All Dark, All The Time: The Complete Short Fiction of Brian Keene, Volume 2

The Complete Short Fiction of Brian Keene #2

by Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez (Introduction)

ALL DARK, ALL THE TIME is the second book in a series collecting all of Brian Keene's short fiction. Included in this volume are such critically-acclaimed and fan favorite stories as "The Girl on the Glider", "Fetish", "The Siqqusim Who Stole Christmas", "Scratch", "Lost Canyon of the Dead", and many more. These are stories about darkness. The darkness outside of us, surrounding us, and the darkness inside the human soul. ALL DARK, ALL THE TIME -- and morning is never coming.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Zombies

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2016

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject matter can be about literally anything, and I guarantee I will have a great time reading anything Brian Keene writes. I enjoyed this collection, just as I've enjoyed everything else of his; his work always keeps your attention.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keene may be the most consistent writer in the horror genre today. Everything he writes, regardless of genre or tone, is good (at a minimum). It's uncanny, really, because even the pulp writers he styles himself after never really pulled that off. If I have one complaint, it's that he's a bit on the morbid side when talking about his personal life, but then if you've followed his blog(s) or podcast, it's not an unreasonably mindset for him to have, all things considered.

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Вторият сборник от събраните съчинения на Кийн успява да надмине по качество първия, може би защото тук липсва опит за обединяваща тема. Събраните произведения включват три от най-добрите му новели, излизали като самостоятелни книжки, няколко от най-ранните му произведения, показващи колко е дръпнал напред, както и от зародишите на идеите,направили го голям автор и няколко неща отдавна изчерпани на книжния пазар.
Girl on the Glider я четох доста скоро и нямам какво да добавя за нея. И все пак си остава може би най-доброто нещо излизало изпод перото на Кийн. Призрачна, съвременна, многопластова метапроза, която те разтърсва дълбоко.
Keepsakes – разтърсващ постапокалипти1ен кратък разказ с потресаващ финал.
Fetish – По-скоро ужасяващо есе за загубата на любим човек, от което ти се иска да се свиеш в ъгъла и да си прегризеш вените.
Lost Canyon of the dead – Зомби уестърн, който завива в много изненадваща посока и носи духа на пулп списанията. Хареса ми доволно.
The White Worm – Ранно произведение с претенция за детски хорър (според мен доста добре оправдана). Кратко, плашещо и безнадеждно.
A Darker Shade of Winter – Преработен и разширен вариант на предишния разказ, вдигащ възрастовата граница, но запазващ идеята. Стори ми се разтегнат, харесвам кратката версия повече.
Housae Call – Кратка история за любимеца ми Леви Щолцфуз, показваща, че не е безсърдечния убиец на тъмни гадове, какъвто се опитва да се изкара постоянно. Свежа добавка към сериите.
Scratch – Втора новела, излизала самостоятелно. Тук не можах да се вживея, но любителите на реалистични чудовища ще се влюбят в Стария Драс – гигантска змия, която всява терор над откъсната общност по време на наводнение.
Midnight at the Body Farm – Бруталщина по време на зомби нашествие. Оцелял работник от ферма за трупове, продължава работата си. Мъртъвци зад оградата, мъртъвци пред оградата. Накрая ще останат само мъртъвци.
The Black Wave – Класически хорър поставен по време на втората световна. Докато хората са заети да се избиват от океана се въздига нещо, на което му е все едно за дребните им дрязги, просто иска да унищожи всичко.
Alone – Предвидима, но много силна новела, носеща духа на кинговите ланголиери. Повествованието е изпълнено със смазващи самота и отчаяние, а и показва зародиша на идеите зад Darkness on the Edge of Town и Ghost Walk.
Hunting Season – Първият публикуван разказ на автора, който ни показва от къде е тръгнало най-известното му произведение The Rising.
Hide and Seek – Кратко и ужасяващо разказче, за една игра на криеница с фатални последствия.
Baby Talk – Изродия, която даже на мен ми дойде в повече, и то, заради цялата истинност вътре.
An Appointment Kept – Мрачно фентъзи с наказателна хорър жилка. Едно от любимите ми произведения в сборника. Не знам защо ужасът в измислените селения започна да се отхвърля толкова настървено от писатели и издатели.
Something Pretty – Психопатщина, сякаш излязла из под перото на братчето ми Сибин Майналовски. Много приятна изненада.
The Siqqusim Who Stole Cristmas – Кросовър между две емблематични произведения на автора, който ме накара да се посмея, въпреки всички черва и гнусотии.
Musing – Любимата тема за метапроза на автора. За съжаление ясновидска по един много плашещ начин.

[H.G. Gravy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right off the bat, I'll say that if you are a fan of Brian Keene and have been following his works for the past few years, you've probably read the majority of the longer stories found in this book. Many of them are bonus stories in other publications. For example, "The Siqquism Who Stole Christmas" is a bonus story in "The Rising: Deliverance" and it's also in this collection. "The Girl on the Glider" appears in "Where We Live and Die" and as a standalone novella too and appears in this collection too. If like me, you are a big Keene fan and you've probably read his other works like "Lost Canyon of the Dead", "Alone", and "Scratch" in other books too.

With that said, the collection is still wonderful to read, especially if you haven't kept up with all the book releases in the past. The stories mentioned above are the solid core of the collection. Reading "The Girl on the Glider" again in this collection made me change my mind about how I felt about the story. I originally didn't like it much but this 2nd time around something about it clicked with me. Maybe I was in a bad mood the first reading? Who knows?

"Lost Canyon of the Dead" is Brian being "The Zombie Guy" again but like always not everything is as it seems. Give this one a chance. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

"Scratch" was okay. It wasn't my favorite but I didn't hate it either. Sometimes its a hit and sometimes its a miss. Can't love them all.

"Alone" was the only story I felt dragged out too long despite loving the idea of the story.

The other shorter stories are only between two or three pages in length but they pack a good punch. I hadn't read any of those before and enjoyed getting some content wholly new and original to me.

I'd suggest this book to fans of Keene who haven't had the opportunity to explore his library of works as wide as a veteran fan has.

[Ken Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection with the only drawback being I read some of the best longer stories recently in other collections.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to skip the same things I say in every review of my Keene books and simply say, much as he did in the previous volume, Keene once again delivers an incredible collection of well-written, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable short stories.

All Dark, All the Time is yet another example of why Keene did, at one time, seem to rein supreme when it came to all things horror. There are less stories here than in the previous volume, but those are replaced by the lengthier novellas of "The Girl on the Glider", "Valley of the Damned", "Scratch" and "Alone", and I was perfectly fine with that because all 4 of those are some of Keene's best work. Ever. They showcase his range, his talent, and the joy that used to seem present in his books/stories of old.

I guess the only bummer is that Keene's more recent work has seemed to be fizzling out, losing its joy, originality. It feels like he's been writing for a paycheck (of which he confesses to doing, multiple times in All Dark, All the Time and I just wish that he'll look back on these 2 books of his collected works, and see just what a great author he once was.

[Douglas Ogurek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author is at his best when he is mixing genres. "The Black Wave," my favorite story in this collection, involves navy men on a lifeboat surrounded by three adversaries, one of which is a mysterious black wave. "Lost Canyon of the Dead" mixes the western with the zombie story and even throws in some dinosaurs--I was particularly fond of the zombie birds. "The Siqqusim Who Stole Christmas" pits an evil spirit against a couple mobsters. All very entertaining reads.

The collection contains two longer stories: "Alone," about a man who wakes up and everyone around him is gone, and "Scratch," about a massive snake. Both stories held my attention, even if they had a bit too much extraneous information.

Then there are a couple "metafictions" in which the author writes himself into the stories. I did not like these. The author seems to enjoy talking about how people love to read his work and setting himself beside other authors. With these stories, as with several others, one gets the impression that the writer was moving quickly to meet a deadline. As a result, there are structural shortcomings and lots of unnecessary information.

[Ollie-Lee Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading Keene but I'm not a huge fan of everything he does. Volume two of his short stories has some real great reads. "Alone" and "Keepsakes" and a few others are really great and intense reads, but quite a few fell flat for me. He does have excellent notes about each story and a few he stated are very early stories in his career.
I think a lot of people like his meta fiction but I was not really into it. His first and last story in this collection were good additions but I don't really read Keene for his ghost stories or to get insight about his personal life.

[Lewis Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection, as was the last. The inclusion of the meta-fiction stories from the POV of an author were my favorite parts. The lonely life of a writer is encapsulated well, especially in the final story, Musings. That, alongside appearances from fan favorites like Levi and Ob make for a good time for any Keene fan.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Read last year)

Second volume of yet another outstanding story collection by the legendary award winning author Brian Keene. And the title is no joke. Lots of darkness therein from one of the genre's most talented and important voices. Highly recommended!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read of this collection. Each story kept me engaged.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Much more difficult to write a great shot story. This collection rocked.

[Amy Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visceral, strong style that's right on point with horror genre. Definitely one to watch.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another excellent collection of short works by Brian Keene. The book is anchored by three longish pieces which originally appeared as individual limited editions: The Girl on the Glider (which I had previously read in another of his collections but enjoyed revisiting here), Scratch (which was my favorite story in the book by far), and Alone (which was my least favorite story in the book, striking me as a bit boring and predictable). There are sixteen other stories included, some of them quite short, as well as a touching introduction by the late J.F. Gonzalez and interesting notes on each piece by the author. I particularly enjoyed Lost Canyon of the Dead, which brought some of his familiar settings and scenarios together, and House Call, which features his terrific character Levi Stoltzfus. There's also an interesting piece called The Siqquism Who Stole Christmas, which is based on Harlan Ellison's famous Deathbird Stories premise, that when belief in a god dies so too does the god. Keene is one of the best modern short horror writers, and I hope the third volume of his complete collected work will appear soon.