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DarkFuse #3
The third volume of DarkFuse's anthology series, featuring 6 original tales of dark fiction.
"Ritual" by Lauren Gallo
"Chanterelling" by Nicole Feldringer
"To Get Past It" by Tim W. Burke
"The Matchbox Sign" by Evan Dicken
"Taking it All Away" by L. R. Bonehill
"Winning Isn’t Everything" by William R.A.D. Funk
"Ritual" by Lauren Gallo
"Chanterelling" by Nicole Feldringer
"To Get Past It" by Tim W. Burke
"The Matchbox Sign" by Evan Dicken
"Taking it All Away" by L. R. Bonehill
"Winning Isn’t Everything" by William R.A.D. Funk
- GenresHorror
78 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 6, 2015
The third edition of the Darkfuse anthology series is out and there's a big difference this time, namely that I haven't heard of any of the 6 authors that have contributed. Superbly edited by the Darkfuse commander in chief Shane Staley we have 6 riveting tales of terror.
First up is Ritual by Lauren Gallo in which Sara and her Mother travel to Japan for Grandmother's funeral, tensions rise and soon Sara realizes that she is here for an entirely different reason. Her family still hold to ancient traditions, the old ways are honoured and those who remember prosper, and she will never forget.
Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer sees John and Shelley out at his grandfather's cabin. His Grandfather fostered children and a tainted history is soon apparent, things happened in this forest and ghosts are vengeful.
To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke tells the tale of Glenn who comes home one day to find a man sitting on his front step. The man tells of his past, a memory from his childhood resurfaces and is this all about revenge, where's his daughter?
The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken sees Wyatt just getting over the death of his mother, shortly followed by a descent to insanity with the unwanted assistance of a plague of bedbugs.
Next up is Taking it All Away by L. R. Bonehill and Jack is nursing his Father through his last days when he sees something, a presence associated with death but who does it seek.
Finally, Winning Isn’t Everything by William R.A.D. Funk is a tale of gambling, winning or not winning as the case maybe, what would you give to win. Would you sacrifice it all, what if you had no choice.
Some really good short sharp stories of dark fiction and horror in this collection, if I had to name a favourite it would be Chanterelling closely followed by Winning Isn’t Everything.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
First up is Ritual by Lauren Gallo in which Sara and her Mother travel to Japan for Grandmother's funeral, tensions rise and soon Sara realizes that she is here for an entirely different reason. Her family still hold to ancient traditions, the old ways are honoured and those who remember prosper, and she will never forget.
Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer sees John and Shelley out at his grandfather's cabin. His Grandfather fostered children and a tainted history is soon apparent, things happened in this forest and ghosts are vengeful.
To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke tells the tale of Glenn who comes home one day to find a man sitting on his front step. The man tells of his past, a memory from his childhood resurfaces and is this all about revenge, where's his daughter?
The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken sees Wyatt just getting over the death of his mother, shortly followed by a descent to insanity with the unwanted assistance of a plague of bedbugs.
Next up is Taking it All Away by L. R. Bonehill and Jack is nursing his Father through his last days when he sees something, a presence associated with death but who does it seek.
Finally, Winning Isn’t Everything by William R.A.D. Funk is a tale of gambling, winning or not winning as the case maybe, what would you give to win. Would you sacrifice it all, what if you had no choice.
Some really good short sharp stories of dark fiction and horror in this collection, if I had to name a favourite it would be Chanterelling closely followed by Winning Isn’t Everything.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
July 7, 2015
I received this ebook from Darkfuse Publishing, it was given as a book club perk with no expectation of a review.
6 short stories from 6 fairly unknown authors.
Ritual by Lauren Gallo 3.5*- A family funeral sees Sara and her family return to Japan where a frosty reception awaits them. Promises are to be kept and Sara soon finds out how important tradition is to her family.
I wasn't overly keen on this one, it was a quick read but I didn't get why Sara's mother would fly her half way round the world when she knew it would be dangerous.
Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer 4*- A couple are spending a quiet weekend at a grandfathers cabin. They both see things in the woods which are tied to the history of the cabin and the ghosts of the past want revenge.
This was pretty creepy but it kind of lost me at the end and more information the grandfather would have been good.
To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke 3.5* - Glenn arrives home to find someone from his past waiting for him. His presence causes Glenn to confront his own violent nature and the mysterious man will have vengeance at any cost.
Whilst I enjoyed this story I felt it was lacking clarity but there was a nice twist to it.
The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken 4* - A man with serious mother issues has to deal with an infestation of bugs, they're very hungry.
Great little story and pretty disturbing but it lost it's momentum at the end.
Taking it all Away by L.R. Bonehill 5* - Jack is looking after his dying father and sees a frightening figure out near the house, as his father's condition declines it creeps closer and closer but who is it really after.
I loved this story, it packed a massive wallop for such a short read. The characters were superbly fleshed out and I felt I really knew Jack. This was both a disturbing and emotional read. This author is one to watch.
Winning isn't Everything by William R.A.D Funk (love the name :D) 4.5*- Jacob is on a losing streak at the cruise ship casino until he sees an old man with something that seems to be giving him a winning edge. Jacob talks the man into giving him the object but it soon becomes clear that you shouldn't always get what you wish for.
Very enjoyable story, a little clichéd but done very well.
A really nice collection and one that doesn't need the anchor of a bigger horror/dark fiction name. I hope that L.R. Bonehill will be writing something longer than short fiction as I'd love to see him tackle something more substantial.
6 short stories from 6 fairly unknown authors.
Ritual by Lauren Gallo 3.5*- A family funeral sees Sara and her family return to Japan where a frosty reception awaits them. Promises are to be kept and Sara soon finds out how important tradition is to her family.
I wasn't overly keen on this one, it was a quick read but I didn't get why Sara's mother would fly her half way round the world when she knew it would be dangerous.
Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer 4*- A couple are spending a quiet weekend at a grandfathers cabin. They both see things in the woods which are tied to the history of the cabin and the ghosts of the past want revenge.
This was pretty creepy but it kind of lost me at the end and more information the grandfather would have been good.
To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke 3.5* - Glenn arrives home to find someone from his past waiting for him. His presence causes Glenn to confront his own violent nature and the mysterious man will have vengeance at any cost.
Whilst I enjoyed this story I felt it was lacking clarity but there was a nice twist to it.
The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken 4* - A man with serious mother issues has to deal with an infestation of bugs, they're very hungry.
Great little story and pretty disturbing but it lost it's momentum at the end.
Taking it all Away by L.R. Bonehill 5* - Jack is looking after his dying father and sees a frightening figure out near the house, as his father's condition declines it creeps closer and closer but who is it really after.
I loved this story, it packed a massive wallop for such a short read. The characters were superbly fleshed out and I felt I really knew Jack. This was both a disturbing and emotional read. This author is one to watch.
Winning isn't Everything by William R.A.D Funk (love the name :D) 4.5*- Jacob is on a losing streak at the cruise ship casino until he sees an old man with something that seems to be giving him a winning edge. Jacob talks the man into giving him the object but it soon becomes clear that you shouldn't always get what you wish for.
Very enjoyable story, a little clichéd but done very well.
A really nice collection and one that doesn't need the anchor of a bigger horror/dark fiction name. I hope that L.R. Bonehill will be writing something longer than short fiction as I'd love to see him tackle something more substantial.
June 26, 2015
Darkfuse #3 is a short but good anthology of authors that I have never heard of before., I was both excited and nervous to check them out. While there wasn’t a real clear superstar among these shorts, there were some very good ones and definitely some authors to look out for in the future. If you want me to tell you which, I’m not going to. Pick up a copy and check it out for yourself.
Ritual by Lauren Gallo
Rituals and customs. Promises kept. Why the * would her mom go back?
Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer
Who had haunted whom? Could have used a wee more backstory.
To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke
Out for Revenge. Classic revenge style.
The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken
Gots to feed da bugs. Seemed a little disjointed at the end.
Taking it All Away by L. R. Bonehill
Blood, bile and broccoli. I think I actually retched a little while reading this one.
Winning Isn’t Everything by William R.A.D. Funk
"You have to keep playing." Fun but predictable.
With every anthology or collection the mix varies greatly here in style and author voice, which I suppose is the whole point. It was surprisingly short for an anthology but only a story or two could have used the extra length. A good introduction to some new (to me) authors. I liked it. I am going to rate this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because it was pretty ballsy of DarkFuse to throw out an anthology of lesser known authors. You never know how that is going to be received and usually these have at least one "hook" author amongst the collection.
Ritual by Lauren Gallo
Rituals and customs. Promises kept. Why the * would her mom go back?
Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer
Who had haunted whom? Could have used a wee more backstory.
To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke
Out for Revenge. Classic revenge style.
The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken
Gots to feed da bugs. Seemed a little disjointed at the end.
Taking it All Away by L. R. Bonehill
Blood, bile and broccoli. I think I actually retched a little while reading this one.
Winning Isn’t Everything by William R.A.D. Funk
"You have to keep playing." Fun but predictable.
With every anthology or collection the mix varies greatly here in style and author voice, which I suppose is the whole point. It was surprisingly short for an anthology but only a story or two could have used the extra length. A good introduction to some new (to me) authors. I liked it. I am going to rate this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because it was pretty ballsy of DarkFuse to throw out an anthology of lesser known authors. You never know how that is going to be received and usually these have at least one "hook" author amongst the collection.
July 5, 2015
This is third book in the DF anthology series and the first one to have all new authors to me. The first story was Ritual by Lauren Gallo, is about a girl named Sara going to her grandmothers funeral in Japan with her mother. And how things are done the old way, rituals and obligations. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. The second story was Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer, A ghost story out in the woods and caves, enough said. I gave it 3 stars. The third story was To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke, A revenge story with a twist. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. The fourth story was The Matchbox Sign by Even Dicken, an okay story about bugs. I gave it 2 1/2 stars. the fifth story was Taking it All Away by L. R. Bonehill, a story about a son taking care of his father that is in pain in the late stages of cancer. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. The sixth and last story was Winning Isn’t Everything by William R.A.D. Funk, is about a man named Jacob who is on a casino cruise ship and a old man named Derick who he sees win big on two bets in a row and wants to know how he is doing it. I gave it 3 1/2 stars. Overall a good quick read, nothing that blew me away but all good solid stories. I gave DarkFuse #3 3 1/2 stars.
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review
July 23, 2015
This is the third collection of stories from DarkFuse, edited by Shane Staley. In this collection are six new stories, by some "new-to-me" authors.
1. Ritual, by Lauren Gallo: 4.5* An unexpected trip to Japan for a Japanese-American girl and her mother turns out to be so much more than that...
2. Chanterelling, by Nicole Feldringer: 3* A couple's trip to his Grandfather's cabin leads to unwanted discoveries.
3. To Get Past It, by Tim W. Burke: 2.5* A dying man can't get past the luck of an ex-con who used to bully him.
4. The Matchbox Sign, by Evan Dicken: 5* I loved the tension and atmosphere in this one! A man whose mother died recently has problems with the apartment they shared after she's gone.
5. Taking It All Away, by L. R. Bonehill: 3* A son returns to care for his dying father
6. Winning Isn't Everything, by William R.A.D. Funk: 4.5* A man's addiction to gambling leads him to a situation he can't bet his way out of.
Overall, a few very unique stories, along with some that I found average or above. An impressive collection of unconnected tales.
Recommended!
1. Ritual, by Lauren Gallo: 4.5* An unexpected trip to Japan for a Japanese-American girl and her mother turns out to be so much more than that...
2. Chanterelling, by Nicole Feldringer: 3* A couple's trip to his Grandfather's cabin leads to unwanted discoveries.
3. To Get Past It, by Tim W. Burke: 2.5* A dying man can't get past the luck of an ex-con who used to bully him.
4. The Matchbox Sign, by Evan Dicken: 5* I loved the tension and atmosphere in this one! A man whose mother died recently has problems with the apartment they shared after she's gone.
5. Taking It All Away, by L. R. Bonehill: 3* A son returns to care for his dying father
6. Winning Isn't Everything, by William R.A.D. Funk: 4.5* A man's addiction to gambling leads him to a situation he can't bet his way out of.
Overall, a few very unique stories, along with some that I found average or above. An impressive collection of unconnected tales.
Recommended!
August 29, 2015
You win some; you lose some - especially when it comes to anthologies. And for mine, the latest collection from DarkFuse, as edited by Shane Staley, was something of a loss.
Perhaps it was the fact that there were none of the regular writers normally associated with DarkFuse to hold up an end with this collection. Normally, I'd champion the inclusion of some relative unknowns, but Staley on this occasion has seen fit to go with newer or lesser know writers for every tale.
RITUAL by Lauren Gallo features a decent clash of cultures narrative, but is unfortunately marred by clunky writing and an ending that can be seen coming 10 pages away. Not for me. 1.5 stars.
CHANTERELLING by Nicole Felderinger starts well, but soon has characters behaving in completely unbelievable ways. A vengeful ghost story at its heart, this one is an okay read. 2.5 stars.
TO GET PAST IT by Tim W Burke is the pick of the bunch for mine. Powerful, well-written, and with a satisfying ending, to say anything more would be to take away from the experience. 4 stars.
THE MATCHBOX SIGN by Evan Dicken wins the "weirdo" award for this collection. What starts as an exploration of child abuse and the mental health problems that result from it, ends in bat-shit insanity that almost defies description. An ambitious 2.5 stars.
TAKING IT ALL AWAY by L R Bonehill never quite came together in a way that gelled for me, but I suspect others will enjoy this tale of a man caring for his terminally ill father when something makes its presence known more than I. 2 stars.
WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING by William R A D Funk is a decent "too good to be true" tale of a gambler who should know nobody gets nothing in this life for free. 2.5 stars.
Taken together this is a collection that is unlikely to blow anybody's socks off, but most will find one or two stories to their liking.
2.5 Unique Ways to Settle an Old Score for DarkFuse #3.
Perhaps it was the fact that there were none of the regular writers normally associated with DarkFuse to hold up an end with this collection. Normally, I'd champion the inclusion of some relative unknowns, but Staley on this occasion has seen fit to go with newer or lesser know writers for every tale.
RITUAL by Lauren Gallo features a decent clash of cultures narrative, but is unfortunately marred by clunky writing and an ending that can be seen coming 10 pages away. Not for me. 1.5 stars.
CHANTERELLING by Nicole Felderinger starts well, but soon has characters behaving in completely unbelievable ways. A vengeful ghost story at its heart, this one is an okay read. 2.5 stars.
TO GET PAST IT by Tim W Burke is the pick of the bunch for mine. Powerful, well-written, and with a satisfying ending, to say anything more would be to take away from the experience. 4 stars.
THE MATCHBOX SIGN by Evan Dicken wins the "weirdo" award for this collection. What starts as an exploration of child abuse and the mental health problems that result from it, ends in bat-shit insanity that almost defies description. An ambitious 2.5 stars.
TAKING IT ALL AWAY by L R Bonehill never quite came together in a way that gelled for me, but I suspect others will enjoy this tale of a man caring for his terminally ill father when something makes its presence known more than I. 2 stars.
WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING by William R A D Funk is a decent "too good to be true" tale of a gambler who should know nobody gets nothing in this life for free. 2.5 stars.
Taken together this is a collection that is unlikely to blow anybody's socks off, but most will find one or two stories to their liking.
2.5 Unique Ways to Settle an Old Score for DarkFuse #3.
January 16, 2016
I just finished reading DARKFUSE #3 edited by Shane Staley. This very fast, unsettling read was the best anthology of the three that Darkfuse has published to date. Even better as far as I was concerned, all the authors were new to me except for Bonehill. Considering the quality of the stories, I was impressed.
"Ritual" by Lauren Gallo read like an ancient Japanese fairy tale. I loved Gallo's writing and could read a book full of these. It was the story of a teenage girl born of Japanese and American parents returned to Japan after the death of her grandmother. Death in Japan is taken very seriously and they have quite the ritual there.
"Chanterelling" by Nicole Feldringer is an interesting little ghost story about a couple who each sees their own ghost. He's off searching for mushrooms in the woods and is terrified by a little buy. His girlfriend, on the other hand chats her ghost up.
"To Get Past It" by Tim W. Burke: When a man on probation finds a man with his daughter's phone he goes a little crazy. Then the man tells him why he has it...
"The Matchbox Sign" by Evan Dicken: Bugs. 'nuff said. OK? Read part of it with just one eye. Fricking bugs.
"Taking it All Away" by L. R. Bonehill: Caring for a dying parent isn't easy. You expect the roles to reverse. But can you really take away your parent's pain?
"Winning Isn’t Everything" by William R.A.D. Funk: Place your bets, now. You may have heard this adage before but it's good to remember it. Be careful what you wish for.
I liked all the stories, like I said. But I was really blown away by Dicken's and Gallo's stories. They made this a five star book for me. Darkfuse gave me an electronic copy of this third anthology to review. I hope you'll try it and enjoy it also.
"Ritual" by Lauren Gallo read like an ancient Japanese fairy tale. I loved Gallo's writing and could read a book full of these. It was the story of a teenage girl born of Japanese and American parents returned to Japan after the death of her grandmother. Death in Japan is taken very seriously and they have quite the ritual there.
"Chanterelling" by Nicole Feldringer is an interesting little ghost story about a couple who each sees their own ghost. He's off searching for mushrooms in the woods and is terrified by a little buy. His girlfriend, on the other hand chats her ghost up.
"To Get Past It" by Tim W. Burke: When a man on probation finds a man with his daughter's phone he goes a little crazy. Then the man tells him why he has it...
"The Matchbox Sign" by Evan Dicken: Bugs. 'nuff said. OK? Read part of it with just one eye. Fricking bugs.
"Taking it All Away" by L. R. Bonehill: Caring for a dying parent isn't easy. You expect the roles to reverse. But can you really take away your parent's pain?
"Winning Isn’t Everything" by William R.A.D. Funk: Place your bets, now. You may have heard this adage before but it's good to remember it. Be careful what you wish for.
I liked all the stories, like I said. But I was really blown away by Dicken's and Gallo's stories. They made this a five star book for me. Darkfuse gave me an electronic copy of this third anthology to review. I hope you'll try it and enjoy it also.
July 14, 2015
Unlike previous installments of the Darkfuse anthology series, this one is made up entirely of relatively unknown authors, none of whom have published books through DarkFuse. Given that, I was reasonably impressed by the quality. Ghost stories are probably my favorite sub-genre, and many of these stories had a ghostly bent, which definitely helped my enjoyment. There were some very familiar themes here, but I didn't feel that any of the stories were truly cliched - they all had their own take on the theme, and the execution was good, if a little unpolished in some cases.
It's harder to pick a favorite story with this one that it has been some of the others. I don't know that I truly loved any of the stories, but I definitely wasn't turned off by any, either. "Chanterelling" was creepy and ambiguous, and while I didn't care much for the characters, the atmosphere was good. I was actively revolted by "Taking it All Away", which doesn't happen to me much, and it was a very unique story idea.
I look forward to future installments of the series. Darkfuse is keeping a consistently high level of quality, and I really like the idea of showcasing relatively unknown authors (and it's a brave move to do that exclusively in the case of this installment).
It's harder to pick a favorite story with this one that it has been some of the others. I don't know that I truly loved any of the stories, but I definitely wasn't turned off by any, either. "Chanterelling" was creepy and ambiguous, and while I didn't care much for the characters, the atmosphere was good. I was actively revolted by "Taking it All Away", which doesn't happen to me much, and it was a very unique story idea.
I look forward to future installments of the series. Darkfuse is keeping a consistently high level of quality, and I really like the idea of showcasing relatively unknown authors (and it's a brave move to do that exclusively in the case of this installment).
July 1, 2015
[Note: I am a member of the DarkFuse book club and received a copy of this title for free.]
For it's third anthology, small press publisher DarkFuse collects the works of six authors, each of them complete unknowns to me. This is a short and brisk read, and although each story is fair none rise to the level of exceptional. My biggest complaint is the lack of sheer surprise in any of these stories, with most of the authors broadcasting their intents far too early and undermining their own thunder.
Lauren Gallo's RITUAL gave up its secrets way too quickly, but provided a pretty enjoyable central character in a plucky out-of-her-element heroine visiting family Japan. I liked Nicole Feldringer's CHANTERELLING well enough, despite being pretty simple and straight-forward; again, not many surprises. TO GET PAST IT was a good little revenge story with a couple nice hooks to it. THE MATCHBOOK SIGN was also pretty good, with a nifty descent into madness, and the strongest of the bunch. TAKING IT ALL AWAY and WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING round out the collection, with the former tackling the loss of a parent in a sad and evocative way. WINNING, on the other hand, deals with scoring big on a cruise ship casino and the awful consequences of greedy gambling.
Although the writing is solid enough throughout, the stories don't pack much of an oomph and there's little in the way of twists to make them particularly memorable. Still, it's not by any means a bad way to burn off a few hours of the day.
For it's third anthology, small press publisher DarkFuse collects the works of six authors, each of them complete unknowns to me. This is a short and brisk read, and although each story is fair none rise to the level of exceptional. My biggest complaint is the lack of sheer surprise in any of these stories, with most of the authors broadcasting their intents far too early and undermining their own thunder.
Lauren Gallo's RITUAL gave up its secrets way too quickly, but provided a pretty enjoyable central character in a plucky out-of-her-element heroine visiting family Japan. I liked Nicole Feldringer's CHANTERELLING well enough, despite being pretty simple and straight-forward; again, not many surprises. TO GET PAST IT was a good little revenge story with a couple nice hooks to it. THE MATCHBOOK SIGN was also pretty good, with a nifty descent into madness, and the strongest of the bunch. TAKING IT ALL AWAY and WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING round out the collection, with the former tackling the loss of a parent in a sad and evocative way. WINNING, on the other hand, deals with scoring big on a cruise ship casino and the awful consequences of greedy gambling.
Although the writing is solid enough throughout, the stories don't pack much of an oomph and there's little in the way of twists to make them particularly memorable. Still, it's not by any means a bad way to burn off a few hours of the day.
August 1, 2015
I quite enjoyed DarkFuse #3. As other readers have mentioned, none of the stories are particularly suspenseful but unlike most anthologies I've read, none of them were unpleasant to read. I would have to say that Winning Isn't Everything by William R.A.D. Funk was my favorite, even if it was rather predictable. The consequences of greed stories usually appeal to me and this one satisfies that. To Get Past It by Tim W. Burke would be my second favorite; I found the story both original and interesting. It was a good morality tale. Ritual by Lauren Gallo and Chanterelling by Nicole Feldringer were my least favorite of the bunch. Ritual I think had a decent premise, but the ending was rather anti-climactic and could have been so much better. Chanterelling could have been good but the plot line was all over the place and the ending unexplained. The Matchbox Sign by Evan Dicken was really morbid and rather sad. Overall it was a decent collection from 6 authors that I hadn't previously heard of.
I received this e-book free from DarkFuse for being a VIP member and am leaving a review of my own accord.
I received this e-book free from DarkFuse for being a VIP member and am leaving a review of my own accord.
June 30, 2015
This third volume of Darkfuse's anthology series featured authors that were unknown to me, and from the little research I've done they seem to all be fairly new. I was excited to discover some new favorites as I began.
When I finished, the only author that I am really looking forward to reading more from is L.R. Bonehill. His "Taking It All Away" used every word of its short length to craft a tale of pain, guilt, regret, and love. Honorable mention goes to Tim W. Burke's "To Get Past It", a clever if slightly predictable revenge story.
The remainder of the anthology is not bad by any means, but relies on Twilight Zone-type "twist" endings that one can see coming early on. I would rather read good characters than "shocking" endings, especially when they are not.
I hope future volumes in the Darkfuse series will include a story or two from a more established author. After reading multiple stories from new authors that I didn't connect with it made the collection as a whole seem like a chore. The L.R. Bonehill and Tim W. Burke stories are recommended, so if two good ones is enough for you check it out. 3 stars.
I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
When I finished, the only author that I am really looking forward to reading more from is L.R. Bonehill. His "Taking It All Away" used every word of its short length to craft a tale of pain, guilt, regret, and love. Honorable mention goes to Tim W. Burke's "To Get Past It", a clever if slightly predictable revenge story.
The remainder of the anthology is not bad by any means, but relies on Twilight Zone-type "twist" endings that one can see coming early on. I would rather read good characters than "shocking" endings, especially when they are not.
I hope future volumes in the Darkfuse series will include a story or two from a more established author. After reading multiple stories from new authors that I didn't connect with it made the collection as a whole seem like a chore. The L.R. Bonehill and Tim W. Burke stories are recommended, so if two good ones is enough for you check it out. 3 stars.
I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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