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Swirling Darkness
An artist lives in the perpetual night of the Arctic Circle during winter, making paintings which he interprets symbolically. Pressured by an upcoming exhibition and driven mad by his isolation, he seeks an escape, as well as a way to get to the heart of the meaning of art, so he digs.What follows is a surreal journey into the centre of the Earth as the artist overcomes a series of bizarre trials and tribulations, confronting the horror of his inner psyche and the terrible denizens who dwell deep underground.Ultimately, he must confront himself and the true nature of his world.
80 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 4, 2026
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the quality of the writing, above all else. Carefully chosen words, solid sentence structure, and these nonstop, disorienting thoughts just tossed on the paper methodically to bring the reader into the mindset of our lead. It had a very classic feel to it, almost bringing me back to certain Edgar Allen Poe works like The Raven and Annabel Lee. With stories like this, I always feel like they end, leaving me with more questions than answers, and this was no exception. Very much suited to a specific audience. Still good, but potential readers should be aware that this is more of an experiential read and less of a standard story.
October 14, 2024
OK, this book, though short, is a totally bizarre trip through one weird introspective scene after another, one of those books where the intentionally messy writing reflects the mindset of the main character. The synopsis of the book should be added to the story as it can work as a companion or a reading manual to the "swirling" madness of the plot. Essentially you burrow underneath the floorboards of reality, so to speak, you step into the mind of an anonymous artist spiraling into insanity, and that's it: you have to find your own way into his labyrinth of thoughts, impressions, visions, adventures, ruminations, and inner dialogue. Admittedly, for me the result was not always worth it: I got lost and confused, esepcially by "the woman," feeling as if someone had raised me and then threw me on the ground and I broke into a million pieces and had to assemble myself from scratch. I rcommend this one to anyone who likes existential or metaphysical horror, or enjoys just plain tripping!
October 8, 2024
Sam Phillips is an author, poet, and a co-founder of Zombie Pirate Publishing with Adam Bennett. They published some of my very first short stories and have been a lot of fun to work with.
Sam is branching out as an individual author and I recently read two of his books, Infinity and I, published by the aforementioned Zombie Pirate, and Swirling Darkness published as part of the Underground series by Black Hare Press
The description for his anthology is:
INFINITY AND I is a collection of seventy brand new science fiction stories from Sam M. Phillips, the co-founder of Zombie Pirate Publishing. Inside you’ll find surreal space journeys, bizarre aliens, futuristic technology, rogue AIs, and a girl who just wants to be loved. Follow a huge array of exotic characters across the galaxy as they use inter-dimensional drugs and fight battles on faraway worlds. Action, drama, and science combine with the complexity of the human soul in the year’s most exciting new sci fi release. Open up a portal and step into the depths of a unique mind with INFINITY AND I: Seventy Science Fiction Stories!
As an aside, I should note that my novella Time’s Abyss is also part of the Underground series.
Sam publishes his poetry on his blog Big Confusing Words. That’s important to know for my review as you’ll soon see.
The blurb for “Darkness” states:
An artist lives in the perpetual night of the Arctic Circle during winter, making paintings which he interprets symbolically. Pressured by an upcoming exhibition and driven mad by his isolation, he seeks an escape, as well as a way to get to the heart of the meaning of art, so he digs.
What follows is a surreal journey into the centre of the Earth as the artist overcomes a series of bizarre trials and tribulations, confronting the horror of his inner psyche and the terrible denizens who dwell deep underground.
Ultimately, he must confront himself and the true nature of his world.
When reading “Darkness,” I was glad I had this description because it’s not an easy book to read and comprehend. As the above-description states, the book enters the mind of an artist gone mad and his supposed hallucinations of a macabre and nightmarish underground realm. He encounters devils and demons and even a dragon, all seemingly bent on his horrific mutilation and ultimate demise.
Most of the book is the protagonist’s agonizing introspections as he delves into his dark world. In reading “Infinity,” each of Sam’s short stories (some classify as drabbles) have similar styles and themes. Many involve drug use and addiction as well as insanity. He also returns to the theme of what it is to be truly alien, either from another planet or as an interdimensional being.
Sam’s use of language is rich, erudite, and densely packed. Along with the “otherworldliness” of his writing, this can cause the reader to become lost as to what is happening, to whom, when, and how. At an equivalent of eighty pages, this digital book is short, but not a quick read.
For me, the advantage that “Darkness” had over “Infinity” is the length. Across seventy short stories which qualify as both science fiction and horror, just as the reader is penetrating into the protagonist’s world, suddenly that world ends, and we’re on to the next tale.
In “Darkness,” we have time to more fully explore a complex and frankly confusing realm. I was certain for the majority of the book that the protagonist (he’s never given a name) was absolutely bonkers and hallucinating. What he describes would certainly have killed a person many times over. But once he’s rescued by “the woman,” things aren’t so clear.
Is he in an underground world similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Pellucidar series? For a while, I thought so.
But the story ends in a different world (or reality) with the man and the woman together and supposedly at peace.
Sam’s stories tend to seize upon the character’s exploration of themselves, their reality, and their ultimate identity. Pretty existential stuff. Even writing prose, this author’s work reads very much like poetry, and at the end, the reader is left wondering if the protagonist has returned to his own mind or is truly lost in some “otherness” forever.
If symbol-heavy writing and questions of self and existence appeal to you, then Sam Phillips’ Swirling Darkness may be the book for you.
Sam is branching out as an individual author and I recently read two of his books, Infinity and I, published by the aforementioned Zombie Pirate, and Swirling Darkness published as part of the Underground series by Black Hare Press
The description for his anthology is:
INFINITY AND I is a collection of seventy brand new science fiction stories from Sam M. Phillips, the co-founder of Zombie Pirate Publishing. Inside you’ll find surreal space journeys, bizarre aliens, futuristic technology, rogue AIs, and a girl who just wants to be loved. Follow a huge array of exotic characters across the galaxy as they use inter-dimensional drugs and fight battles on faraway worlds. Action, drama, and science combine with the complexity of the human soul in the year’s most exciting new sci fi release. Open up a portal and step into the depths of a unique mind with INFINITY AND I: Seventy Science Fiction Stories!
As an aside, I should note that my novella Time’s Abyss is also part of the Underground series.
Sam publishes his poetry on his blog Big Confusing Words. That’s important to know for my review as you’ll soon see.
The blurb for “Darkness” states:
An artist lives in the perpetual night of the Arctic Circle during winter, making paintings which he interprets symbolically. Pressured by an upcoming exhibition and driven mad by his isolation, he seeks an escape, as well as a way to get to the heart of the meaning of art, so he digs.
What follows is a surreal journey into the centre of the Earth as the artist overcomes a series of bizarre trials and tribulations, confronting the horror of his inner psyche and the terrible denizens who dwell deep underground.
Ultimately, he must confront himself and the true nature of his world.
When reading “Darkness,” I was glad I had this description because it’s not an easy book to read and comprehend. As the above-description states, the book enters the mind of an artist gone mad and his supposed hallucinations of a macabre and nightmarish underground realm. He encounters devils and demons and even a dragon, all seemingly bent on his horrific mutilation and ultimate demise.
Most of the book is the protagonist’s agonizing introspections as he delves into his dark world. In reading “Infinity,” each of Sam’s short stories (some classify as drabbles) have similar styles and themes. Many involve drug use and addiction as well as insanity. He also returns to the theme of what it is to be truly alien, either from another planet or as an interdimensional being.
Sam’s use of language is rich, erudite, and densely packed. Along with the “otherworldliness” of his writing, this can cause the reader to become lost as to what is happening, to whom, when, and how. At an equivalent of eighty pages, this digital book is short, but not a quick read.
For me, the advantage that “Darkness” had over “Infinity” is the length. Across seventy short stories which qualify as both science fiction and horror, just as the reader is penetrating into the protagonist’s world, suddenly that world ends, and we’re on to the next tale.
In “Darkness,” we have time to more fully explore a complex and frankly confusing realm. I was certain for the majority of the book that the protagonist (he’s never given a name) was absolutely bonkers and hallucinating. What he describes would certainly have killed a person many times over. But once he’s rescued by “the woman,” things aren’t so clear.
Is he in an underground world similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Pellucidar series? For a while, I thought so.
But the story ends in a different world (or reality) with the man and the woman together and supposedly at peace.
Sam’s stories tend to seize upon the character’s exploration of themselves, their reality, and their ultimate identity. Pretty existential stuff. Even writing prose, this author’s work reads very much like poetry, and at the end, the reader is left wondering if the protagonist has returned to his own mind or is truly lost in some “otherness” forever.
If symbol-heavy writing and questions of self and existence appeal to you, then Sam Phillips’ Swirling Darkness may be the book for you.
October 1, 2024
In full disclosure, I don’t read much horror. But I do read Sam M. Phillips because he draws me into his stories on the strength of his writing and his ability to delve deep into the mind of his main character. It’s always a fascinating read and he doesn’t disappoint with this new book. The unnamed protagonist, an artist, is having a hard time with life, specifically his creative process. He questions everything he does and soon finds himself on an inner journey of both the mind and spirit. As I read, I wondered if his was a horrifying passage to find the truth about himself, or perhaps a metaphor for the artist's struggle with the creative process. Or both? In the end, it didn’t matter. Sam excels at writing inner dialogue and the reader is hurled forward page after page at breakneck speed. The writing is incredibly detailed and the journey is not one for the faint of heart. But in Sam’s skillful hands, the reader is brought along with such a confident style that we experience everything the protagonist experiences – in all of its glorious and often gory detail. The ending is tour de force writing at its finest and left me emotionally wrung out. I didn’t mind at all. It’s a mind-blowing read and I loved it. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2024
Existential angst oozes from every page of Sam M. Phillips' latest masterpiece, "Swirling Darkness."
It is a heady amalgam of James Joyce's "Ulysses," and Aspyr's hit game "Layers of Fear." A familiar whirlwind of terror for any artist who's ever been utterly consumed by the denizens of their own internal worlds.
Phillips is a rare talent, never afraid to stand apart from the crowd. His works have an ephemeral, poetic quality unlike anything currently in circulation. They will haunt you long after you've closed the back cover.
It is a heady amalgam of James Joyce's "Ulysses," and Aspyr's hit game "Layers of Fear." A familiar whirlwind of terror for any artist who's ever been utterly consumed by the denizens of their own internal worlds.
Phillips is a rare talent, never afraid to stand apart from the crowd. His works have an ephemeral, poetic quality unlike anything currently in circulation. They will haunt you long after you've closed the back cover.
January 23, 2023
If you like a well written story, which is a bit different, buy this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews