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Dark Flash 2
Ten stories of dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Wolves and angels, witches and robots, beasts and lost children...there's a bit of everything in this collection of flash fiction! All ten stories originally appeared on R.B. Wood's Word Count Podcast, and are now available as an ebook for the first time. This is a sequel of sorts to Dark Flash, published in 2016.
ebook
Published December 4, 2017
4 people want to read
About the author
Maria Haskins
56 books141 followersMaria Haskins is a Swedish-Canadian writer and reviewer of speculative fiction. She was born and grew up in Sweden, and debuted as a writer there, but now lives just outside Vancouver with two kids, a husband, a snake, several noisy birds, and a very large black dog.
Her work is available in the short story collections WOLVES AND GIRLS (2023) and SIX DREAMS ABOUT THE TRAIN (2021).
Her work has appeared in several magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Lightspeed, Nightmare, The Deadlands, Shimmer, Cast of Wonders, Mythic Delirium, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Flash Fiction Online, and elsewhere.
She has had several books published in Sweden, but since 2015 she writes mainly in English.
Her work is available in the short story collections WOLVES AND GIRLS (2023) and SIX DREAMS ABOUT THE TRAIN (2021).
Her work has appeared in several magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Lightspeed, Nightmare, The Deadlands, Shimmer, Cast of Wonders, Mythic Delirium, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Flash Fiction Online, and elsewhere.
She has had several books published in Sweden, but since 2015 she writes mainly in English.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 4, 2017
In that sleepy land known as Once Upon A Time, I was in an anthology alongside Maria Haskins - Tales From Alternate Earths - so consider me biased, if you will.
She's a fabulous writer, though, and here she carves out ten pieces of a modern mythology. All of the stories are from her contributions to RB Wood's Word Count podcast - and you can hear each of these pieces of flash fiction featured over there.
There are reapers and red hoods, magpies and Martian light, and there's an exquisite poignance to the writing here. Her words have a gravity of their own, drawing you in and settling with a weight in your heart. There is love here, and pain. The Weight of the Sea and Wolves and Girls are early highlights in the collection, but I have a particular fondness for A Song For Hugo, which tells of a soldier in a Martian war and her song for a rusting robot.
This is a quick read, so go on, treat yourself.
She's a fabulous writer, though, and here she carves out ten pieces of a modern mythology. All of the stories are from her contributions to RB Wood's Word Count podcast - and you can hear each of these pieces of flash fiction featured over there.
There are reapers and red hoods, magpies and Martian light, and there's an exquisite poignance to the writing here. Her words have a gravity of their own, drawing you in and settling with a weight in your heart. There is love here, and pain. The Weight of the Sea and Wolves and Girls are early highlights in the collection, but I have a particular fondness for A Song For Hugo, which tells of a soldier in a Martian war and her song for a rusting robot.
This is a quick read, so go on, treat yourself.
December 16, 2017
Maria Haskins is a poet as well as a fiction writer and I think this gives her a distinct edge when it comes to writing intricate and thought-provoking prose. Her fiction is faultless and the perfect sentences push the stories forward in a natural flow that entices the reader and keeps you hooked throughout. Her stories are gripping. Some are quite dark in theme and content but they are so addictive. This collection of 10 stories contains flash fiction written for a podcast. Each story was prompted by a photograph; links to those are included at the end of the book.
I enjoyed the whole collection. I had read a couple of the stories previously when they appeared on the author's website but on rereading they revealed more of their secrets. These are the types of stories that you can read over and over and still get something from them. They make you think, they make you wonder, and most of all they make you question what you are reading. This is one of the qualities of great literature, to entertain but also to inspire the reader and leave you with a feeling of wonder and also the feeling that you have just walked in another person's shoes for however long it took you to read the story. There are so many emotions and thoughts evoked by the stories.
This is quality speculative fiction that pushes the boundaries and makes you wonder about the boundaries between reality and fantasy. There are stories of angels, wolves, monsters, mermaids, and more. A really imaginative collection of stories expertly woven.
I enjoyed the whole collection. I had read a couple of the stories previously when they appeared on the author's website but on rereading they revealed more of their secrets. These are the types of stories that you can read over and over and still get something from them. They make you think, they make you wonder, and most of all they make you question what you are reading. This is one of the qualities of great literature, to entertain but also to inspire the reader and leave you with a feeling of wonder and also the feeling that you have just walked in another person's shoes for however long it took you to read the story. There are so many emotions and thoughts evoked by the stories.
This is quality speculative fiction that pushes the boundaries and makes you wonder about the boundaries between reality and fantasy. There are stories of angels, wolves, monsters, mermaids, and more. A really imaginative collection of stories expertly woven.
May 28, 2018
I have a serious case of writer envy. I want to wield words with precision the way Maria Haskins does. When I read her stories, I always say, "I want to be like her when I grow up." Except I'm older than she is, but anyway...
Maria Haskins has the ability to capture oh so much with few words, and therefore she excels at short fiction in a way few authors do. Each of these stories immediately grabbed hold of me, spun me around, and showed me something totally unexpected. I felt the emotions on a visceral level.
I think that Ms. Haskins' mind must be a beautifully torturous place, and I'm thankful when she allows us a glimpse inside.
Maria Haskins has the ability to capture oh so much with few words, and therefore she excels at short fiction in a way few authors do. Each of these stories immediately grabbed hold of me, spun me around, and showed me something totally unexpected. I felt the emotions on a visceral level.
I think that Ms. Haskins' mind must be a beautifully torturous place, and I'm thankful when she allows us a glimpse inside.
March 16, 2018
What a gorgeous little collection of flash pieces, from SF to fairy-tale retellings to eerie fantasy. I read the whole collection in one sitting, and I’m enchanted.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews