Into the Deep, Dark Woods

by Kevin J. Anderson (Editor), Allyson Longueira (Editor), Sherrilyn Kenyon

Where the unexpected looms at every turn. Where twisted shadows meet dappled sunlight. Where even the silence grows teeth. Into the Deep, Dark Woods features 28 all-new stories and poems that explore the magic and mystery of the primeval wilderness. Venture from the decay of a demented pumpkin patch to worlds where dragons hide among the trees and the sycamore beckons the blue ghost fireflies. Face the strangeness of an alien planet, then dine in a themed restaurant that may or may not be staffed with werewolves. Step off the path and into a world where every tree tells a story and every clearing offers a choice. The deeper you go, the darker it gets. The darker it gets, the more interesting the light becomes. Welcome to the woods. Try not to get lost.

Contents:
*The Crow That Spoke in a Voice Like Autumn, Jonathan Maberry
*Carter, Charles De Lint
*Dark Hunter story, Sherrilyn Kenyon
*The Dreadwood Dragon, Sebastien De Castell
*The Hollow, Richard Adams
*Underneath the Sycamore on the Hill, Sam Knight
*Whispering Grove, Emily Mosher
*Still, E. D. Jones
*At the Root, C. L. Fors (Cherrie Lynn Fors)
*Fake Trees and True Intentions, Jared Nelson
*Down Where the Pumpkins Don’t Rot, Bernard McGhee
*Light in the Woods, Veronica Campbell
*The Mask Seller, Ally Kuan
*Mulch, Bret Nelson
*A Wayward Traveler’s Fate, Frank Coffman [POEM]
*Notice to Trespassers, Laura Hannett [POEM]
*This Is the Real World, Lea Harper [POEM]
*Lean In, Kerith Collins [POEM]
*The Trees Bear Gifts, Michelle Tang
*There’s Still Hope While One Tree Grows, Mike Strickland
*The Gullah Golem, James Jensen
*The Acorn, James Dodds
*The Middle Path in Three, Brandon Case
*The Guf Tree, Adelaide Halliday
*When the World Went Quiet, Dawn Klinge
*A Showbox Funeral, Julia V. Ashley
*Metsubushi, Benjamin Spada
* Wildflowers, Sap, and Stone, Katherine Garrison
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Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Fiction

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2026

About the author

Yes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.

I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.

I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.

My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.

Reviews

[Kaye Lynne Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are things in the woods. Whether they be shape shifters, the undead, all types of crawly things, fearies & dragons, golems, witches, alien life forms, or just the trees themselves, the stories found in this collection will make you believe they are there and you should be very afraid.

Some stories made me laugh, others made me cry, some gave me the creeps and others had me sitting on the edge of my seat. There are so many good tales in this anthology, that I wouldn't even attempt to try and review each one. But I will give you an idea about the ones which stick out in my mind:

"Underneath the Sycamore Tree on the Hill", by Sam Knight was sad and made me want to cry.

"This Real World", by Lea Harper was my favorite poem.

"Mulch", by Brent Nelson offers excellent dark humor.

"Metsubishu", by Benjamin Spada has the feel of Ninjas and Samurai. I try and view such stories through the eyes of my son, Mike, who absolutely would have loved this story, therefore, it gets my vote.

"The Dreadwood Dragon", by Sebastian de Castell is an intense tale of friendship and sacrifice which touched my heart and made me smile.

Read my full review on my blog: https://writingtoberead.com/?p=72754