What do you think?
Rate this book
Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions
Award-Winning Author John Langan Returns with a New Collection of Stories
A garishly painted figurine contains a terrible curse; the ten-year anniversary of a sensational horror film shot in an abandoned mine reveals stunning secrets; endnotes for a book review uncover a strange high-tech pathogen; a man witnesses something uncanny and unexplained as his friend succumbs to a watery death; a seasick woman aboard a ferry is pursued by a barnacle-covered specter; a professor reveals the mysterious connection between Joseph Conrad and Peter Pan; a man encounters the ghost of his lost sister in a liminal space between the land and sea; an academic meets a mythical creature on a mysterious island…
John Langan, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman, returns with thirteen new tales of cosmic horror in Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions. In these stories, he continues to chart the course of 21st century weird fiction, from the unfamiliar to the familial, the unfathomably distant to the intimate.
Includes extensive story notes and an introduction by Victor LaValle.
A garishly painted figurine contains a terrible curse; the ten-year anniversary of a sensational horror film shot in an abandoned mine reveals stunning secrets; endnotes for a book review uncover a strange high-tech pathogen; a man witnesses something uncanny and unexplained as his friend succumbs to a watery death; a seasick woman aboard a ferry is pursued by a barnacle-covered specter; a professor reveals the mysterious connection between Joseph Conrad and Peter Pan; a man encounters the ghost of his lost sister in a liminal space between the land and sea; an academic meets a mythical creature on a mysterious island…
John Langan, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman, returns with thirteen new tales of cosmic horror in Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions. In these stories, he continues to chart the course of 21st century weird fiction, from the unfamiliar to the familial, the unfathomably distant to the intimate.
Includes extensive story notes and an introduction by Victor LaValle.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2025
About the author
John Langan
84 books1,975 followersJohn Langan is the author of two novels, The Fisherman (Word Horde 2016) and House of Windows (Night Shade 2009), and two collections of stories, The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies (Hippocampus 2013) and Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (Prime 2008). With Paul Tremblay, he co-edited Creatures: Thirty Years of Monsters (Prime 2011). He's one of the founders of the Shirley Jackson Awards, for which he served as a juror during its first three years. Currently, he reviews horror and dark fantasy for Locus magazine.
John Langan lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his wife, younger son, and many, many animals. He teaches at SUNY New Paltz. He's working toward his black belt in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do.
John Langan lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his wife, younger son, and many, many animals. He teaches at SUNY New Paltz. He's working toward his black belt in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 24, 2025
Lyrical, thought-provoking, and unsettling horror, again and again! I enjoyed every story in this collection and really enjoyed a handful of them. Langan has an ability to modulate his writing and tone from lush, dense and all-encompassing to stripped-back, bare, and unrelenting as needed for each story, which is wonderful. His prose doesn’t tend toward muscular or sleek, though, instead always feeling a little indulgent but in the best of ways. He can create so much character and atmosphere in a single paragraph that his writing always feels like it is under your skin, showing you a new reality from the inside out. His characters are genuine and heartfelt, and each feels perfectly realized in whatever world he places them, (one that probably has an overcast sky and shadows that you can only see moving from the corners of your eyes). Yet his stories have a playfulness to them, even when they are dark, smothering your hopes for a simple world organized by natural laws. His love for and belief in literature is clear in the thematic heft and density of thought (and occasionally prose) that he imbues every story with. He also has mastered the art of a satisfying ending to short form horror. Whether his endings end in his protagonists’ success or their eternal damnation he always manages to give you something unexpected. I find myself gasping out loud, both in glee and horror, at the sheer beauty and audacity at many of these stories, whether that be at the endings’ twist or at some other revelation along the way. He is very light with blood and gore; they exist in some of these stories, but at a distance. Instead, he wants to shock your mind, to fill you with a sense of dread only occasionally relieved by delight but always infiltrating your thoughts. As such his stories feel like a psychological itch, beings that worm their way into your subconscious.
There is a great diversity in this collection in terms of style: one story is told entirely in endnotes, another is almost entirely a (fictional?) dialogue between father and son on a car ride, while yet another takes the form of a magazine article about the 10-year anniversary of the re-release of a cult horror film and interview with that film’s director. Not all the stories are experimental or have meta elements, but Langan elevates even the simplest structure with prose that is inviting and all-embracing.
The penultimate piece in this collection started as an essay for Becky Siegel Spratford’s recent collection Why I Love Horror, but as it blossomed into being 4x the request word count it found a home in this collection, and in it he explains his continued and perpetual love for the genre by writing a horror story within the essay, talking about the artistic choices that get to be made, the way it affects the reader, the way it affects the writer, the relationships and ideas the genre always to take center stage, and more. How he manages to combine a non-fiction, personal essay with a compelling horror story stripped to its barest of bones is a testament to his command of the craft. In her introduction to the essay he eventually turned in Becky Siegel Spratford refers to him as “the author of your favorite horror author’s favorite horror novel of this century,” and each of the stories in this collection, as weird, disquieting, and surreal as many of them may be, are similar celebrations of his talent and skill.
(Also, he includes Story Notes at the end which explain the genesis of each story and so on, and while the stories easily stand on their own without this it is a really wonderful addition to the book, helping the reader feel invited into his world).
There is a great diversity in this collection in terms of style: one story is told entirely in endnotes, another is almost entirely a (fictional?) dialogue between father and son on a car ride, while yet another takes the form of a magazine article about the 10-year anniversary of the re-release of a cult horror film and interview with that film’s director. Not all the stories are experimental or have meta elements, but Langan elevates even the simplest structure with prose that is inviting and all-embracing.
The penultimate piece in this collection started as an essay for Becky Siegel Spratford’s recent collection Why I Love Horror, but as it blossomed into being 4x the request word count it found a home in this collection, and in it he explains his continued and perpetual love for the genre by writing a horror story within the essay, talking about the artistic choices that get to be made, the way it affects the reader, the way it affects the writer, the relationships and ideas the genre always to take center stage, and more. How he manages to combine a non-fiction, personal essay with a compelling horror story stripped to its barest of bones is a testament to his command of the craft. In her introduction to the essay he eventually turned in Becky Siegel Spratford refers to him as “the author of your favorite horror author’s favorite horror novel of this century,” and each of the stories in this collection, as weird, disquieting, and surreal as many of them may be, are similar celebrations of his talent and skill.
(Also, he includes Story Notes at the end which explain the genesis of each story and so on, and while the stories easily stand on their own without this it is a really wonderful addition to the book, helping the reader feel invited into his world).
June 1, 2025
I've said it before and I'll undoubtedly say it again: John Langan is one of the top, if not the top, modern horror writer churning out short fiction. His ability to turn on a dime from literary to pulp is worthy of study, and as a writer, I often find myself trying to do just that before being whisked away into the narrative. Lost in the Dark seems to embrace meta/experimental structures in greater number than previous collections, sometimes acting as a nod to Tremblay's work. Think footnotes in a text, a reader email pointing out errors, a documentary, an essay on the genre, all spun into story, with Langan, on more than one occasion, inserting himself into the mix. If meta is not your thing, there is plenty to love in the rest of the collection. My favorite entry was "Oscar Returns From the Dead, Prophesying", a story about a possessed gecko that should be ridiculous, and winds up being the most terrifying entry in the collection. Other stand-outs include "Haak", "Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs", and "Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror".
May 31, 2025
John Langan’s latest anthology, Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions is another winner from the most consistently creative horror author working today.
To me the most stand out story of the bunch was Natalya, Queen of Hungry Dogs. A friend goes to help another friend at the end of his life resolve issues from a near death experience as a child. This story captures reminiscing with a friend on the good times so perfectly and then drives right in to balls-to-the-walls horror / adventure as the two plunge in to the beyond to fight the forces of darkness from his past.
Breakwater was also an outstanding revenge story that was wonderfully crafted from start to finish.
As John Langan has done in the past, he includes “story notes” which provide bits of insights to the stories. I find myself flipping to the back of the book after each story to read the associated story note right away.
I highly recommend all of John Langan’s work, and Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions is a worthy continuation of his style and work.
Thank you to publisher Word Horde for a digital advanced reader copy!
To me the most stand out story of the bunch was Natalya, Queen of Hungry Dogs. A friend goes to help another friend at the end of his life resolve issues from a near death experience as a child. This story captures reminiscing with a friend on the good times so perfectly and then drives right in to balls-to-the-walls horror / adventure as the two plunge in to the beyond to fight the forces of darkness from his past.
Breakwater was also an outstanding revenge story that was wonderfully crafted from start to finish.
As John Langan has done in the past, he includes “story notes” which provide bits of insights to the stories. I find myself flipping to the back of the book after each story to read the associated story note right away.
I highly recommend all of John Langan’s work, and Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions is a worthy continuation of his style and work.
Thank you to publisher Word Horde for a digital advanced reader copy!
August 27, 2025
I know I have said this before, but Langan is my favorite living author. When I read him I feel like I am entering a Hellenic Temple, not restored or abandoned, but one which never stopped being used. Its only update in the past two millennium being a kind of gothic ornateness acquired in the middle ages and seamlessly grafted on top.
As usual, the eponymous story is the best in the collection, though my personal favorite was Breakwater- a rare example of me not choosing the novella length tales as I usually do.
My only nitpick is "The Shetlands?" Come on John, its Shetland. Just like its Orkney and not "The Orkneys". But I jest in good humor. Ive been to both back in the day when I used to live in Scotland. They really are the best places to take a trip to.
I also must reiterate a point on Langan's work that I have made before: his inclusion of detailed author notes at the end that provide context for each story should be standard practice for every story collection. Its best to leave these until done with everything else and then consume them all at once at the end, seeing the process of idea to authorship and the context that brings it about.
As usual, the eponymous story is the best in the collection, though my personal favorite was Breakwater- a rare example of me not choosing the novella length tales as I usually do.
My only nitpick is "The Shetlands?" Come on John, its Shetland. Just like its Orkney and not "The Orkneys". But I jest in good humor. Ive been to both back in the day when I used to live in Scotland. They really are the best places to take a trip to.
I also must reiterate a point on Langan's work that I have made before: his inclusion of detailed author notes at the end that provide context for each story should be standard practice for every story collection. Its best to leave these until done with everything else and then consume them all at once at the end, seeing the process of idea to authorship and the context that brings it about.
August 17, 2025
People always hype up how insightful the Story Notes are in the back of the book, then you flip to them and it always boils down to "So I got invited to write for an anthology and the theme was werewolves so I thought, hey, maybe I should write a werewolf story."
Read
September 30, 2025Had to DNF this one. The stories are so boring and go nowhere interesting. Can't continue this for another 200 or so pages. Oh well.
January 5, 2026
It's a pretty eclectic collection; there's no theme or throughline to tie them all together (not that that's a bad thing). The quality of writing here is high, but some tales are more satisfying than others. There's also a handful of self-inserts and stories which are grim takes on already existing public domain books, both of which I find distracting. If you don't share my hang-ups then go for it, it's still very enjoyable.
Natanya is the clear standout here for me, 10/10.
For quick takes on the individual stories, check below!
Natanya is the clear standout here for me, 10/10.
For quick takes on the individual stories, check below!
October 30, 2025
"Around us, the air is laden with the conversation and laughter of our fellow diners, but I am talking to you, directly to you, telling you a story that is only for you."
That quote, more than anything sums up the genius of John Langan's writing. He can go deep into a character, or spin the most fantastically weird situation, or relate a scene that could be straight out of your own life, but all the time he's doing it, he's talking to you, directly to you.
Langan writes with a comfortable intimacy that draws the reader in. He shows us the mundane in a new way that makes it interesting, before shattering that mundane with an incredible dread.
And this is why I'm so enamoured with Langan...he scratches that horror itch that many horror authors blithely pass right on by as they detail gory scene after gory scene... Langan slows down and allows you to feel the dread of possibility, the fear of what might happen, of what occurred in that dark area you couldn't quite see clearly.
The front half of this book is stacked with brilliant story after brilliant story. The centrepiece story, "Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs" didn't quite hit as I'd hoped it would, and while I wasn't crazy about "Alice's Rebellion"—mainly because it takes a LOT to get me to enjoy anything ALICE IN WONDERLAND-related these days, I did appreciate the underlying message. And, while "Snakebit" was interesting, and had some great bits, it felt like it had overstayed its welcome a bit (though the quote at the beginning of this review does come from it).
Even with all that, the weakest of the stories here still had a lot to love, and the first eight are each knocked-out-of-the-park homerun exercises in horror storytelling.
That quote, more than anything sums up the genius of John Langan's writing. He can go deep into a character, or spin the most fantastically weird situation, or relate a scene that could be straight out of your own life, but all the time he's doing it, he's talking to you, directly to you.
Langan writes with a comfortable intimacy that draws the reader in. He shows us the mundane in a new way that makes it interesting, before shattering that mundane with an incredible dread.
And this is why I'm so enamoured with Langan...he scratches that horror itch that many horror authors blithely pass right on by as they detail gory scene after gory scene... Langan slows down and allows you to feel the dread of possibility, the fear of what might happen, of what occurred in that dark area you couldn't quite see clearly.
The front half of this book is stacked with brilliant story after brilliant story. The centrepiece story, "Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs" didn't quite hit as I'd hoped it would, and while I wasn't crazy about "Alice's Rebellion"—mainly because it takes a LOT to get me to enjoy anything ALICE IN WONDERLAND-related these days, I did appreciate the underlying message. And, while "Snakebit" was interesting, and had some great bits, it felt like it had overstayed its welcome a bit (though the quote at the beginning of this review does come from it).
Even with all that, the weakest of the stories here still had a lot to love, and the first eight are each knocked-out-of-the-park homerun exercises in horror storytelling.
October 20, 2025
John Langan is one of my absolute top, favorite authors, and I've mostly loved everything I've read by him. Until now. It's not a bad collection of stories, it's just not nearly his best work. There were three stories included that I'd read in their previous publications, but as two were among the longest in the book I didn't bother rereading them, and the third, "Breakwater," I did reread only to realize it was a decent, but no great tale. While "Lost in the Dark" stood out as the most captivating story in the book, others just couldn't keep my interest - mainly "My Father, Dr. Frankenstein" and "Snakebit," which started as an essay for the Why I Love Horror essay anthology but ended up being a much longer piece of writing Langan instead included here, which failed to interest me in fully reading (part of the issue was likely due to it heavily relying on John Keats' poem "Lamia" which I've never read and knew little about). I'm disappointed I just couldn't relate to this latest collection more, but I'll call it 3.5* rounded to 4.
August 24, 2025
i don't understand why it's so hard for horror writers to break the three stars barrier with me. i'm literally so generous and this is my third in a row. but anyway:
madame painte: a nice little appetiser. not substantial enough to rate
lost in the dark: decent 6/10. starts very strong and i like the ending well enough. the movie the story is about is fucking terrible and i can't believe the narration called it 'a smarter Blair Witch' at one point, but that could all have been intentional. got a couple of chuckles out of me even if it was mostly a slog to read
a song only partially heard: 2/10. blegh
the deep sea swell: a high 6, maybe a 7. enjoyed the concept and the execution was pretty good, though the ending veers into scooby doo territory
natalya, queen of the hungry dogs: a high 7. loved the concept, made my heart beat fast at times. could have been a 9 with some light touches (the drinking scene does nothing and goes on forever only to unceremoniously drop all the meat of the story on our heads on the next scene. CUT DOWN THE REDDIT TIER BANTER, SPECIALLY AFTER THE SITUATION GETS SERIOUS) and a 10 if on top of that it also got a satisfying ending.
oscar returns from the dead, prophesising: a high 7. more consistent than natalya but also infinitely less ambitious and creative. pretty fun, though
there are a few more stories in the collection, which i either didn't finish or left to read at a later date. overall, a pretty solid collection. very nice ideas even if the stories don't always land on their feet. cute sense of humour too. will definitely read The Fisherman in the future
madame painte: a nice little appetiser. not substantial enough to rate
lost in the dark: decent 6/10. starts very strong and i like the ending well enough. the movie the story is about is fucking terrible and i can't believe the narration called it 'a smarter Blair Witch' at one point, but that could all have been intentional. got a couple of chuckles out of me even if it was mostly a slog to read
a song only partially heard: 2/10. blegh
the deep sea swell: a high 6, maybe a 7. enjoyed the concept and the execution was pretty good, though the ending veers into scooby doo territory
natalya, queen of the hungry dogs: a high 7. loved the concept, made my heart beat fast at times. could have been a 9 with some light touches (the drinking scene does nothing and goes on forever only to unceremoniously drop all the meat of the story on our heads on the next scene. CUT DOWN THE REDDIT TIER BANTER, SPECIALLY AFTER THE SITUATION GETS SERIOUS) and a 10 if on top of that it also got a satisfying ending.
oscar returns from the dead, prophesising: a high 7. more consistent than natalya but also infinitely less ambitious and creative. pretty fun, though
there are a few more stories in the collection, which i either didn't finish or left to read at a later date. overall, a pretty solid collection. very nice ideas even if the stories don't always land on their feet. cute sense of humour too. will definitely read The Fisherman in the future
August 12, 2025
I usually love Langan's short stories and i go in knowing they'll be a bit wordy and cerebral but these stories just seemed a bit dry and did not hold my interest much. I think it would be a stretch to really call this a horror collection. The writing is still great, I just wasn't engaged with most of the stories. The titular story was probably my favorite and had the most eerie atmosphere. It was a fun idea of his to make several of the stories seem like they were things that actually occurred by inserting himself and other authors or people he deals with.
While this one was a bit of a dud for me i will still be eagerly anticipating his next release.
While this one was a bit of a dud for me i will still be eagerly anticipating his next release.
September 22, 2025
Praise the gods for John Langan. This collection is fantastic, all the stories are top-notch. In John's work, you don't just experience the stories, he pulls you into them until you are a co-conspirator. On top of being just damned fine works of Weird Fiction, John brings so much heart to it that you can't help but, as the kids say, feel all the feels.
Amazing work, highly recommended.
Amazing work, highly recommended.
October 24, 2025
Haak and Lost in the Dark are worth it alone. Best read with space between stories.
April 1, 2025
What an interesting collection of short stories! I have never read any of John Langan's work, but I was wholly surprised at the uniqueness of his writing style. I can't say I've read anything quite like it, and I was not disappointed! I also appreciated that some of the stories were on the longer side, as short stories can feel a little TOO short sometimes. I had a hard time putting this down.
Some favorites amongst the collection:
Madame Painte: Short little story about a creepy and possessed garden gnome wreaking havoc when warnings aren't heeded.
Lost in the Dark: This was hands down my favorite. Totally unique storytelling and creepy as hell.
Haak: Interesting take on the god Pan, as well as the Peter Pan story. I loved it.
Breakwater: Witchy revenge. Check! But what did she decide?!
Natalya, Queen of the Dogs: While this was definitely horror filled, it also felt like a sweet tribute to a friend.
Alice's Rebellion: I mean, I'm a sucker for an Alice retelling. This one was WEIRD, but in a good way.
Champing Teeth and Driving Beats: Short and to the point. And it made me chuckle.
My ONLY critique is that one or two of the stories felt a little long-winded, but that is probably just a stylistic preference on my part. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for unique and interesting writing full of horror elements.
Thank you to Word Horde Publishing for the ARC!
Some favorites amongst the collection:
Madame Painte: Short little story about a creepy and possessed garden gnome wreaking havoc when warnings aren't heeded.
Lost in the Dark: This was hands down my favorite. Totally unique storytelling and creepy as hell.
Haak: Interesting take on the god Pan, as well as the Peter Pan story. I loved it.
Breakwater: Witchy revenge. Check! But what did she decide?!
Natalya, Queen of the Dogs: While this was definitely horror filled, it also felt like a sweet tribute to a friend.
Alice's Rebellion: I mean, I'm a sucker for an Alice retelling. This one was WEIRD, but in a good way.
Champing Teeth and Driving Beats: Short and to the point. And it made me chuckle.
My ONLY critique is that one or two of the stories felt a little long-winded, but that is probably just a stylistic preference on my part. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for unique and interesting writing full of horror elements.
Thank you to Word Horde Publishing for the ARC!
May 12, 2026
Sadly, a few duds in here, but also a few standouts. Langan, on the whole, continues to be a fascinating writer. He manages to conjure up moments and ideas in very inspiring brevity and with efficient prose at some times, whereas at others his made up history are so riddled and elaborately detailed that they are frustrating and tiring to read (a quirk that he shares with a lot of horror writers imo).
Overall, the standouts of the collection were as follows:
- My Father, Dr. Frankenstein (the best one in here by a long shot)
- Natalya, Queen of Hungry Dogs
- Snakebit
Individual reviews below:
Madame Painte - For Sale (4/5): Fun idea, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and has those vibes of a story another child tells you at summer camp, which you realize once you’re older is clearly inspired by Chucky. Plus, I enjoyed that Langan puts a twist on the recipient of the story. Very cool stuff indeed.
Lost in the Dark (3.5/5): Unlike the previous one, this one indeed does overstay its welcome, but it is a very cool concept. A shlocky horror movie is revealed to maybe possibly be based on a real story. And I really enjoyed how there was this connection between the nun and that one woman who went mad (I’m terrible at remembering names).
My Father, Dr. Frankenstein (5/5): I really loved this one; a fantastic use of an experimental concept to tell the short story through and a very interesting story on top. It took me a moment to figure out what was going on, but once I did, I was fully on board, especially because bioengineering is just such an endearing topic.
A song only partially heard (2.5/5): Didn’t really do much for my tbh. I enjoyed the setting as well as the description of the siren (?), though.
The Deep Sea Swell (1.5/5): That one didn’t work for me at all, sadly. Couldn’t really focus on it either, though.
Haak (2.5/5): The second dud in a row. Not necessarily because I didn’t like what was happening, but because Langan insists (in many of his stories, but I found it particularly off-putting here) to rely on the horror trope of opening story within story within story. Maybe it is because I’m not a native reader, but something about that makes me lose absolute interest in what is happening in the tale within tale within tale. To me, I feel like I’m invested in the meta-narrative, why do you keep opening side tracks, while I do want to remain with the main narrative. I have to admit that Langan resolves it satisfyingly in the end, in that you get a reason for why the story has so many layers, but it still doesn’t make it an endearing reading experience for me. But I do have to say that I at least enjoyed the Greek parts in here as well as the general idea of it, just not the execution (maybe if he had framed the tale within a tale as its own chapter it would’ve been easier for me?).
Breakwater (3.5/5): I liked the whole idea of the thing, but the set-up is too simple to be described that elaborately (a thing that will come back in a later story), and then the pay-off is a little too small. Still, quite enjoyable to read.
Errata (4/5): I like how experimental yet sincere some of the concepts in this collection are, this one among them. I thought the Skype call was a little funny, but overall, the idea of an editor dispersing an evil spirit over so many books is very cool. And the self-insert works to make the thing more personal and creepy imo.
Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs (4/5): Clearly one of the standouts in the collection, despite my relatively low rating. Similarly to Breakwater, the story sets itself up for too long. I always like the idea of a kid’s worldview growing into insanity once they gain control and are betrayed by reality. The story was also very vividly told, but I have the feeling (confirmed by the Story notes) that Langan kind of dragged the story out because the editor wanted a long one. Ultimately, the finale also lacked a little of what I wanted. The story even admits that it is a little bit of a deus-ex-machina. Still, shows off Langan’s talent as a writer remarkably, especially his elaborate, yet easy-to-comprehend prose.
Oscar returns from the Dead, Prophesizing (3/5): No hard feelings for this one, if I’m honest. It’s not bad, but it’s not amazing either.
Alice’s rebellion: I won’t give this one a rating as I am one of the few person’s I guess that does not have any relation to Alice in Wonderland. I do not know its characters except for what has slipped into popular culture, and thus was deaf to what this story did to them. It would be unfair to rate it low for me being an idiot, I guess.
Snakebit or why I (continue to) love horror (4.5/5): I love meta-shit like that, and I also thought that with it, Langan skipped over most of what makes the middle part of his stories a little sagging: the parts in which he elaborates on some history or another that make you feel as though you know where we’re heading are in here reduced to a mere outline of a story, instead focusing on developing the meta-narrative. I also liked that he gives insight on how he constructs his endings and then ends the story with one of the best endings I’ve read of him. Really cool stuff.
Clapping Teeth (or something): I cannot really rate this either because there was not much of it at all. Langan himself calls it a digestif which is what I will treat it as: not really a story, but a short shtick that he had laying around. And it does not go any deeper than ‘Spring may have zombies’. But it is also entertaining and not too long.
Overall, the standouts of the collection were as follows:
- My Father, Dr. Frankenstein (the best one in here by a long shot)
- Natalya, Queen of Hungry Dogs
- Snakebit
Individual reviews below:
Madame Painte - For Sale (4/5): Fun idea, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and has those vibes of a story another child tells you at summer camp, which you realize once you’re older is clearly inspired by Chucky. Plus, I enjoyed that Langan puts a twist on the recipient of the story. Very cool stuff indeed.
Lost in the Dark (3.5/5): Unlike the previous one, this one indeed does overstay its welcome, but it is a very cool concept. A shlocky horror movie is revealed to maybe possibly be based on a real story. And I really enjoyed how there was this connection between the nun and that one woman who went mad (I’m terrible at remembering names).
My Father, Dr. Frankenstein (5/5): I really loved this one; a fantastic use of an experimental concept to tell the short story through and a very interesting story on top. It took me a moment to figure out what was going on, but once I did, I was fully on board, especially because bioengineering is just such an endearing topic.
A song only partially heard (2.5/5): Didn’t really do much for my tbh. I enjoyed the setting as well as the description of the siren (?), though.
The Deep Sea Swell (1.5/5): That one didn’t work for me at all, sadly. Couldn’t really focus on it either, though.
Haak (2.5/5): The second dud in a row. Not necessarily because I didn’t like what was happening, but because Langan insists (in many of his stories, but I found it particularly off-putting here) to rely on the horror trope of opening story within story within story. Maybe it is because I’m not a native reader, but something about that makes me lose absolute interest in what is happening in the tale within tale within tale. To me, I feel like I’m invested in the meta-narrative, why do you keep opening side tracks, while I do want to remain with the main narrative. I have to admit that Langan resolves it satisfyingly in the end, in that you get a reason for why the story has so many layers, but it still doesn’t make it an endearing reading experience for me. But I do have to say that I at least enjoyed the Greek parts in here as well as the general idea of it, just not the execution (maybe if he had framed the tale within a tale as its own chapter it would’ve been easier for me?).
Breakwater (3.5/5): I liked the whole idea of the thing, but the set-up is too simple to be described that elaborately (a thing that will come back in a later story), and then the pay-off is a little too small. Still, quite enjoyable to read.
Errata (4/5): I like how experimental yet sincere some of the concepts in this collection are, this one among them. I thought the Skype call was a little funny, but overall, the idea of an editor dispersing an evil spirit over so many books is very cool. And the self-insert works to make the thing more personal and creepy imo.
Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs (4/5): Clearly one of the standouts in the collection, despite my relatively low rating. Similarly to Breakwater, the story sets itself up for too long. I always like the idea of a kid’s worldview growing into insanity once they gain control and are betrayed by reality. The story was also very vividly told, but I have the feeling (confirmed by the Story notes) that Langan kind of dragged the story out because the editor wanted a long one. Ultimately, the finale also lacked a little of what I wanted. The story even admits that it is a little bit of a deus-ex-machina. Still, shows off Langan’s talent as a writer remarkably, especially his elaborate, yet easy-to-comprehend prose.
Oscar returns from the Dead, Prophesizing (3/5): No hard feelings for this one, if I’m honest. It’s not bad, but it’s not amazing either.
Alice’s rebellion: I won’t give this one a rating as I am one of the few person’s I guess that does not have any relation to Alice in Wonderland. I do not know its characters except for what has slipped into popular culture, and thus was deaf to what this story did to them. It would be unfair to rate it low for me being an idiot, I guess.
Snakebit or why I (continue to) love horror (4.5/5): I love meta-shit like that, and I also thought that with it, Langan skipped over most of what makes the middle part of his stories a little sagging: the parts in which he elaborates on some history or another that make you feel as though you know where we’re heading are in here reduced to a mere outline of a story, instead focusing on developing the meta-narrative. I also liked that he gives insight on how he constructs his endings and then ends the story with one of the best endings I’ve read of him. Really cool stuff.
Clapping Teeth (or something): I cannot really rate this either because there was not much of it at all. Langan himself calls it a digestif which is what I will treat it as: not really a story, but a short shtick that he had laying around. And it does not go any deeper than ‘Spring may have zombies’. But it is also entertaining and not too long.
August 11, 2025
John Langan is the first horror writer since David Morrell to excel at "dialogue as action."
His new collection, Lost In the Dark and Other Excursions, includes stories published between 2017 and 2020, as well as two works not previously published.
"Madame Painte: For Sale"
A sparkling concatenation of points of view: first, third, and finally second person, present and future tense. To say it explores a dangerous and inaniment garden gnome from Denmark only scratches the bravura surface.
"Lost in the Dark"
A wonderful found reportage/found footage framing contains a report by John Langan, similar to an online post about "Blair Witch" or Jeff Strand's "Twentieth Anniversary Screening"(2021). It's all there in the fan-loving IMDB entry.
"My Father, Dr. Frankenstein
Cold War bioengineering sleight-of-hand plus the sons -doomed-by-fathers motif of U. S. fiction.
"A Song Only Partially Heard"
Angels and fatal workplace injuries are imaged, and chewed-over until transformed into holy things.
"The Deep Sea Swell"
Sea-sickness. The vertigo inherent in a passage over sunken Doggerland. Will the dead soon board, or have they already?
"Haak"
College professor gives an optional lecture on personal sources of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" in a red-litten classroom.
"Breakwater"
Private dick thinks she is turning the tables on the spouse of her client, whom she fell for while investigating him for adultery.
The screen of Maureen’s computer flickered, and the image of Frank disappeared, to be replaced by the gmail login page, on which was the message “Error: Account Not Found.” A second later, a pop sounded inside the computer’s tower, and the screen went black. The machine sighed, and the power light blinked off. A strong odor of burnt plastic and metal issued from the stack. Maureen spent the next several minutes attempting to resuscitate it, but whatever malware Louise had employed had reduced the computer to an oversized paperweight. Maureen checked her phone, but it showed no evidence of her e-mail account, either. As more and more of her business had involved an online component, Maureen had armored her PC with successive firewalls, a squadron of the most efficient anti-malware available. For Louise to have slipped through all of it was more than a little intimidating. Maureen’s phone buzzed; she checked it, only to discover it, too, had been rendered inert.
"Errata"
"errata made flesh or…whatever."
Author John Langan gets some troubling news about certain copies of his books.
When I glanced back at the tablet, the screen had gone black. Ross’s voice said, “I’m really sorry,” and cut out. I pressed the power button a couple of times, to no effect. (Later, the repair guy in town would tell me the device was hopelessly dead, its circuits melted. “What’d you do to this?” he asked; I had no good answer for him.)
"Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs"
Cancer. Riptides. Brothers and Sisters. Crown. Limbo.
This is a superb work of short fiction. Straubian par excellence in its depiction of a horrific, compelling after-life brother-and-sister showdown.
"Oscar Returns from the Dead, Prophesizing"
Remember when the Three Stooges took up plumbing? Or the dad in "The Coffee Table" supervised the baby and the titular table while his wife went to the grocery store? "Oscar Returns from the Dead, Prophesizing" is a slow motion reality-warping trainwreck, delightful and meticulous, then eerie, then hopeless for the protagonist.
"Alice's Rebellion"
Fairy tale action. Of a sort.
"Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror"
A story disguised as notes for a story. A writer's diary predicting future criss-crossings of life. A tale about an isolated eyelet where sculptures and an avatar have a famous woman recluse linger to excite the imagination and responsibility of husband and wife professionals, each for their own reasons.
"Clapping Teeth and Driving Beats"
A prose poem of sorts. The shortest Langan work I have read.
[….] The other thing about zombies in the spring—it has to do with music. As the weather improves, people open the windows of their houses, their cars, turn up whatever’s on DST or Spotify or on disc or record.
* * *
In his introduction to Lost In the Dark and Other Excursions, Victor LaValle notes many of Langan's strengths. I added hashtags to those I found most correct:
#tremendous
#knotty
#discursive
#thorny
#weighty
#invigorating
#substantial
#playfulness
#wit
#funny
#playful
#effective
#masterpiece
#wonder
#satisfying
* * *
I agree with LaValle.
His new collection, Lost In the Dark and Other Excursions, includes stories published between 2017 and 2020, as well as two works not previously published.
"Madame Painte: For Sale"
A sparkling concatenation of points of view: first, third, and finally second person, present and future tense. To say it explores a dangerous and inaniment garden gnome from Denmark only scratches the bravura surface.
"Lost in the Dark"
A wonderful found reportage/found footage framing contains a report by John Langan, similar to an online post about "Blair Witch" or Jeff Strand's "Twentieth Anniversary Screening"(2021). It's all there in the fan-loving IMDB entry.
"My Father, Dr. Frankenstein
Cold War bioengineering sleight-of-hand plus the sons -doomed-by-fathers motif of U. S. fiction.
"A Song Only Partially Heard"
Angels and fatal workplace injuries are imaged, and chewed-over until transformed into holy things.
"The Deep Sea Swell"
Sea-sickness. The vertigo inherent in a passage over sunken Doggerland. Will the dead soon board, or have they already?
"Haak"
College professor gives an optional lecture on personal sources of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" in a red-litten classroom.
"Breakwater"
Private dick thinks she is turning the tables on the spouse of her client, whom she fell for while investigating him for adultery.
The screen of Maureen’s computer flickered, and the image of Frank disappeared, to be replaced by the gmail login page, on which was the message “Error: Account Not Found.” A second later, a pop sounded inside the computer’s tower, and the screen went black. The machine sighed, and the power light blinked off. A strong odor of burnt plastic and metal issued from the stack. Maureen spent the next several minutes attempting to resuscitate it, but whatever malware Louise had employed had reduced the computer to an oversized paperweight. Maureen checked her phone, but it showed no evidence of her e-mail account, either. As more and more of her business had involved an online component, Maureen had armored her PC with successive firewalls, a squadron of the most efficient anti-malware available. For Louise to have slipped through all of it was more than a little intimidating. Maureen’s phone buzzed; she checked it, only to discover it, too, had been rendered inert.
"Errata"
"errata made flesh or…whatever."
Author John Langan gets some troubling news about certain copies of his books.
When I glanced back at the tablet, the screen had gone black. Ross’s voice said, “I’m really sorry,” and cut out. I pressed the power button a couple of times, to no effect. (Later, the repair guy in town would tell me the device was hopelessly dead, its circuits melted. “What’d you do to this?” he asked; I had no good answer for him.)
"Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs"
Cancer. Riptides. Brothers and Sisters. Crown. Limbo.
This is a superb work of short fiction. Straubian par excellence in its depiction of a horrific, compelling after-life brother-and-sister showdown.
"Oscar Returns from the Dead, Prophesizing"
Remember when the Three Stooges took up plumbing? Or the dad in "The Coffee Table" supervised the baby and the titular table while his wife went to the grocery store? "Oscar Returns from the Dead, Prophesizing" is a slow motion reality-warping trainwreck, delightful and meticulous, then eerie, then hopeless for the protagonist.
"Alice's Rebellion"
Fairy tale action. Of a sort.
"Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror"
A story disguised as notes for a story. A writer's diary predicting future criss-crossings of life. A tale about an isolated eyelet where sculptures and an avatar have a famous woman recluse linger to excite the imagination and responsibility of husband and wife professionals, each for their own reasons.
"Clapping Teeth and Driving Beats"
A prose poem of sorts. The shortest Langan work I have read.
[….] The other thing about zombies in the spring—it has to do with music. As the weather improves, people open the windows of their houses, their cars, turn up whatever’s on DST or Spotify or on disc or record.
* * *
In his introduction to Lost In the Dark and Other Excursions, Victor LaValle notes many of Langan's strengths. I added hashtags to those I found most correct:
#tremendous
#knotty
#discursive
#thorny
#weighty
#invigorating
#substantial
#playfulness
#wit
#funny
#playful
#effective
#masterpiece
#wonder
#satisfying
* * *
I agree with LaValle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2026
10- I thoroughly enjoyed this collection by my favourite living horror author, whose short stories to me approach perfection (even if I would sometimes wish for a bit more clarity in the endings, the 'not knowing exactly what happens' is obviously part of the horror). As always Langan manages to unsetle the reader with suggestion, avoiding obvious scare tactics and blood and gore, trusting on associations and implications and his great prose creating a great sense of atmosphere. He has a knack for describing characters, making you instantly involved in their lives and then their assumptions crumbling down. And asides from that he is not afraid to experiment. He has stories here that take the form of footnotes to a non-existing novel ('My Father, Dr. Frankenstein') and an article about a horror-movie - that use the form to create doubt as to the reality of what is described in a very effective way. Also he does not shy away from regular horror-creatures, ending up in the abstract. No, there is a zombie here (albeit a zombie gecko), a scary garden gnome and a lamia. Also there is a lot of intertextuality (besides mentions of fellow horror authors and some meta commentary on his own work), with a tale about Alice in Wonderland (commenting on our current situation as a society in a brilliant and scary way) and one about Peter Pan (with Joseph Conrad thrown in the mix).
Thematically there is a lot to say about this collection, that more than any earlier collection of Langan seems to deal with religious themes. The afterlife, and the mystery thereof, is in important part - explicitly so in several stories, but mainly in 'Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs', where a man spending time with his friend who is dying is asked to accompany him on a strange journey. This one was scary and surprising. The theme of faces or depictions thereof being changed on one side, mostly the eye being a hole, returns as well - suggesting to me a distortion of perception, or how we cannot trust our perception. The third theme is that of the sea and water and the coast - with journeys across the ocean and waves devouring coastlines and islands take place (also in Natalya). The idea - to me - seems to be that oceans and what is under water is unknoweable, unpredictable, and if you go under you mostly cannot rise up to tell about what happens under water - this being true for death as well. What we have are stories - of near death experiences of religious experiences - but with stories we have to decide whether we trust them. We build our convictions on stories often coming to us from past generations, told and retold. In this collection story telling seems a theme as well, like in the title story, 'Lost in the Dark', or in 'Snakebit', that is all tell and no show. But it still works.
I like these kind of horror stories a lot. In 2026 there will be a new novel from Langan, following on from his 'The Fisherman', and he has also written a Conan The Barbarian-novel. I look forward to reading them both. And any new short story collection he decides to publish!
Thematically there is a lot to say about this collection, that more than any earlier collection of Langan seems to deal with religious themes. The afterlife, and the mystery thereof, is in important part - explicitly so in several stories, but mainly in 'Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs', where a man spending time with his friend who is dying is asked to accompany him on a strange journey. This one was scary and surprising. The theme of faces or depictions thereof being changed on one side, mostly the eye being a hole, returns as well - suggesting to me a distortion of perception, or how we cannot trust our perception. The third theme is that of the sea and water and the coast - with journeys across the ocean and waves devouring coastlines and islands take place (also in Natalya). The idea - to me - seems to be that oceans and what is under water is unknoweable, unpredictable, and if you go under you mostly cannot rise up to tell about what happens under water - this being true for death as well. What we have are stories - of near death experiences of religious experiences - but with stories we have to decide whether we trust them. We build our convictions on stories often coming to us from past generations, told and retold. In this collection story telling seems a theme as well, like in the title story, 'Lost in the Dark', or in 'Snakebit', that is all tell and no show. But it still works.
I like these kind of horror stories a lot. In 2026 there will be a new novel from Langan, following on from his 'The Fisherman', and he has also written a Conan The Barbarian-novel. I look forward to reading them both. And any new short story collection he decides to publish!
September 14, 2025
Having only previously read The Fisherman, I wasn't aware just how much John Langan plays with how a story is told. I really enjoyed the different approaches he took in this collection, and enjoyed the majority of the stories overall (not all of them hit for me, but I could at least appreciate what he was doing).
If you're not familiar with what I'm referring to, just understand that Langan apparently likes to convey narratives in a non-traditional manner (not always, but it definitely seems to be his thing). This is especially apparent in the titular story "Lost in the Dark" (which I'd previously read, and had since forgotten about, in Ellen Datlow's anthology Haunted Nights), in which the majority of the narrative is told via a summary of movie scenes. Another example is "Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror" which has Langan telling a story by explaining how he, as a writer, would build the story. It's all very different and very unique, and it's fun to read (though I don't think I could binge his work; it gets to be a bit much after a while).
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, and I'd like to track down more of his shorter work. While I enjoyed The Fisherman, I can't say I loved it, and it may have had something to do with length. I think Langan works much better for me in short form.
If you're not familiar with what I'm referring to, just understand that Langan apparently likes to convey narratives in a non-traditional manner (not always, but it definitely seems to be his thing). This is especially apparent in the titular story "Lost in the Dark" (which I'd previously read, and had since forgotten about, in Ellen Datlow's anthology Haunted Nights), in which the majority of the narrative is told via a summary of movie scenes. Another example is "Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror" which has Langan telling a story by explaining how he, as a writer, would build the story. It's all very different and very unique, and it's fun to read (though I don't think I could binge his work; it gets to be a bit much after a while).
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, and I'd like to track down more of his shorter work. While I enjoyed The Fisherman, I can't say I loved it, and it may have had something to do with length. I think Langan works much better for me in short form.
September 17, 2025
Another pretty decent collection of Langan stories here, with a smattering of major standouts and perhaps, for me anyway, a couple of duds.
The titular 'Lost in the Dark' struck me as an especially well executed take on dark historical truth shrouded deeply in mystery, turned small town urban legend and local haunt, turned total pop culture phenomenon. It wears its influences pretty strongly (The Blair Witch Project) but never in a way I found distracting, and only serves as a vessel for this tale to be delivered. it's no surprise it serves as the collections namesake.
Other hits for me were 'Madame Painte: For Sale' (some of the gruesome visuals are stuck with me), 'Haak' (Peter Pan reinvented for the dark fantasy horror fan) 'Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs' (literally the type of story that keeps me hooked on Langan) and I really appreciated the little bits of connective tissue between 'A Song Only Partially Heard' and 'The Deep Sea Swell' (lots of nautical themes happening in this here collection).
My enjoyment of the other stories here wandered from boredom to tedium at times, but I can't say there's one here I disliked so much that I couldn't find some merits in. Well, maybe the one tagged on zombie story at the very end... whenever Langan writes about zombies it rolls of my brain like water off a ducks ass.
The titular 'Lost in the Dark' struck me as an especially well executed take on dark historical truth shrouded deeply in mystery, turned small town urban legend and local haunt, turned total pop culture phenomenon. It wears its influences pretty strongly (The Blair Witch Project) but never in a way I found distracting, and only serves as a vessel for this tale to be delivered. it's no surprise it serves as the collections namesake.
Other hits for me were 'Madame Painte: For Sale' (some of the gruesome visuals are stuck with me), 'Haak' (Peter Pan reinvented for the dark fantasy horror fan) 'Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs' (literally the type of story that keeps me hooked on Langan) and I really appreciated the little bits of connective tissue between 'A Song Only Partially Heard' and 'The Deep Sea Swell' (lots of nautical themes happening in this here collection).
My enjoyment of the other stories here wandered from boredom to tedium at times, but I can't say there's one here I disliked so much that I couldn't find some merits in. Well, maybe the one tagged on zombie story at the very end... whenever Langan writes about zombies it rolls of my brain like water off a ducks ass.
January 28, 2026
I've read various short pieces of Langan's work in anthologies, but this is my first time reading a collection that is solely comprised of his work. I think taking the collection as a whole really highlights how masterful Langan is at crafting a dread-inducing narrative. He has such a firm grasp on the ability to pace a story correctly that no matter how long a story is, I never wanted to stop reading. Every single story in this collection is memorable, whether they were a few pages long or over fifty. Some highlights for me were the titular Lost in the Dark, Haak, and Oscar Returns from the Dead, Prophesizing. The opening story was a fantastic way to let the reader know the types of stories that the rest of the collection included, while the end story left me with such a silly smirk on my face. The last story is among the shortest (if not the shortest) in the collection and really drives home Langan's ability to tackle humor in such a compelling (and still horrific) way. If you haven't already read Langan and you are a horror fan, you need to.
December 26, 2025
This is the first book by John Langan that I've read so I didn't know what to expect. Reading other reviews of his books suggests he is a thoughtful writer rather than a purveyor of gore, and I'd go along with that. I found the stories here interesting rather than horrifying, though admittedly it's been a few decades since I was horrified by a book - these days I'm mostly horrified by what humans do to each other in real life.
Anyhow I enjoyed the book though I found the stories a mixed bag. Some, like "Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs", are fairly straightforward while others are on the cerebral side, but I found all of them interesting. Langan clearly likes exploring lots of different ideas and it's good to see an author having fun with their writing.
If you like "slasher horror" then you should probably look elsewhere, but for the rest of us I recommend this book as an entertaining way to explore some interesting ideas.
Anyhow I enjoyed the book though I found the stories a mixed bag. Some, like "Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs", are fairly straightforward while others are on the cerebral side, but I found all of them interesting. Langan clearly likes exploring lots of different ideas and it's good to see an author having fun with their writing.
If you like "slasher horror" then you should probably look elsewhere, but for the rest of us I recommend this book as an entertaining way to explore some interesting ideas.
September 2, 2025
I always love a new John Langan collection to check out. This, his sixth collection, is, as usual, a mostly fantastic one. It's got great stories, most of which are fantastic horror (and a couple are quite funny). After this first read, my standouts would have to include: "Haak", "Lost in the Dark", "Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs", "Oscar Returns From the Dead, Prophesizing", and "Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror". I say check it out!
March 29, 2026
super interesting and fun stories!!
i liked lost in the dark, the deep sea swell and haak the most, as it were, in my opinion, the most engaging. the stories were original, and the atmospheres were incredible.
the way in which some stories were written, for example, footnotes or essays, made it so fun and easy to read, while still having strong elements of horror in them.
i liked lost in the dark, the deep sea swell and haak the most, as it were, in my opinion, the most engaging. the stories were original, and the atmospheres were incredible.
the way in which some stories were written, for example, footnotes or essays, made it so fun and easy to read, while still having strong elements of horror in them.
December 9, 2025
Another solid Langan collection that would've been better had he known when to stop. Not every neat idea needs its own story. That's a late era Metallica move.
April 6, 2026
Wow, his short story writing is something else.. what a mind and imagination!
May 12, 2026
Langan is a true master of horror.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
March 4, 2026
I didn't resonate with this collection as I did with Langan's previous works.
September 10, 2025
The only horror here was how long some of these stories were.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews