DarkFuse #5

DarkFuse Anthology Series #5

by Shane Staley (Editor), Tim Curran, Renee Miller

The fifth volume of DarkFuse’s anthology series, featuring 7 original tales of dark fiction.

“Lights Out, Happy People” by Jeremy Thompson

“The Ritual” by Jennifer Loring

“Hair” by Mike Thorn

“Whispered Sweet Nothings” by T. G. Arsenault

“Trashtown” by D. S. Ullery

“What Lives in the Trees” by Tim Curran

“Antibody” by Renee Miller

Genres: Horror

215 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2016

Reviews

[Karl]

Table of Contents:

005 - “Lights Out, Happy People” by Jeremy Thompson
015 - “The Ritual” by Jennifer Loring
026 - “Hair” by Mike Thorn
052 - “Whispered Sweet Nothings” by T. G. Arsenault
081 - “Trashtown” by D. S. Ullery
110 - “What Lives in the Trees” by Tim Curran
158 - “Antibody” by Renee Miller
209 - About the Editor
211 - About the Authors

This copy is signed by Shane Staley.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Darkfuse anthology I've read in this series. Only one of the authors was familiar to me and sure enough, Curran was responsible for the strongest entry here, a cryptozoological fun tale, which somewhat elevated the otherwise bland collection. Maybe bland isn't quite the right word, the longer stories here from middle to end were decent enough and there was a general idea here of trying to be different, to impress...but it ended up mostly grossing out as if gore and guts were meant to distract from lackluster writing. For me it is the genuinely good writing, originality and dark psychology that make an exemplary genre story, but there wasn't much here to elevate it to that level. Quick enough of a read, if not particularly interesting, memorable or exciting. Those who prefer their scares of a more B movie variety or enjoy being disgusted might enjoy this more.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

DarkFuse #5 is a collection of seven short stories and a solid entry in the small-press publisher's annual anthology series. I had read several of these works online before, courtesy of the DarkFuse Magazine website, but returning to them again was welcomed.

Jennifer Loring's "Ritual" is a strong and effective short, and Mike Thorn's "Hair" is as gag-inducing as I recall from the first time I read it. You can always count on Tim Curran to deliver a good story, and his short cryptid work, "What Lives In The Trees," is no exception. Renee Miller's "Antibody" is a solid finish to the antho, providing a heck of a twist on a zombie story.

Overall, this a good compilation of short stories that span several genres of dark fiction, from murder to monsters, with a dash of the taboo.

[Mommacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripped from the pages of DARKFUSE MAGAZINE comes DARKFUSE #5, 7 short stories previously published online. As the title states this is part of DarkFuse's anthology series and includes authors that may be new to you as well as favorites. The stories cover murder and mayhem to insanity and beyond.

If you haven't yet become a subscriber to DF Magazine (what are you waiting for?) this anthology gives you a taste of what you're missing out on. It's good stuff, indeed!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a subscriber to Darkfuse Magazine, I read all but one or two of these on-line prior to getting the collection. This was a very good mix of stories and a good introduction to some new-to-me authors. I think I may have dry heaved once or twice while reading these twisted tales. Thanks, Mike Thorn! (That was a compliment, btw.)

Darkfuse 5 is a worthy addition to the DF anthology series and I look forward to more from Darkfuse as always. With DF's help, slowly but surely, I am getting over my phobia of short stories even though they may be traumatizing me in the process. (That was another compliment, btw.)

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite story of the bunch is...

The Ritual by Jennifer Loring. It was a re-read as I've read it previously in DarkFuse Magazine, love the prose and imagery. Other re-reads include Hair, Trashtown and What Lives in the Trees, all 3 great revisits. The new ones for me were Lights Out, Happy People with an interesting main character that I do not remember ever encountering in a short story and Antibody which was a great take on the zombie genre. Highly recommended and a strong rebound upwards from DarkFuse 4.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the whole I've been a bit cold on the DarkFuse anthologies. For me there is usually one clear winner in the bunch and the rest pale in comparison. Volume 5 is the most consistently entertaining of the series so far. Within we have disturbing psychological horror, fetish body horror, a creature feature, an alternate take on the zombie apocalypse, a weird crime tale...basically if your tastes extend to any style of dark fiction there will be something in here to please you. I was only familiar with a couple of the authors before going in, but now I look forward to seeing what the others will come up with next. 5 stars, highly recommended.