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Dark Missives
Dark Missives is the debut collection from author Dan Howarth, bringing together 11 stories that encompass the full range of horror.
A holiday camp employee finds himself in the middle of a murder spree. A band’s biggest fan discovers just how far he will go for new music. A detective investigating a series of murders gets pulled into the seedy underbelly of the city. A delivery driver gives in to temptation and opens a suspicious package. The owner of a gallery is determined to leave his own legacy on the art world.
Let Dark Missives take you on a tour of the roads less travelled in Northern England to explore what truly lies in the shadows.
A holiday camp employee finds himself in the middle of a murder spree. A band’s biggest fan discovers just how far he will go for new music. A detective investigating a series of murders gets pulled into the seedy underbelly of the city. A delivery driver gives in to temptation and opens a suspicious package. The owner of a gallery is determined to leave his own legacy on the art world.
Let Dark Missives take you on a tour of the roads less travelled in Northern England to explore what truly lies in the shadows.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 23, 2021
12 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 8, 2021
This debut collection from UK Horror author Dan Howarth boasts such twisted tales as;
• A holiday camp mascot with a sinister secret
• A father/daughter game of Hide and Seek, where they may end up finding more than they bargained for
• A deal with the devil that has cursed a famous songwriter to eternal silence, and their biggest fan that will do what it takes to hear them play again
• A lost traveller, doomed to wander forever without ever finding a place to call home
• A spate of unexplained deaths that a lone policeman believes may be linked to a deity worshipping cult
• An art installation that will have the critics talking for years to come
I must confess that, when I began reading the collection, the stories were well written and entertaining, but none of them were standing out to me. I was enjoying what I read but the collection was lacking that one killer story, or memorable character, that made the book stick in the memory long after you’d put it down.
The opening story (‘Dustin’) was a fun concept and wisely kept a lot of questions unanswered, while ‘Anderson’ and ‘Hide, Go Seek’ were deliciously creepy (particularly the latter) but were fairly similar tales (family versus creature), albeit with very different settings. All three were a lot of fun, and well-executed, but I just felt there was something missing to elevate them from good stories to great ones.
As I read on, however, I found that there were great stories in abundance as the book progressed. The fourth story (‘The Silent Key’) was a fantastic ‘Tales From The Crypt’ style cautionary tale with a great twist. ‘From The Ground Up’ was a tense, intriguing short about a couple renovating their new house who soon find it under siege from an invasive plant, and closing story ‘Collaboration’ ends the collection on a strong note with a surprisingly graphic gut-punch boasting a very memorable closing scene.
It is hard to pick a favourite, as there are some very strong contenders in the middle of ‘Dark Missives’. ‘This Is The Only Place I’ve Ever Called Home’ dials things back to deliver a slow-burn, downbeat tale of a traveller who has lost his family and is cursed to never live the life of his ancestors. ‘The Pusher’, one of the collections longer stories, mixes cosmic horror and police procedural to tell a story of a grieving man who will do whatever he can to find meaning in his new life. If I had to pick a standout, it would be the books scariest offering, ‘Nesting Instinct’. The set-up is unique, the payoff haunting, and features a truly horrific creature and some fantastically unsettling imagery.
There isn’t a bad story to be found in ‘Dark Missives’, a collection that just gets better as things progress, with a handful of absolutely stellar offerings. Howarth is a talented writer, just as capable of delivering a fun cautionary tale as he is of scaring the life out of you, and Dark Missives showcases an impressive range and a promising new talent.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/horror-li...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
• A holiday camp mascot with a sinister secret
• A father/daughter game of Hide and Seek, where they may end up finding more than they bargained for
• A deal with the devil that has cursed a famous songwriter to eternal silence, and their biggest fan that will do what it takes to hear them play again
• A lost traveller, doomed to wander forever without ever finding a place to call home
• A spate of unexplained deaths that a lone policeman believes may be linked to a deity worshipping cult
• An art installation that will have the critics talking for years to come
I must confess that, when I began reading the collection, the stories were well written and entertaining, but none of them were standing out to me. I was enjoying what I read but the collection was lacking that one killer story, or memorable character, that made the book stick in the memory long after you’d put it down.
The opening story (‘Dustin’) was a fun concept and wisely kept a lot of questions unanswered, while ‘Anderson’ and ‘Hide, Go Seek’ were deliciously creepy (particularly the latter) but were fairly similar tales (family versus creature), albeit with very different settings. All three were a lot of fun, and well-executed, but I just felt there was something missing to elevate them from good stories to great ones.
As I read on, however, I found that there were great stories in abundance as the book progressed. The fourth story (‘The Silent Key’) was a fantastic ‘Tales From The Crypt’ style cautionary tale with a great twist. ‘From The Ground Up’ was a tense, intriguing short about a couple renovating their new house who soon find it under siege from an invasive plant, and closing story ‘Collaboration’ ends the collection on a strong note with a surprisingly graphic gut-punch boasting a very memorable closing scene.
It is hard to pick a favourite, as there are some very strong contenders in the middle of ‘Dark Missives’. ‘This Is The Only Place I’ve Ever Called Home’ dials things back to deliver a slow-burn, downbeat tale of a traveller who has lost his family and is cursed to never live the life of his ancestors. ‘The Pusher’, one of the collections longer stories, mixes cosmic horror and police procedural to tell a story of a grieving man who will do whatever he can to find meaning in his new life. If I had to pick a standout, it would be the books scariest offering, ‘Nesting Instinct’. The set-up is unique, the payoff haunting, and features a truly horrific creature and some fantastically unsettling imagery.
There isn’t a bad story to be found in ‘Dark Missives’, a collection that just gets better as things progress, with a handful of absolutely stellar offerings. Howarth is a talented writer, just as capable of delivering a fun cautionary tale as he is of scaring the life out of you, and Dark Missives showcases an impressive range and a promising new talent.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/horror-li...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
May 20, 2022
Ooomph.
I was trying to think of a word that could summarize Dan Howarth’s collection of horror shorts, and that’s pretty much the best I could come up with. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that moment – possibly as a child when you fell off a swing, or a rope bridge, and managed to land in such a way that all of the air was suddenly pushed from your lungs – ejected from your body in one foul moment, or maybe you got gut-punched, and you found for an interminable amount of time, in a prolonged second of panic, that you could not physically force air into your body? That cell-deep ingrained feeling of utter helplessness and violation – when your body was out of your control and all you could do was experience the core of your being held in a vice-like grip. And the slow expansion of your chest as air painfully, slowly, pushed your lungs back open – as a deep resonating hum of pain escaped your mouth? A sound so terrible because it is exactly the tone and vibration one hears at the end of a life when your death rattle does the same journey yet in reverse (and I have heard both, so I can testify to that).
Know it?
Well, that’s Dan Howarth’s Dark Missives.
Ooomph.
I had intended to just read Dan’s short Dustin, a freebie thrown out into the wild, as a taster of what the man had to offer, but liked the writing so much that I decided there and then to read his collection, which was sitting on my kindle patiently waiting for me to get around to it. I can say of that short exactly what I liked – the exact thing I inject into my own stories that I believe is essential to any modern horror book – that the author trusts the reader- Dan presents a story and finishes it without explaining the ending – he trusts the reader to fill in the blanks, add the numbers together, collect the evidence and conclude their own interpretation. It’s a level of trust sadly lacking from most works. But Dan utilized it here, in Dustin, Perfectly.
Dustin happens to also be the first short in Dark Missives, so it seemed fate that I should read on. The overall quality of the shorts is high – Howarth writes with broad themes, and none of the pieces come close to each other, they are all dark, thought-provoking, and intelligent. Favorites were Anderson (A creepy creature feature in an Anderson Shelter during a bombing), The silent key (a sold-his-soul to the devil performer, and the lengths a stalker will go to), and my favorite, Collaboration , which was good and nasty. In the author's notes at the back of the collection, Dan mentions his disgust at the piece, and how other reviewers and readers have reacted, and perhaps it says a lot about me and my own appreciation of nastiness – but I do love nasty details unflinchingly presented. The clinical presentation of trauma makes it so much more devastating. Great work on the last piece, Dan. It was the jewel in the crown.
I don’t think there was a bad piece here, all of the shorts entertained whilst I read them, all of them fulfilled their premise, and each was unique. It’s definitely one of the stronger collections I’ve read this year, and Collaboration was worth the cover price alone.
This is getting a 5 out of 5 ⭐ ‘s from me, and I look forward to his new release, Territory , out on June 10th 🤜🤛
I was trying to think of a word that could summarize Dan Howarth’s collection of horror shorts, and that’s pretty much the best I could come up with. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that moment – possibly as a child when you fell off a swing, or a rope bridge, and managed to land in such a way that all of the air was suddenly pushed from your lungs – ejected from your body in one foul moment, or maybe you got gut-punched, and you found for an interminable amount of time, in a prolonged second of panic, that you could not physically force air into your body? That cell-deep ingrained feeling of utter helplessness and violation – when your body was out of your control and all you could do was experience the core of your being held in a vice-like grip. And the slow expansion of your chest as air painfully, slowly, pushed your lungs back open – as a deep resonating hum of pain escaped your mouth? A sound so terrible because it is exactly the tone and vibration one hears at the end of a life when your death rattle does the same journey yet in reverse (and I have heard both, so I can testify to that).
Know it?
Well, that’s Dan Howarth’s Dark Missives.
Ooomph.
I had intended to just read Dan’s short Dustin, a freebie thrown out into the wild, as a taster of what the man had to offer, but liked the writing so much that I decided there and then to read his collection, which was sitting on my kindle patiently waiting for me to get around to it. I can say of that short exactly what I liked – the exact thing I inject into my own stories that I believe is essential to any modern horror book – that the author trusts the reader- Dan presents a story and finishes it without explaining the ending – he trusts the reader to fill in the blanks, add the numbers together, collect the evidence and conclude their own interpretation. It’s a level of trust sadly lacking from most works. But Dan utilized it here, in Dustin, Perfectly.
Dustin happens to also be the first short in Dark Missives, so it seemed fate that I should read on. The overall quality of the shorts is high – Howarth writes with broad themes, and none of the pieces come close to each other, they are all dark, thought-provoking, and intelligent. Favorites were Anderson (A creepy creature feature in an Anderson Shelter during a bombing), The silent key (a sold-his-soul to the devil performer, and the lengths a stalker will go to), and my favorite, Collaboration , which was good and nasty. In the author's notes at the back of the collection, Dan mentions his disgust at the piece, and how other reviewers and readers have reacted, and perhaps it says a lot about me and my own appreciation of nastiness – but I do love nasty details unflinchingly presented. The clinical presentation of trauma makes it so much more devastating. Great work on the last piece, Dan. It was the jewel in the crown.
I don’t think there was a bad piece here, all of the shorts entertained whilst I read them, all of them fulfilled their premise, and each was unique. It’s definitely one of the stronger collections I’ve read this year, and Collaboration was worth the cover price alone.
This is getting a 5 out of 5 ⭐ ‘s from me, and I look forward to his new release, Territory , out on June 10th 🤜🤛
July 2, 2021
Dark Missives…dark words and dark intent. Those are the words that instantly appear through hazy vision. This short story collection doesn’t have a bad story contained within it. Every story gave me something I didn’t realise I was looking for. Stories of deadly art installations, an imposing force in an Anderson shelter, and The lore behind a serial killer known as The Pusher. The tales are twisted, well developed, and it's an extremely strong collection. The narrative sings a dark tune carried on the back of a deadly raven.
A collection of 11 stories, 11 ways to hurt, maim and fear.
The first story that spoke to me was Nesting Instinct. Anette and Nick were out for their afternoon walk. It’s autumn and you can just feel the chill, the wind whipping your hair, the narrative leaves nothing to your imagination…you are there and feeling everything the characters are experiencing. A story of parental instinct and examining exactly how far you would go to protect those you love. As a parent, this was a particularly difficult story to read but that’s the kind of story I love – edgy and uncomfortable.
Mergers & Acquisitions was a story that felt like the epitome of horror. A story in which the same day is repeated over and over. The same mundane tasks repeated until infinity. Frustration and anger have led Jon to completely lose his cool. He has his sights set on the vacant Vice President position, something he has worked his ass off for. He finds out that two other individuals are ahead of him in the running. I enjoyed the protagonist’s inner monologue in this story, you can feel his inner resentment, his rage bubbling at the surface. It was a brutal story.
Dark Missives has a fine collection of the dark and depraved but none quite like the story, Collaboration. You know what they say…that art is subjective. Though the art installation in this story couldn’t be loved by anyone, you would hope. The protagonist is a failed artist, by his admission. He doesn’t walk the traditional road, he takes risks, big ones and the events that happen in Collaboration are his biggest yet. He’s carried on the work of an incarcerated artist. His unveiling will be to a fellow artist, Mrs. Devonshire’s primary class. What happens next shocked me to my core.
Dark Missives is a masterpiece with refreshingly different tropes that sent shivers down my spine. Incredibly immersive Dan Howarth has the IT factor.
A collection of 11 stories, 11 ways to hurt, maim and fear.
The first story that spoke to me was Nesting Instinct. Anette and Nick were out for their afternoon walk. It’s autumn and you can just feel the chill, the wind whipping your hair, the narrative leaves nothing to your imagination…you are there and feeling everything the characters are experiencing. A story of parental instinct and examining exactly how far you would go to protect those you love. As a parent, this was a particularly difficult story to read but that’s the kind of story I love – edgy and uncomfortable.
Mergers & Acquisitions was a story that felt like the epitome of horror. A story in which the same day is repeated over and over. The same mundane tasks repeated until infinity. Frustration and anger have led Jon to completely lose his cool. He has his sights set on the vacant Vice President position, something he has worked his ass off for. He finds out that two other individuals are ahead of him in the running. I enjoyed the protagonist’s inner monologue in this story, you can feel his inner resentment, his rage bubbling at the surface. It was a brutal story.
Dark Missives has a fine collection of the dark and depraved but none quite like the story, Collaboration. You know what they say…that art is subjective. Though the art installation in this story couldn’t be loved by anyone, you would hope. The protagonist is a failed artist, by his admission. He doesn’t walk the traditional road, he takes risks, big ones and the events that happen in Collaboration are his biggest yet. He’s carried on the work of an incarcerated artist. His unveiling will be to a fellow artist, Mrs. Devonshire’s primary class. What happens next shocked me to my core.
Dark Missives is a masterpiece with refreshingly different tropes that sent shivers down my spine. Incredibly immersive Dan Howarth has the IT factor.
May 31, 2021
Really enjoyed this debut collection once I got past the opening two stories, which I felt were a little rushed and underdeveloped and would have been better suited to have been situated in the middle of the book. From ‘Hide, Go Seek’ onwards it’s a really strong collection. ‘This is the Only Place I Have Ever Called Home’, ‘Expedited’, and ‘The Pusher’ were all exceptional stories. ‘Collaboration’ was an audacious and memorable way to end the collection.
May 6, 2021
Although it is quite a short story, "Dustin" serves as a good introduction to Howarth's style. He is very good at setting the scene for the story, but he never likes to give too much away, even by the time the story ends. He gives the reader just enough to work out the story for themselves, never dumbing it down. And he is not afraid to let things get weird, as we see again later.
"Anderson" has an excellent setting, as a young brother and sister discover something disturbing in their air raid shelter during WW2. It all happens very quickly, the story taking place in a matter of minutes. But Howarth cleverly builds the dread, entwining it with the approach of the German bombers. His passion for history gives this one a unique and realistic touch.
"Hide, Go Seek" is creepy. Stories told from the point of view of young children are full to the brim of horrific possibilities, taking advantage of the innocence of the narrator. Stories involving seemingly innocent children's games even more so. He again does an excellent job of building the dread, giving what could have been a run-of-the-mill story an edge. Using a small family setting is something he returns to in other stories, and he does it really well, playing on the fear of a parent.
"The Silent Key" is Howarth's take on a Faustian tale, with an obsessed fan tracking down a reclusive musician and wishing to prove his love and admiration for the music. At any cost. The way he conveys the story is quite unique, although the resolution seemed so obvious we may wonder why it took the musician so long to get out of his bind. Perhaps he just needed the right fan. But, again, Howarth breathes life into his characters and brings them to life. No mean feat in such a short space.
Remember when I said he doesn't mind getting weird? "Nesting Instinct" is the story I was thinking about. Keep thinking about. After discovering an unusually large nest on a walk in the park, a young couple find they are expecting their first baby. Nothing unusual about that. Until the strange noises wake them up at night, and a dark figure begins to visit their back porch at night. Again, Howarth mines the anxieties of a young parent, a new parent, to deliver a fantastically weird and fantastically creepy tale.
A young couple buy a house in "From The Ground Up". While Lauren thinks of it as a project, a fixer-up, Kevin wants to settle there. Lauren loves the garden. Until she discovers an invasive weed just below the soil. A lot of strange things begin to happen in quick succession, and all centred around the garden. No children in this story, but Howarth explores the fears of a young couple investing all of their time and money into a new home, the place that should offer security and warmth. But what if it proves to offer the opposite? Very good stuff.
"Mergers & Acquisitions". The cutthroat business of international trading. "Cutthroat", "backstabbing", "Ruthless". With terms like these banded around the office environment, it is easy to see why it makes for a great horror setting. American Psycho springs to mind (and Howarth addresses this in the story notes, so I guess it ought to spring to mind, anyway). But Howarth tries to play things a little differently, with the main character experiencing lost time and the lines of reality and dream becoming blurred.
In "This Is The Only Place I Have Ever Called Home", Howarth explores the mystical side of the Romani culture. He approaches the topic of the Travelling community with respect, and must have done some research. But the idea of curses and mysticism take a back seat to the main thrust of the story which is someone trying to fit in and come to terms with their heritage and place in the world. The main character's plight is heart-felt, and serves as an allegory of the community's plight at large as he is hunted and hounded and not allowed to settle down. There are some touching moments in this one.
"Expedited" is a dose of social commentary told from the point of view of a lowly delivery driver, a cog in the machine that serves our new consumer gods. While he lives in his van, he delivers all sorts of parcels to all sorts of clients. But the customers he is most intrigued by are the rich, seemingly perfect ones who live in mansions and have multiple expensive cars in the driveway. He soon discovers that such "perfection" can be bought, but at a hefty price. Howarth offers a grim view of what some people see as "perfection", a view shared by many.
"The Pusher" feels a little like a police procedural crossed with cosmic horror. But the idea is not as outlandish as it seems (well, minus the cult of the ancient water-dwelling gods), and Howarth explains in the story notes that the murders featured in the story have a terrifying basis in reality. He gives his jaded detective a great back story, causing him to not immediately denounce the nihilistic beliefs of the cult. It proves for an interesting conflict, and great resolution.
"Collaboration". This story. I remember this story! Boy, does this one get dark. It is another very short one, but it makes one hell of an impact. The reader is let in on what is happening pretty quickly, but one character has to wait until the very end before the horrific truth is revealed. So the tension doesn't come from the reader not knowing, but the reader knowing that this character doesn't know. Most of the other stories are of a particular style; patient build up, taking the time to lay the ground work and establish the characters. The main antagonist for this story doesn't take much setting up (in fact, this simplicity only strengthens the character), but he is given enough time to establish how terrible he is. Or is he actually an artistic genius...? Howarth displays another side of his storytelling with this one, a much darker side than the others, and it will live long in the memory of the reader. Talk about going out with a bang!
Dark Missives is an excellent debut and a great introduction to Dan Howarth's writing. His style and themes are clear to see, and he addresses each in the story notes section at the end. For a young father to be able to dig deep and mine his own experiences to create such vivid stories with a great deal of depth and fantastic dread is a mark of a fine storyteller. Some of the stories were previously featured on podcasts or were adapted for an audio performance and, if the reader imagines the story being read to them (perhaps by a narrator from one of England's great northern cities?), it could add to their reading enjoyment and display Howarth's expertise at creating stories intended for hearing. The collection also proves that he has developed a real knack for delivering a compact narrative that allows the reader to fill in some of the spaces in between (spaces devoid of light, naturally) with their own fears and imagination and bring their own experiences to the reading.
This book proves he has excelled at the short form, I for one am excited to seeing what dread-inducing horrors he can conjure in the novella or novel format.
"Anderson" has an excellent setting, as a young brother and sister discover something disturbing in their air raid shelter during WW2. It all happens very quickly, the story taking place in a matter of minutes. But Howarth cleverly builds the dread, entwining it with the approach of the German bombers. His passion for history gives this one a unique and realistic touch.
"Hide, Go Seek" is creepy. Stories told from the point of view of young children are full to the brim of horrific possibilities, taking advantage of the innocence of the narrator. Stories involving seemingly innocent children's games even more so. He again does an excellent job of building the dread, giving what could have been a run-of-the-mill story an edge. Using a small family setting is something he returns to in other stories, and he does it really well, playing on the fear of a parent.
"The Silent Key" is Howarth's take on a Faustian tale, with an obsessed fan tracking down a reclusive musician and wishing to prove his love and admiration for the music. At any cost. The way he conveys the story is quite unique, although the resolution seemed so obvious we may wonder why it took the musician so long to get out of his bind. Perhaps he just needed the right fan. But, again, Howarth breathes life into his characters and brings them to life. No mean feat in such a short space.
Remember when I said he doesn't mind getting weird? "Nesting Instinct" is the story I was thinking about. Keep thinking about. After discovering an unusually large nest on a walk in the park, a young couple find they are expecting their first baby. Nothing unusual about that. Until the strange noises wake them up at night, and a dark figure begins to visit their back porch at night. Again, Howarth mines the anxieties of a young parent, a new parent, to deliver a fantastically weird and fantastically creepy tale.
A young couple buy a house in "From The Ground Up". While Lauren thinks of it as a project, a fixer-up, Kevin wants to settle there. Lauren loves the garden. Until she discovers an invasive weed just below the soil. A lot of strange things begin to happen in quick succession, and all centred around the garden. No children in this story, but Howarth explores the fears of a young couple investing all of their time and money into a new home, the place that should offer security and warmth. But what if it proves to offer the opposite? Very good stuff.
"Mergers & Acquisitions". The cutthroat business of international trading. "Cutthroat", "backstabbing", "Ruthless". With terms like these banded around the office environment, it is easy to see why it makes for a great horror setting. American Psycho springs to mind (and Howarth addresses this in the story notes, so I guess it ought to spring to mind, anyway). But Howarth tries to play things a little differently, with the main character experiencing lost time and the lines of reality and dream becoming blurred.
In "This Is The Only Place I Have Ever Called Home", Howarth explores the mystical side of the Romani culture. He approaches the topic of the Travelling community with respect, and must have done some research. But the idea of curses and mysticism take a back seat to the main thrust of the story which is someone trying to fit in and come to terms with their heritage and place in the world. The main character's plight is heart-felt, and serves as an allegory of the community's plight at large as he is hunted and hounded and not allowed to settle down. There are some touching moments in this one.
"Expedited" is a dose of social commentary told from the point of view of a lowly delivery driver, a cog in the machine that serves our new consumer gods. While he lives in his van, he delivers all sorts of parcels to all sorts of clients. But the customers he is most intrigued by are the rich, seemingly perfect ones who live in mansions and have multiple expensive cars in the driveway. He soon discovers that such "perfection" can be bought, but at a hefty price. Howarth offers a grim view of what some people see as "perfection", a view shared by many.
"The Pusher" feels a little like a police procedural crossed with cosmic horror. But the idea is not as outlandish as it seems (well, minus the cult of the ancient water-dwelling gods), and Howarth explains in the story notes that the murders featured in the story have a terrifying basis in reality. He gives his jaded detective a great back story, causing him to not immediately denounce the nihilistic beliefs of the cult. It proves for an interesting conflict, and great resolution.
"Collaboration". This story. I remember this story! Boy, does this one get dark. It is another very short one, but it makes one hell of an impact. The reader is let in on what is happening pretty quickly, but one character has to wait until the very end before the horrific truth is revealed. So the tension doesn't come from the reader not knowing, but the reader knowing that this character doesn't know. Most of the other stories are of a particular style; patient build up, taking the time to lay the ground work and establish the characters. The main antagonist for this story doesn't take much setting up (in fact, this simplicity only strengthens the character), but he is given enough time to establish how terrible he is. Or is he actually an artistic genius...? Howarth displays another side of his storytelling with this one, a much darker side than the others, and it will live long in the memory of the reader. Talk about going out with a bang!
Dark Missives is an excellent debut and a great introduction to Dan Howarth's writing. His style and themes are clear to see, and he addresses each in the story notes section at the end. For a young father to be able to dig deep and mine his own experiences to create such vivid stories with a great deal of depth and fantastic dread is a mark of a fine storyteller. Some of the stories were previously featured on podcasts or were adapted for an audio performance and, if the reader imagines the story being read to them (perhaps by a narrator from one of England's great northern cities?), it could add to their reading enjoyment and display Howarth's expertise at creating stories intended for hearing. The collection also proves that he has developed a real knack for delivering a compact narrative that allows the reader to fill in some of the spaces in between (spaces devoid of light, naturally) with their own fears and imagination and bring their own experiences to the reading.
This book proves he has excelled at the short form, I for one am excited to seeing what dread-inducing horrors he can conjure in the novella or novel format.
April 27, 2021
An excellent collection of short stories with a wide variety of subject matter. Lovely prose, very skilfully written and great imagination on display. I enjoyed them all, in particular "This is the Only Place I Have Ever Called Home" which introduces a character and a mythology I would love to see expanded into something longer.
January 18, 2023
I love when an author includes story notes at the back of a collection. It gives the book just a little something more I think, and I often find the stories behind the stories fascinating. Howarth includes that here, and it’s just one of the many thing I enjoyed in this collection of scary stories set in Northern England. Favorites include the creepy Hide, Go Seek, the brutal Collaboration, and the cosmic horror mystery that is The Pusher. The Silent Key went somewhere I didn’t expect, and Nesting Instinct was disturbing and beautifully weird. This one is recommended.
January 2, 2022
There's a lot to like in these tales (imagination, great pacing and a real style). However, the reason I can't go higher than 3 stars is an occasional dissatisfaction with a few of the endings. I wanted a bit more meat on the bones of some of the stories especially the first few. It felt like great ideas that needed something extra to give them a final bang. YMMV, of course. I'll look out for more from Howarth in the future.
December 11, 2021
A fantastic collection of truly creepy horror tales. Gritty and tense throughout Dan Howarth is a master of cranking up the tension. That last story will MESS YOU UP!
April 27, 2021
DARK MISSIVES is the debut collection from Dan Howarth, containing eleven tales of horror, all of them absolutely killer. Seriously, I devoured this book and had to go back to a few of the stories, just so I could enjoy them again.
The collection gets off to a great start with Dustin, a short shocker about murders at a holiday camp. As I was reading, I thought this would make an excellent episode of Inside No. 9, as would a few of the other tales in this book.
When I reached the third story, Hide, Go Seek, I knew luck was still with me and I’d definitely chosen another great book. The ending of this story really creeped me out. I don’t want to give any major spoilers, but when the family returns home and enters their living room…
That scene was utterly chilling and will stay with me for a good while. Thanks for that!
As I’ve previously said, this collection has no weak links. Every story on offer has something, whether it be a splash of cosmic horror, or the vibe of American Psycho. I enjoyed each and every page of DARK MISSIVES. It’s excellently written and certainly leaves you eager for more.
Of course, there are always stories that stand out from the others. Favourites that people will mention when recommending the book to others.
Aside from the extremely creepy Hide, Go Seek, there were two other stories that had me saying ‘Bloody Hell!’ out loud, much to the amusement of my wife and son.
The first is From The Ground Up. Read this and then scrub those plans you had for buying your dream house. Oh, and gardening. Forget that also.
The second is Collaboration. Wow. What a way to finish. This twisted, dark tale was just brilliant.
For me, DARK MISSIVES scores a whopping eleven out of ten, and I don’t say that lightly. Excellent work, Mr. Howarth. Also, top marks for including story notes at the end of the book. I love it when authors do that.
Simply put, If you are a fan of horror, you need this book.
Go get it.
The collection gets off to a great start with Dustin, a short shocker about murders at a holiday camp. As I was reading, I thought this would make an excellent episode of Inside No. 9, as would a few of the other tales in this book.
When I reached the third story, Hide, Go Seek, I knew luck was still with me and I’d definitely chosen another great book. The ending of this story really creeped me out. I don’t want to give any major spoilers, but when the family returns home and enters their living room…
That scene was utterly chilling and will stay with me for a good while. Thanks for that!
As I’ve previously said, this collection has no weak links. Every story on offer has something, whether it be a splash of cosmic horror, or the vibe of American Psycho. I enjoyed each and every page of DARK MISSIVES. It’s excellently written and certainly leaves you eager for more.
Of course, there are always stories that stand out from the others. Favourites that people will mention when recommending the book to others.
Aside from the extremely creepy Hide, Go Seek, there were two other stories that had me saying ‘Bloody Hell!’ out loud, much to the amusement of my wife and son.
The first is From The Ground Up. Read this and then scrub those plans you had for buying your dream house. Oh, and gardening. Forget that also.
The second is Collaboration. Wow. What a way to finish. This twisted, dark tale was just brilliant.
For me, DARK MISSIVES scores a whopping eleven out of ten, and I don’t say that lightly. Excellent work, Mr. Howarth. Also, top marks for including story notes at the end of the book. I love it when authors do that.
Simply put, If you are a fan of horror, you need this book.
Go get it.
October 3, 2021
I really enjoyed this collection from Dan Howarth. Some serious horror shorts covering a variety of themes from monsters to killers, to other worldly creatures.
The opening story, Dustin, reminded me of Joyland by Stephen King, but the ending made me want to know more. My favourite was From The Ground Up. Probably because I love gardening and know about invasive species.
All the stories were well written and I look forward to reading more from Dan.
The opening story, Dustin, reminded me of Joyland by Stephen King, but the ending made me want to know more. My favourite was From The Ground Up. Probably because I love gardening and know about invasive species.
All the stories were well written and I look forward to reading more from Dan.
April 26, 2021
Dark Missives is a collection of stories which really announces the arrival of Dan Howarth as a writer to pay attention to. His voice, so clearly steeped in the culture and identity of his native north west of England, comes through clearly in each of these dark tales, some of which really skirt the line of what is acceptable, even in horror. That said, it's not so much gore, as the harrowing nature of the ideas which make this, at times, a tough read (in the best possible way).
October 23, 2024
I really liked this collection. There isn't a bad story to be found. My favourites were From the ground up and The Silent Key, but as I said, every tale was great and a like a better version of Tales from the Crypt, but in book form.
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April 23, 2021Out today!
June 13, 2024
This review is for the short story "Dustin" which is a part of the above compilation.
This is a 3.25 🌟 read rounded ⬇️ to 3 🌟.
This is a 3.25 🌟 read rounded ⬇️ to 3 🌟.
February 21, 2025
3.5 stars
April 27, 2025
Really liked this book
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