Book Review: Abyss by Darren Gallagher
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Title: Abyss
Author: Darren Gallagher
Release date: April 13, 2018
First off, right from square one, an apology to Darren. I connected with Darren a while ago over on Instagram and at one point had mentioned to him that I was about to start reading ‘Abyss’ and to watch for my review…
That was probably a year ago and I am truly sorry. Books stacked up, time sensitive reviews came through and bingo-bango-bongo (Vancouver Canuck fans in the early 2000’s would finish that off with ‘hey Roberto Luongo’ FYI!) it got pushed back.
But now we’re here and I’ve read it and here’s the review!
I’ve mentioned before that I’m running on fumes for collections and anthologies. I’ve read A LOT of both of these the last few years, but that won’t ever sway me from diving into one. I love having short fiction on the go, it makes for a great break up from the longer reads.
What I liked: ‘Abyss’ features 13 short stories of varying length that show off Gallagher’s easy-to-read writing. He has created some stellar stories in the collection and for people who love to read short fiction that covers a broad variety of darker narratives, this one has something for everyone.
Standouts for me were ‘The Man in the Mist’ which started off with a simple car ride, only for the main character to go completely bonkers. ‘The Other Fountain’ which was a really great folklore horror story, and ‘The Foyle,’ which was an amazing story of a father and son who go fishing, only to end up fighting to survive.
The highlight and absolute gem in the entire collection is the opener. ‘The Silence of Music’ was a stunning piece of Lovecraftian fiction without being overtly the same. If you recall Lovecraft’s story ‘The Music of Erich Zann,’ we are introduced to a young man who moves into an apartment complex. He hears strange music and is drawn to it.
Very similar plot to ‘The Silence of Music.’ In this story, Gallagher introduces us to a character who moves into a new place. Randomly, one night, they look out of their window and see a strange figure standing in the streetlight. From there, Darren really created a beauty of a story.
What I didn’t like: A few of the tales in this collection were a bit longer than I felt necessary, and with most collections, some I loved and some missed the mark. That happens in each collection.
Why you should buy this: As I’ve always said, I always hope that one new person will buy a book I’ve reviewed from a new-to-them author, and I think Darren Gallagher would be a great new author for people to discover. His writing is smooth and the stories are a ton of fun. The collection hums along and if you are a quick reader, you very well may be able to get through this in a single sitting.
4/5
