Into Shadow: Where the Truth Lies

by Tomi Adeyemi, Lev Grossman, Alix E. Harrow

Some truths are carefully concealed; others merely forgotten. In this spellbinding collection, seven acclaimed fantasy authors create characters who venture into the depths where others fear to tread. But when forbidden knowledge is the ultimate power, how far can they go before the darkness consumes them?

The Garden by Tomi Champion-Adeyemi

In this dreamlike short story told in alternating prose and verse, number one New York Times bestselling author Tomi Champion-Adeyemi weaves a tale of a young woman’s journey to find her mother and uncover her secrets.

Persephone by Lev Grossman

A teenage nobody crosses a line that will change her life forever in this short coming-of-age story by number one New York Times bestselling author Lev Grossman.

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

The Saint of War spares the life of a servant girl so she can fulfill her destiny as the kingdom’s greatest warrior in this short story of love and loyalty by New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow.

What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo

A woman posing as a medium who can channel the spirit world comes face to face with the truth in this short historical fantasy by Hugo Award–winning author Nghi Vo.

Undercover by Tamsyn Muir

When a stranger comes to town, secrets are sure to come out. New York Times bestselling author Tamsyn Muir spins a twisty—and twisted—short story of revenge and survival.

The Candles Are Burning by Veronica G. Henry

Amid the modern trappings of 1950s Savannah, an ancient evil threatens a young widow and her daughter in this chilling short story by award-winning author Veronica G. Henry.

Out of the Mirror, Darkness by Garth Nix

A cynical “fixer” for a silent-film studio must confront the shadows behind the bright lights in this noir-tinged short story by New York Times bestselling author Garth Nix.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published November 15, 2022

About the author

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative writing coach based in San Diego, California. Her debut novel, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, comes out March 6th, 2018 and the movie is currently in development at Fox with the producers of Twilight and The Maze Runner attached. After graduating Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she received a fellowship that allowed her to study West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When she’s not working on her novels or watching Scandal, she can be found blogging and teaching creative writing to her 3,500 subscribers at tomiadeyemi.com. Her website has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.

Reviews

[Ken Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a great short story collection. Really liked the variety of themes and situations. Some of them could be full novels in themselves (looks at Harrow). I've read other Vo stuff, but she still continues to surprise me. A lot of good stuff here

[michelle (travelingbooknerds) · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

3.285 stars

[(5+3+4+4+4+2+1)/35 ‎ = 0.657];
[5*0.657‎ = 3.285]

[Taran Snodgress · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any short story collection, some of these worked for me better than others. Alix E. Harrow's "The Six Deaths of the Saint" was my standout favorite (not surprising me, I've enjoyed everything I've read by Harrow so far), followed closely by Tamsyn Muir's "Undercover" (which did surprise me, as I haven't read anything else by her yet).

"What the Dead Know" by Nghi Vo was good, but didn't reach the level that I usually expect from her writing.

I suspect "The Candles Are Burning" by Veronica G. Henry was an excellent entry into the magical realism genre, but I have so little experience in that department that I can't say for sure. I need to do some more exploring over there first.

"The Garden" by Tomi Champion-Adeyemi was intriguing, but I'm not sure that audio was the best format for this story. It shifts between the current action and entries from the main character's journal, and being able to visually see that shift would have helped me follow the story.

The other two, "Persephone" and "Out of the Mirror, Darkness" didn't click for me. There wasn't anything bad or wrong with them, they just weren't my speed.

[Bill Philibin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5 Stars)

Tomi Champion-Adeyemi - The Garden - A bunch of poems and then some prose sections making up a larger narrative. I liked the narrator, but didn't love the story.
Lev Grossman - Persephone - This was very good and interesting. I liked it, and the narrator was excellent
Alix E. Harrow - The Six Deaths of the Saint - I do not like Second-Person point of view, so I am probably biased against this. I just couldn't get into it.
Nghi Vo - What the Dead Know - Decent Story, but just ok for me.
Tamsyn Muir - Undercover - I liked this one, very interesting.
Veronica G. Henry - The Candles Are Burning - Good story, good writing, good narration… I liked it.
Garth Nix - Out of the Mirror, Darkness - This wasn't bad, but seemed a little unfocused and rushed.

[FeaFlisyon · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment. It feels like only Alix E. Harrow took this seriously, the rest just tried to sabotage amazon by contributing their worst stories that should have remained hidden in the darkest corner of the lowest drawer in the oldest cabinet in the basement. Even Nghi Vo whose The Singing Hills Cycle is my all time favourite, was anticlimactic. There’s nothing original, nothing exciting in these stories. They lack any point of view. The only good one is The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow - this is a masterpiece. 30 pages of pure emotion, it deserves all the praises. Read this one, skip the others, you won’t miss anything.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

read: The Garden by Tomi Champion-Adeyemi 2 stars
Persephone by Lev Grossman 2.5 stars
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow 3.5 stars
What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo 3 stars
Undercover by Tamsyn Muir - skimmed
The Candles Are Burning by Veronica G. Henry - skimmed
Out of the Mirror, Darkness by Garth Nix 4.5 stars

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Garden by Tomi Adeyemi 2/10
Persephone by Lev Gossman 4/10
*The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow 10/10
*What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo 9/10
Undercover by Tamsyn Muir 8/10
The Candles Are Burning by Veronica G. Henry 4/10
Out of the Mirror, Darkness by Garth Nix 5/10

Rating: 3/5

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Garden: 2/5
Persephone: 1.5/5
The Six Deaths of the Saint: 5/5
What the Dead Know: 3/5
Undercover: 4.5/5
The Candles are Burning: 2.5/5
Out of the Mirror, Darkness: 3/5

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure about the strength of the theming of this collection, but I did overall enjoy the stories.