Dark Universe: Stories 1951-2001

by William F. Nolan

Fifty years of top-notch writing -- mystery, science fiction, horror, suspense --admired by the likes of Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Ray Bradbury. Now, for the first time, Stealth Press is proud to present DARK UNIVERSE, a breathtaking collection spanning five decades of stunning achievement -- the very best from a Master of Suspense. A distillation of 50 years of short fiction; more than 40 stories each with a newly written introductory note by the author as well as an introduction by Christopher Conlon. For anyone with an appreciation of modern fantastic fiction, a perspective on the evolution of science fiction, suspense, and horror, or an interest in the craft of the short story itself -- DARK UNIVERSE ranks with "must have" books like group tribute CALIFORNIA SORCERY (edited by Nolan and William Schafer), THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON, THE STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY, THE COLLECTED STORIES OF RICHARD COLLECTED STORIES, George Clayton Johnson's ALL OF US ARE DYING AND OTHER STORIES, and THE HOWLING MAN by Charles Beaumont.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

William F. Nolan is best known as the co-author (with George Clayton Johnson) of Logan's Run -- a science fiction novel that went on to become a movie, a television series and is about to become a movie again -- and as single author of its sequels. His short stories have been selected for scores of anthologies and textbooks and he is twice winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Nolan was born in 1928 in Kansas City Missouri. He attended the Kansas City Art Institute and worked as an artist for Hallmark Cards. He moved to California in the late 1940s and studied at San Diego State College. He began concentrating on writing rather than art and, in 1952, was introduced by fellow Missouri native (and established writer) Ray Bradbury to another young up-and-coming author, Charles Beaumont. Moving to the Los Angeles area in 1953, Nolan became along with Bradbury, Beaumont, and Richard Matheson part of the "inner core" of the soon-to-be highly influential "Southern California Group" of writers. By 1956 Nolan was a full-time writer. Since 1951 he has sold more than 1500 stories, articles, books, and other works.

Although Nolan wrote roughly 2000 pieces, to include biographies, short stories, poetry, and novels, Logan’s Run retains its hold on the public consciousness as a political fable and dystopian warning. As Nolan has stated: “That I am known at all is still astonishing to me... "

He passed away at the age of 93 due to complications from an infection.

Reviews

[Evans Light]

If you see this review pop up in my status update over and over, it's because I'll be adding reviews for each story as I work my way through the book. Reviews are possibly, but not necessarily, in order.

**** The Underdweller

I just recently discovered William F. Nolan while reading another anthology, and decided to order his collection of short stories. This first story, The Underdweller, did not disappoint.

Starting off like a tale set in the universe of Matheson's I Am Legend, Lewis Stillman is the last man alive in Los Angeles, the last man in the whole world for all he knows, living in the tunnels beneath the city. The city is swarming with evil little somethings, making it extremely dangerous to go out...

Beautifully written and absorbing, complete with the kind of satisfying endings I love in a short story. Can't wait to read more!

** Saturday's Shadow

Nolan says in the preface to this story that he considers it to be his finest.

I disagree.

***** Lonely Train A'Comin'

Now this is what I'm talking about. The high plains. A mysterious midnight train. A vanished and murdered sister. A man looking for revenge.

Then the nightmares begin.

A recent work by Kealan Patrick Burke resembles this story somewhat, but to say which might ruin this fantastic tale. Poetic and wonderful.

**** And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

Written in 1957, I'm not sure if this short story is William F. Nolan copying classic Bradbury, or if classic Bradbury lifted from Nolan. In either case, this beautiful written but slight little story will be enjoyable, if entirely unsurprising, for anyone who's read anything published in the last sixty years.

[William M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After doing some research on author William F. Nolan, I was embarrassed that I had not read any of his work. What a discovery! This living legend is a true chameleon when it comes to writing styles. Each story is so very different from the next -- the style, plot, characters, descriptions, etc. I had a wonderful time with this short story collection and I recommend it to fans both in and out of the horror genre. It has something for everyone. My two favorites are the utterly terrifying LONELY TRAIN A'COMIN and the very touching (yes, I had a tear in my eye) AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP. Even the weakest of the 19 stories is better than most others. This collection is strongly recommended.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While normally I adore most anything by Nolan, this collection of his shorts just didn't do it for me this time. There were several standout stories and the forward by Christopher Conlon is an excellent tribute to Nolan but the majority of the selections were not some of his best in my opinion.

[Lydia Peever]

Loved the introduction.

[Joe Noir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary book. It features all of Nolan's best stories. If you have never read Nolan, start here.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Universe is a reread. I'm pretty sure this is the actual copy I perused before, finding its' way back to my hands after many many moons, which is a story for another day. (Total aside-this paperback still looks like new.) This means I am going to judge this anthology by a much different standard. William F Nolan has some good stories here that I enjoyed. But I found myself marveling at the fact that I could not remember any of them. Not a single one. This may just indicate that i have read too damn books (4000+) so I've graded this collection accordingly, with three stars, because maybe it's me.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of stories from a great writer!

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read this author before but I'm now a fan. Can't wait to read more of his stories!

[Erik Chrissis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perusing the shelves in the ‘Horror’ section of Half Price Books with a short list of authors I have been on the lookout for, I found a copy of Dark Universe mixed in the second half of the alphabet, placed there almost as an afterthought following row upon row of King and Koontz. This collection of short fiction is my first encounter with the fiction of William F. Nolan. From what I have been able to gather, he is a living legend of sorts in the genres of horror and science fiction, among others.

I enjoy short-stories, finding they provide a nice respite in the interlude between novels and make a great easy reads before bed. This Nolan collection in particular filled my quick read niche nicely. The stories are punchy and to the point. Nolan uses concise language and straightforward plot lines, making for an easy and enjoyable read. The notes included on publication history and writing process are also interesting.

These stories reminded me of old Twilight Zone episodes. The pace kept me engaged and the plot twists were enough to make most stories entertaining enough to be worth reading. Unfortunately, most of the stories were rather shallow, inciting very minimal emotional reactions. The tales were more about building to an unexpected turn than the building of fear. I felt no real sense of dread and the stories had very little thought-provoking content. Many were largely forgettable. Others were on the way to being good, but went off oddball directions that only left me wondering what other options could have tied things up better.

Part of the problem is that the plot twists were so improbable and off-the-wall that they come off as being sort of cheesy. Many of the stories felt more like an outline or rough draft that had the potential to do something more if they were given another run through. As I wrote above, they felt at times like a TV script that would need actors and visual effects to provide mood, and emotional depth to the characters, who themselves often seemed to be cliches or stereotypes.

Some of these issues could be attributed to the limitations of such short stories.; what made them so readable also made them largely forgettable. Only so much depth can be added in a ten page story. Nolan does consistently challenge the bounds of reality and keeps the stories moving, though the reality shaking occurs primarily in the world of the text and not so much in the mind of the reader.

As a time filler, this book was great. As a model of demonstrating the power of words to subvert the reader’s conception of reality, it proved to be more of a caricature than an inspiration. This was disappointing after reading what an inspiration Nolan has been to the world of speculative fiction over the years. I am not sure what to make of him after this, but I suppose the voices acknowledging his importance are numerous enough for me to give another of his works a shot despite the overall mediocrity I encountered in Dark Universe.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few strong stories in this collection, but the majority are surprisingly bloodless and unimaginative affairs. Most rely on predictable twists for cheap effect. Nolan is something of a hack who fancies himself an artist. On the occasions when he feels he has something to say, he has characters overstate his themes, or clumsily stuffs some moral or dull revelation into the closing paragraphs. He's very much of the Robert Bloch/B-episode-Twilight-Zone school of genre fiction. His sci-fi is especially weak, too often being little more than crime or horror stories with cheesy, ray-guns-and-hover-cars veneer. He is at his best when he embraces the grisly, grimy side of his imagination. He simply does not have the chops for layered, subtle storytelling.

[John Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing collection! I've always loved Nolan's short fiction. He's an absolute master. However, it's been a while since I read his work, and I'm actually surprised to find how much of him rubbed off on my own writing career. I've read a few of these before, and they're all great. Of the ones I haven't read before, I think my favorite would have to be . . . eh, I can't really say, they're all that great. "Boyfren" is particularly dark. So is "The Yard." In fact, things very rarely end well for his protagonists. "Ceremony" is a fun little tale, and so is "Coincidence," and so is-- Ah, just read the book, willya?

[Christopher Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant collection from a great writer. Give it a read.