Drowning in the Dark and Other Stories

by Matt Tighe

A beach that wipes people from memory. Aliens that just want to help humanity along a little bit. Monsters who love their fight club. A woman who trades a piece of her future to help a child. Guilt that serves as a door to dark visions for a young boy. Matt Tighe's Drowning in the Dark and Other Stories is a collection of the bitter sweet, the darkly comedic, and the disturbingly confronting. Including multi-award winning and nominated tales as well as originals, the characters within will scare you, hurt you, and raise you up for the truest of reasons—they are you.

200 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2025

About the author

Matt Tighe is a speculative fiction writer of horror, sci-fi and fantasy, probably in that order. He is an Australian Shadows and Aurealis Award winner, the recipient of the New England Writer's Centre Varuna Fellowship, and a multi-award nominated writer. He lives on a small farm in New South Wales with his amazing children, his patient spouse, and too many animals. He is also a professor of environmental science who works on pollution and environmental conservation.

Reviews

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very impressive set of tales both inventive and can be tragic or downright creepy when it needs to be a theme of families and worlds under threat comes across - highly recommended

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Leanbh Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received an ARC for an honest review**

Drowning in the Dark and Other Stories features many pieces written from the perspective of children or innocents who are swept into dark events ranging from the dystopian, folk, weird and supernatural.

Tighe provides a heartfelt and honest dark fiction and horror collection with superbly written and executed stories. Here, in this debut collection, we see Tighe at his best and most mesmerising.

Conclusion

A highly recommended collection! There are some truly beautiful and unique stories in this collection which feels like a horror “coming-of-age” and sharply defined, very Australian, voice. A must read!

**This is my personal opinion and does not affect any potential judging decisions**

[Robin Knabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler-Free review:

The book starts out with blurbs from some authors whose work I’ve enjoyed over the years, singing the praises of the collection I was about to devour, and I’ll admit, it made me even hungrier for the stories.

I read books from cover to cover, and the acknowledgments as well as the introduction by Tighe both had me laughing a bit, perhaps putting me at ease before I became consumed by the horrors within and my own existential fears. I’ll just say I understand the neck towel having tortured my own psyche with scary visions as a child!

I am so thankful Matt Tighe reached out to me to read his collection. When I saw the email, I replied with a resounding yes. After all, I’d read some of his work already in three of Deborah Sheldon’s horror anthologies, and as I’m apt to do, I mentioned his tales in my favorites in each of the reviews. Much to my delight, two of those stories are nestled in this book. I will tell you, though I’d read them prior, I didn’t skip one syllable in either of them. And they still hit me like a Mack truck—especially “A Good Big Brother.”

I noticed patterns in the themes of the stories. There are a lot of bits that touch on fathers, parents, spouses, memory, and a child’s point of view (both young and adult). Readers will relate to so many moments in these stories, which can be a little jolting. In a great way. Talk about a story coming to life before your very eyes as your chest aches with emotion for the characters and perhaps moments in your own life that mimic them. I experienced a gamut of emotions as I read through the collection, and I’m not ashamed to say my eyes teared up a few times.

Readers of my blog reviews probably know I love a visceral reaction to stories, and Tighe’s book brought that for me over and over. Sadness, horror, ache, suspense, disgust, fear, sympathy, disdain, shock, surprise—I felt all of these things in the span of 200 pages. I’ve learned that Tighe is an author that can rip your rapidly-beating heart from your chest and still have you begging for more. Terror, horror, sublime emotions. This book has it all.

I can confidently say this is one of the best collections of short horror I’ve read in 2025, and I’ll venture to say it will hold its own for a long while. I even urged my daughter who isn’t a horror reader to check it out solely based on the emotional draw of the stories.

Some authors just seem to write what you need and it clicks and you thoroughly enjoy it. That’s how it’s been so far when I’ve read Tighe’s work. I’ve yet to dislike one thing I’ve read of his. And, as an author myself, the flow and gorgeous prose throughout inspired me to want to write more.

I’d like to share some thoughts I jotted down on each story, because I can’t just choose a few. These are in order of appearance in the book.

“A Good Big Brother” - First read this in Spawn! A stressful and amazing tale. It makes me want to turn back time every time I read it. A gut punch in the best possible way.

“Monstrous Behavior” - Extremely creative story! Unpredictable, full of monsters, and a touch of comedy.

“Memories of Blue” - I have a similarly-themed story in Exposed Bone Vol. I, and this still broke me. Wow. Excellent writing.

“Wriggleteeth” - So much suspense, and a beautiful braiding of two storylines.

“Dead-Go” - What a great story!!!! Super short but an absolute gut punch. It’s so fitting in today’s society, especially in the US.

“Trial By Fire” - This story hits so hard, because our world is indeed burning in so many literal and figurative ways. You can’t escape it. What happens when you want to help but things go awry? Fantastic story and idea!

“A Tomorrow With You In It” - Another clever and gut-punching tale. As a mother, it hit me hard.

“Renting Space” - Loved the writing in this piece. The voice of the main character kept me rooted in the whole time. Spooky.

“The Cogwork Mermaid” - There is so much depth to this story! Lots of emotion and realization of how the world works. Lovely and sad.

“Beach Memories” - OMG! Very short story, but it hit so hard! The premise of this shook me! Wow! Tighe totally got me in only a few pages.

“Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas Dinner?” - It was a pleasure watching this unfold. Great characters!

“On the Big Screen” - Another great story packed to the brim with inner turmoil and dread. Creative, creepy, melancholy.

“Jericho and the Cursed Forest” - Introspective!!!! Folly, fantasy, and a purely mesmerizing story. Its gentle nature spoke volumes. Beautifully written and full of lingering emotions.

“Familiar” - A unique tale of love and horror.

“There Are Things On Me” - From Killer Creatures Down Under! A great creepy story that will have you scratching your own flesh! Grossed me out in a great way! Fantastic! The visuals and the little bits that creep into your mind will make you feel like this story is alive.

“The Taste of Immolation” - Very short story but potent.

“Death Meets Noel Samuelson” - I’m holding back tears reading this in a coffeehouse reading this beautiful tale about death. So touching and relatable.

“Sleep, Empty” - You might feel like you’re also losing your mind while reading this! I caught myself holding my breath a few times! Very well written!!!!

“The Past Laid Out On The Table” - I love how these stories have you suspend reality in your mind, yet they seem as normal as can be. Another fantastically-written story with emotions and revelations.

“Drowning in the Dark” - The first line grabbed me. This was written so precisely in the young main character’s voice that I felt like I was there. There are twists and turns in this story you’ll never see coming, which is what made it so wonderful to read. I’ve thought about this one after reading it multiple times, and the title is so fitting in numerous ways.

Drowning in the Dark and Other Stories was an absolute pleasure to read, a true treat of horror.

For the full review page & more info:
https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...

[Pamela Jeffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute delight to read! Matt Tighe has a rare capacity to tell unsettling tales in a way that captures a reader’s heart. Drowning in the Dark and Other Tales, featuring stories told across the speculative fiction gamut of horror, fantasy and science fiction, delivers exquisite and disturbing insight into the human condition. Tighe’s prose is conversational yet poetic. It is dispensed with emotional intelligence and humour and showcases the author’s clear talent for cinematic delivery.

Of the many worthy stories within, a few notable ones are:

The title story, 'Drowning in the Dark' — a well-chosen inclusion. Both heart-wrenching and horrific, this tale delivers a emotional gut punch.

'Memories of Blue' — a beautiful concept. This story is all too heartbreaking for its relatability.

'Trial by Fire' — a cautionary tale, intelligently written. It signposts a sinister warning against rogue scientists.

'Beach Memories' —I may never take my family to the beach again!

'Death Meets Noel Samuelson' — a sweetly written tale exploring the rich tapestry of life.

Overall, this collection delivers. It showcases the author’s talent through a superb cross-section of short stories. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from the author.

[Jeff Clulow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Tighe’s stories pick at the stitches that sew families together. There’s inter-generational trauma here, secrets walled up in family homes and the kinds of bonds, love and feuding that only exist between those who share blood. And sometimes spill blood. These stories often take the viewpoint of a child piecing together stories of violence, tragedy and loss. There’s that childish lack of understanding, of not knowing, of placing misguided trust in adults and always, always that fear of the dark. It’s horror viewed from a position of innocence, from a position of dependence and vulnerability. And that’s what makes it cut so deep. As I read ‘On The Big Screen’, ‘A Good Big Brother,’ ‘Wriggleteeth’ and ‘Drowning In The Dark’, I was a child again, reading by torchlight, fearful under the covers. There are stories of ageing too, of second childhoods, and gaps in understanding of a different nature (I loved ‘Memories Of Blue’). These are tales told from the transient, shadowy stretches of our lives, where imagination and wonder loom large, where we believe without question that the dark is powerful, that it’s after us, and we are powerless to resist. A wonderful collection of horror stories deep with emotion, with painful truths, and so, so easy to fall into.

[Pauline Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Tighe delivers an exceptional collection of original and award-winning short stories. Exploring the complexities of human relationships and touching on themes including grief, loss, regret, and persecution, Tighe’s atmospheric prose masterfully tugs at the emotions and keeps them stretched long after the stories end.
Favourites include “A Tomorrow With You In It”, “Jericho and the Cursed Forest”, “Sleep, Empty”, “The Past Laid Out on the Table”, and “Drowning in the Dark”.
Highly recommended for fans of dark speculative fiction who want stories that pack a real emotional punch.
My thanks to the author for providing a digital copy for advanced review.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good variation in themes and settings. Economical prose. Found some of the early stories to be short and most often in first person, which left me wanting greater character development. Second half of the collection seemed to address this.

Favourite stories: Wiggleteeth, Death Meets Noel Samuelson and Drowning in the Dark.

Recommended for lovers of dark / horror fiction with Australian settings.

[Louise Zedda-Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read anything written by Matt Tighe, you know you're in for a great story. Matt packs a lot of punch (usually right in the feels) into a few words. While I knew most of these stories had either won or been shortlisted for awards, I hadn't had an opportunity to read many of them so it was great to find them in a collection. No two stories are the same. My favourites were 'A good big brother', 'Beach memories', 'Guess who's coming to Christmas dinner', 'Death meets Noel Samuelson' and 'Drowning in the Dark'.

[Stephen Herczeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty damn good collection of stories. All coming from a wide variety of angles and viewpoints, and each delivering a pretty good punch at the end.

NOTE: I recently met Matt at a writer's convention and bought his book.