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Shards of Shattered Darkness
A collection of eighteen dark and disturbing short stories from the pen of Mark N Drake. An eclectic mix of horrors that ranges from Viking longships to a mysterious spacecraft; from a pagan goddess to a Christmas haunting; from a lurking threat beneath the waves to anarchy and violence on the streets. And then there are tales of Darkisle, Drake’s sinister island of Lovecraftian horror….
Shards of Shattered Darkness is the first ever anthology of Drake’s short form writing to be published. It features twelve works never seen before, five of which were written specifically for this collection. Also included is a full section of accompanying notes to give some insights from the author and a foreword by award-winning American horror writer Arjay Lewis.
Come to where the darkness seeps through the jagged cracks in the fractured night. If you dare.
Shards of Shattered Darkness is the first ever anthology of Drake’s short form writing to be published. It features twelve works never seen before, five of which were written specifically for this collection. Also included is a full section of accompanying notes to give some insights from the author and a foreword by award-winning American horror writer Arjay Lewis.
Come to where the darkness seeps through the jagged cracks in the fractured night. If you dare.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 27, 2023
Shards of Shattered Darkness is Drake’s debut collection of eighteen horror shorts, arranged in five themed sections, exploring horror in all its diverse forms and realms whilst being essentially character-driven.
Having read Drake’s excellent Darkisle series to date, I was more than a little excited when I heard he was going to publish an assortment of short horror fiction. My excitement was warranted; this is a truly satisfying and considered selection with more than a few surprises.
The themes of the sections are gently analogous but enable a neat framework for Drake to demonstrate his superb linguistic range, versatility, and intrinsic understanding of the genre.
Indeed, with ‘horror’ as the umbrella, Drake capably takes the reader through many of its nicely gruesome sub-genres using a mix of narrative styles, forms, and settings that excellently complement the differing nature of the tales.
The first part, themed, “Dark Legends” opens with a wonderfully immersive authentic, and unnerving story, “The Grey Berserker”. Set among Norsemen in 875 AD, it’s rich with historical insight and liberally sprinkled with Viking myth and unearthly magic.
The second section, “Dark Days” is fairly contemporary. “Broom Grove” has a real visual appeal, I could see this as a spine-chilling one-off, gritty TV drama. Also, the next “Memento”, with its otherworldly creeping unease and growing doubt in the stability of the main character. The last in this portion is “Vane Harbour” which I thought brilliantly terrifying, quietly clever and classic Drake.
“Dark Seasons” begins with the disturbing and atmospheric “Bleaklow”. Topography is an important theme in Drake’s writing, and the shadowy gloom and darkly rugged landscape deftly deflect from the snappy, unexpected twist.
In “The Plot”, Drake tries something a little different and the female main character is neither sympathetic nor likable. It works well, her degenerate cunning provides a sharp contrast to the twisted fairytale vibe of the narrative.
“Go Right to the White Rose” is one of the most horribly beautiful and poignant horrors I’ve ever read with a bucolic, folkloric nod. “Forever Autumn” echoes and swells with unknown menace, highlighted by Drake’s command of prose patterning.
Many of the stories have neat cyclical endings that are not always the ones you expect, although, Drake knows when to give the reader exactly what they want and is not afraid to use and explore well-known tropes.
The fourth portion, “Dark Futures” demonstrates this, with the H.G. Wells-inspired, “What Fools We Were”, and “Meme”. I love a horror retrospectively unfolded by the found diary/journal technique and this is a shiningly good example.
And, so to “Dark Isle”, which contains tales relating to that antediluvian, eldritch island that is the touchstone for Drake’s other novels. Woven with rustic ritual and delicately touched with the archaic without being over-engineered, they are compulsive to read and immensely disconcerting.
He is the master of the grisly comeuppance, as “Keeper” illustrates with such skin-crawling realism. Personally, the last, “Beyond the Night’s Dark Veil” was one of the most terrifying; the end, sudden and ghastly.
Drake’s horrendously fertile imagination, depth of characterization, and innate grasp, of writing horror in all its oozing primeval awfulness ensure Shards of Shattered Darkness is a highly accomplished collection of superbly dreadful short horrors. Highly recommended.
Having read Drake’s excellent Darkisle series to date, I was more than a little excited when I heard he was going to publish an assortment of short horror fiction. My excitement was warranted; this is a truly satisfying and considered selection with more than a few surprises.
The themes of the sections are gently analogous but enable a neat framework for Drake to demonstrate his superb linguistic range, versatility, and intrinsic understanding of the genre.
Indeed, with ‘horror’ as the umbrella, Drake capably takes the reader through many of its nicely gruesome sub-genres using a mix of narrative styles, forms, and settings that excellently complement the differing nature of the tales.
The first part, themed, “Dark Legends” opens with a wonderfully immersive authentic, and unnerving story, “The Grey Berserker”. Set among Norsemen in 875 AD, it’s rich with historical insight and liberally sprinkled with Viking myth and unearthly magic.
The second section, “Dark Days” is fairly contemporary. “Broom Grove” has a real visual appeal, I could see this as a spine-chilling one-off, gritty TV drama. Also, the next “Memento”, with its otherworldly creeping unease and growing doubt in the stability of the main character. The last in this portion is “Vane Harbour” which I thought brilliantly terrifying, quietly clever and classic Drake.
“Dark Seasons” begins with the disturbing and atmospheric “Bleaklow”. Topography is an important theme in Drake’s writing, and the shadowy gloom and darkly rugged landscape deftly deflect from the snappy, unexpected twist.
In “The Plot”, Drake tries something a little different and the female main character is neither sympathetic nor likable. It works well, her degenerate cunning provides a sharp contrast to the twisted fairytale vibe of the narrative.
“Go Right to the White Rose” is one of the most horribly beautiful and poignant horrors I’ve ever read with a bucolic, folkloric nod. “Forever Autumn” echoes and swells with unknown menace, highlighted by Drake’s command of prose patterning.
Many of the stories have neat cyclical endings that are not always the ones you expect, although, Drake knows when to give the reader exactly what they want and is not afraid to use and explore well-known tropes.
The fourth portion, “Dark Futures” demonstrates this, with the H.G. Wells-inspired, “What Fools We Were”, and “Meme”. I love a horror retrospectively unfolded by the found diary/journal technique and this is a shiningly good example.
And, so to “Dark Isle”, which contains tales relating to that antediluvian, eldritch island that is the touchstone for Drake’s other novels. Woven with rustic ritual and delicately touched with the archaic without being over-engineered, they are compulsive to read and immensely disconcerting.
He is the master of the grisly comeuppance, as “Keeper” illustrates with such skin-crawling realism. Personally, the last, “Beyond the Night’s Dark Veil” was one of the most terrifying; the end, sudden and ghastly.
Drake’s horrendously fertile imagination, depth of characterization, and innate grasp, of writing horror in all its oozing primeval awfulness ensure Shards of Shattered Darkness is a highly accomplished collection of superbly dreadful short horrors. Highly recommended.
February 2, 2023
This short story collection opens with "The Grey Berserker," a tale where a banished young man and his friends raid a monastery. There, a man collecting occult knowledge is taken and uses his magic to twist the bodies of fighters into a fearsome berserker, a monstrous form capable of killing hundreds on his own. From there we have stories short and long, each hinting at or outright delving into the dark and hideous potential of horror. The stories start out within the realm of normal before veering off sharply.
I liked "Memento," where a police officer with a trauma history is called in to help when a shooter invades a school.
It's followed by "Vane Harbour," where a team investigating toxins dumped into a harbor finds a lethal and sudden change in the area.
"Forever Autumn" is circular in nature, creepy, and with an ending that hits hard.
In "What Fools We Were," the horror comes when you realize who the invaders are, and stop to think about what that means.
We also have some short stories in the Dark Isle universe. It's not necessary to have read those novels to understand the stories, though it helps to know that cosmic horror entities live there, and those are the "old ways" talked about.
I liked "Memento," where a police officer with a trauma history is called in to help when a shooter invades a school.
It's followed by "Vane Harbour," where a team investigating toxins dumped into a harbor finds a lethal and sudden change in the area.
"Forever Autumn" is circular in nature, creepy, and with an ending that hits hard.
In "What Fools We Were," the horror comes when you realize who the invaders are, and stop to think about what that means.
We also have some short stories in the Dark Isle universe. It's not necessary to have read those novels to understand the stories, though it helps to know that cosmic horror entities live there, and those are the "old ways" talked about.
December 30, 2023
Pretty darn good. Nice variety. My fav was The Plot and the protag was so messy. Thanks for the arc
January 21, 2023
A well put together collection of horror shorts. Mishapen monstrosities, ghoulish entities and eerie scenarios make this book a page turner. I was enthralled by the variety.
August 17, 2023
A Tremendous Anthology
Mark Drake has an amazing way with words and he weaves tales that you cannot forget. Without needing to submit to gore, Drake uses his settings and characters to carry the stories and for this reviewer, I read them at a breakneck pace.
I look forward to reading more from this author who can write a Lovecraftian story without descending into a pastiche.
Mark Drake has an amazing way with words and he weaves tales that you cannot forget. Without needing to submit to gore, Drake uses his settings and characters to carry the stories and for this reviewer, I read them at a breakneck pace.
I look forward to reading more from this author who can write a Lovecraftian story without descending into a pastiche.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews