Grim Horizons: Tales of Dark Fiction

by Andrew Van Wey

An investment manager hosts a holiday party for his rich clients, a business pitch on his mind and a problem in his basement. A pilot tries to teach his onboard A.I. humanity. At the far edge of the new world, a storyteller discovers an inn with an odd three tales from his life. These stores, and more… GRIM TALES OF DARK FICTION is a cerebral collection. Seven short stories that blend fantasy and horror, psychological thrills and futuristic fiction. Taken one by one, or as a feast altogether, these dark tales are a treat for those that like their fiction a little bit twisted.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction

308 pages, ebook

Published April 27, 2018

About the author

Andrew Van Wey was born in Palo Alto, California, spent part of his childhood in New England, and lived in South Korea for over a decade.

When he's not writing, Andrew can be found mountain biking, playing video games, or hiking with his wife and their sheepdog Arthas. He loves education, geeking out about D&D and fountain pens, and collecting tattoos.

Visit him online at: www.andrewvanwey.com to sign up for early previews and special offers!

Reviews

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard collection to review, because the stories that caught my attention were absolutely wonderful. But unfortunately- I wasn’t gripped by every story I read here and proceeded to DNF a lot. I don’t usually rate DNF’s, but in a collection I need to show them somehow. For the stories I read this was a 4 star. But I’m bumping a star for all the ones I couldn’t get into for personal preference reasons.

12/20/86- 4.5 stars- woah- this was an absolutely cool concept. I had no idea what could be happening. Very original.
A feast of Infinite rot- DNF- this beginning has put me in a reading slump. I think I need to skip this story to feel like reading again. (I did slightly skim as I skipped- it’s a novella- and I don’t feel I was missing much.)
Learning to Fly- another DNF- this was full of technical flight jargon and a complete bore. Hoping to find another story I like??
A debt of bacon- DNF- is there going to be another story like the first? I’m not getting into these stories at all.
You are not a metaphor- 3 stars- finally one I actually felt like getting to the end of. I do wish these stories would go through a couple more edits, because if I can catch the mistakes with just a simple read through, they really shouldn’t be in. This was a unique story that I don’t really want to say too much as to not spoil.
A Brief Treatise of Market Ecologies- 4 stars- the world building took a bit for me to wrap my head around, but once I got it the story really was uniquely told. The moral is a common one, but I still liked it.
We Will Build a Haunted House- DNF

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed short stories and I really loved this collection. Especially the ones that take a bit longer than a few pages. There’s always a bit of a dark twist and I like that they’re are all in completely different settings, which shows a certain range by the author. My favorite is the story of infinite rot.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of dark short stories. This is mostly horror and dark fantasy but there are a couple sci-fi stories too.

My favorite story was A Feast of Infinite Rot. It was cleverly crafted, and I loved how the author weaved stories within the main story. If you only read one story then this is definitely the one you should read.

Other favorites from this collection:
- Learning to Fly: A Short Story of Awakening
- A Brief Treatise on Market Ecologies, Vol. III
- A Debt of Bacon

After reading Head Like a Hole and this collection, I am really excited to read other books on this author's backlist and future books. I am not a huge fan of short story collections (too many hits or misses for me to take the time), but I would read another collection if it's by Van Wey. He truly is talented at crafting stories that are engaging and leave me wanting more. Overall, I would highly recommend this collection.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong collection of short stories.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was such an awesome title, that while I was in the middle of it, I picked up every other title I could find by this author on Amazon! There's not one boring story in this book, and I was thinking about each tale, and talking about them with my wife afterwards.

[Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales from the Crypt meets Twilight Zone. An anthology of short stories proved to be an unexpectedly delightful revelation. Within this compilation of short stories, readers embark on a voyage into the disquieting depths of the author's imagination as he refines his literary skills.

My top 5 favorite short stories in the book ranked in this order –

Feast of Infinite Rot

December 20, 1986

Learning to Fly: A Short Story of Awakening

You Are Not a Metaphor

A Debt of Bacon


I think this was such a pleasant break from the novels I was reading. Sometimes I feel like if I am getting stuck with my reading, a solid genre or book type change helps every time. Andrew truly is talented at crafting stories that are engaging and left me wanting more. If you are looking for some terrifying short stories to read check this book out.

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as a review copy from Story Origin, this an honest review. A wondrous journey into the world of shadowy stories that will have you sleeping with the lights on. My favorite: December 20th, 1986 with its holiday party becomes an intriguing nightmare with a twist of an ending that was brilliantly and shockingly displayed. This story had myself seeing it as a dark, adult version of the kids anthology show Are You Afraid of the Dark and their episode The Tale of the Dollhouse. Bone-chilling indeed. Highly recommended.

[Kendra Raptor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ✨, recommend

Grim Horizons is a collection of short stories. I think each story is well written and had their own unique twist.

Some of the stories left me with an uncomfortable feeling, even after the story was over. Overall, I enjoyed each story. Some of them were creepy and even sad, in my opinion.

My favorite stories include:
December 20th, 1986
A Feast of Infinite Rot
and
You Are Not a Metaphor

I really loved the introduction and the peak into Andrew’s mind 😍

[Clota · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Andrew Van Wey 's GRIM HORIZONS : TALES OF DARK FICTION, and found it to be a delightful little collection of short stories! He also includes Afterword of each tales he told, which made it all the more better! Go grab up your copy on KU!

Photo: Cover looks like it's been ripped to reveal a farmhouse, with only the front lights on. Title is in red, Grim Horizons, subtext in blue, Tales Of Dark Fiction. Author's name is on top, in yellowish-green.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't honestly say that I enjoyed this book...you can tell by the length of time it took me to read it. I got it for free from Book Funnel. I have a more recently written book by him on my Kindle and since this was a variety of shorter reads written several years ago, I thought it would give me a good idea of what I would be reading when I finally started that one. I'm hoping that I enjoy it more. I'm not saying that I didn't like anything in this book but overall I wasn't impressed.

[Erin Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that a good review starts with a synopsis of the book, but honestly you should read that before the reviews so I'll skip ahead.
Is this book worth your time: YES!
I loved it! I got so engrossed in all of the stories. Definitely give it a read!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing collection of multiple sub-genres of speculative fiction, so every reader will get something different.

What is hugely impressive is the author’s ability to transcend such a wide array.

Now - where can I get a shimmerling? I want one!

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when I started to read this book. I did enjoy it. Well written, great stories, and each one painted a terrifying story which I loved. If you enjoy dark horror, you might want to try this one.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished my first book by Andrew van wey sci fi well is the eye sci fi erm not sure and sci-fi is not really my genre but I bloody enjoyed this book I think u swayed me to change a little fantastic gore read thank u

[Sterling Kirkland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story collections are always a little hard to rate. Some in this book are excellent. The others are good. The AI story was my favorite out of the collection.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool way to tell different short stories but at the same time make it a part of a bigger story. I really like the way the author did this. . . very creative. An excellent read. . . again!!

[Vonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Very grim, very dark stories. They are all good and I can't pick a favorite. Read it, you'll be glad you did.

[Notthatjc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice Selection of a varied field of different genres

[Britta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole book is fantastic, but A Feast of Infinite Rot is something truly special.

[cathey dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! Scared silly and I know how I got there, your writing.

[Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent storyteller. The collection of tales in this book are fantastic. Don't pass this one by folks.

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not normally a fan of short story collections, but this one was phenomenal! This is my third book by Andrew Van Wey and I seriously can’t get enough.

[Bambi Goggio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grabbag of grim horror. I loved the second story the most.