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Deeper, Darker Things: And Other Oddities
Steve Dillon's second collection of weird fiction, short stories, and dark poetry.
The title story is a Lovecraftian mystery set aboard a modern-day Antarctic expedition vessel.
The Scary Man is a letter from a teenage girl to her mother, explaining how she feels about the shadows figure who comes to her at night.
The Marshmallow People recounts memories of a family summer camp gone tragically wrong.
The Floss Man tells of 2 young girls' and their disturbing encounter with a man who seems familiar.
Panopticon forewarns us of a dystopian future where all our needs are catered for, but there are sinister consequences., and choices to make when a mysterious box arrives.
A Rapid Fingering is about a haunted saxophone...
Bliss Pond is the tale of a schoolboy who is bullied by everyone because he's 'soft'.
All these and more plus a selection of reprints of stories by Dillon, a couple with collaborators, and a second collection of dark poetry!
The title story is a Lovecraftian mystery set aboard a modern-day Antarctic expedition vessel.
The Scary Man is a letter from a teenage girl to her mother, explaining how she feels about the shadows figure who comes to her at night.
The Marshmallow People recounts memories of a family summer camp gone tragically wrong.
The Floss Man tells of 2 young girls' and their disturbing encounter with a man who seems familiar.
Panopticon forewarns us of a dystopian future where all our needs are catered for, but there are sinister consequences., and choices to make when a mysterious box arrives.
A Rapid Fingering is about a haunted saxophone...
Bliss Pond is the tale of a schoolboy who is bullied by everyone because he's 'soft'.
All these and more plus a selection of reprints of stories by Dillon, a couple with collaborators, and a second collection of dark poetry!
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2019
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Steve Dillon
40 books10 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Steve Dillon living now in Melbourne, Australia is the visionary behind the Refuge Collection. Steve is series editor, sponsor, publisher and a contributor as both a writer and artist.
Steve Dillon living now in Melbourne, Australia is the visionary behind the Refuge Collection. Steve is series editor, sponsor, publisher and a contributor as both a writer and artist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 24, 2019
Overall Review:
DISCLAIMER: Before we proceed, I’m an author friend of Steve’s and have been featured in a number of his anthologies and magazines. Steve approached me to review “Deeper, Darker things” and I jumped at the chance. I have tried to remain impartial, but freely admit that it’s a hard task when granted the opportunity to review such a great collection of stories.
Dillon writes in a wonderful literary style that smacks of having grown up in England. His style is very cerebral, relying more on evoking a feeling of dread in the back of the reader’s mind rather than an outright visceral attack on their senses.
He states that his favourite authors are Ramsay Campbell and Clive Barker. Their influence can be seen in the way he approaches his writing, leaving the reader wondering whether Dillon’s style has been drawn from Campbell’s/Barker’s, or whether Dillon was drawn to them because of his style.
As a whole this is an eclectic and almost eccentric collection. The title sums it up perfectly. These are tales of deeper, darker things. Most are cerebral, hitting the reader deep in their mind like a sledgehammer. Some even stay with you long after you’ve moved away from the book.
Each story can be read in isolation, but the two presented from the Refuge collection garner a wish in the reader’s soul to seek out those anthologies and plunge into the world of Refuge and its sister town Bliss. Each location pops up multiple times along the way, weaving a common thread of shared geography and community through many of the stories.
Below is a short appraisal of each story:
Deeper, Darker things
Very good, very Lovecraftian. Very much in the heavy literary style of Lovecraft, but with a nice deft finish that had me smiling.
The Scary Man
Wow. For such a short story this had a massive gut punch of an ending.
Panopticon
Great line: “the only fear I have these days is the thought of being summoned to a meeting” – sounds like me at work.
A very dark tale which mixes 1984 with the Cthulhu mythos and War of the Worlds. Really quite good.
A Rapid Fingering
Good. A creepy little horror sex tale that could probably be used in Steve’s up-coming “Guilty Pleasures” anthology.
The Marshmallow People
Steve asked me to read this one a fair while ago and it still reads well. One of those little tales grounded in reality which can provide more of a fright that any imagined monster.
Bliss Pond
Great opening paragraph. Would instil the dream of being a teacher into even the hardest nut. 😉
Awesome story. Creepy, and totally takes a u-turn halfway through. Loved it.
Wandering the Wards
An interesting little story and one bred from the author’s own experiences with a hospital ridden loved one.
Wayne Hardcastle
A great little story that basically contains the beginnings of an entire collection in itself. One wonders if the author needs to revisit and dissect his own story to provide the fertilizer for another collection of stories.
The ending was a little abrupt, but the main body wonderful.
Foggy
Interesting little story that sets the reader up to want more. Originally delivered in short chunks on the author’s Facebook feed, so tended to be a little disjointed, but did bring together a coherent tale in the end, left wide open and wanting for closure by other stories.
Just like John Wayne
A nice little story that begs to answer the proposition that “In Death do we all find the heaven we sought during life.”
A coven of Witchery
Awesome little collection of drabbles. I’m assuming they were drafted for a collection that we both submitted to. Quality like that should see print again.
I just thought…
A very funny tale aligned to the body horror sub-genre, but not. It might give insights as to where Steve gets his inspiration.
Wagglers
A great story of unexpected revenge and atonement. Beautifully written and shows Dillon’s style at its best.
The Floss Man
Holy crap. That some crazy stuff right there. Like a drunken hallucination or nightmare told from a little girl’s point of view. Loved it.
Thumbs Up for Bob’s Apples
Each new story is a treat, and this one is no different. Takes bobbing for apples in a whole new direction.
Harlan Loves Josh
Love it. A nasty little tale with a nasty little ending. But all in the reader’s head as it should be.
Asylum Night
Another nasty little tale. Full of hidden terror and evil, but just plain fun to read.
The Ice Cream Van
OMG. That was great. Nasty and strange, but great.
The Bells Will Ring Out
A fun little tale, mixing a few old Christmas myths and throwing a curve ball in the mix right at the end.
Corporate Bodies
A strange little Christmas tale. There was more that needed to be explored and was begging to come out.
Next Door’s Noisy
A lovely little tale of the love between innocents. Sweet and sad all at the same time.
No refuge for Cat
Hmmm. Some tales just don’t sit right. I don’t know if it was the underlying subtext that was uncomfortable or the slight overuse of cat jokes/symbology. The subtext of Cats being able to walk as people was cool, but there was a callousness to the main characters that turned me off. I think it’s cause I’m both a cat and a dog person.
The Priest’s Tale
What an eclectic collection of snippets that form a single story. Very intriguing and, as stated in the blurb, a part of a larger whole that I now want to seek out and read, so it must be extremely effective.
Various Poems
I haven’t tackled each poem as an individual entity as that would require several hundred lines. Suffice to say that each is different in its own way. Some are haunting. Some are funny. Some Steve just wanted to include for posterity’s sake, but all are enjoyable.
DISCLAIMER: Before we proceed, I’m an author friend of Steve’s and have been featured in a number of his anthologies and magazines. Steve approached me to review “Deeper, Darker things” and I jumped at the chance. I have tried to remain impartial, but freely admit that it’s a hard task when granted the opportunity to review such a great collection of stories.
Dillon writes in a wonderful literary style that smacks of having grown up in England. His style is very cerebral, relying more on evoking a feeling of dread in the back of the reader’s mind rather than an outright visceral attack on their senses.
He states that his favourite authors are Ramsay Campbell and Clive Barker. Their influence can be seen in the way he approaches his writing, leaving the reader wondering whether Dillon’s style has been drawn from Campbell’s/Barker’s, or whether Dillon was drawn to them because of his style.
As a whole this is an eclectic and almost eccentric collection. The title sums it up perfectly. These are tales of deeper, darker things. Most are cerebral, hitting the reader deep in their mind like a sledgehammer. Some even stay with you long after you’ve moved away from the book.
Each story can be read in isolation, but the two presented from the Refuge collection garner a wish in the reader’s soul to seek out those anthologies and plunge into the world of Refuge and its sister town Bliss. Each location pops up multiple times along the way, weaving a common thread of shared geography and community through many of the stories.
Below is a short appraisal of each story:
Deeper, Darker things
Very good, very Lovecraftian. Very much in the heavy literary style of Lovecraft, but with a nice deft finish that had me smiling.
The Scary Man
Wow. For such a short story this had a massive gut punch of an ending.
Panopticon
Great line: “the only fear I have these days is the thought of being summoned to a meeting” – sounds like me at work.
A very dark tale which mixes 1984 with the Cthulhu mythos and War of the Worlds. Really quite good.
A Rapid Fingering
Good. A creepy little horror sex tale that could probably be used in Steve’s up-coming “Guilty Pleasures” anthology.
The Marshmallow People
Steve asked me to read this one a fair while ago and it still reads well. One of those little tales grounded in reality which can provide more of a fright that any imagined monster.
Bliss Pond
Great opening paragraph. Would instil the dream of being a teacher into even the hardest nut. 😉
Awesome story. Creepy, and totally takes a u-turn halfway through. Loved it.
Wandering the Wards
An interesting little story and one bred from the author’s own experiences with a hospital ridden loved one.
Wayne Hardcastle
A great little story that basically contains the beginnings of an entire collection in itself. One wonders if the author needs to revisit and dissect his own story to provide the fertilizer for another collection of stories.
The ending was a little abrupt, but the main body wonderful.
Foggy
Interesting little story that sets the reader up to want more. Originally delivered in short chunks on the author’s Facebook feed, so tended to be a little disjointed, but did bring together a coherent tale in the end, left wide open and wanting for closure by other stories.
Just like John Wayne
A nice little story that begs to answer the proposition that “In Death do we all find the heaven we sought during life.”
A coven of Witchery
Awesome little collection of drabbles. I’m assuming they were drafted for a collection that we both submitted to. Quality like that should see print again.
I just thought…
A very funny tale aligned to the body horror sub-genre, but not. It might give insights as to where Steve gets his inspiration.
Wagglers
A great story of unexpected revenge and atonement. Beautifully written and shows Dillon’s style at its best.
The Floss Man
Holy crap. That some crazy stuff right there. Like a drunken hallucination or nightmare told from a little girl’s point of view. Loved it.
Thumbs Up for Bob’s Apples
Each new story is a treat, and this one is no different. Takes bobbing for apples in a whole new direction.
Harlan Loves Josh
Love it. A nasty little tale with a nasty little ending. But all in the reader’s head as it should be.
Asylum Night
Another nasty little tale. Full of hidden terror and evil, but just plain fun to read.
The Ice Cream Van
OMG. That was great. Nasty and strange, but great.
The Bells Will Ring Out
A fun little tale, mixing a few old Christmas myths and throwing a curve ball in the mix right at the end.
Corporate Bodies
A strange little Christmas tale. There was more that needed to be explored and was begging to come out.
Next Door’s Noisy
A lovely little tale of the love between innocents. Sweet and sad all at the same time.
No refuge for Cat
Hmmm. Some tales just don’t sit right. I don’t know if it was the underlying subtext that was uncomfortable or the slight overuse of cat jokes/symbology. The subtext of Cats being able to walk as people was cool, but there was a callousness to the main characters that turned me off. I think it’s cause I’m both a cat and a dog person.
The Priest’s Tale
What an eclectic collection of snippets that form a single story. Very intriguing and, as stated in the blurb, a part of a larger whole that I now want to seek out and read, so it must be extremely effective.
Various Poems
I haven’t tackled each poem as an individual entity as that would require several hundred lines. Suffice to say that each is different in its own way. Some are haunting. Some are funny. Some Steve just wanted to include for posterity’s sake, but all are enjoyable.
October 14, 2019
Steve Dillon, no relation, by the way, offers us up a collection of the deliciously strange and mind bending. Like a meal of Tapas, each tiny plate explores a new taste sensation that makes the reader lick his or her fingers to greedily devour the next page’s offering.
There’s no gross-out gristle here. If you’re looking for offal, this is not the place. Each bite coats your taste buds and makes you go ‘mmmm…’ Nothing here will ruin your appetite.
I’ll slip you a few yummy nibbles…
The Scary Man tells the tale of a boy wrestling with a reoccurring nightmare that plagues him both in his dreams... and afterwards. But it’s the twist at the end that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and you’re ashamed that you like it.
The Marshmallow People is a relatable story for parents enjoying a memorable outting with their kids. If it wasn’t for the rules….and death…and marshmallows. Sorry, I hate marshmallows.
The Floss Man (I’m loving these food themes) could be a parent’s worst nightmare. Divorced couples-this is creepy. Look at your ex-spouse very carefully after munching on this little nugget.
Do yourself a favor, put on your pants with the stretchy waistband, pour yourself an aperitif and tuck yourself into this delectable morsel. Oh, and don’t forget, when you’re properly stuffed, let out a satisfying BURP, here on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, your personal blog etc. to let everyone know about your find! That’s the highest compliment you can give a master chef of the written word!
There’s no gross-out gristle here. If you’re looking for offal, this is not the place. Each bite coats your taste buds and makes you go ‘mmmm…’ Nothing here will ruin your appetite.
I’ll slip you a few yummy nibbles…
The Scary Man tells the tale of a boy wrestling with a reoccurring nightmare that plagues him both in his dreams... and afterwards. But it’s the twist at the end that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and you’re ashamed that you like it.
The Marshmallow People is a relatable story for parents enjoying a memorable outting with their kids. If it wasn’t for the rules….and death…and marshmallows. Sorry, I hate marshmallows.
The Floss Man (I’m loving these food themes) could be a parent’s worst nightmare. Divorced couples-this is creepy. Look at your ex-spouse very carefully after munching on this little nugget.
Do yourself a favor, put on your pants with the stretchy waistband, pour yourself an aperitif and tuck yourself into this delectable morsel. Oh, and don’t forget, when you’re properly stuffed, let out a satisfying BURP, here on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, your personal blog etc. to let everyone know about your find! That’s the highest compliment you can give a master chef of the written word!
August 3, 2019
Steve Dillon is a wonderful story teller. I absolutely loved the stories in this book. They stayed with me for days and left me wanting more. The first tale is a Lovecraftian story set in the depths of the sea and reminded me of Brian Lumley. His stories and poetry are vivid and well written. Definately worth ones time to pick this book up!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews