Horror has really been having a moment lately! This was part of the thought 
process of editor John F. D. Taff when he decided to compile the short story anthology that became Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror. This collection, which came out last month, was created in the spirit of the seminal 1980s horror anthology Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, and is meant to do for our current moment of horror what Dark Forces did in the ’80s.
Dark Stars contains twelve original stories by some of today’s most celebrated horror writers. The book opens with a foreword by one of those authors, Josh Malerman (whom you may know as the author of Bird Box), which comments on the uniqueness of our current “moment” in horror, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in a brief introduction, John F.D. Taff lays out his purpose in putting together this anthology, which is to bring a wider spectrum of horror to a wider audience and remind readers of the genre’s range. The twelve tales follow, then an afterword by Ramsey Campbell, the only author to be featured in both the original Dark Forces and Dark Stars, in which Campbell elaborates on the legacy of Kirby McCauley. Last are the author bios for the twelve contributors, which also include a snippet by each author about the inspiration for their story in the collection.
While this anthology doesn’t quite capture the full breadth of this current moment in horror, I think it makes a solid effort toward that end. The collection is evenly balanced between male and female authors—something that’s still more rare than you might think. A majority of the writers are American, but Canada, Britain, and Pakistan also get some representation. And within the stories themselves is some diversity of race, background, sexuality, and gender identity. The subjects and subgenres of these stories also display an impressive range, from sci-fi horror to cosmic horror to the realistic horror caused simply by cruel human beings.
My favorite stories in the collection were those that fully immersed me in a new and unfamiliar world. One of these was “The Sanguintalist” by Gemma Files which gives a fresh take on the paranormal detective genre. In an urban fantasy setting where crimes are both solved and caused by powerful magic-users, Lala Merwani is a forensic necromancer. Having inherited a special type of blood magic from her family, Lala is brought in by the local police to use her own blood to call to that of the recently deceased and get a vision of their final moments. But her latest case gets Lala deeply tangled up in the machinations of the elite Haute Magie sorcerers. My other favorite story in the collection is “Challawa” by Usman T. Malik. Set in Pakistan, the story blends local folklore with the horrors of British imperialism. Karima is excited to use a visit to her brother-in-law’s latest business venture as an opportunity to see her homeland and explore her latest research interest: the site of the country’s first matchbox factory. As she tours a haunted hut and the nearby cremation grounds, Karima trades tales of the legendary challawa with her tour guide. But things turn sinister when she gets caught up in a ritual at the temple for the Burnt Goddess. This story gives some Midsommar vibes with a sharp anti-colonialist edge.
But while novelty is a thrill, familiarity can also house its own horror—especially the familiarity of pandemic living. Two of the stories in this collection are set during the COVID-19 pandemic. In “Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream” by the anthology’s editor John F.D. Taff, this setting is almost incidental. After the recent death of his wife, the narrator of this story is on a road trip with his now-motherless young son to their new home. As they take a bathroom break, he and his son are scrupulous about donning their masks before they enter the rest stop. But the father’s preoccupation with masks and social distancing belies the true danger he should be worrying about: the anger and envy of his deceased wife. While he frets over germs from an unmasked stranger, it takes him far too long to realize that the appearance of this stranger is merely a prelude to a supernatural encounter with the dead. Stephen Graham Jones’s story “All the Things He Called Memories,” addresses the pandemic in more detail. Set during those early months in 2020, the story centers on a tradesman named Bo who is trapped at home with his academic wife. While Bo is bored and restless with no work to keep his hands busy, Marcy turns to using him as the sole subject in her psychological experiments. What begins as a simple question about his deepest fear, soon unlocks something terrible buried within Bo’s mind and he senses a shadowy figure following him around the house. But is it merely the pandemic driving Bo crazy? Is it his wife playing a cruel and terrifying prank? Or did her experiments dredge up something supernatural that should have been left sleeping?
If you’re looking for a taste of something new, you can’t go wrong with a decent anthology. Dark Stars is available on shelves now at your favorite retailer, or you can purchase a copy online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you’ve read it, comment below and let me know your favorite story in the collection!