The very dust of the stars' explosive pasts traveled lightyears across the unknown, and now that dust pulses through our veins, drawing our eyes up, back to our origins. Since the dawn of humanity, the stars have called for us to gaze upon their brilliance, and we sit around campfires making up tales of their histories. Tales which are often fraught with horror.
Ranging from psychological to apocalyptic, sci-fi to bizarre, quiet to gruesome and all the horrors in between, these 28 dark stories and poems explore our awe-inspiring- and terrifying -human connection to the stars.
Take a look through the eyepiece and into an astronomer's failing mind. Observe an obsessed lover who can't get enough of the celestial view. Board a space station as the last remaining people debate whether humanity is worth saving. And ask yourself...
What will you do when the sky begins to devour us all?
Red Lagoe grew up on 80’s and 90’s horror and carried her fear of slashers, sewer creatures, Hitchcockian birds, and psychos into adulthood where she now purges her horror-ridden mind onto the page. She is the author of the upcoming novel "Bloodstains by Gaslight" (Brigids Gate Press 2025), "In Excess of Dark" (Sobelo Books), and three horror collections including "Impulses of a Necrotic Heart". Red has stories published in various anthologies and magazines, and she enjoyed her role as curator and editor of "Nightmare Sky: Stories of Astronomical Horror". Red also worked as a staff writer for Crystal Lake Publishing’s "Still Water Bay" series. In addition to writing, Red loves creating art using traditional fine art mediums like paint, ink, and charcoal. She is also the owner of Death Knell Press.
Well when I say this is one of the best horror anthologies I have ever read cover to cover I am not lying! I had an absolute blast reading these stories. I took my time with this one instead of reading it in just two sittings. I read a story or two a day since picking it up because I wanted the theme of the astronomical horror to really settle in and become a part of my reading routine. And it worked in all the right ways for me!
I discovered a LOT of new-to-me authors and that is always a win. Some authors I knew of and have interacted with but never read anything they have done until now. Other authors totally blindsided me and now I am looking for that debut or trying to find some other stories they have published.
This is a knockout anthology in terms of TOC and content, yes. But is also LOOKS STUNNING! The interior design is on another level. There's a true attention to detail and making all the pages look cool with great design and illustrations throughout. That sort of element in a book really does enhance the reading experience and it's a wonderful treat for the reader when that happens.
General Thoughts: Horror is not my preferred genre, but that didn't matter as this book exceeded my expectations and shattered any preconceived notion I had of what it means to write in the horror genre. Each author selected and handled the themes in their own way. From poetry to short stories, to longer narratives, each individual gave me an appreciation for their style. The art is amazing and I'm not simply talking about the gorgeous cover. The hand-drawn art depicted for each story grabs your attention and reflects the author's intent perfectly. Every story is well edited and the order in which each piece is sorted takes you through the gambit of emotions from fear to awe to dread to heartache and back again.
Specific Thoughts: For those of you who may not know the ins/outs of writing as I do, I'll just say that the level of skill that each author handled the general theme was such a treat. Infinite Focus by Dino Parenti is narrated in journal-type entries to relay the story at different times but expertly utilized this method to build a rising dread and ultimate climax. It was a long narrative but I didn't care because of how well he weaved the time dilations. In Absence Of by Ziggy Schultz was told in short form poetry but each line packed enough emotion and dissonance that it felt like a narrative that I would have with myself. The punch of each subsequent back and forth felt unhinged with intent and purpose. Stellanova by C.R. Beideman is written in first person present tense and the "not to overly descriptive but describes just enough" prose transported me to 1572 and filled my head with vivid imagery that stayed with me for a time after reading on.
I could continue but those are the ones that come to mind after the first read. Let's talk about art. Child of Misery by Salvador Ayala. Haunting. Necronaut Retrieval Failure by Kim Z. Dale. Chilling. You can tell that Red Lagoe put a tremendous amount of love and care into crafting this anthology. This set the bar high for future Horror authors that I may read. Highly recommend.
I enjoyed this. Not so much horror as much as gore, in my opinion. Many triggers, though, so if you’re sensitive to such you may want to rethink reading (the trigger warnings are at the end). It was quite eclectic and each author contributed something unique which kept me reading. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing talent. I find in anthologies such as this, there are usually a couple pieces that make me wonder if anyone edited it. Not the case with this. I think it’s worth a read.
Nightmare Sky features a diverse slate of horror poems and stories. While these pieces deal with the horrors of the cosmos, there’s a little something for everyone as the authors tackle the theme of astronomy horror via the varied lens of folk horror, apocalyptic horror, and sci-fi horror.
I had the great joy of beta reading one of the stories in this book while a friend told me where they were submitting the piece. Given that, I have been following this publication through a lot of its stages. I waited for submissions to close, bounced up and down as my friend watched his email for an expected rejection, and got to shriek with him when it was the acceptance I expected all along he'd get. From there, I waited for edits to run their course formatting to get done. And when I could finally buy a copy of this my fingers went clicky, click, give me a book!!
And after all of that, I have to say this book was worth all that waiting and expecting. I started reading back in November and despite myself, had a hard time not just reading this book through in one sitting. I wanted to take my time and enjoy the experience and too has been worth the wait. I sat and read this book a couple stories at a time on my lunch breaks and let the horror and the tingles in my spine sink in while I digested each piece and they lingered in my mind. The book as a whole is a beautiful tapestry woven of art, prose, and poetry that explores our ancient fear of the dark and the night and all the things that might exist in those enigmatic, empty spaces. Having spent the first years of my childhood in a haunted house where all the things that went bump in the night liked to terrify, I don't scare easily these days, but this book left me pondering, shaking of shivers, and experiencing awe by turns.
As with every anthology, there were a few pieces that stood out to me and still linger in my mind all the way into December after finally finishing up my read. By order of appearance in the book, here are my favorites:
Infinite Focus. This tale of a ghost in the machine, or of living machine trying to understand its existence, was the most spine tingling and haunting piece I found in this book. The emptiness and yet ghostly sensation of a presence constantly there over your shoulder comes through in amazing ways in here.
Light Echoes. The idea of losing your sight, of not being able to see reality, in this way is chilling and utterly perfect.
The Ravenous Empyrean. When we look at the stars, do they look back? And what happens when they decide to devour the small observers? The unavoidable finiteness of life watching its end approach is so beautiful in here.
By The Hand of Sorayya. This one hardly felt like astronomical horror at all, and yet of all the stories contained in this book it lingers because of its shear humanness. By our own hands we paint our destinies.
Moth To A Flame. Insanity. Loneliness. The comfort of those who accept us as who we are. Fabulous.
Her Sisters, The Stars. We make our own prejudices and carry them with us even into the stars, but even in silence the oppressed do not lose memory. As a pagan who feels an affinity for Wicca, I felt this story deeply.
The One Who Rides The Comet. This one is terrifying and made my skin crawl in all the right ways, most of which had nothing to do with the cosmic and everything to do with the human. Those who are meant to love us willing to destroy us for their own twisted desires is all too human and all too real and this tale of choices is one I'll remember for a long time.
Into The Great Wide Open. Sometimes the simple search for understanding can lead to horror for those we don't mean to hurt.
Ya-Yai Makes the Baby Mobiles Spin. If something can be a mixture of horrible and soft, this story is it. To me it felt comforting, to others most likely not, but it is amazing in all cases.
The Rite of the Milk of the Stars. Sometimes the true horror is needing to live with the one you love but can't forgive. The tale will haunt you in all the right ways.
Star of San Luis. Some prophecies are not about salvation. And sometimes that's meant to be.
Gazing. I have a hard time with poetry, but many of the poems in this book resonated with me, and none more than this. What would we give up to view the magnificent?
In the Moment. Do you see the world through the lens of technology to the detriment of sight? Given how much of my own life I spend writing about other people who never existed and hunting for the like and share in the hope people will read what I write, this story hit home.
Don't Look Up. Beta read this story in its infancy and was haunted by it. Now everyone else can be haunted by it too.
Nox Invictus. We will always struggle against the unconquerable night, even to our last ashen moments of fire. This story brought the sting of tears to my eyes and was the perfect way to end this book.
Much love to all the authors and the amazing editor and artist who brought this book to life. It is an amazing ride.
A fantastic anthology of short stories and poems on the horrors of the night sky. 28 authors have shared common, and not so common, fears of what is in outer space that we are frightened of. Apocalypse, aliens, shadows, and the terrifying bleakness of the galaxy. Along with each story, Lagoe has added a black and white picture that resembles the story.
*I’m breaking down all 28 stories and poems This review will take a few minutes for you read!
The first story, Stargazer by Tiffany Michelle Brown, is a mesmerizing love story. An unrequited love between a man and woman, ends with an eye opening epiphany. This was the perfect story to start the anthology.
Infinite Focus by Dino Parenti is another elegant story about Artificial Intelligence becoming human. Fantastic writing and gripping.
The third story, Light Echoes by Pauline Barmby is about supernova lightwaves altering our reality. More sci-fi than horror, but still a truly wonderful story.
The Ravenous Empyrean by Zachary Rosenberg, a phenomenal story of the sky devouring Earth. The writing style is something I enjoyed immensely with this story.
In the Absence Of by Ziggy Schutz, is a poem about space. A good use of strong words, such as, “hunger”, “mankind”, “fear”, “scars”, and “shivers”.
The sixth story, By The Hand of Sorayya by Inara Enko is a story about a young girl learning to stand up for herself. There is so much more to this story, I loved every moment getting lost in this one.
Moth to a Flame by Jeremy Megargee feels like a romanticized version of finding comfort in another person. A bleak and dark story of love and devotion. Perfection.
Next, Float by Vann Orcka, a kid reflects on life and the universe, one cannot live without the other. A quick and solid story.
Her Sisters, The Stars by Patrick Barb. This is another favorite story that I will think of often for the rest of my life. The stars, they are more than just bright lights in the sky. They have purpose.
The tenth story, Horoscope of a Toxic Union by Justin Moritz is a poem about domestic abuse. This poem is definitely meaningful, but didn’t quite pull my heartstrings as much as I wanted it to.
The One Who Rides the Comet by Matthew Condello. This story is everything. Supernatural, evil, horror, love, family, pain, sacrifice. Five glorious stars for this story. Next, Astronomical Choices by M. Richard Eley is a fabulous devil story. The first sentence got my anxiety up real quick! It didn’t let up until the end.
Into the Great Wide Open by Madison McSweeney is a story of a family struggling with loss. The ending is quite poetic. Loved it!
There is so much I want to say about Ya-Ya Makes the Baby Mobiles Spin by Bernard McGhee, but I need to keep this one completely in the dark for you. Parents, be warned.
The Center of Everything by Elizabeth Davis is a delight to see and read. Very cool layout for the one page story!
In The Rite of the Milk of the Stars by Lindsey Ragsdale is a story set in outer space as two women protect humanity's future. Easy to read, I devoured this story, it is so good.
The seventeenth story, The Dear Darling Things by Jacob Steven Mohr is a truly awesome twist on the story of the first people to land on the moon. This had my imagination going crazy after I finished it.
Earth 10 by Tony Logan is the repeated mistakes humans make. Bleak and sad story that is also an eye opener for everyone.
Necronaut Retrieval Failure by Kim Z. Dale is such a cool story!!! Another one about the stars being more that a big ball of light and gas. Freaking awesome story!
On to the twentieth story, A Promise, A Surprise by AI Jiang. A poem about energy. If you haven’t read anything by Jiang, here is a chance to find another author you might like.
Stellanova by C. R. Beideman is a quick story of a man trying desperately to reach the stars. Even though it was a quick story, I enjoyed every part of it.
The story The Child of Misery by Salvador Ayala is a haunting story! So different and very original from the typical haunted stories. Loved it!
Please Don’t Be a Serial Killer by Kata Ota has one of the best story endings in this entire anthology. I really did not expect the story to end like this, but it is definitely perfect.
Star of San Luis by Holly Rae Garcia is about following a guiding star to a place that would hopefully be splendid and divine. I enjoyed this one, but the characters were hard to connect with.
Gazing by Avira Marariti is a quick poem of death. Another fabulous use of words and emotion.
In the Moment by Grace R. Reynolds is an excellent story of the supernatural. Such an unexpected outcome. The writing is fantastic.
Don’t Look Up by Emerson Seipel is by far, one of my favorite stories in this anthology. It is about humanity unable to look up at the night sky forevermore. I would like this in novel form, please.
The last story, Nox Invictus by Rose Stickman has got the be the best, last story of this anthology. Darkness devours all and leaves humanity in turmoil. A truly brilliant and eerie story that lingers well after reading.
After reading these stories, I can understand why this anthology is on the 2022 Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot for “Superior Achievement in an Anthology”. Red Lagoe has truly found some phenomenal authors who know how to pull you in with such few words of darkness and nightmares.
Maybe sci-fi just isn't my cup of tea. Maybe astronomy doesn't intrigue me as much as it should. Perhaps my nerdiness lay elsewhere. It wasn't an easy read in terms of content; but in regards to the editing, Red Lagoe did a terrific job with that, which made it better. Kudos!
These stories would've seemed much scarier to me if the sky, stars, and the moon were ever visible where I live. Nothing but overcast clouds and light pollution. I suppose that's a blessing in disguise if we're considering these tales!
I was originally going to give an in-depth review of each story in this book, but the more I think about it, the more I don't think it's necessary.
I have all my thoughts written down, but I think this is enough and I'm not entirely sure my full review would fit within the character limit. It might also gain me some haters. So honestly, the headache isn't worth it.
I will admit though, that this book was not what I was expecting it to be.
I took my time. Enjoying each story and poem. Very different tales to appeal to everyone. An anthology of facing the unknown. For space holds much we will never experience. An anthology of heart, of questioning, of bravery.