Knee-Deep in Grit: Two Bloody Years of Grimdark Fiction

Tales of the Apt #- Shadow Hunter

by Adrian Collins (Editor), Mike Myers (Editor, Introduction), Mark Lawrence (Foreword, Contributor)

Get knee-deep in grit with twenty-six grimdark fantasy and sci-fi short stories from the shadowy vaults of Grimdark Magazine. The top names in dark speculative fiction and the genre's brightest newcomers bring you stories of war, betrayal, violence, and greed, as anti-heroes and adversaries fight to the bittersweet end.

For the first time, two years of fiction from Grimdark Magazine are printed on dead trees and bound together like captive slaves to be read or reread and proudly placed among your favourite tomes on your bookshelf.

Contents:
- Foreword by Mark Lawrence
- Introduction by Mike Myers
- The King Beneath the Waves (2015) by Peter Fugazzotto
- The Line (2015) by T.R. Napper
- At the Walls of Sinnlos (2016) by Michael R. Fletcher
- The Right Hand of Decay (2015) by David Annandale
- The Neutral (2014) by Mike Gelprin
- Brazen Dreams (2015) by Matthew Ward
- The Knife of Many Hands (2015) by R. Scott Bakker
- Drone Strikes for Fun and Profit (2015) by Aaron Fox-Lerner
- All the Lovely Brides (2015) by Kelly Sandoval
- Shadow Hunter (2014) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- A Recipe for Corpse Oil (2015) by Siobhan Gallagher
- Redemption Waits (2015) by Mike Brooks
- A Fair Man (2016) by Peter Orullian
- Boomer Hunter (2015) by Sean Patrick Hazlett
- The Nu-Thai Screwjob (2016) by Gav Thorpe
- Lessons of Necessity (2015) by T.C. Powell
- A Proper War (2016) by James A. Moore
- The Red Wraith (2014) by Nicholas Wisseman
- The Woman I Used to Be (2014) by Gerri Leen
- The Price of Honour (2016) by Matthew Ward
- Red Sails, Red Seas (2016) by Victor Milán
- Ashes (2015) by Tara Calaby
- Viva Longevicus (2016) by Brandon Daubs
- Against the Encroaching Darkness (2015) by Aliette de Bodard
- Bad Seed (2014) by Mark Lawrence

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Anthologies, Dark Fantasy, Fiction

350 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2018

Reviews

[Terrible Timy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve received and ARC from Adrian Collins in exchange of a honest review.

Full review with personal notes: starlitbook.com/2018/05/15/knee-deep-...

Adrian Collins and the crew at Grimdark Magazine has decided to put together an anthology featuring 25 authors whose work was published on their pages. And what a good idea it was! When I accepted the ARC I had only known two authors of those featured in this book: Mark Lawrence, whose Broken Empire trilogy I’ve read and Michael R. Fletcher so I dived into the unknown without any idea how it will turn out. The stories are as varied as the authors. We get sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy. And of course all of them is grim in their own way: some of them is filled to the brim with bodies, the blood flowing like a red cold river, some of them are more refined and not as much blood filled but featuring characters with questionable moral. The palette is wide, so everyone will find their favorite. For me those stood out the most which affected me emotionally, where the characters had to make a though choice, which made me think about humanity and how much our choices define us or change our lives. The ones which puts a mirror before you and makes you question yourself: would I’ve done the same thing?

The stories that stood out to me the most were:
The Neutral by Anatoly Belilovsky and Mike Gelprin
Damn. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. This one is short (way too short) and a different kind of brutal. It’s not overwritten, we don’t get much of the MC’s personality, he is not important only the choice he makes in the end. And that leaves its mark. This was the first that really touched me emotionally and probably will many more too. The story builds up until that one last moment, when the final decision is made, when everything comes to an end one way or the other.

Shadow Hunter by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Maybe this was the most original one. The world in this story is filled insect-kinded people, with different attributes and gifts granted by the insects they represent. The writing is really good, the character building is detailed despite the length. Apparently the story is set in the world of Mr Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt series.

A Recipe for Corpse Oil by Siobhan Gallagher
The only remotely funny read out of the 25, maybe that’s made it standing out so much. Well, it’s funny, if you’ve got a certain kind of morbid humor that is. This one didn’t take itself too seriously and puts a twist to assassin stories. The MC is a thief who is caught by a shop owner who asks for his services in exchange of not giving him up. And so our MC is set loose in the city trying to fulfill his side of the bargain.

A Fair Man by Peter Orullian
Another emotionally effective short story about a man who spent his life serving the prince as best as he could, but starts to see the unfairness of the law and the people who enforce it. It had an ancient roman feel to the setting. It also raises questions like how long can you stand by without doing anything to prevent innocent people to die? How far would you go to save your loved one? And how do you pay back someone who saved your life?

Lessons of Necessity by T.C. Powell
When a story starts with a 12 years old handing a knife to his mom with a moving zombie at his feet, you know it’s not going to be an easy read. And it’s not. This one will make many repelled. It’s hard to decide where to put this. Not classic grimdark, it’s more about morale and again, choices. Be it bad and right. As a short story it’s well written, tight, heart wrenching. And will leave you conflicted and wondering: would I have done the same thing?

Bad Seed by Mark Lawrence
I’m sure I don’t have to introduce Mr Lawrence to those who like the grimdark genre. The book starts and ends with him as he wrote the introduction. This short story was published in the first issue of Grimdark Magazine. This was also one of the best, but that’s expected from Mark Lawrence. If you are familiar with the Broken Empire trilogy, then Brother Kent’s name will ring a bell. Now you can learn about his past, and how did he become the man he was. Was he a good man or a bad one just because he was born to kill?

Others I'd like give a shout out too, because they were good as well, but this review would go on forever if I started to gush about them too:

Ashes by Tara Calaby
The Woman I Used to Be by Gerri Leen
The Red Wraith by Nicholas Wisseman
Boomer Hunter by Sean Patrick Hazlett
Redemption Waits by Mike Brooks
All the Lovely Brides by Kelly Sandoval
Drone Strikes for Fun and Profit by Aaron Fox-Lerner
Brazen Dreams by Matthew Ward
The Right Hand of Decay by David Annandale
The Line by T. R. Napper
The King Beneath the Waves by Peter Fugazzotto
At the Walls of Sinnlos by Michael R. Fletcher

Whatever you are looking for in grimdark, you sure will find it in this anthology. You’ll go on a roller coaster ride, you’ll question your life, your morales, you’ll dive deep into blood and gore. You’ll watch characters fight and die for love, for glory, for revenge, for whatever they find worth to fight for. Sometimes you’ll cheer for them, sometimes against them. You’ll find new authors to follow and most probably will walk away like a different man (or women) with a million questions swarming in your head. At the end of the day, this is what makes a book remarkable: if it makes you think, and if that you carry it around in your head and soul even long after you put it down. Knee-Deep in Grit will make that to you: gets under your skin, plants itself in your head and no matter how much you try, you’ll never be able to look at people the same way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[Rosalyn Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grimdark Magazine is an excellent digital publication chock-full of articles, reviews, discussion and short stories all focused on the darker and grittier side of fantasy and science fiction. This collection of 25 stories has been collated from tales that have appeared in the mag over the past two years. And WOW, there’s been some good’uns! ​

As with most short story anthologies I read, there’s some stories that grab me immediately and I absolutely love, there’s others that take a while to get going but then I end up enjoying and there’s others that just do not click with me. Knee-Deep in Grit was the same, however out of 25 there was only two or three that didn’t appeal to me.

So, here are my top six stories and a mini review for each…

1. The King Beneath the Waves – Peter Fugazzotto

This is the first story in the anthology and also my absolute favourite! The young, lame, slave boy Werting survives a ship wreck with six other male warriors from two different clans plus another older slave.

They are washed up on a deserted beach and as they are bedding down for the night, Werting is sent to collect food and discovers another wrecked ship in the low tide and the valuable treasure that it was carrying. Amongst all the gold and coin there’s a wooden chest carrying a strange corpse.

The older slave and the warriors soon relieve Werting of his find, but not for long as an unexpected turn of events sees Werting left with a couple of tough choices.

This fantasy story had it all for me. It was darkly atmospheric and played on my emotions at just the right level. There are vivid characters and excellent descriptions. I really felt for Werting and his hard life. I understood the decisions he made at the end and was completely rooting for him.

2. Shadow Hunter – Adrian Tchaikovsky

I found this fantasy tale to be really imaginative with a perfect amount of worldbuilding, action and intrigue that really pulled me in.

In a world divided by the different insect-kinden, each clan has unique abilities and some are more powerful than others. The savage and angry wasp-kinden has swept across the land enslaving the weaker peoples and creating an empire.

Gaven, a wasp and ex-soldier, is now a freelance mercenary. He’s finding it hard to find work as he’s hated by his people for no longer serving in the army and hated by those peoples he’s helped to invade. So, when he’s approached by a moth to hunt down another moth in the woods he takes the job.

Whilst in the woods he meets two Dragonflies, also hunting the Moth. And when they find the man, all is not what it seems.

3. Bad Seed – Mark Lawrence

In short: man embraces his true nature after an horrific event. This is a fine story, excellently written with deep emotion and tension. At eight years old Alann Oak fights back against his bullies and accidently kills one of the children. He’s labelled as a killer or ‘kennt’ and the death haunts him throughout his life.

For years he attempts to forget the incident, growing up, marrying, having children and working hard on his farm. But it niggles at him and he never feels truly happy or content in his life.

When a distant war comes close to his village and brings with it a number of undesirables including scoundrel soldiers and bandits, Alann’s true self materialises.

4. Viva Longevicus – Brandon Daubs

This was a fun sci-fi read. An intelligent rat species has taken over a planet. A father goes to rescue his son, Nat, who is stuck there with his team after a mission to eliminate the rats has stalled. The arrogant, brutal, hard-man father Colonel Vilhaus takes his other son, Kev.

The story opens with an enticing line that immediately drew me into the story and set the tone. Colonel Vilhaus muses that, ‘Parents are supposed to say they love all their kids the same but that’s a fuckin’ like, isn’t it?’

Cue lots of rat killing and the rescue of Nat not quite going as planned. I enjoyed this one, but have to admit, I didn’t quite ‘get’ the ending?! (If you read it, let me know what you think!)

5. Ashes – Tara Calaby

This is a dark and sinister retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella. This story had the most interesting use of chapters, the passing of time and a change in narrative voice as we hear from Cinderella, the fairy godmother and the Prince.

It starts with Chapter 1: ‘And they lived happily ever after.’ It tells of Cinderella’s life after she gets married to Prince Charming. Her days are hollow, her life is empty. She becomes more and more withdrawn as she realises that her marriage is not what she was expecting. She sinks into a restless depression.

Her fairy godmother attempts to help, as does her husband, but Cinderella knows what she needs to do, and it’s not what you’d imagine a ‘happily ever after’ to look like.

6. Drone Strikes for Fun and Profit – Aaron Fox-Learner

Set in the not-too-distant future, this science fiction story tells of a lonely, awkward teen whose class psychiatrist and parents encourage him to get a job flying drones for the US Government into warzones from the comfort of his own home.

He joins The Order of the Red Condor and starts flying missions over Ecuador. His job is to cleanly ‘bug-splat’ tagged targets or ‘baddies’. But he starts to notice messages scrawled in paint on roof tops that are clearly directed at him.

He discovers it’s a boy, of a similar age to him, who is writing the messages. He does something pretty evil, but then everyone at home thinks the experience has been good for him… A thought-provoking story with an engaging first-person narrative.


I also particularly enjoyed All the Lovely Brides by Kelly Sandoval, The Line by T.R. Napper, A Fair Man by Peter Orullian, Boomer Hunter by Sean Patrick Hazlett and Redemption Waits by Mike Brooks.

This is a great collection of stories if you love grimdark SFF and enjoy acts of violence precisely for the shock value, morally grey characters and no HEA. As the author Mark Lawrence says in his foreword, “Knee-Deep in Grit is a curry house of stories, they’re all going to be spicy and if you like your reading bland… you’ve come to the wrong place.” Amen to that.

This review can be found on Fantasy Book Review http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Ad... as well as my blog www.rosalynkelly.co.uk/blog

* I received a free ARC in return for an honest review. Thanks to James at Fantasy Book Review and Adrian at Grimdark Magazine for giving me the chance to read and review this one early!

[Chris Haught · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great taste of short grimdark stories, and though they're all classed in that "subgenre", there is a huge variety in this collection. The settings and styles are all different, but they share some common elements: blood and grit and darkness.

I was actually surprised at the amount of sci-fi in this group of stories. All this time I thought of "Grimdark" as something one would get from Joe Abercrombie or Mark Lawrence, full of anti-heroes that cut and bludgeon people to death. You get that here, but the subgenre covers more ground in setting than I'd expected. It makes sense though, people die in space too.

I received an eARC of this wonderful book from the amazingly cool editor, Adrian Collins. No strings, just a means to start early. I liked the first few stories enough that as soon as Adrian announced that pre-orders were available, I jumped on it and got a paperback copy to go on my shelf beside the equally brilliant Evil is a Matter of Perspective: An Anthology of Antagonists. I even set aside my e-copy for a time so I would be able to finish the experience with paperback in hand. And that cover!

So along the way, I made notes for each story, which I'll include here:

Knee Deep in Grit

Started this morning, and super excited! It starts off with 2 introductions, and yes I'm one of the people in the world that reads these things. First is by Mark Lawrence, which is cool because I'm on a big Lawrence kick right now, reading the Broken Empire trilogy.

Second introduction is by Mike Myers, a regular guy that has a job reading and editing grimdark fiction. How cool is that??

"The King Beneath the Waves" by Peter Fugazzotto - Great story! I really enjoyed these few pages I had to get to know this little band of Vikingesque pirate clansmen. I am definitely interested in seeing more of this gritty world in longer form.

“The Line" by T.R. Napper - grim little tale about a boxer in the future with some old school mafia connections.

"At the Walls of Sinnlos" by Michael R. Fletcher - Yes! It's always great crazy fun to get into some Manifest Delusions. Might be a bit confusing without prior experience, but is still a great teaser for the main series.

"The Right Hand of Decay" by David Annandale - Loved this short scene from a battle where not all is as it seems, and the ending is brutal.

"The Neutral" by Mike Gelprin (translated by by Anatoly Belilovsky ) - Wow. Such a short one yet packs a powerful punch to the gut. I would love to see more of this world/universe. Set in the near future, this is a unique look at the work of a hostage negotiator. It's scary enough to happen someday.

“Brazen Dreams” by Matthew Ward – Here’s another future tale, but it definitely captures the idea of grit. Our characters definitely show us shades of grey and you really don’t know who is on whose side.

“The Knife of Many Hands” by R. Scott Bakker - This was interesting. At first, I found myself struggling mightily with the names and wondering if I was at a big disadvantage by not having read any of Bakker’s work before. I still felt like that by the end, but came to appreciate his prose and imagination. It ended up being a good sample of his work, and a long enough story to decide that I’ll most likely avoid delving deeper into the large series. It would just be too much work to get through when I read for escape.

“Drone Strikes for Fun and Profit” by Aaron Fox-Lerner. Wow, now this was more like it. Here’s another near-future story that is frightening to contemplate. Just how “near”? I was impressed with how easy and light the tone was, and how that very lightness is what brought total horror to the whole idea. This shit could seriously happen, like tomorrow.

“All the Lovely Brides,” by Kelly Sandoval. This one started out pretty grim, though sweet. The resolution didn’t sneak up on me but I was still surprised. Here we get a taste of sensual beauty and grace with a dark undertone.

“Shadow Hunter” by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Wow. This was my second short story set in the Shadows of the Apt world. I remember having a thought when I read the first one, which was “why haven’t I read these?” I asked myself the same question yesterday. This is something I need to rectify.

“A Recipe for Corpse Oil” by Siobhan Gallagher – This was a fun one. Creepy and suspenseful, as we just waited for the other shoe to drop.

“Redemption Waits” by Mike Brooks – One of my favorites so far. This was Fireflyesque, with an interesting crew. I was intrigued enough here to add the first book of the main series to my TBR.

“A Fair Man” by Peter Orullian – Great stuff! Even more a favorite than the previous. I am interested in reading more set in this world. Grim, grit, and dark, with a twist.

“Boomer Hunter” by Sean Patrick Hazlett – This near-future action-packed story with a twist was just what I needed with a short reading window. There’s a lot going on in these few pages.

“The Nu-Thai Screwjob” by Gav Thorpe – Another future, but this one is farther out. Great pacing, but I felt that I needed more resolution. Still, sparks interest.

“Lessons of Necessity” by T.C. Powell – Wow! Just a few pages but it packs a hell of a punch. Of course I’d want to know the answer to the question at the end…Off I go to research this author…

“A Proper War” by James A. Moore – This author has been on my radar for a while, and I see why. He tells a great story of conflict and badassery. I could certainly see this story expanded into a longer work as the characters and world have lots of intrigue, and the pacing is there.

“The Red Wraith” by Nicholas Wisseman – Sweet, poetry that I can get! Fits our theme too.

“The Woman I Used to Be” by Gerri Leen – Another sci-fi-ish story that has a good buildup with a payoff that leaves the reader wanting just a little more.

“The Price of Honor” by Matthew Ward – I struggled a bit with all the names and references to groups and alliances. It would have worked a lot better if I was familiar with this universe, and his other works in it. I’m not even sure what works those would be.

“Red Sails, Red Seas” by Victor Milan – Dinosaur Knights and pirates? Sign me up. It’s set in the same world as The Dinosaur Lords, but a different area. Still pretty cool stuff.

“Ashes” by Tara Calaby – This was an odd, dark fairy tale retelling/sequel to a classic. It certainly put a dark spin on the original, which I suppose was the point.

“Viva Longevicus” by Brandon Daubs – A dysfunctional family of space marines conducting a rescue mission on a planet infested with bio-engineered pet rats? Oh yes, this was as fun as it sounded. Lots of gore.

“Against the Encroaching Darkness” by Aliette de Bodard – Great imagery, as I expected after reading her first novel of the Dominion of the Fallen. The power games in the novel translate well to the short story.

“Bad Seed” by Mark Lawrence – origin story of Red Kent, full of the awesome Lawrence prose and blood.

Great stuff, all in all. Some peaked my interest more than others, of course. Favorites include "Redemption Waits", "At the Walls of Sinnolos", "Bad Seed", "Boomer Hunter", "Drone Strikes..." and "A Fair Man".

What's really exciting is that these stories (and more) exist in the pages of the quarterly ezine, Grimdark Magazine, also published by Adrian Collins. This volume just covers stories from the first 8 issues (they're up to 16 now, so hoping for another anthology!) At any rate, during the course of this reading I became a Patreon, which is a fancy way of saying "subscriber". This isn't a plug as much as an affirmation that the quality of these stories is high enough that I'll be sinking money into future issues (and catching up on back issues).

[E.Y.E.-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up having mixed feelings about this book, which is the outcome for a lot of anthologies for me. Not every story is for everyone, so you just have to enjoy the stories that are for you. There were definitely stories for me in here but I expected to be really into more of them than I was.

What it came down to was while all the stories fell in the grimdark genre some were just bloody violent fight scenes. I love fight scenes but for me they were lacking the story that makes me care about the outcome of the action. This is something I did not know I needed from a short story before I read this book. Due to this I had some clear favorites that were more emotionally grimdark than the others. Here they are in order they appeared not the order of my enjoyment.

The Right Hand of Decay by David Annandale
This story was about the ongoing war between Harrod and the Grey Queen and just how far they were willing to go to achieve complete victory over the others.

Brazen Dreams by Matthew Ward
This one was sci-fi which I am not really into but The twists this story that started out as a simple heist took came as quite a surprise. Enough so to add it to my favorites.

Drone Strikes For Fun and Profit by Aaron Fox-Lerner
I am not sure what sub-genre this falls into exactly but it was extremely wild, all the more scary because I could definitely see something like this happening in our not so far future.

All the Lovely Brides by Kelly Sandoval
This one was pretty intense. It is about a Lord/God and his string of brides and the sacrifices they must make to keep him and his people healthy and prosperous.

A Recipe For Corpse Oil by Siobahn Gallagher
About a pick pocket who is asked to help get the ingredients for corpse oils. It involves him acquiring twelve chins and it is quite an interesting story.

The Woman I Used to Be by Gerri Leen
A dope story about a woman with amnesia after a space shuttle crash. This story was pretty fucking crazy and went places I definitely did not expect.

Ashes by Tara Calaby
This one was extremely dark and fantastically well written. Not action grimdark but grimdark for your soul and I loved it. It is a new spin on Cinderella as she feels just as trapped by being a princess as she did by her evil step family.

Against the Encroaching Darkness by Aliette De Bodard
A story about the sometimes impossible decisions one must make as a leader. This one was pretty intense.

Bad Seed by Mark Lawrence
I had read this one before in Road Brothers but I enjoyed it again this time through.


The rest of the stories for me ranged from just ok to pretty good. My opinion on some stories contained within are skewed because with the exception of Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders I do not enjoy stories on boats. Hopefully I will find some that can change my mind on this.

Overall it was a good read. I got to read some stories by authors I enjoy and learned about some I had been previously unfamiliar with. Regardless of how I felt about the stories in this book I will be looking into their other work. I am aware that short stories are the time for them to experiment and play so I will be interested to see how their full length tales are.

If you are a fan of any of the authors listed on this book or a fan of grimdark in general then this is something you should definitely check out.

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories in this collection were excellent, some were not. One of my favorites was the story of what happened to Cinderella after she married Prince Charming. Another one of my favorites was the story with the Lady Grey at the battle before the city. If you like fantasy, short stories, quirky books I think you will like this one.

[Glenn Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic anthology. I received an ARC of this book. First off do not let this cover let you believe this is all fantasy. While the majority is, there are tastes of urban, sci fi, cyberpunk stories to entertain. I found most of the stories very strong. Only a couple I was not overly impressed. Yes, the stories are dark, and some good twists to them.

[Miriam Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super anthology of grimdark short stories.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m one of those who love my SFF gritty and dark, so when the opportunity arose to review a copy of Knee-Deep in Grit, an anthology of 26 GrimDark SFF short stories edited by Adrian Collins and Mike Myers, I elbowed my way to the front of the queue yelling, “Pick me! Pick me!”

This anthology features tales by the likes of Adrian Tchaikovsky, R Scott Bakker, Aliette de Bodard, David Annandale, Peter Orullian, Michael R Fletcher, Tara Calaby, Victor Milan, James A Moore, Kelly Sandoval and others who featured in the past two years of Grimdark Magazine issues. There are far too many tales that I enjoyed for me to write about them all, but I’ll pick out the ones that really worked for me.

What I love about GrimDark is that it takes characters into awful situations and leaves them with equally awful solutions. Sometimes for the better, more often for the worse (even if they succeed). There are few if any redeemable characters in these stories. The heroes have tarnished armour.

“The King Beneath the Waves” by Peter Fugazzotto was one of those stories that feels as if it should be part of a larger body of work. We follow the point of view of Werting, who’s been taken in by a band of raiders whose ship has been wrecked off an uninhabited coast. He’s at the bottom of the pecking order, but this is not necessarily a bad thing when an ancient cursed treasure is found, and the raiders inevitably fall prey to their greed. I loved this story, for the hints of a history, of dark magic… and perhaps also just because I loved the forbidding environment the author creates.

“At the Walls of Sinnlos” by Michael R Fletcher is a story about loyalty, about how men are twisted to the ends of others – their lives distorted and, I daresay, wasted in war. There’s something to be said for a story where you know there’s going to be no happy outcome, how people justify their actions right at the end. Here we have a mage whose power is the last resort to end a war, and it’s not pretty. This one got me with a gut punch.

“The Right Hand of Decay” by David Annandale made me hurt. In theme it was very similar to the preceding story by Fletcher. Here, we have a castle that is under siege and it looks like a hopeless cause as The Grey Queen piles corpses before the castle. One by one her loyal soldiers sacrifice themselves on this growing mound until… No. I won’t spoil it for you. This is about loyalty and war, and the devastating consequences, I’d say, of pride.

“All the Lovely Brides” by Kelly Sandoval really worked well for me. We follow Lydra as she is prepared for a sacrifice in what appears to be an order of ritual brides known as the Chosen who, every five years, are killed in order to renew the rule of their master. Sandoval explores the complex emotions of a woman who realises she’s not ready nor willing to make that ultimate sacrifice. The outcome was…just perfect.

There was something wonderfully dark and absurd about Siobhan Gallagher’s “A Recipe for Corpse Oil” that worked for me. We follow the fortunes of the pickpocket Tavin, when he finds himself tasked to collect chins for a recipe for corpse oil. I mean, you can live without a chin, right? This was a lighter story for me than the others, and perhaps a perfect relief from the intensity.

“A Fair Man” by Peter Orullian hurt in all the right places. Mikel is a good man working for a corrupt system, and though he is just following orders, to give him some credit, he does try to do good. But a good man in a bad system can only be pushed so far… And the consequences can topple an empire. This one’s a solid read.

“Lessons of Necessity” by TC Powell takes place post-zombiepocalypse, not my favourite genre, but as I always say, it’s not the setting but *what* the author does with it that counts. And Powell makes it count. A short and heart-rending story that hit me right in the feels.

I’m no fan of rats, and “Viva Longevicus” by Brandon Daubs played on my misgivings about the critters. He asks a lovely question: What if a genetically engineered pet becomes the worst invasive pest imaginable? I mean, these little suckers are so cute, you just want to squeeze them until… No, not that. But I loved the contrast of these tough, hard-bitten exterminators going around with flamethrowers and guns, going up against the cute-but-deadly critters. It would have been comical if it hadn’t … well … I don’t know if any of you saw that episode of MacGyver where his buddy got eaten by swarming army ants? Or, wait, am I showing my age here? Anyhoo, hijinks ensue and this is a nasty, brutal little tail. Ahem. Tale.

“Against the Encroaching Darkness” by Aliette de Bodard is underpinned by her suitably lush, lyrical style, but with an underlying grit that makes me shiver in delight. We are told that this takes place in Paris, but it’s not the Paris we think we know. The setting seems to be Victorian but we know there are magical houses that draw their power from the number of Fallen children they have – as in Fallen angels. I love the fact that I felt as if I was only brushing the tip of a world of secrets and mysteries, and wished like hell I could read more set in this world. In order to protect her House Lazarus, Victoire realises that a sacrifice needs to be made. And sometimes being weak is a strength. I’ll leave it at that.

Last but not least, “Bad Seed” by Mark Lawrence takes me back to familiar turf as we have an origin story for a beloved character from his Broken Empire. Even killers have motivations, and here we discover what broke Allan Oak, and why life as a simple farmer, at the mercy of hard men, would not be his fate.

Grimdark Magazine is a publication that I support whenever I have the opportunity, especially in the light of so many markets going belly up in current climes. If this is the sort of SFF you enjoy, you can’t go wrong in supporting. They even have a Patreon page. They’ve won me over with the incredible quality of the publication and the stories they selected. Well done to the authors and editors on this anthology. It’s absolutely perfect, and should have a little something for most readers of SFF.

[David Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tidy selection of pieces from the magazine's first two years. It's nice to skip over the reviews and chapters to get to my favorite part [the prose], but the novelty of reading a magazine feels diminished as well. The magazine's

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most collections of short stories this collection has both less good and very good stories. Most of them were not as dark as I expected but then there were stories like The Right Hand of Decay by David Annandale which would be a very interesting companion piece to Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. The most unusual story would have to be that by R Scott Bakker that remind me of HP Lovecraft though with slight more explicit violence. The take on a form contemporary Western by Sean Patrick Hazlett was funny but also decidedly nasty. Mark Lawrence's story Bad Seed was an interesting take on the idea of haunting, attempts to conform, dissociation and the final transgression into true and violent identity. The story, whilst brutal, still allows for a close identification with the protagonist Alann Oak. However, my favourite story in the whole collection had to be Tara Calaby's story Ashes, which is an eerie and disconcerting tale of Cinderella after the happy ever after event of marriage. How social conventions constrain her and how this is reflected in her repulsion towards her corporeality, how pregnancy is seen as a trap that leads to further disgust and fear of her body and of the act of heterosexual relations. Calaby's story is far more pointed than Angela Carter's rewrite of Fairy Tales and far more delicious.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty five stories drawn from Australian magazine Grimdark -- this is a treat! The collection includes several big names, and each story was a treat in its own inevitably dark way. It’s hard to point out favorites when all were good. Some that stood out: Michael R. Fletcher’s At the Walls of Sinnlos and T. R. Napper’s The Line both explore what happens when dystopias push people too far. David Annandale of W40K renown and Adrian Tchaikovsky both have excellent contributions, but there is such a variety of shades and blending of grimdark that there’s something here for just about any fan of the SF or fantasy genres. None of the stories are bad (my least favorites were just ‘average’) and some are excellent. The careful curation though is what sets this collection apart.

I appreciated the high quality writing and word use. I found this kept my immersion more easily than most of what I read, since it has a great mixture of innovative and interesting fiction. No real weak points per se, as long as it's your cup of tea to start with.

[Graham Dauncey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of the best short story collections I have read. There were remarkably few weaker stories in here. This is Grimdark Magazine's first collection and on the back of reading this I have immediately become a subscriber to the magazine. They seem to be engaging with all the top authors within this subgenre of fantasy. The quality of the stories is phenomenally high, and I have been introduced to a whole bunch of new authors to check out in more detail. I also appreciate that they have taken the idea of grimdark to include sci-fi and cyberpunk. Gives a nice variety to the stories

I look forward to reading their other collections and delving into their magazines from now on!

[John Mowbray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories from some notable authors including, Mark Lawrence, a personal favourite of mine.

For me, I find it quite difficult to read more than one of these stories at a time, because just as I start feeling the flow the next one comes along. I like to get lost in one long story and get to know the characters.

Despite this, the book was filled with a fantastic range of stories, from medieval style swordsmanship to futuristic boxing matches.

All authors should be proud to be a part of this and I'd recommend to any fantasy lovers.

[Vignesh S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first collection of short stories that I've ever read and i enjoyed it very much. Eventhouh i enjoyed it very much, i expected more sci fi stories among them too. But other than that it's a good book overall.

I don't know how to rate a collection of short stories albeit from multiple authors as well. Some stories are good, some are great and some are ok. No stories felt like a drag to me. That's why 4 stars were given. Being said so, i will try the next collection from this team soon.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[James Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed most of the stories and has definitely made me want to try some new authors.
Great stuff

[Alian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Most of these stories I'd rate 3 stars, and a couple 3.5 or 4 stars. Four or five barely worth 2 stars, and one very irritating story 1 star.

[Chad Hoblitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just awesome

So of the very best Grimdark short stories I have read in a long time. Highly recommended and very enjoyable.

[Elliot J Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of grimdark fantasy.

[begemot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read “Shadow Hunter” by Adrian Tchaikovsky