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Dark Corners of the Old Dominion: A Virginia Horrors Anthology
What's so scary about Virginia? From Edgar Allan Poe's Ragged Mountains to the shores of Tidewater's Seven Cities... From the blood-soaked battlegrounds of the Civil War to the shadowy political arena of the D.C. Beltway... We have four hundred years' worth of ghost stories, folk horrors, small-town terrors, urban legends, backwoods beasts, otherworldly secrets, and down-home Southern Gothic. Within this idyllic landscape, there are many dark corners. Within these pages, Virginia authors explore twenty-three dangerous destinations, myths, and monsters from the Commonwealth's past, present, and future. Read on, if you dare.
All proceeds will be donated to SCARES THAT CARE(R) a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
All proceeds will be donated to SCARES THAT CARE(R) a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
230 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 27, 2023
This is a great anthology filled with fantastical stories by a group of wonderful authors. I was privileged enough to have a story included in this book alongside these talented writers, but I'm telling you their tales are absolutely fabulous! If you want a ghosty, paranormal flavor of Virginia--pick up this anthology and enjoy the short stories contained right here! And it's all for a great cause. This is a charity anthology with all proceeds going to the nonprofit Scares That Care!
May 11, 2024
This anthology features stories that take place throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, written by authors who are from or have a connection with Virginia. All proceeds from book sales were donated to the Scares That Care charitable organization.
As with any anthology, some stories resonate more than others. I don't really have a favorite, but found the majority of them to be enjoyable. It's a solid collection of wide-ranging stories and the book sales benefit a great cause. 3.5/5*
As with any anthology, some stories resonate more than others. I don't really have a favorite, but found the majority of them to be enjoyable. It's a solid collection of wide-ranging stories and the book sales benefit a great cause. 3.5/5*
September 19, 2023
A diverse selection of stories that runs the gamut of weird fiction to dark poetry to flat out horror. It makes for a vibrant, cozy yet undeniably creepy experience that you do not need to be a Virginian to appreciate.
September 18, 2023
So, I recognize that it might seem biased that I am writing a review of a book in which I have a poem. But, this is not for self-aggrandizement. If anything, I am the least among this fantastic collection of writers.
Firstly, this is a book with tales and poems that all take place in Virginia -- in the Dark Corners of the Old Dominion. With 400 plus years of history, there's a lot to choose from here. Virginia, it turns out, is for horror-lovers. Secondly, the authors & editors donated their time and work to this effort. All proceeds go to the charity "Scares that Care" and many of the authors will be at their AuthorCon event next Spring. Thirdly, the stories themselves are FANTASTIC. I can't really pick a favorite. But I will pick 3 of my favorites.
The Bride of Dream Lake by Catherine Kuo kicks off the adventure. Having been to the location where this story takes place made it resonante with me even more. I could picture Dream Lake even without her descriptions of it. It was easy for me to see this nightmare unfolding in this location. Chilling and wonderful!
The Girl Who Sleeps in the Room Next to Me by Charles Wood was another favorite. This short story written as a collection of diary entries is disquieting --- in a wonderul way.
Another one that spoke to me was the A House's Tale by Brad Center. With a nearby ghost attraction of Bacon's Castle being a popular destination and site for paranormal investigators, there is a place not far away much more sinister and alive.
I could go on and tell you about all these stories and poems. But why spoil the fun. Get copy for yourself. Explore the Dark Corners of the Old Dominion. And support a great charity at the same time.
Firstly, this is a book with tales and poems that all take place in Virginia -- in the Dark Corners of the Old Dominion. With 400 plus years of history, there's a lot to choose from here. Virginia, it turns out, is for horror-lovers. Secondly, the authors & editors donated their time and work to this effort. All proceeds go to the charity "Scares that Care" and many of the authors will be at their AuthorCon event next Spring. Thirdly, the stories themselves are FANTASTIC. I can't really pick a favorite. But I will pick 3 of my favorites.
The Bride of Dream Lake by Catherine Kuo kicks off the adventure. Having been to the location where this story takes place made it resonante with me even more. I could picture Dream Lake even without her descriptions of it. It was easy for me to see this nightmare unfolding in this location. Chilling and wonderful!
The Girl Who Sleeps in the Room Next to Me by Charles Wood was another favorite. This short story written as a collection of diary entries is disquieting --- in a wonderul way.
Another one that spoke to me was the A House's Tale by Brad Center. With a nearby ghost attraction of Bacon's Castle being a popular destination and site for paranormal investigators, there is a place not far away much more sinister and alive.
I could go on and tell you about all these stories and poems. But why spoil the fun. Get copy for yourself. Explore the Dark Corners of the Old Dominion. And support a great charity at the same time.
July 15, 2024
This book held such potential! I bought it knowing that all sales were going to charity. It had a story from one of my favorite authors. It's about the state (commonwealth) that I have to live in. Short stories are my favorite thing to read. With so many positives, how could this book be anything but fantastic? Well, this anthology achieved something I never saw coming...it sucked.
This major disappointment of a book had two exceptions: Bryan Nowak's "Beach House" and Brad Center's "A House's Tale". Both of those are readable, enjoyable, and what I think of when I hear "horror short story".
Dark Corners of the Old Dominion is chock-full of other stuff. It had only a few typos/outright mistakes. Only one author resorted to using my number one "no-no" word. There are other stories that are ho-hum. The so-called "poetry" in this anthology is just something written to take up space - seriously awful. Most of the stories had nothing more than a passing reference to anything Virginia. This all brings me to my major complaint. There are stories in there by authors that must have misunderstood their task. They must have thought they were supposed to write stories that relentlessly harped on current social issues. They used their little two-dimensional characters in their little stories as little soapboxes.
I read to learn, entertain, and escape the real world. I get enough of people touting their opinions on the news, social media, and in person. When I sit down to read something in the "horror" category, I'm not looking to find out about the author's thinly-veiled opinions on current affairs. Story after story was nothing more than making pretty words to enrobe their little opinions. That made this book, on the whole, a pass for me.
This major disappointment of a book had two exceptions: Bryan Nowak's "Beach House" and Brad Center's "A House's Tale". Both of those are readable, enjoyable, and what I think of when I hear "horror short story".
Dark Corners of the Old Dominion is chock-full of other stuff. It had only a few typos/outright mistakes. Only one author resorted to using my number one "no-no" word. There are other stories that are ho-hum. The so-called "poetry" in this anthology is just something written to take up space - seriously awful. Most of the stories had nothing more than a passing reference to anything Virginia. This all brings me to my major complaint. There are stories in there by authors that must have misunderstood their task. They must have thought they were supposed to write stories that relentlessly harped on current social issues. They used their little two-dimensional characters in their little stories as little soapboxes.
I read to learn, entertain, and escape the real world. I get enough of people touting their opinions on the news, social media, and in person. When I sit down to read something in the "horror" category, I'm not looking to find out about the author's thinly-veiled opinions on current affairs. Story after story was nothing more than making pretty words to enrobe their little opinions. That made this book, on the whole, a pass for me.
September 14, 2023
Dark Corners of the Old Dominion: A Virginia Horrors Anthology, edited by Joseph Maddrey and Michael Rook.
All proceeds from this book will be given to the Scares that Care program.
This anthology is a collection of 23 stories and poetry. Each author has a section of Virginia to set their story in. This collection of stories takes readers to the darkest corners of the Old Dominion, where secrets and horrors await. It features stories from some of your favorite authors, as well as new-to-you voices.
Brian Keene writes the foreword. He discusses the act of love and how it unites us all. The power of love is one action that helps Scares that Care be successful.
The stories are about cryptids, human horrors, empty towns, ghosts, and historical horror. It is a unique blend of different horrors.
It would be hard to choose one favorite out of this collection. Every single story was enjoyable, and it introduced me to authors I had not heard of before.
I definitely recommend this to all horror lovers. There is something for everyone.
All proceeds from this book will be given to the Scares that Care program.
This anthology is a collection of 23 stories and poetry. Each author has a section of Virginia to set their story in. This collection of stories takes readers to the darkest corners of the Old Dominion, where secrets and horrors await. It features stories from some of your favorite authors, as well as new-to-you voices.
Brian Keene writes the foreword. He discusses the act of love and how it unites us all. The power of love is one action that helps Scares that Care be successful.
The stories are about cryptids, human horrors, empty towns, ghosts, and historical horror. It is a unique blend of different horrors.
It would be hard to choose one favorite out of this collection. Every single story was enjoyable, and it introduced me to authors I had not heard of before.
I definitely recommend this to all horror lovers. There is something for everyone.
December 29, 2023
This book holds 23 tales of horror. The stories are divided into geographical sections - Shenandoah, Coastal Virginia, etc. Each story is less than 10 pages long, so they can be read pretty quickly. My favorites were the ones in the Coastal section - generally speaking, although there were other standouts as well. In particular, I enjoyed "A House's Tale", "Notches", "Room 1968", "Odditorium" and "This is How Your Garden Grows". This book would be of interest to anyone who lives in Virginia or plans to visit the area.
December 27, 2025
I'm sorry to say this anthology has been an utter disappointment.
There is one or two decent stories, and one that I _really_ liked a lot, but the rest of them are so far sub-par as to be utterly unenjoyably for me. Bad writing, bad pacing, bad storytelling.
One story is so incoherent (and full of em dashes) that I strongly suspect AI might have played a role in it's creation.
2 stars because it at least had one story I truly enjoyed, and because the proceeds go to a charity.
There is one or two decent stories, and one that I _really_ liked a lot, but the rest of them are so far sub-par as to be utterly unenjoyably for me. Bad writing, bad pacing, bad storytelling.
One story is so incoherent (and full of em dashes) that I strongly suspect AI might have played a role in it's creation.
2 stars because it at least had one story I truly enjoyed, and because the proceeds go to a charity.
October 12, 2023
Part of the reason I enjoyed this is because I'm familiar with most of the story locations. There are some dark corners in Virginia. The only missing area is the far southwest corner.
April 2, 2026
This is a pretty average collection of short stories (and a few poems) with a very wide range. Unfortunately, none of them really gripped me or stood out. Kind of bummed.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews