, but by the time it did I was totally invested in the tale, and loved the way it ended.

Dark Stars has a big mixture of different types of horror, from a range of authors from different backgrounds and experiences, and this really shows in their work. no two stories feel the same, and even if they're tackling similar themes and ideas they're all so different. The ghost stories have little in common, the urban fantasy stories are both unique, and the folk horror tales feel like complete opposites. Dark Stars seems to showcase how varied and how different horror can be, and what different people bring to the genre. Whether you've come to this collection to check out an author you already like, or to try something new, the sheer variety on offer here means that you're guaranteed to find something to like.

Dark Stars is a readable and tantalising collection of (incredibly varied) stories from some of the brightest stars in modern horror fiction. Josh Malerman sets the tone with his foreword - "horror is having a moment" - and that's certainly true. I almost loved the non-fiction musings and contributions from Malerman, Campbell and Taff as much as the stories, for providing such an accurate and thought-provoking snapshot of the genre. That said, the stories are - as expected - excellent. The stand-outs for me were:
The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes - a twisty and absolutely skin-crawling tale set in the now-period (shhh) setting of the 1990s, when a girl and her sister come into the orbit of a mysterious phone caller. This was so truthful and bleak in its look at the dog-eat-dog world of teenage longings and cravings.
Volcano by Livia Llewellyn - perfect, ambiguous and deeply alienating, this story had me desperate to unravel it all the way to its nihilistic conclusion. What modern literary horror is all about.
All The Things He Called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones - told in his characteristic dead-on, slice-of-life tone that can still just CUT you, this short story shows why SGJ is considered one of the current masters. And the setting - two people in a flat during covid lockdown - is both relatable and fresh.
The Familiar's Assistant by Alma Katsu - do you know vampire stories? No, you really don't. This managed to take a well-worn genre and make it new and interesting.
Enough For Hunger And Enough For Hate by John Langan - what Katsu does for the vampire, Langan does for the Wendigo, and the resulting story is a nested narrative of lies, unreliable narrators, old bones and ancient magic. As someone who's obsessive about remote, cold settings and twists in folklore, this was a very special story indeed, and one I know I'll be re-reading for years to come. Is it too much to wish for a film adaptation, or even a new Creepshow segment?

Dark Stars is a collection of twelve horror stories from a range of authors, highlighting the range of modern horror. From vampires and ghosts to sinister basements and weird lockdown experiments, there's a lot of different kinds of stories in the book. A lot of them are quite long, but mostly didn't drag, and I liked the fact that at the end each author got to include a little bit about their story (quite useful for remembering them all when you come to review, too).

I like horror but not always short stories, and I particularly liked the variation in this collection, as it meant most of the stories weren't too similar. Some of my favourites were: Stephen Graham Jones' 'All The Things He Called Memories', which combined lockdown with an experiment into your biggest fear in a way that was unsettling; Alma Katsu's 'The Familiar's Assistant', because I love vampires and I liked this twist on the genre, especially after reading her note afterwards that it was inspired by The Talented My Ripley; and the ambiguous 'Volcano' by Livia Llewellyn, with an unnerving basement and a messed up protagonist. I appreciated the concept—shared custody but with one dead parent—of 'Swim In The Blood Of A Curious Dream' and I liked the idea of 'The Sanguintalist', about a forensic necromancer though I'm not so sure about the execution and the way it engages with different cultures and identities.

As with any anthology collection with a range of authors and styles, you're ever going to love all of them, but I enjoyed the chance to get a quick (relatively, it's a big book) look into some of the horror written today and see interesting takes on modern and old ideas.