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Darkness 102: Advanced Lessons Were Learned
Class is back in session-welcome to Darkness 102: Advanced Lessons Were Learned.
From the award-winning creators of Darkness 101 comes the next terrifying installment in the Darkness series. In 2023, Darkness 101: Lessons Were Learned dared readers to pay the cost of knowledge-earning the League of Utah Writers' Must-Read award. Now, the stakes are higher. The horrors, deeper.
Darkness 102 delivers 102 tightly crafted horror stories, each exactly 102 words. These bite-sized nightmares dive into advanced evil, twisted morality, murderology, monsters, comeuppances, and darkly comic chaos.
Featuring chilling contributions from horror masters like Eric J. Guignard, Brianna Malotke, Robin Knabel, Corinne Pollard, and Peter L. Harmon.
These aren't beginner horrors anymore. Study hard. Or suffer harder.
From the award-winning creators of Darkness 101 comes the next terrifying installment in the Darkness series. In 2023, Darkness 101: Lessons Were Learned dared readers to pay the cost of knowledge-earning the League of Utah Writers' Must-Read award. Now, the stakes are higher. The horrors, deeper.
Darkness 102 delivers 102 tightly crafted horror stories, each exactly 102 words. These bite-sized nightmares dive into advanced evil, twisted morality, murderology, monsters, comeuppances, and darkly comic chaos.
Featuring chilling contributions from horror masters like Eric J. Guignard, Brianna Malotke, Robin Knabel, Corinne Pollard, and Peter L. Harmon.
These aren't beginner horrors anymore. Study hard. Or suffer harder.
126 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2025
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Suggs
40 books86 followersElizabeth Suggs is co-owner of the indie publisher Collective Tales Publishing, owner of Editing Mee, and is the author of several stories, two of which were in a podcast and poetry journal. She is the president of two writing groups, and she is a book reviewer and popular bookstagramer. When she is not writing or reading, she is playing video/board games or making cookies.
Current Projects:
http://ctpfiction.com/
https://www.editingmee.com/
Current Projects:
http://ctpfiction.com/
https://www.editingmee.com/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 24, 2025
4/5 Stars
Its a collection of short stories so naturally the stories themselves are hit or miss. In general I really love the format showcasing multiple local authors and giving us a sense of their style.
I think the book could do with a bit of editing. I appreciate that the publisher would want to let their authors shine, but there's a number of typos and sentences that don't make any sense. A few of the stories I reread 3-4 times because I just didn't understand what was going on. Many horror stories end with a punch/twist which is a delightful tool, but a few of these needed to be workshopped as well. I think with a kind edit they could have all been salvaged, but as it is a couple of the stories just don't work.
More often than not though, the stories work great and leave me with a big grin on my face, often written with a welcome splash of dark humor. There's all sorts of horror here as well, from creepy stalkers, to torture, to ghosts, to aliens, and everything in between. It's an excellent mix.
Overall it was a super fun time and I would love to read the next installment if there is one.
Its a collection of short stories so naturally the stories themselves are hit or miss. In general I really love the format showcasing multiple local authors and giving us a sense of their style.
I think the book could do with a bit of editing. I appreciate that the publisher would want to let their authors shine, but there's a number of typos and sentences that don't make any sense. A few of the stories I reread 3-4 times because I just didn't understand what was going on. Many horror stories end with a punch/twist which is a delightful tool, but a few of these needed to be workshopped as well. I think with a kind edit they could have all been salvaged, but as it is a couple of the stories just don't work.
More often than not though, the stories work great and leave me with a big grin on my face, often written with a welcome splash of dark humor. There's all sorts of horror here as well, from creepy stalkers, to torture, to ghosts, to aliens, and everything in between. It's an excellent mix.
Overall it was a super fun time and I would love to read the next installment if there is one.
October 13, 2025
Darkness 102 is an anthology of one hundred two 102-word tales on the theme of “lessons learned.” Let me say at the outset that I have a great deal of respect for those who can convey an entire story in only 102 words. It takes me 102 words just to order coffee.
That being said, though I enjoyed the stories, half or more did not seem to adhere to the ‘lessons learned’ theme, and though they were nice little slices of horror, they took away from the cohesiveness of the book, which could have been a great selection of brand new, mini-Twilight Zone stories, which is what I was expecting after having read the back of the book.
Usually, editors try to avoid including their own work in books they are editing/compiling—or if they do, it is a single story. Elizabeth Suggs has not one, not two, but five stories in this anthology! And her co-editor, Jonathan Reddoch also has five stories included. Bad form, people…really bad form.
But my favorites of those that did adhere to the theme follow:
Title Lesson Learned
“Rain Dance” Don’t mock the tribesmen.
“The Mailbox on Mordoc Lane” Don’t take a chance on messing with an Urban Legend. Tied for my favorite
“Hell of a Hangover” Be sure your children understand exactly what you mean.
“Sticks and Stones” Very clever. An unorthodox school psychologist and actually be effective.
“Missing Cat” Don’t interfere with other people’s pets.
“Circe” If you think she’s a witch, don’t piss her off. Tied for my favorite.
“Fine Print” Always read it…always.
“The Fantasy Book of Evil” Never assume.
“Practice Makes Perfect” Learn the basics or you’ll do it over and over again.
“Bet” Sometimes endings really are prosaic.
“Biscuit Revenge” Don’t let another take the blame for something you did.
“Impressive Credentials” Don’t lie on your resume.
“Helping Hand” When someone needs your help, help them.
“Shipping Error” Don’t try to pull a fast one on shippers.
“Cracking Nuts” Don’t cheat on your wife—especially at Christmastime.
“Academic Integrity” Don’t cheat on your final—it could be just that.
“Omega Beta Monster” Frat boys should be careful who they try to use.
“Generative Assignation” Do your own work.
Though my “Lesson Learned” for each story may sound rather dull, the stories that teach them are anything but, and you will enjoy them. And if you have a book report due and are out of time, this is the one you want to read. I finished it in less than 40 minutes.
As this review comes to a close, I feel that I must mention another thing about this book that bothered me—the $9.99 price tag. $2.99 would have been the most it should have cost, considering that it is just 102 pages long, and each page only has 102 words on it. That comes to 10,404 words or about 42 standard 250-word pages—a single short story length. I mean, it’s a cute idea and all, but if I didn’t get a free review copy, I never would have shelled out $9.99 for it. Money comes too hard for a price like that on such a book. Right now, you can get the Kindle version for .99, and I’d grab that one if I were you.
This book would make a good Secret Santa Gift.
That being said, though I enjoyed the stories, half or more did not seem to adhere to the ‘lessons learned’ theme, and though they were nice little slices of horror, they took away from the cohesiveness of the book, which could have been a great selection of brand new, mini-Twilight Zone stories, which is what I was expecting after having read the back of the book.
Usually, editors try to avoid including their own work in books they are editing/compiling—or if they do, it is a single story. Elizabeth Suggs has not one, not two, but five stories in this anthology! And her co-editor, Jonathan Reddoch also has five stories included. Bad form, people…really bad form.
But my favorites of those that did adhere to the theme follow:
Title Lesson Learned
“Rain Dance” Don’t mock the tribesmen.
“The Mailbox on Mordoc Lane” Don’t take a chance on messing with an Urban Legend. Tied for my favorite
“Hell of a Hangover” Be sure your children understand exactly what you mean.
“Sticks and Stones” Very clever. An unorthodox school psychologist and actually be effective.
“Missing Cat” Don’t interfere with other people’s pets.
“Circe” If you think she’s a witch, don’t piss her off. Tied for my favorite.
“Fine Print” Always read it…always.
“The Fantasy Book of Evil” Never assume.
“Practice Makes Perfect” Learn the basics or you’ll do it over and over again.
“Bet” Sometimes endings really are prosaic.
“Biscuit Revenge” Don’t let another take the blame for something you did.
“Impressive Credentials” Don’t lie on your resume.
“Helping Hand” When someone needs your help, help them.
“Shipping Error” Don’t try to pull a fast one on shippers.
“Cracking Nuts” Don’t cheat on your wife—especially at Christmastime.
“Academic Integrity” Don’t cheat on your final—it could be just that.
“Omega Beta Monster” Frat boys should be careful who they try to use.
“Generative Assignation” Do your own work.
Though my “Lesson Learned” for each story may sound rather dull, the stories that teach them are anything but, and you will enjoy them. And if you have a book report due and are out of time, this is the one you want to read. I finished it in less than 40 minutes.
As this review comes to a close, I feel that I must mention another thing about this book that bothered me—the $9.99 price tag. $2.99 would have been the most it should have cost, considering that it is just 102 pages long, and each page only has 102 words on it. That comes to 10,404 words or about 42 standard 250-word pages—a single short story length. I mean, it’s a cute idea and all, but if I didn’t get a free review copy, I never would have shelled out $9.99 for it. Money comes too hard for a price like that on such a book. Right now, you can get the Kindle version for .99, and I’d grab that one if I were you.
This book would make a good Secret Santa Gift.
September 9, 2025
Creating tightly crafted horror stories is difficult enough, but to do it in 102 words? A tall ask. However, the editor and publisher took on the task. Even though some of the stories don't punch as hard as they could, this is overall a strong collection worthy of your time. Some of the stand-outs for me are below, and are in no way a complete list of some of the gems hidden in this book.
Jonathan Reddoch’s “Body Count” is a fitting opener. Tightly packed and punching hard, it is a must-read. I laughed and felt uneasy. Well executed. Michaela Rae offers a disturbing tale in her haunting story, “The Cave of Echoes”. H.V. Patterson shows us an interesting way to deal with those who steal in “Shoplifters Will Not Be Prosecuted.” Elizabeth Suggs’s “Guest House” reminds us of the strange power of out of the way places. You can never really get away with cheating—the less said about Corrine Pollard’s “Cracking Nuts” the better. Just read it.
Jonathan Reddoch’s “Body Count” is a fitting opener. Tightly packed and punching hard, it is a must-read. I laughed and felt uneasy. Well executed. Michaela Rae offers a disturbing tale in her haunting story, “The Cave of Echoes”. H.V. Patterson shows us an interesting way to deal with those who steal in “Shoplifters Will Not Be Prosecuted.” Elizabeth Suggs’s “Guest House” reminds us of the strange power of out of the way places. You can never really get away with cheating—the less said about Corrine Pollard’s “Cracking Nuts” the better. Just read it.
December 27, 2025
I have one short in this. They're fun to write. Microfiction set at exactly 102 words, no more and no less, requires the author to think carefully about their words. You have to introduce a character, setting, and conflict which is resolved in so many words. Most of these are more humorous than scary, but my favorite was the dark fantasy clip near the beginning. It's a quick easy read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews