Book Review: Down in the Deep, Dark Places by Jason Parent
Title: Down in the Deep, Dark Places
Author: Jason Parent
Huge thanks to Jason for sending me an e-ARC of this one!
I’ve become a really huge fan of Jason’s work over the last number of years and one big reason is that he writes with such conviction across multiple genres. Sci-fi, horror, dark fantasy, you name it and Jason’s gonna nail it.
He also writes very cinematically, painting phenomenal pictures in the readers minds and really bringing the reader down into the muck and the grime.
It was with all of that in mind that I ravenously dove into his collection.
What I liked: The collection is solidly themed across the board (see title for that!) and features stories that border on flash fiction, all of the way up to novella length. It really allows us to see Parent’s ability to craft remarkable related and memorable characters.
The stories that stood out the most for me were;
‘Revenge is a Dish’ – the story of Maurice, a chef, taking a job with unexpected results. This one goes in a direction I never imagined when I began it and we get into a full on survival/island carnage tale in short order. HA! Pun intended!
‘Desert Shadows’ – perhaps the runner up as to being my favorite story in the collection, this one follows a WW2 plane crash and those that survive attempt to hike out and find safety/get help. Again, this is such a prime example of Parent’s cinematic prose-crafting that you’ll potentially develop a fear of flying AND hiking once you’re done.
‘The Exchange’ – this was a blast of a story. Ramsey wakes up, completely unsure of where he is, but he knows he’s sick and not doing so well. From here, it’s survive at all costs and we rip along at a breakneck pace. Just a fun time.
‘Down in the Deep, Dark Places’ – the title story is a rampaging mix of ‘The Thing’ meets ‘The Abyss’ and a part of me was frustrated that this wasn’t a stand alone novella or novel. This one is worth the admission price alone.
‘A Boy and His Dog (and Zombies)’ – this was (surprisingly to me) my favorite story of the batch. We follow Jack, and his dog Benny, as they escape from his dad’s apartment when they burst in and seemingly devour his dad. Once out, it’s survive at all costs and hopefully find his mom, who was stuck elsewhere when the zombie apocalypse arrived. This was just a really well done, emotional story and I loved reading about these two.
The stories throughout are all really great, but those ones stood out for me.
What I didn’t like: A few stories weren’t for me, but that’s the standard for collections and anthologies. Some will work for you that don’t for me and vice versa.
Why you should buy this: Parent is about as close to a sure thing as you can get with dark fiction writers. You know it’s gonna be a solid story with great characters and moments that’ll have you close to a panic attack. This collection is no different and definitely one you don’t want to miss!
4/5
