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The Measure of Sorrow: Stories
Shirley Jackson Award-winning author J. Ashley-Smith’s first collection, The Measure of Sorrow, draws together ten new and previously acclaimed stories of dark speculative fiction. In these pages a black reef holds the secret to an interminable coastal limbo; a father struggles to relate to his estranged children in a post-bushfire wilderness; an artist records her last days in conversation with her unborn child; a brother and sister are abandoned to the manifestations of their uncle’s insanity; a suburban neighbourhood succumbs to an indescribable malaise; teenage ravers fall in with an eldritch crowd; a sensitive New Age guy commits a terminal act of passive-aggression; a plane crash opens the door to the Garden of Eden; the new boy in the village falls victim to a fatal ruse; and a husband's unexpressed grief is embodied in the shadows of a crumbling country barn. Intelligent and emotionally complex, the stories in The Measure of Sorrow elude easy classification, lifting the veil on the wonder and horror of a world just out of true.
- GenresShort StoriesHorror
202 pages, Paperback
Published June 6, 2023
3 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
J. Ashley-Smith
10 books40 followersJ. Ashley Smith is a British–Australian author of dark fiction and co-host of the Let The Cat In podcast. His first book, The Attic Tragedy, won the Shirley Jackson Award. Other stories have won the Ditmar Award, Australian Shadows Award and Aurealis Award.
He lives with his wife and two sons beneath an ominous mountain in the suburbs of North Canberra, gathering moth dust, tormented by the desolation of telegraph wires.
You can find him at spooktapes.net, performing amazing experiments in electronic communication with the dead.
He lives with his wife and two sons beneath an ominous mountain in the suburbs of North Canberra, gathering moth dust, tormented by the desolation of telegraph wires.
You can find him at spooktapes.net, performing amazing experiments in electronic communication with the dead.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 14, 2023
A collection of short horror stories and I'd call the titular story more of a novella. This is an excellent book filled with creepy and odd stories. They take place in Australia giving them an other-worldly feel to this North American reader. The writing is beautifully crafted pulling us deeper into these dark stories. Some were quite disturbing. Most of the stories were full on five starts with a couple holding at four stars. It's not often short stories with a collection are all so excellent. Recommended.
June 17, 2023
3 1/2
While I no longer read much horror, what I have read in the past decade has made me expect the unexpected. J. Ashley-Smith’s collection of stories, The Measure of Sorrow, fits quite well with my expectation. More cerebral than visceral, the stories tend to be about people facing the unknown, the unconsidered, especially when they seem not to be in their right minds, so to speak.
No one is saved from the possible horrors. Not an innocent brother and sister whose mother and uncle have given way to madness and perhaps perpetuated the madness that lurks outside in “The Family Madness” nor a broken family trying to find a picnic area in a landscape destroyed by fire in “Old Growth.” In “The Black Massive,” two teenagers, ravers, pursuing their next high and the ultimate head-banging experience fall under the spell of a mysterious man named Cadman who gives them black pills that taste of death and seem to be an emotional portal to the same. As I was reading “The Black Massive” and Stephen’s mother’s reaction to him, I couldn’t help but think of the actual drug epidemics so prevalent right now in the States. While “The Black Massive” describes a dark, perhaps supernatural epidemic, the darkness of the current drug epidemic felt the same.
Many of the stories have individuals facing something unknown, unable to understand or recognize the possible dangers the “unknown” represents. Smith doesn’t take the hand of the reader and tell us, “This is what I’m talking about. This is the horror right here.” Instead, he leaves it for us to determine what that horror is, what it means, what is ultimately going to happen.
The stories left little hope. Or at least that was how I felt after reading most of them.
The stories in The Measure of Sorrow beg to be read and considered for longer than I did before writing this review. Smith’s writing is eloquent and intelligent. I even learned a new word with the very first sentence in the book (littoral, literally I did, haha). Even if you think you’re not a fan of horror, you might read these stories that provoke more thought than shivers.
Thanks to Meerkat Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
While I no longer read much horror, what I have read in the past decade has made me expect the unexpected. J. Ashley-Smith’s collection of stories, The Measure of Sorrow, fits quite well with my expectation. More cerebral than visceral, the stories tend to be about people facing the unknown, the unconsidered, especially when they seem not to be in their right minds, so to speak.
No one is saved from the possible horrors. Not an innocent brother and sister whose mother and uncle have given way to madness and perhaps perpetuated the madness that lurks outside in “The Family Madness” nor a broken family trying to find a picnic area in a landscape destroyed by fire in “Old Growth.” In “The Black Massive,” two teenagers, ravers, pursuing their next high and the ultimate head-banging experience fall under the spell of a mysterious man named Cadman who gives them black pills that taste of death and seem to be an emotional portal to the same. As I was reading “The Black Massive” and Stephen’s mother’s reaction to him, I couldn’t help but think of the actual drug epidemics so prevalent right now in the States. While “The Black Massive” describes a dark, perhaps supernatural epidemic, the darkness of the current drug epidemic felt the same.
Many of the stories have individuals facing something unknown, unable to understand or recognize the possible dangers the “unknown” represents. Smith doesn’t take the hand of the reader and tell us, “This is what I’m talking about. This is the horror right here.” Instead, he leaves it for us to determine what that horror is, what it means, what is ultimately going to happen.
The stories left little hope. Or at least that was how I felt after reading most of them.
The stories in The Measure of Sorrow beg to be read and considered for longer than I did before writing this review. Smith’s writing is eloquent and intelligent. I even learned a new word with the very first sentence in the book (littoral, literally I did, haha). Even if you think you’re not a fan of horror, you might read these stories that provoke more thought than shivers.
Thanks to Meerkat Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
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September 19, 2023Why I read this:
I really enjoyed Ashley-Smith's novella Ariadne, I Love You.
My Impression:
I was blown away by this collection. It is Australian gothic with a good dose of cosmic horror, but on another level these stories are poignant reflections on broken relationships and the insurmountable distances between us.
The Australian landscape is a presence that will swallow you, but only when you have reached those liminal states of grief and vulnerability where you leave the everyday behind. The gothic/romantic tone comes through in this moment of surrender to sublime and primal terrors, and in the tragic loss of self. The ordinary and imperfect relationships that were the stuff of life are consumed by supernatural pulses that seem familiar but that we do not understand.
Some stories were so haunting I found myself dreaming about them (no shit).
Personal favourites (in order):
The Black Massive
The Moth Tapes
The Family Madness
The Face God Gave
The Further Shore
I don't want to get into spoiler territory as the blurb for this book gives a good overview of the topics/themes covered and it is going to be more enjoyable to discover these stories for yourself. Definitely one of my top reads for the year so far (September 2023).
Warning: if you do not already find the Australian landscape to be deeply terrifying, you will after reading this, and may never go on a bush walk again.
Craft-Related Notes:
-Great dialogue, believable characters (including parent-child dynamics which are hard to convey).
-Clear and evocative descriptions that are vividly surreal.
-Stories are genuinely unsettling without getting into gratuitous territory. Even Our Last Meal has a tasteful end (this is the kind of humane horror that I appreciate).
I really enjoyed Ashley-Smith's novella Ariadne, I Love You.
My Impression:
I was blown away by this collection. It is Australian gothic with a good dose of cosmic horror, but on another level these stories are poignant reflections on broken relationships and the insurmountable distances between us.
The Australian landscape is a presence that will swallow you, but only when you have reached those liminal states of grief and vulnerability where you leave the everyday behind. The gothic/romantic tone comes through in this moment of surrender to sublime and primal terrors, and in the tragic loss of self. The ordinary and imperfect relationships that were the stuff of life are consumed by supernatural pulses that seem familiar but that we do not understand.
Some stories were so haunting I found myself dreaming about them (no shit).
Personal favourites (in order):
The Black Massive
The Moth Tapes
The Family Madness
The Face God Gave
The Further Shore
I don't want to get into spoiler territory as the blurb for this book gives a good overview of the topics/themes covered and it is going to be more enjoyable to discover these stories for yourself. Definitely one of my top reads for the year so far (September 2023).
Warning: if you do not already find the Australian landscape to be deeply terrifying, you will after reading this, and may never go on a bush walk again.
Craft-Related Notes:
-Great dialogue, believable characters (including parent-child dynamics which are hard to convey).
-Clear and evocative descriptions that are vividly surreal.
-Stories are genuinely unsettling without getting into gratuitous territory. Even Our Last Meal has a tasteful end (this is the kind of humane horror that I appreciate).
October 6, 2023
"And the vastness of that gulf between our private shame and the face we show the world is the measure of our sorrow."
J. Ashley-Smith is one of the best dark fiction writers working today. His melancholy lyricism is heartbreakingly poignant. This book is worth it for the titular novella alone, which fucking broke me. Brilliant.
J. Ashley-Smith is one of the best dark fiction writers working today. His melancholy lyricism is heartbreakingly poignant. This book is worth it for the titular novella alone, which fucking broke me. Brilliant.
October 14, 2023
An excellent collection of Weird and unsettling stories. This is my first time reading Ashley-Smith and I'm excited to read more.
Each story was golden and crawled under my skin. The author masterfully twists his words to send you into another world were bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it.
Each story was golden and crawled under my skin. The author masterfully twists his words to send you into another world were bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it.
November 26, 2023
This is exactly what I want in a horror short story collection. The author is absolutely masterful at using uncanny imagery and just the right amount of detail to craft atmospheric stories that really linger in your mind. Every story (even the shortest of them) is unique and memorable. Highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of cosmic or atmospheric horror!
May 29, 2023
A strange yet touching collection of short stories by author J. Ashley-Smith. Described as 'dark speculative fiction', the stories are strange but have an element of humanity.
I picked this book up from a local bookstore in Canberra and it was nice to discover that Ashley-Smith was a local author. Ashley-Smith has a beautiful way of describing even the darkest scene.
I found myself enthralled with each story and after reading, invited my partner to experience what I had. Each story is very different but all contain the same slightly off-kilter element that grabs the reader. Some are more disturbing than others, but all of them left me glad to have read them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Ashley-Smith and would gladly read more of his work.
I picked this book up from a local bookstore in Canberra and it was nice to discover that Ashley-Smith was a local author. Ashley-Smith has a beautiful way of describing even the darkest scene.
I found myself enthralled with each story and after reading, invited my partner to experience what I had. Each story is very different but all contain the same slightly off-kilter element that grabs the reader. Some are more disturbing than others, but all of them left me glad to have read them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Ashley-Smith and would gladly read more of his work.
January 19, 2024
Wow. I read these stories in order and each one kept amping up the dread, amping up the creep factor until the last story scorched into my brain. I did not expect this magnitude of feeling when I read the first story, but I’m glad I stuck it out. They just got better and better. Do not expect any tidy or happy endings in this blacker than black anthology - if ur a fan of dark fiction, science fiction or horror, check this one out there’s something for everyone !
August 30, 2023
I loved these ten unsettling, haunting stories. Beautiful prose. There’s a distinctive sense of place in each story, with characters who interact in nuanced ways with each other and their environment, often saying one thing while a different meaning emerges for the reader. There’s horror and at the same time there’s transformation which can be transcendental, which I loved. ‘The Further Shore’ is vivid and unforgettable—a weird, haunting story about a group of explorers trapped in a coastal limbo, ruled by terrifying dream-logic. ‘Black Massive’ was another favourite, where two teenage ravers fall in with a preternaturally wrong crowd.
October 11, 2023
Hauntingly transcendent, THE MEASURE OF SORROW is the first short story collection by the talented, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author J. Ashley Smith. I first learned of his work from having listened to the podcast, Let the Cat In, where he is co-host; from having read his novella “Ariadne, I Love You”; and from reading “The Tub” (a short story that appeared in issue #17 of Midnight Echo). This book, however, is special. It isn’t your typical collection of shorts. Ashley-Smith is an intelligent writer who really has something to say. The collection includes ten new and previously unpublished stories, each immaculately written, approaching the literary. Family, love, and dealing with loss, seem to be a common thread here. In these stories a rag-tag collection of strangers awaken on a desert island, but there is a reason to fear the beach at night, and the black reef beyond (“The Further Shore”); a father struggles to relate to his children in a post-bushfire wilderness (“Old Growth”); a lovelorn guy takes a walk down memory lane, to disastrous effect (“Our Last Meal”); pure, mind-bending, eldritch horror (“The Black Massive”); and more. Feel yourself drawn into the shadowland of the author’s imagination and that cavernous space, that is the measure of sorrow.
December 10, 2023
These stories are brilliantly crafted. Very reminiscent of Kafka. But dark. So very dark. Be prepared if you choose to read this.
January 19, 2024
"The Measure of Sorrow" by J. Ashley-Smith. I was sent my copy in exchange for an honest review.
"And the vastness of that gulf between our private shame and the face we show the world is the measure of our sorrow."
J. Ashley-Smith, a Shirley Jackson Award-winning author, presents to you his newest collection of dark speculative fiction. Taking place in the vast and spectacular landscape of Australia, you'll find this collection to be quite poignant, where loss, love, and family are all common themes.
Ashley leads you slowly through these weird and vividly surreal stories, allowing the reader to form their own opinions. This quiet type of horror isn't always for me, but the writing is heartbreakingly lyrical, creating the perfect atmosphere for the stories that await you. In many ways, this collection reminded me of two books I read last year; "The Black Farm" by Elias Witherow and "Come Forth in Thaw" by Jayson Robert Ducharme. These two stories easily assert the same profound and despairing emotions you'll feel while reading "A Measure of Sorrow."
No character is safe in these stories. Everyone will experience a loss that will create a hollow hole in their heart. From the family trying to enjoy a simple picnic, to the black reef that holds incredible secrets, all the way to the Garden of Eden, there's a story inside for everyone, guaranteed. I also found that reading as an American versus a local of the Australian outback, these stories offered a more frightening experience. What could be more terrifying than to encounter loss in land you've never experienced?
I felt myself becoming angry, anxious, and even confused at times while reading this collection. Each story is such a variation from the next, causing me to experience a rollercoaster of emotions. While not all these tales are grounded in reality, the emotions you feel are. The stories "Old Growth" and "The Moth Tapes" harbor emotions that only a parent can truly feel, but the stories are not laced with any world that we might know.
"The Whatnot Shop" is my favorite story. I found it thought-provoking, unsettling, and particularly cosmic in the atmosphere. The sadness that swept over me as I reached the end was harsh. Just imagining such a unique and brilliant place disappearing as fast as it arrived, possessing so many secrets left untold, was crushing.
"Our Last Meal" is a story that takes you on a journey through a past relationship that ends with disastrous effects. Have you ever found yourself in a lovelorn position? Unrequited love at your heels? This will be a story you relate to. Written with the most beautiful of prose, you'll forget this is a horror story by the time you reach its end.
"The Face God Gave" is written in a way that provides such vast possibilities. When it begins, you're expecting one ending, one outcome. In just a few pages, the author transports you to a scene unlike any other inside this collection. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this story. In many ways, it's almost unrealistic, but isn't it most horror that way? The imagery still tugs quietly at the corner of my mind.
For any person who has or is experiencing sorrow, this collection will speak absolute volumes to you. I would also recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys the quiet and unsettling horror of dark speculative fiction. If interested in a copy for yourself, you can find it on Amazon.
"And the vastness of that gulf between our private shame and the face we show the world is the measure of our sorrow."
J. Ashley-Smith, a Shirley Jackson Award-winning author, presents to you his newest collection of dark speculative fiction. Taking place in the vast and spectacular landscape of Australia, you'll find this collection to be quite poignant, where loss, love, and family are all common themes.
Ashley leads you slowly through these weird and vividly surreal stories, allowing the reader to form their own opinions. This quiet type of horror isn't always for me, but the writing is heartbreakingly lyrical, creating the perfect atmosphere for the stories that await you. In many ways, this collection reminded me of two books I read last year; "The Black Farm" by Elias Witherow and "Come Forth in Thaw" by Jayson Robert Ducharme. These two stories easily assert the same profound and despairing emotions you'll feel while reading "A Measure of Sorrow."
No character is safe in these stories. Everyone will experience a loss that will create a hollow hole in their heart. From the family trying to enjoy a simple picnic, to the black reef that holds incredible secrets, all the way to the Garden of Eden, there's a story inside for everyone, guaranteed. I also found that reading as an American versus a local of the Australian outback, these stories offered a more frightening experience. What could be more terrifying than to encounter loss in land you've never experienced?
I felt myself becoming angry, anxious, and even confused at times while reading this collection. Each story is such a variation from the next, causing me to experience a rollercoaster of emotions. While not all these tales are grounded in reality, the emotions you feel are. The stories "Old Growth" and "The Moth Tapes" harbor emotions that only a parent can truly feel, but the stories are not laced with any world that we might know.
"The Whatnot Shop" is my favorite story. I found it thought-provoking, unsettling, and particularly cosmic in the atmosphere. The sadness that swept over me as I reached the end was harsh. Just imagining such a unique and brilliant place disappearing as fast as it arrived, possessing so many secrets left untold, was crushing.
"Our Last Meal" is a story that takes you on a journey through a past relationship that ends with disastrous effects. Have you ever found yourself in a lovelorn position? Unrequited love at your heels? This will be a story you relate to. Written with the most beautiful of prose, you'll forget this is a horror story by the time you reach its end.
"The Face God Gave" is written in a way that provides such vast possibilities. When it begins, you're expecting one ending, one outcome. In just a few pages, the author transports you to a scene unlike any other inside this collection. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this story. In many ways, it's almost unrealistic, but isn't it most horror that way? The imagery still tugs quietly at the corner of my mind.
For any person who has or is experiencing sorrow, this collection will speak absolute volumes to you. I would also recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys the quiet and unsettling horror of dark speculative fiction. If interested in a copy for yourself, you can find it on Amazon.
October 15, 2023
I'm not normally a big short story fan, tbh. Like, I have my favourites - the older Stephen King ones, Bentley Little's The Collection, Thomas Ligotti's gear and some Ramsey Campbell - but generally speaking I'm not particularly drawn to collections. Just one of those things.
Every now and then, however, I'll come across a collection so good that it tamps down my preference and sinks its hooks in. The Measure of Sorrow is such a collection.
J. Ashley's Smith's first collection of ten short stories is quite simply extraordinary. These are vivid, emotional tales that will grip your mind and break your heart. If you were something of an arch wanker you might call them "elevated genre" or some such, but they're really just fucking good yarns. "The Family Madness" - the story of a brother and sister fleeing something fearsome is a cracker and anothery, "Our Last Meal", was so vivid and insistent it actually gave me nightmares and what felt like a mini anxiety attack. ME. I honestly can't remember the last time a short story affected me so deeply.
However, I reckon "The Black Massive" was the cream of the crop, a dark and vivid journey through the rave scene where a brand new drug is causing sinister changes with the YOUF. It's great stuff and superbly written.
If you're even vaguely into short stories (or like me, very sporadically engage with them) do yourself a favour and check out this extraordinary collection and then thank me later. And buy me a pie. Carn.
Every now and then, however, I'll come across a collection so good that it tamps down my preference and sinks its hooks in. The Measure of Sorrow is such a collection.
J. Ashley's Smith's first collection of ten short stories is quite simply extraordinary. These are vivid, emotional tales that will grip your mind and break your heart. If you were something of an arch wanker you might call them "elevated genre" or some such, but they're really just fucking good yarns. "The Family Madness" - the story of a brother and sister fleeing something fearsome is a cracker and anothery, "Our Last Meal", was so vivid and insistent it actually gave me nightmares and what felt like a mini anxiety attack. ME. I honestly can't remember the last time a short story affected me so deeply.
However, I reckon "The Black Massive" was the cream of the crop, a dark and vivid journey through the rave scene where a brand new drug is causing sinister changes with the YOUF. It's great stuff and superbly written.
If you're even vaguely into short stories (or like me, very sporadically engage with them) do yourself a favour and check out this extraordinary collection and then thank me later. And buy me a pie. Carn.
February 8, 2025
My Review and Thoughts:
10 stories of ultimate brilliance. I love a good book of stories that are thick, meaty and down rite memorable and that is what this collection has going for it.
I was thrilled. I was turning the pages with ultimate want and need to find out what happens. I love a good storyteller and
J. Ashley-Smith is that persona and reality of a gifted and imaginative master of pure imagination. A wonderful book to own and explore over and over again.
I was so happy that I got to experience this collection. This was my first time reading anything by J. Ashley-Smith and it won't be my last.
An intense experience.
Some of the best dark speculative fiction I have read. This is a powerful collection that needs to be read. A hauntingly brilliant, complex and compelling collection that not only displays perfect prose but intense mindful journeys of terrible terrors.
A spiraling journey of imagination that lingers in your thoughts and magically displays the haunts and wonderments of priceless writing.
Being brought out by Meerkat Press. A solid read. You should buy this book and support this author and this Press for this is a book that in all reality demands to be read.
Would I Return to it Again: Absolutely. It demonstrates a demand to reread the vast collection of one of a kind plots.
Would I Recommend: Absolutely its one hell of a good time. One hell of a reading experience. I was thoroughly impressed by prose within these pages.
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Four Final Words: Passionately imaginative. Memorable intensity.
10 stories of ultimate brilliance. I love a good book of stories that are thick, meaty and down rite memorable and that is what this collection has going for it.
I was thrilled. I was turning the pages with ultimate want and need to find out what happens. I love a good storyteller and
J. Ashley-Smith is that persona and reality of a gifted and imaginative master of pure imagination. A wonderful book to own and explore over and over again.
I was so happy that I got to experience this collection. This was my first time reading anything by J. Ashley-Smith and it won't be my last.
An intense experience.
Some of the best dark speculative fiction I have read. This is a powerful collection that needs to be read. A hauntingly brilliant, complex and compelling collection that not only displays perfect prose but intense mindful journeys of terrible terrors.
A spiraling journey of imagination that lingers in your thoughts and magically displays the haunts and wonderments of priceless writing.
Being brought out by Meerkat Press. A solid read. You should buy this book and support this author and this Press for this is a book that in all reality demands to be read.
Would I Return to it Again: Absolutely. It demonstrates a demand to reread the vast collection of one of a kind plots.
Would I Recommend: Absolutely its one hell of a good time. One hell of a reading experience. I was thoroughly impressed by prose within these pages.
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Four Final Words: Passionately imaginative. Memorable intensity.
February 14, 2024
I grabbed this short collection of horror stories on a whim after glancing at the back cover and noting that the author has won several awards. After finishing “The Measure of Sorrow”, I can kinda see why… but in the end I wasn’t all that impressed.
Ashley-Smith’s main strength is his ideas, which are dark and unsettling. His writing drips with atmosphere and quickly establishes a sense of unease. Unfortunately, the majority of his stories have two fundamental flaws. The first is that the characters feel very one-note, lacking the complexity needed for the reader to truly empathize and engage with the people on the page. The second is that the ideas often feel amorphous, without the strident details that would make them truly terrifying and tragic.
I did enjoy a few of the stories: the short ones that had immediate bite, and the ones told at a distance that did not require nuance for the characters. So I wouldn’t call “The Measure of Sorrow” an unsuccessful collection by any means. However it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Ashley-Smith’s main strength is his ideas, which are dark and unsettling. His writing drips with atmosphere and quickly establishes a sense of unease. Unfortunately, the majority of his stories have two fundamental flaws. The first is that the characters feel very one-note, lacking the complexity needed for the reader to truly empathize and engage with the people on the page. The second is that the ideas often feel amorphous, without the strident details that would make them truly terrifying and tragic.
I did enjoy a few of the stories: the short ones that had immediate bite, and the ones told at a distance that did not require nuance for the characters. So I wouldn’t call “The Measure of Sorrow” an unsuccessful collection by any means. However it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
June 20, 2023
I do enjoy short stories and collections. Especially those with lots to ponder.
Many of these still linger. I have questions, yet. Some felt surreal. Like I’d been somewhere strange, viewed something from another time or place. I read some slowly, making sure I felt what the author intended. And some had me racing to see how they ended. I couldn’t help myself. So many ways to feel. The title gives you a hint of what’s in store when you read these stories. And the description mentions, “a world out of true.” Very apropos.
If you like obvious endings, sorry, you won’t find them here. You’ll need to use your imagination, draw your own conclusions. The writing is powerful. When I can be ‘shown’ such unimaginable things. When I can visual them. That’s when I know I’ve read something from a talented storyteller.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
Many of these still linger. I have questions, yet. Some felt surreal. Like I’d been somewhere strange, viewed something from another time or place. I read some slowly, making sure I felt what the author intended. And some had me racing to see how they ended. I couldn’t help myself. So many ways to feel. The title gives you a hint of what’s in store when you read these stories. And the description mentions, “a world out of true.” Very apropos.
If you like obvious endings, sorry, you won’t find them here. You’ll need to use your imagination, draw your own conclusions. The writing is powerful. When I can be ‘shown’ such unimaginable things. When I can visual them. That’s when I know I’ve read something from a talented storyteller.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
November 10, 2023
Almost considered NOT recommending this brilliant collection. Its title story is that heartbreaking, almost to the point of cruelty. Few stories have affected me like this. (Maybe it’s because the main character’s name is Chris, and his son is close in age to mine, and the two of them are living my worst nightmare.)
This is the definition of dark fiction, a masterful, ambiguous breed of gut-burrowing prose properly pruned to draw your own conclusions, to be part of the equation, and that’s a wicked kind of magic.
Standouts: “The Further Shore,” “The Black Massive,” “Our Last Meal,” “The Whatnot Shop”
This is the definition of dark fiction, a masterful, ambiguous breed of gut-burrowing prose properly pruned to draw your own conclusions, to be part of the equation, and that’s a wicked kind of magic.
Standouts: “The Further Shore,” “The Black Massive,” “Our Last Meal,” “The Whatnot Shop”
October 4, 2024
I'm always so torn about writing reviews of books. I liked the book, but I also didn't like it. Unfortunately, I feel the same contrary feelings about this book. The stories are unique, well-written, and cerebral. However, they are also dark and rather hopeless. Such sorrow!! I read most of the stories, but I couldn't read them all. I need a small ray of hope in order to carry on, and these stories felt like they kept trying to take that from me! I was okay with them not being actual horror, because they were so unusual and gave me a lot to think on. They all felt other-worldly. More fantastic than speculative.
August 16, 2025
WOW. This has been quite the year for collections. Yes, this book was published in 2023, but I am finally just getting to it. Anyway, what a hell of a story collection this is. It's HEAVY. It will hit you in all the feels. There's a beautiful sadness to the whole thing, but the stories themself are all very unique and different.
There's 10 stories here and the book is around 200 pages, so you get a really nice pacing and plot for each one, which is something I look for now in collections. After reading this, I can see why Ashley-Smith is an award-winning author. This is definitely an author whom I will be looking for more recommendations on. The writing style is fantastic. It would be so hard for me to take each of these stories one by one and still keep this review at a length people would actually read, so I'll leave you with a list of the ones that really caught my attention:
OLD GROWTH
THE MOTH TAPES
OUR LAST MEAL
THE BOON
THE MEASURE OF SORROW
There's 10 stories here and the book is around 200 pages, so you get a really nice pacing and plot for each one, which is something I look for now in collections. After reading this, I can see why Ashley-Smith is an award-winning author. This is definitely an author whom I will be looking for more recommendations on. The writing style is fantastic. It would be so hard for me to take each of these stories one by one and still keep this review at a length people would actually read, so I'll leave you with a list of the ones that really caught my attention:
OLD GROWTH
THE MOTH TAPES
OUR LAST MEAL
THE BOON
THE MEASURE OF SORROW
July 29, 2023
‘The Measure of Sorrow’ released by Meerkat Press is an emotionally intelligent, layered read filled with complex characters, evocative settings, and a sledgehammering of heart and humanity - just how I like my horror! Joseph Ashley-Smith brings craft and depth by the bucket load in each of the ten stories, which range from flash through to novella length works that embrace the dark, weird, supernatural and psychological. Highly recommended for any dark fiction bookcase!
April 14, 2024
A beatiful collection of dark speculative short stories. I think my faves are The Whatnot Shop,the face god gave, and our last meal. Truly made me think at night.
December 24, 2024
sad :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
3.5/5
July 30, 2025
I read this book to feel a cathartic release and it applied just that. The body horror, while not my favorite to read, was appropriately disturbing and had purpose which I appreciated a lot
September 26, 2025
A haunting collection blending loss and dread, shame and terror. My favourite story has to be ‘The Black Massive’
November 27, 2025
Very binge worthy! So fun to read this international & interesting writer! Scary and deep 🔥
October 25, 2023
I don't read a lot of things that move me, but this collection of short stories from J. Ashley-Smith's is perfectly calibrated to my own worst fears and and uncertainties.
These stories run from surrealist to folk to cosmic horror, but always with an emphasis on the psychological and the domestic. Family holidays, kitchens, road trips. Teenage insecurities and adult failures. Each piece is confidently written, strongly evocative of location and character. Rare snatches of beauty are found in the uncanny or the monstrous. There is little in the way of violence or bloodshed, or, for that matter, closure, but these stories hurt you all the more for it.
This collection is about the feeling that you have failed your partner or traumatized your children. That you can never repent the sins of your own traumatic childhood. That you have betrayed the ones who loved and trusted you.
This is the truest kind of horror. Go read it.
These stories run from surrealist to folk to cosmic horror, but always with an emphasis on the psychological and the domestic. Family holidays, kitchens, road trips. Teenage insecurities and adult failures. Each piece is confidently written, strongly evocative of location and character. Rare snatches of beauty are found in the uncanny or the monstrous. There is little in the way of violence or bloodshed, or, for that matter, closure, but these stories hurt you all the more for it.
This collection is about the feeling that you have failed your partner or traumatized your children. That you can never repent the sins of your own traumatic childhood. That you have betrayed the ones who loved and trusted you.
This is the truest kind of horror. Go read it.
July 9, 2023
Thank you meerkat press for letting me read and review this book! It's a dark speculative fiction book with ten stories. My favorite stories are: the first story The Further Shore, the sixth story Our Last Meal, and the eighth story The Face God Gave.
Trigger warnings: talk of suicide, suicide, death, animal death and fat phobia. My overall rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. A couple of the stories I didn't connect with, but most of them were fun to read.
I enjoyed the writing style, the variety of characters, and how creepy some of the stories were. J. Ashley Smith writes scenery, characters and fear so beautifully. I won't say anything else about the book because of spoilers, plus it's fun to go into books not knowing much about them.
Trigger warnings: talk of suicide, suicide, death, animal death and fat phobia. My overall rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. A couple of the stories I didn't connect with, but most of them were fun to read.
I enjoyed the writing style, the variety of characters, and how creepy some of the stories were. J. Ashley Smith writes scenery, characters and fear so beautifully. I won't say anything else about the book because of spoilers, plus it's fun to go into books not knowing much about them.
September 20, 2024
Fabulous dark fiction collection with authentic characters, themes and all polished by very compelling and competent storytelling. Definitely a highly recommended read!
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