A Different Darkness and Other Abominations

by Luigi Musolino, Brian Evenson (Introduction), James D. Jenkins (Translator)

This brilliant new collection showcases the best short stories and novellas of one of Italy's leading horror writers, now available in English for the first time. In 'Lactic Acid', a runner out for a jog through the countryside decides to take a shortcut that leads him straight into a nightmare. In 'Uironda', a jaded truck driver hears an eerie legend of a mysterious highway exit that leads to another dimension, but the reality of the horror he finds there is beyond his wildest imagination. In 'The Stag', a journalist covering a traditional festival in a small town finds himself lost in the woods with a monstrous and terrible deity. And in the title novella, after a girl vanishes from a supermarket without a trace, her grieving parents begin to find solace when they discover a bottomless hole in their basement from which the little girl's voice seems to be coming. But the shimmering allure of that different darkness is not all it seems ...

As Brian Evenson writes in his introduction, "Musolino has a strong and original voice and uses it to get to some uniquely dark places. Rather than blood or gore, he’s ultimately interested in what’s truly terrifying: the vertiginous darkness that threatens to open up and swallow us. A darkness that calls to us, calls to us, until we can’t help but answer and stumble toward it." Set among the plains and mountains of Musolino's native Piedmont and drawing on Italian folkloric traditions, these tales may have an Italian flavor to them, but the strangeness and horror they explore are universal.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Weird Fiction, Fantasy, Italy, Lovecraftian

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 8, 2022

About the author

Luigi Musolino nasce nel 1982 in provincia di Torino, dove risiede e lavora. Specializzato in folclore italiano, è autore di varie raccolte di racconti nel campo del weird, dell'horror e del gotico rurale (Bialere, Oscure Regioni 1 & 2, Uironda).
Nel 2019 ha visto la luce il suo primo romanzo, Eredità di Carne, per la Acheron Books, e nel 2020 la novella Pupille per i tipi di Zona42. Ha tradotto in italiano opere di Brian Keene, Lisa Mannetti, Michael Laimo e gli scritti autobiografici di H. P. Lovecraft.
Il suo ultimo libro è "Un buio diverso - Voci dai Necromilieus", pubblicato da Edizioni Hypnos e illustrato da David Chance Fragale.
Nel 2022 ha esordito negli Stati Uniti con la raccolta "A different darkness and other abominations", edito da Valancourt Books, finalista ai World Fantasy Awards.



Bibliografia
Bialere - Storie da Idrasca, (2012, autoprodotto)
Oscure Regioni Volume 1, (2014, Wild Boar Edizioni)
Oscure Regioni Volume 2, (2015, Wild Boar Edizioni)
Nelle Crepe, (2017, Miskatonic Press/Vincent Books)
Uironda, (2018, Kipple Officina Libraria)
Eredità di Carne, (2019, Acheron Books)
Pupille, (2021, Zona 42)
Un buio diverso, (2022, Edizioni Hypnos)

Traduttore
Rivelazioni in nero di Carl Jacobi, (Dagon Press)
Ritratti al chiaro di luna di Carl Jacobi (Dagon Press)
I Vermi Conquistatori di Brian Keene, (Edizioni XII e Urania Mondadori)
Torture Sottili di Lisa Mannetti, (Kipple Officina Libraria)
Parola di Lovecraft, tutti gli scritti autobiografici del maestro della letteratura fantastica (Società Editrice La Torre)


Pagina FB:
https://www.facebook.com/luigimusolin...

Reviews

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent!

I feel terrible that I haven't been able to post a detailed review on this, I'm just too short on time lately.

However, I do want to say that this is one of the best collections I've ever read. I have a notebook full of quotes and details that I wanted to mention and perhaps I will at a future time. For now, let me just say that Luigi Musolino would and could give Stephen King a great run for his money, if they were ever pitted head to head. I even think that Luigi might win.

Beautiful language, beautifully translated, with stories that will stick with you, (Pupils, I'm looking at you. Black Hills of Torment, you too!), vivid descriptions that will haunt you, and a longing that won't be cured without some more Luigi Musolino.

Lovers of horror short stories? READ THIS BOOK.

*I bought this with my hard earned cash with no regrets.*

[inciminci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent short story collection, in parts gorgeously written. I am traveling right now but will write my thoughts in detail later, when I have the time.

[Adrienne L · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Horror is real, it is. And sometimes it decides to knock on our door. It slips in stealthily, whether we invite it in or not, then it starts screaming and wrecking our home."

These stories hit that sweet spot for me of a nightmarish fever dream atmosphere and the all too tangible horror of human pain and suffering of both the physical and emotional varieties.  The writing is evocative and beautiful.  I planned on listing the stories that I liked the most, but I really just ended up with the table of contents.  I'll be looking out for more dark and dreamy work by Luigi Musolino.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

between a 4 and a 4.5, based on my own particular tastes in this sort of thing.

full post is here:
http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2022...

I am a passionate advocate of translated fiction and I am loving this latest wave of translated horror collections from Valancourt. First they wowed me with their two world horror anthologies, and then it was the off-the-charts excellent The Black Maybe: Liminal Tales by Hungarian author Attila Veres. My latest Valancourt read is from Italy, A Different Darkness And Other Abominations, by Luigi Musolino, and it is dark with a capital D. After having finished both books now, if this is the direction weird fiction is heading, I'm all for it. Keep it coming.

In the translator's note, James Jenkins (co-founder of Valancourt) says that he and Musolino jointly selected the stories to appear in A Different Darkness. Some of these are from Musolino's two-volume collection Oscure Regioni (Dark Regions), which we're told number twenty stories, "one from each of Italy's regions, each inspired by local folklore from that region." A few were also selected from some of the author's other works as well, and together these tales were chosen "to represent the best of his work over his career, which so far spans about ten years." They did a great job in the choosing -- the horrors begin immediately and do not let up, keeping the reader in a squirmworthy state throughout. Musolino is a master of the existential dread and the gloom that pervades all of these stories, many involving strange creatures that make themselves known now and then, but at the heart of it all, human nature is also scrutinized in these tales as the author zeroes in on human psyches that have somehow become (as he describes in the titular story of this collection) "derailed from the tracks of normality."

It seems that in these stories Musolino has discovered a number of cracks hidden in the mundane world into which, often without notice, his characters fall, slowly making their way into a completely different and certainly unexpected darker reality if not directly into the abyss. I will be honest and say that there were a couple of stories that were just too dark or gross for my taste that I didn't care for, but it is most certainly a book that no reader of intelligent horror fiction or weird tales should miss.

Brian Evenson hits the nail on the head about this book, when he says in his excellent introduction that

"Musolino is expert at making us feel the void yawning below us, waiting to swallow both us and his characters up ..."

which is a perfect description that encompasses each and every story in this volume from page one on.

Very highly recommended.

[Valancourt Books]

Now available from Valancourt Books.

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fear feeds on fear, in a vicious circle.”

Having previously read Italian author Luigi Musolino’s short story Uironda in Valancourt Press’ Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1, I was thrilled to learn an entire collection of Musolino’s stories had been published.

A Different Darkness and Other Abominations is a mix of both folk horror and cosmic horror, each story delving into strange phenomena, myths, legends of Italian lore, bad omens, abominations of nature, and madness.

In Les Abominations des Altitudes, scientists find themselves immersed in the journal of a deceased climber who had journeyed up treacherous mountains and discovered a cursed object. Queen of the Sewers follows a young pregnant couple bothered by a nauseating smell they assume requires a plumbing fix, but are then faced with a creepy lore that’s hiding in their pipes. The Last Box blends unimaginable grief with circus contortionism, and in Black Hills of Torment, a town descends into madness after being imprisoned in a circle of dark mountains that appeared seemingly from nowhere.

This collection also includes two novellas: Pupils in which the children of a small town start acting strange after they are told a dark story at school, and A Different Darkness in which parents grieving the disappearance of their child find solace and obsession in a bottomless hole found in their basement, a black void where they think they hear the sound of their child’s sweet laughter. Chills, chills, chills! Every word is filled with mystery and darkness and terror.

I have read many short story collections in my lifetime and I can honestly say there wasn’t a single story in this book I did not like. I loved all of them and am now a huge fan of author Luigi Musolino ! I truly hope the U.S. gets more translated editions of his work! Also bravo to James D. Jenkins for his brilliant translation work!

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una recopilación de once relatos de terror variada y genial de un autor italiano que dará mucho que hablar. Musolino utiliza tradiciones y leyendas italianas, los peligros del mundo y la tecnología actual, y extrañas criaturas salidas de creepy pastas y lugares del turismo oscuro.

Ácido láctico(****): Un corredor se pierde durante su ruta y empieza una pesadilla donde trata de volver a su mundo. Fántastico final.
Urionda(*****): Fenomenal relato que ya leí en la recopilación de cuentos de horror del mundo publicada por Valancourt. Un camionero a quien su esposa ha abandonado y extraña a su hijo se pierde en medio de una autopista y llegará a un extraño lugar fuera del tiempo y el espacio: Urionda, una ciudad de pesadilla que me recordó a la imaginación oscura de Clive Barker.
Púpilas(****): Revisión de "El flautista de Hamelin" en clave de terror. esta novela corta trata de como todos los niños de una escuela caen en el influjo de un extraños ser que se esconde en la biblioteca de una escuela. Esta criatura, muy parecida a los dioses de Lovecraft, implantará ojos dentro de los estómagos de los niños y volverá locos a sus padres.
El carnaval del hombre ciervo(****): Un chico de excursión en el monte se encontrará con un dios antiguo que cada 50 años sale a cazar.
Colinas negras del tormento(*****): Un relato que me encantó y me recordo mucho a Ligotti. Un pueblo cae bajo la influencia de un pintor maldito, cuyas creaciones se reflejarán en el pueblo. La pequeña villa quedará aislada del mundo y sus habitantes empezarán a caer sin descubrir que está pasando. Descripciones oscuras y horripilantes.
Una oscuridad diferente(****): Un hombre pierde a su hija mientras habla con un amigo en un supermercado. La policia empieza a investigar pero la clave parece estar en un antiguo pozo situado bajo la casa del hombre. Su pareja y él empezarán a investigar ese agujero que no parece tener fondo con desastrosas consecuencias.
Dilatando mentes ha anunciado la publicación de este libro en español y no me extraña porque esta recopilación lo tiene bien merecido.

[Julio Bernad · Rating 4 out of 5]

La antología que lanzara Valancourt Books hace unos años recopilando los mejores relatos terroríficos hechos fuera de Estados Unidos puso de manifiesto la enorme calidad que tiene el género, además de lo derivativo que se ha vuelto el terror americano en las últimas décadas. El húngaro Attila Veres fue un agradable descubrimiento, permitiéndome disfrutar de uno de los mejores relatos que he leído este año. Este trabajo del italiano Luigi Musolino quizá no esté a la altura del trabajo del magiar, mucho más redondo, pero sigue siendo una antología fresca, con una voz propia y ciertos elementos distintivos, ajenos al resto de escritores de terror sobrenatural.

A Musolino le gusta el folclore italiano y la mitología; quizá ese sea su fetiche más claro, aunque los relatos que tratan sobre estos temas no sean los mejores de la colección debido, principalmente, a repetir la misma estructura: hay un ser legendario que aparece y el narrador es víctima, o a veces testigo, de dicha aparición terrorífica. Estructura muy usada por Lovecraft y sus horrores blasfemos e indescriptibles que ha día de hoy está del todo superada. A mi juicio, los mejores relatos de Musolino son aquellos que logran fusionar el nihilismo de Ligotti con el horror más humano: el temor a la y de la paternidad, la pérdida y la violencia intrafamiliar. La mezcla, si se hace con cierta elegancia, permiten acercar el terror en vez de convertirlo en un manifiesto sobre lo horroroso y hacen olvidar al lector ciertas frases sonrojantes pensadas para que Rust Cohle, con mirada alucinada y bigotón sudado, nos invite a reflexionar sobre la futilidad de la existencia humana.

Los relatos que contiene la antología son los siguientes:

Ácido láctico (****): el protagonista sale a correr antes de acudir a su fiesta de cumpleaños. El trayecto es el mismo de siempre, pero, justo al llegar al final de su recorrido, distingue un sendero en el que nunca había reparado, sendero que, por supuesto, toma por un atajo y pronto se revela algo muy diferente.

Les abominations des altitudes (**): el descubrimiento del cadaver semidesnudo de un alpinista francés en un valle glaciar revela a la pareja protagonista, padre e hijo, la posible existencia de unas criaturas mitológicas que habitan en las montañas llamadas los asimétricos.

Uironda (****): un camionero fracasado, harto de la vida, encuentra escrito en la puerta de un baño de un bar de carretera la palabra Uironda, lo que le recuerda a una antigua leyenda que se contaba en el gremio, sobre una salida que aparece de la nada en la autopista hacía una ciudad desconocida.

El carnaval del ciervo (***): un reportero se queda atrapado en mitad del camino, de noche, cuando se dirigía hacía el valle de Volturno para cubrir su peculiar carnaval, una fiesta local en la que rinden culto a un ser antropomórfico con cabeza de ciervo. Allí, de noche, es cuando aparece un anciano manco, cubierto de estiércol, que le ordenará que le siga si no quiere morir.

La reina de las alcantarillas (***): un joven matrimonio a punto de tener su primer hijo se mudan a una villa toscana. Una mañana la fosa séptica de la casa parece atascada y un hedor insoportable se adueña de la casa. Cuando el marido se dispone a solucionar el atasco descubre que hay algo en el sumidero que se mueve.

El estrecho (**): en un día tormentoso, el hijo mayor de una familia de pescadores sale a fondear. Al no tener noticias de él, el padre decide adentrarse en la mar para intentar localizarlo. El hermano menor, deseoso de ayudar, se escurre dentro de la embarcación como polizón. Una vez en alta mar, serán testigos del terrible destino del pescador.

Las colinas negras del tormento (****): un pueblo ha sido encerrado por sus montañas, aislado del mundo por una oscuridad impenetrable que no deja que nadie entre ni nadie pueda salir. El origen de esta oscuridad celadora no está claro, pero el narrador cree que pueda tener con el incierto destino del hijo del hombre más rico del pueblo, un chico retraído, obsesionado con la pintura.

La última caja (****): el hijo de un contorsionista y una trapecista de un circo de mala muerte se ha convertido en el perfecto relevo de su padre, logrando introducir su anatomía al completo en una caja de 25 centímetros de largo. Este prodigio de la elasticidad le debe todo a su historia familiar.

Como perros (****): un joven obeso nos relata su triste infancia como niño sensible, con debilidad por la poesía, hijo de un padre alcohólico y maltratador y una madre sumisa. El único motivo que le permitió aguantar tantos años las palizas de su padre era el cariño de Perro, un escuálido can al que su padre tuvo encadenado toda la vida para convertirlo en el perfecto perro guardián. Pero, un día, Perro no pudo aguantar más los abusos; ni el joven tampoco.

Pupilos (****): una noche, los niños de un pueblo manifestaron extraños comportamientos noctámbulos, algunos obscenos, otros violentos, otros autodestructivos, todos con un denominador común: durante el trance, los niños decían que tenían ojos en su interior, y que esos ojos tendrían que salir un día. Una de estas madres estará dispuesta a todo para librar a su hija de este mal.

Una oscuridad diferente (****): un día de Navidad, padre e hija van a hacer la compra al supermercado. Al saludar a un amigo, el padre pierde de vista a la chiquilla. Nunca más volverá a verla. El trauma de la desaparición de su hija se agravará cuando la madre, desolada, al ir a buscar un amuleto que le regalaron a su pequeña, encuentra un pozo sin fondo en el sótano, un agujero del que emana una oscuridad resplandeciente y un olor muy particular: el del champú de su hija.

[Sandra Uv · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Me encantan las antologías de terror, y desde que vi esta en el catálogo de la editorial, supe que tenía que leerla. Al leer la sinopsis quedé completamente fascinada, así que decidí autoregalármela por mi cumpleaños… y no me arrepiento en absoluto. Ha sido una de las mejores decisiones, porque el libro me ha encantado.

Normalmente, en este tipo de recopilaciones siempre hay algún relato más flojo o que simplemente no me convence. Sin embargo, en este caso me han gustado absolutamente todos. Todos.


Puntos Positivos


🌹Esta antología reúne 11 relatos de terror que, con estilos y extensiones muy diferentes, mantienen un nivel sobresaliente. Aunque algunos destaquen más que otros, todos me han parecido brillantes, con una sensación final de auténtico disfrute.

🌹Todos los relatos comparten una fuerte esencia de terror rural y folclórico, con tintes lovecraftianos y cósmicos, fuertemente inspirados en el folclore italiano de la región del Piamonte, lo que les da una personalidad muy marcada y única.

🌹Todos me han parecido increibles pero mis favoritos han sido, sin duda, estos: Les Abominations Des Altitudes, Las colinas negras del tormento, Pupilos y Una Oscuridad diferente, relato que da nombre al libro.

🌹Son relatos cargados de atmósfera, una atmósfera inquietante, capaces de sumergirte por completo en una espiral de locura cósmica y en un terror que se mete bajo la piel. Hay escenas que se te graban a fuego en la memoria y momentos en los que cuesta creer lo que estás leyendo. Escalofríantes y perturbadores.

🌹Algunas de las historias están conectadas, ya que transcurren en el mismo escenario: el pueblo ficticio de Orlasco. Estas han sido de mis favoritas, un pueblo que esconde muchos secretos.

🌹Como siempre, merece mención especial la cuidada edición y la excelente traducción, que además incluye una especie de glosario con los libros y películas que inspiraron los relatos, un detalle que enriquece muchísimo la lectura.


Puntos Negativos


🥀No es algo negativo en si, es más bien un aviso. Hay escenas bastante gráficas y hay un relato en especial bastante duro y con violencia animal explícita, por si sois aprensivos con este tema. A mi este relato me gustó pero me costó mucho leerlo debido a esto.

En conjunto, esta antología es una joya del terror, con relatos intensos y atmosféricos que combinan folclore, horror cósmico y una ambientación rural inquietante.

La calidad es uniforme, la edición y traducción están muy cuidadas, y la experiencia deja una sensación de asombro y fascinación de principio a fin.

No había leído nada de este autor y ahora quiero leerlo absolutamente todo. De mis mejores lecturas de lo que va de año.

-Ig: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNTcGJ8sh...
-Blog: https://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.c...

[Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todos los relatos tienen un nivel muy alto, con escenas inquietantes y perturbadoras. Si te va el horror cósmico y una ambientación rural no sabes lo que te estás perdiendo.

He disfrutado esta recopilación como hacía tiempo que no me pasaba. Espero que sigan publicando al autor porque ha sido un muy agradable descubrimiento.

[Gafas y Ojeras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menuda sorpresa me he llevado al descubrir los relatos que engloban esta recopilación de Luigi Musolino. Una colección de cuentos que nos presentan a una de esas voces dispuesta a apostar por el terror desde la propia esencia que nos aporta el adentrarnos en los terrenos de lo desconocido. Los relatos que nos encontramos en Una oscuridad diferente están dispuestos a ofrecer a los lectores experiencias inquietantes, llenas de atmósferas asfixiantes en las que permanecen ocultos horrores tangibles y llenos de voracidad. Musolino quiere contarnos historias de terror y apuesta por explorar todos los elementos que van componiendo sus escenarios para llenarnos de imágenes inquietantes, unas detalladas y muy gráficas, mientras que otras son meros esbozos impregnados del delirio y la confusión que atenazan al narrador. Eso sí, todas ellas contienen una fuerza tan poderosa que consiguen asustar al lector, sustentadas en la contundencia de los relatos y en su apuesta por generar el horror desde la mirada de un escritor que conoce los entresijos del género.
De ahí que nos encontramos con una colección de historias cuyo nexo en común es el de querer llevar al lector al desconcierto y a la incredulidad, sin contemplaciones, dispuesto a ofrecer una mala experiencia cargada de lo monstruoso y lo inconcebible, planteando una suerte de escenarios que hará que te plantees la idoniedad de caminar a solas por ciertas localizaciones montañosas italianas que se muestran hostiles y misteriosas.
Buen ejemplo de ello lo encontramos en relatos aparentemente sencillos como Ácido láctico, que abre la antología y pone las bases de lo que podemos encontrar en la recopilación. Una narración asfixiante en la que un paseo cotidiano deriva en una pesadilla ante la desesperación de su protagonista, que ve como la atmósfera del un lugar que cree conocido se vuelve hostil e implacable, y donde comenzamos a vislumbrar la capacidad que tiene Musolino para mostrarnos desenlaces terroríficos. También vemos ese tipo de ambientes en Urionda, en este caso a través de un viaje por carretera que transforma el paisaje sin que su protagonista se pueda dar cuenta. Historias que juegan con el desconcierto de unos narradores que van viendo como el infierno se manifiesta ante ellos sin que hayan podido reconocer el calor de las llamas.
Terrenales y físicos se muestran relatos como La reina de las alcantarillas en donde vemos otra de las interesantes apuestas que realiza Musolino en sus narraciones. Aquí el horror es real y está dispuesto a cumplir su función en una de esas historias que apuestan por presentarnos al monstruo como metáfora de algo mucho más cercano, en una delicia de relato que duele desde los silencios que se esconden entre las palabras del autor. Monstruos también se nos ofrecen en El carnaval del ciervo, descubriendo una mitología tenebrosa que es constante en la narración del autor, carente de complejos ante la grandiosidad de su propuesta y la belleza de lo grotesco. Una ambientación que nos remite a Blackwood pero que no deja de flaquear ante otra de las grandes apuestas que se nos presenta en esta recopilación de relatos.
Si en Les abominations des Altitudes ya podemos vislumbrar el cariño que muestra Musolino para que nos adentremos en los terribles peligros que esconden en las inmensidad de la naturaleza, con unas montañas que se muestran hostiles y llenas de aristas dispuestas a expulsar a los incautos que se adentren en ellas, es en Las colinas negras del tormento en donde nos encontramos una narración estremecedora en la que la pesadumbre y la ponzoña van contaminando las páginas de sus relatos. Camuflando una historia de maltrato cotidiana, esas colinas están llenas de horror. Y estremecen desde las palabras, que se esfuerzan por demostrar como se puede conseguir expresar el terror desde la ambigüedad de las descripciones y la explosión de los sentimientos. Uno de esos relatos que quedan marcados en el corazón de quien los lee.
Más convencionales resultan historias como El estrecho, en donde se vuelve a apostar por una nueva mitología cargada de simbolismo y cargada de la mala leche que atesora cada uno de estos relatos. O en esa pequeña apuesta por lo grotesco de La última caja, con la dolorosa propuesta que esconde entre sus contorsiones unas pinceladas del horror que supone perderlo todo en un instante. Como perros también es un relato de esos que muestra sus cartas desde el inicio, sin mayores pretensiones que las de llevar a sus protagonistas a esos desenlaces tan maravillosos que se acumulan en esta colección de historias.
Y llegados a este punto, dos piezas extensas terminan de enriquecer un libro que, de por sí, ya había cumplido con creces todo lo que uno buscaba entre sus páginas. En la primera de ellas volvemos a indagar en la creación de un monstruo que, desde el inicio, viene a satisfacer las demandas de los amantes del horror, una suerte de Hombre de la arena pasado de rosca, con tintes de flautista de Hamelin, y con una mala leche que nos dejará algunas de las imágenes más impactantes de este libro. Cerrando la colección, el relato que da nombre a la misma y que aprovechará para apuntillar todo lo narrado hasta el momento. En este cuento, el vacío destroza a sus protagonistas desde todos los frentes, con una narración que cuenta el deterioro emocional de sus protagonistas al enfrentarse al mayor de los horrores a los que cualquiera se pueda enfrentar. Una de esas historias estremecedoras que se camuflan en lo fantástico para poder narrar lo inenarrable.
Con todos estos mimbres, el sabor que te queda al terminar la recopilación de relatos es la de haber disfrutado con la esencia del horror en sus múltiples vertientes, tanto a nivel físico como emocional, con historias que apuestan por plantear atmósferas inquietantes, llenas de criaturas que esperan agazapadas a que llegue su momento y que no dejan de servir como puente para hablar de otros temas mucho más reconocibles. Una excelente propuesta de horror que centralizará las miradas en este autor al que habrá que prestar toda la atención del mundo.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim because I liked the cover, but I ended up truly enjoying it. As with any short story collection, there were stories that engaged me and others that were "meh," but overall, this is a creative, well-written, and scary collection.

[Magdalena Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love horror in translation, and this is such a weird and eerie collection. I first came across Luigi Musolino in The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1 where his "Uironda" was one of the stand out stories. It's featured in this collection again and is brilliant as ever. Other ones that will definitely stick with me were "Lactic Acid" (creepy and claustrophobic), "The Last Box" (very sad but so good), titular "A Different Darkness" (anxiety inducing, imaginative and I can't stop thinking about it), and of course "Pupils" which is bloody amazing, TERRIFYING, and it creeps under your skin. Easily the best story (or a novella actually?) in the entire collection. I must admit I skipped "Last Dogs" because it was partially set on an animal farm and I had a feeling of upcoming animal cruelty, so no thank you. Other than that, do pick up A Different Darkness and Other Abominations because it is some seriously good horror!

[Alex Budris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 'modern' horror author, such as Mark Samuels, operating at not just the intersection of Lovecraft and Poe, but also within the influence of Thomas Ligotti's vortex of cosmic nihilism. Musolino crafts a different darkness indeed, one all his own - "I had my own personal abyss and I was determined to fathom it... " And we all know what happens when you stare too long into the Abyss... You write a book like this one. Rife with stinking sewers and bottomless pits. Darkness in all its, yes, different forms: roiling, coiling, oily, seething, moist, fecund, robust, fecal, ripe, and feral... "There was always a shadow. Black and stinking." There are at least two stories in this collection that I found honest to jesus scary, and the rest ain't bad at all either... Four stars from left field...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark fiction with a cosmic edge. Some of these stories were pretty frightening; even the least of them are imaginatively conceived. I particularly liked "Lactic Acid," "Pupils" and the title story. Musolino is one to watch for sure.

[T.J. Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this after reading the fantastic The Black Maybe: Liminal Tales, by Attila Veres, recently released alongside this collection, and the two books paired excellently together. It did take me a little bit longer to get through this one than I expected, and that is because the stories here are on the longer side. In addition, the collection ends with not one, but two novellas. Ordinarily, I'm not a huge fan of including novellas in short story collections—to me, it tends to disrupt the flow, and if it's at the end, sometimes it's like climbing a mountain only to discover there's more mountain.

This collection, however, was a shocking exception to my normal rule. Not only did I devour these two novellas ("Pupils" and the title story, "A Different Darkness") but they were my favorites of the entire book. In this case, the "more mountain" was a black monument, rearing up high and proud at the end of the trail. "Pupils" is a stunning melange of fairytale and modern terror that strikes at the heart of what it means not only to be a parent, but also a curious child. The homage that becomes evident by the end of the story made me laugh out loud, because of how bluntly effective it was, though it may ring a little false for some readers. "A Different Darkness" plays on the same themes—the horror of parents and (missing) children, but goes far beyond that and investigates obsession and madness, too.

Come to think of it, parents and their relationships with their children is a thread throughout most of the collection. Another of my favorites, "Hills of Black Torment" (despite the black metal band name) explored a world that seemed directly inspired by movies like Paperhouse, in which a child's drawings serve as monstrous inspiration with real-world implications. The ending of this story fell slightly flat for me, but the vistas it conjured were chilling and disturbing.

A lot of Musolino's work appears to center on organic horror. Nowhere was this more evident in "Queen of the Sewers," which takes an old Italian urban legend (I assume?) and morphs it into a repulsive story of loss and regret. This, too, is a story about things that lurk underneath, much like in the title novella.

Other stories, such as "Carnival of the Stag Man" and "The Strait," felt like they lacked in comparison to these other stories. These two felt a little out of place in the collection, too, as they concerned elements of an older tradition. "Uironda" I'd read before, in the The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1, but it warranted a re-read, and it's just as good in sequence here. Of the remaining work, I also enjoyed "Lactic Acid" and "The Last Box," the latter of which concerns a contortionist suffering from extreme grief, attempting to fold themselves smaller and smaller...

I'm glad I persevered and finished out this collection. Though some of the stories dragged for me, as mentioned, the real jewels of this book are the pair of novellas that finish it off. I would recommend this to any fan of weird horror, especially those who are trying to broaden their horizons. As Brian Evenson notes in his foreword, Musolino's horrors are "decidedly Italian," and they all have a flavor of their own. I can't wait to see what this author does next, though I will definitely be keeping an eye out for a novel or a longer work, as I feel like that's where he truly shines.

Though that shine may be the bright, hungry gleam of a different darkness, I am still excited to follow it where it leads.

[Lisa Frankenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s fitting that Brian Evenson wrote the introduction, as these bleak tales have echoes of Evenson’s writing with a sloshy splash of body horror. I haven’t read many translated works, but I was impressed by the translation job and the prose is excellent.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best prose fiction of the year for me. If you have read enough new horror to start to be jaded by the genre this is where you should go to reboot your love for it.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow. I wish I could give this 1000 stars.

[Neal Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. Every story was great. Catch me begging Valancourt Books to translate everything this guy has ever written.

[Soren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, most of this was painfully mediocre. Painfully because there were really good ideas at the core of many of these short stories but Musolini kept putting way more panache on them than it was needed. For example, the idea behind the Last Box with the contortionist thing was amazing but the execution was severely lacking.
Also, off-handedly mentioning things like the circus director killing himself by pouring goat blood on himself and walking into the tiger cage does not make these stories darker, it makes them terribly silly.
The best story in this book is without a doubt a Different darkness. I'm not sure how much it is inspired by Kathe Koja's Cipher (I really need to read that one) but I feel like it was a very very well written short story, really really enjoyable.
The worst one was Pupils, I genuinely don't know what Musolino was thinking when he wrote it. Or how his editor didn't stop him from publishing that one.

[David Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal collection -- frightening, philosophical and humane, with a perfect balance of personal warmth and cosmic chill.

[Ends of the Word · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories of Luigi Musolino, born and bred in the provinces of Turin, inhabit a world of rural shadows and eerie disorientation. Musolino is well-known as a horror author in his native Italy, and hopefully he will now be discovered and enjoyed by an international audience thanks to the ever-adventurous Valancourt Books, who featured a translation of his story Uironda in their first volume of “World Horror Stories”, and have now published a collection of his stories in an English translation by Valancourt co-founder James D. Jenkins. A Different Darkness and Other Abominations features an introduction by Brian Evenson, who succinctly describes these tales as “compelling, disturbing, and surprising.”

Most of the stories are set in Orlasco or the larger, neighbouring, Idrasca. Orlasco is “a rosary of houses and potato fields”, “a little village of one thousand souls located six kilometers from Pinerolo, twenty-eight from Turin, at the foot of the Alps”. Sometimes, the rural setting is only marginally important. The brilliant “The Last Box”, for instance, is about a grieving contortionist who comes up with a seemingly impossible way of making contact with his wife, a trapeze artist who died during a show held in Orlasco. If Orlasco, in this story, is simply a stop on the circus troupe’s route, in others it takes centre stage, its small-town feel evoking a sense of claustrophobia, hopelessness and futility. Indeed, although the rural setting might lead one to expect stories in the “folk horror” tradition, Musolino’s works lean more towards the cosmic, existential pessimism and despair of a Ligotti. The horror, very often, lies in the fact that “normality” may go askew, and the mundane may suddenly uncover unspeakable terrors.

Consider, for instance, the protagonist in “Lactic Acid”, who goes on a run, takes a short cut, and finds himself in suddenly hostile terrain existing, seemingly and frustratingly, on a different plane. For the hapless jogger, there was no turning back. The same happens to the truck driver in “Uironda” who ends up in “a place that doesn’t exist but is there”. In “Black Hills of Torment”, the villagers wake up to find their community haunted by the weird imaginings of a disturbed youth who had gone missing some time before. The surrounding mountains have been replaced by two-dimensional “black hills”, hemming the village in, and shutting out all routes of escape. Musolino introduces a diabolically inventive touch – all the radios, speakers and devices in the town continuously blast out the voice of Wilma Goich singing “Le colline sono in fiore.” Now, I’m not sure how familiar this will be to international readers, but no one raised on a diet of Italian tv and radio will fail to recognise this particularly cheesy, yet catchy tune, which does have all the makings of a pesky earworm (I kept finding myself humming it for around a week after reading the story...)

Some of the featured pieces can be read as allegories of grief, often linked to the loss of innocence, or to bad things happening to children. This is the case with the novella “Pupils” (originally published in Italy as a standalone book) a reworking of the Pied Piper myth set in Idrasca, and with “A Different Darkness”, the title story, taken from Musolino’s latest collection Un Buio Diverso. In the latter, a couple still reeling from the unexplained and unsolved disappearance of their little daughter discover a bottomless pit in the basement of their apartment block, whose “different darkness” promises to reunite them with their loved one, but at a terrible cost. The metaphor is clear – the black well standing in for guilt, grief, obsession and depression.

The volume also includes four stories taken from Oscure Regioni (“Dark Regions”) a two-volume publication from 2015-2016 in which Musolino, an expert in Italian folklore, reworks mythical monsters typical of different Italian regions into contemporary tales. Although they share some themes with the other featured works, these stories have a decidedly different feel to them, closer to classic folk-horror. Les Abominations des Altitudes in particular, has echoes of Algernon Blackwood, as Brian Evenson points out in his introduction and The Carnival of the Stag Man is almost Machen-like.

Horror may still tend to be dominated by English-language authors, but this collection (and others published by Valancourt) should serve to set the record straight. Make no mistake, Musolino’s stories are world-class. Like the couple in the title-story, they make you look into a dark, yet siren-like void, before you giddily (and cathartically?) pull back to normality.

Full review at: https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...

[7thTrooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det är nog första skräcksamlingen från Italien jag läst; enstaka noveller i Vandermeers obligatoriska The Weird och Italo Calvino är annars min enda koppling till landet. Men förhoppningsvis så översätts mer om Musolino har landsmän i samma klass. Topparna är inte lika höga som Veres The Black Maybe men A Different Darkness... är jämnare och har en högre lägstanivå. Det är inte mycket monster eller slafs och fokus ligger mycket mer på stämning. Samlingen består mest av noveller men det finns även två längre verk varav Pupils är både den första och den bästa,en slags modern tolkning av Råttfångaren från Hameln med extra nihilism. Kronjuvelen är däremot Uironda, om en lastbilschaufför som ofrivilligt gör en sista ödesdiger resa.

[Nick Spacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was a huge fan of valancourt's two world horror stories collections, so it's a delight to see them now collecting individual authors. musolino's stories are brilliant, in that they're very intimate, yet feel as though they're offering a glimpse into a much wider vision of universal terror. 'lactic acid' has a momentum to it which makes it nearly as exhausting to read as it is for the protagonist to experience, and in 'like dogs,' one's reaction at the finale is one of pure elation. these stories are cathartic to read, although it is a fine balance between relief and joy as they conclude. if nothing else, they certainly stick with you long after finishing.

[Jeffrey Powanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of 11 atmospheric and existential horror stories, all set in the plains and mountains of Piedmont, Italy. The introduction is by writer Brian Evenson, whose spare, cerebral approach to horror is similar to Musolino's. Of the stories, my favorites are "Lactic Acid," "Pupils," and the title story, a classically-framed novella about a couple whose young daughter goes missing, causing their lives to unravel in horrific fashion. The translation from the Italian by James D. Jenkins and the cover design by Vince Haig are both exquisite.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

It…
I think that the best horror doesn’t even scare you. Doesn’t even make your skin crawl, not more than a little bit.
It just sinks under your skin, and you could bleed yourself dry and never was it out.
Leaves you feeling empty and full.
This reads like if Arthur Machen stopped pretending. Like if H.P Lovecraft faced his fears. Maybe you could tear the world apart looking for fissures and cracks and this book is just another crack that leaves you staring down, down, down.
And you won’t want to look away

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. One of the best collections of horror shorts I've read in quite some time. The highs (Pupils, Queen of the Sewers, Like Dogs, and Different Darkness, in my opinion) were immaculately crafted, beautiful and haunting. Just phenomenal writing, and an incredible translation into English too.

If you enjoy being submersed into existential cosmic horror and learning of the disturbing creatures infecting the darkest corners of our plane of existence, I cannot recommend this enough. I promise it will stay with you.

[Justin Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was eager to read this collection after reading Uironda by Musolino in The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories and it did not disappoint my high expectations. By the time I got to the last two stories, Pupils, and A Different Kind of Darkness, not just satisfied but blown away. These are real horror stories that deal with themes of loss and the lost in startling ways that often left me gutted on top of being totally freaked out.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous collection of weird Italian horror stories, every one as high quality as the next. A bit early to say in January, but probably will be the best of the year for me? Highly highly recommended. Also with many thanks to the Valancourt publishers and translators for this achievement.

Scary good.