Dark Forest

by Robert Dunbar

Stay out of the woods. Something deadly lurks among the shadows, and the trees themselves seethe with menace. No one is safe. These classic tales of the malignant wilderness by master storytellers like Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Ambrose Beirce, and E. Nesbit are annotated and introduced by contemporary talents (like Ramsey Campbell, Greg Gifune and Ronald Malfi), all of whom add their unique insights and perspectives. The anthology also includes the novella WOOD by Robert Dunbar, appearing for the first time in print. From the Introduction by Robert Dunbar: We fear darkness. We fear eyes that watch from the foliage. Sometimes we fear the foliage. And perhaps we should. Long before haunted houses existed, haunted forests circled the globe. Homer knew it. The Brothers Grimm knew it. In legend, all the great mythic quests of self-discovery begin with a hero entering a forsaken wood. Some journeys also end there...

Genres: Horror, Anthologies

478 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2014

About the author

Robert Dunbar is the author of the THE PINES TRILOGY, a series of supernatural thrillers – THE PINES and THE SHORE and THE STREETS. These novels have garnered extremely positive reviews, attracting a great many readers, and the author often blogs about his adventures in the genre world here at Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...



Dunbar has written for television and radio as well as for numerous newspapers and magazines. His plays and poetry have won awards, and his short fiction has been widely anthologized. You can find an interview with him here:
http://www.uninvitedbooks.com/page32....



Dunbar has been called "the catalyst for the new literary movement in horror" and "one of the saviors of contemporary dark fiction," which he loves… in no small degree because of how such comments provoke the troll community.

To learn more, drop by Robert Dunbar’s Literary Darkness discussion group.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

Reviews

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Forest brings together a number of stories from writers who should already be household names among the ranks of serious readers of horror, including such literary luminaries as Algernon Blackwood, Ambrose Bierce, and Arthur Machen. Moving into the modern world, Dunbar's own novella "Wood" caps off this collection, in which nature itself is a sentient force, and has had enough of encroaching interlopers and humans who are screwing it up; yet, as Dunbar notes in his own contribution, there may be hope on the horizon. I'm actually blown away at the short-story selections in this anthology -- as usual, some are much better than others, but the main theme that binds this collection together is very well represented throughout the book: the "connection between the natural world and ...something other." As noted in the introduction,

"Something deadly lurks among the shadows, and the trees themselves seethe with menace. No one is safe." With a table of contents that reads like a "who's who" in more classic weird/dark fiction, each story opens with an "Introductory Note" by various authors (including Ramsey Campbell) that gives the reader a feel for what's coming, and every now and then the editor interjects brief footnotes which add food for thought.

As Dunbar writes in his introduction, "There are places in this world where it is safer not to venture," and you'll definitely find them in this well-crafted anthology. Super book.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

White flag! I surrender! I surrender!! No more pain! I cannot take to read one more boring sentence with no point!! Giving up. DNF. I cannot take this book anymore. The stories are weird and weirdly written. If you want horror pick up something else. If you want to read weird non-scary stories please by all means- read this.

PART ONE
The Soul of a Place- These tales are setting the stage of the coming horror stories.

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood- 2/5 stars. The first half of this story is nothing but an adjective driven mess. Trying to discern what the plot is in the middle of innumerable adjectives was beyond exhausting and so was the high-handed superfluous language. And the ending? Kids books I've read to my son are scarier/creepier than this.

A Vine on a House by Ambrose Bierce- 3/5. Very short, but interesting and thought provoking. Very slightly creepy.

PART TWO
Green Hell- I guess this is a horror term I hadn't heard of before. Part 2 is about nature taking revenge on man.

The Terror by Arthur Machen 1/5 More than halfway through this story. Nothing happening.

The Orchid Horror by John Blunt-

The Pavilion by E. Nesbit-

PART THREE
Shadowed Corners-

The Man-Eating Tree by Phil Robinson

Professor Jonkin's Cannibal Planet by Howard R. Garis-

The Flowering of the Strange Orchid by H.G. Wells-

PART FOUR
The Final Embrace -

The Man Whom the Trees Loved by Algernon Blackwood-

Wood by Robert Dunbar-

[Uninvited Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always lovely to have a new anthology praised by HellNotes.

“Bizarre, disturbing, and darkly fascinating.

Simply compelling… a glimpse into the past… reflecting on modern fears, issues, and daunting environmental problems. Dunbar is a skilled editor… an excellent dark fiction Gothic collection. Highly recommended.”

http://hellnotes.com/dark-forest-book...