Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Suspended in Dusk II” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Suspended in Dusk II

(Suspended in Dusk #2)

Simon Dewar (Goodreads Author) (Editor),

Angela Slatter (Goodreads Author) (Introduction),

Ramsey Campbell,

Damien Angelica Walters (Goodreads Author),

Alan Baxter (Goodreads Author),

Stephen Graham Jones (Goodreads Author),

Paul Tremblay (Goodreads Author),

Bracken MacLeod (Goodreads Author),

more…

4.38 · Rating details · 40 ratings · 23 reviews

Life is change. Change forces us into the light or the dark. Dusk is the time in between. It defends the light from the dark. It's the tipping point. Where things go well. Or where thy go very, very bad. Confront change. But you must first survive dusk.

Suspended in Dusk II continues the legacy of editor Simon Dewar's anthology series. The second volume is introduced by A ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for $4.99

Kindle Edition, 282 pages

Published July 10th 2018 by Grey Matter Press

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Suspended in Dusk II, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Suspended in Dusk II

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.38 ·

Rating details

· 40 ratings · 23 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Suspended in Dusk II

Oct 19, 2018 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, collections, horror, review-copies

As a lifelong night owl, night time is my favorite time—it’s when I’m most alert, happiest, and when I function the best. The best part of nighttime is dusk, when I can watch the world slowly begin to quiet around me as the sun dips below the horizon, the air chills, and everything takes on this hushed tone of mystery, curiosity, and adventure—or, as we see in this collection, maybe something a little more sinister, a little tougher to understand.

“This time of dusk—the time between times—is

...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Apr 15, 2019 Sadie Hartmann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"DUSK DEFENDS THE LIGHT FROM THE DARK. SOMETIMES...

Life is nothing if not constant change. And these changes force us to make terrifying choices that will lead us into either the light or the dark. Dusk is this tipping point, where things go well, or where they go very, very bad."

I loved reading the Editor's Foreward by Simon Dewar and Angela Slatter's Intro because both of their thoughts served to set the tone for the stories in this collection. They also helped me to keep a loose idea of the t ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Jul 10, 2018 Michael Hicks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: advanced-review-copy, fiction

In his foreword, Simon Dewar discusses the themes behind the period of dusk, noting that this is a moment of change, a "time between times", when light turns dark, when good can turn bad. It's a flashpoint for life and death, an instant where the inevitable can turn on a dime, where one's greatest fears or greatest hopes can be realized, a time when people are forever altered and either ruined or reborn. Collected in Suspended in Dusk II are 17 stories that realize these instances of change, to In his foreword, Simon Dewar discusses the themes behind the period of dusk, noting that this is a moment of change, a "time between times", when light turns dark, when good can turn bad. It's a flashpoint for life and death, an instant where the inevitable can turn on a dime, where one's greatest fears or greatest hopes can be realized, a time when people are forever altered and either ruined or reborn. Collected in Suspended in Dusk II are 17 stories that realize these instances of change, to varying degrees. Some are poignant, others are subtle, and all work together to make this a seriously strong anthology of dark fiction.

Much of this strength lies in this anthology's commitment to diversity. Plenty of hay has been made, in certain social media circles, over the lack of inclusiveness in certain high-profile anthologies recently announced and how, in 2018, certain publishers, editors, or compilers could release an all-white male anthology and completely ignore the breadth of voices dark fiction has to offer. Suspended in Dusk II makes no such mistake, giving readers a number of strong voices from across the gender and sexual spectrum. Dewar has collected here several powerful women, writers whose names may be instantly recognizable and lesser-known talents who deserve to become household names, people of color, authors with a wide range of religious affiliations or no religion at all, from a handful of continents. Each, of course, are storytellers first and foremost, but their works carry a certain depth and breadth of experience to challenge publishing's oftentimes default homogeneity.

Take, for instance, Dan Rabarts's Riptide. Rabarts is a New Zealand author, and his story of loss and revenge is built upon the foundations of Māori mythology as a bereaved father and widower battles a taniwha. Gwendolyn Kiste tackles issues of childhood abuse and sexual trauma through an allegorical tale of monsters. Karen Runge, too, tackles similar subjects and their fetishization in this anthology's opening story, Angeline. It's a powerful opener, and Runge's writing is flat-out wonderful. I haven't read Runge's work previously, but you rest assured her novel Seeing Double will be in my hands soon.

Suspended in Dusk II runs the gamut of dark fiction. Not every piece included here is a work of straight-up horror, although it's certainly an element common to most of the stories here. Some are more subtle horrors drawn from the tapestry of life, or death in the case of Bracken MacLeod's story of an injured hiker. Christopher Golden's The Mournful Cry of Owls is a fantastical coming-of-age story, and an incredibly well-drawn one at that, told from the perspective of a 15-year-old girl about to celebrate her Sweet 16, as she passes through the dusk separating adolescence from adulthood and the secrets in between. Others carry overtones of the apocalypse, such as Paul Tremblay's There's No Light Between Floors, a sort-of 9/11 event with Lovecraftian overtones, and Ramsey Campbell's Another World. Campbell's in particular is an excellent use of a decidedly foreign perspective, whose central character encounters our modern world through the filter of religious extremism. Letitia Trent takes her own tract on another world, giving us an encounter with infected, rabid children cast out into the wild and fenced off from society.

Dewar does a fine job balancing the tonal rhythms and themes of each story, giving the anthology a unique pulse. The stories dovetail between their similarities and differences, giving readers slight arcs across the narratives, book-ending them all between Runge's and MacLeod's wildly different, yet thematically similar, stories of a central figure cast out, either by choice or by circumstance, into the wild and left to survive by their own wits, suspended in a moment of dusk.

[Note: I received an advanced reader's copy of this work from the publisher, Grey Matter Press.] ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2018 Mindi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I received a copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars.

Dusk has always been my favorite time of day. When dusk approaches it's that moment when the sun sinks behind the horizon that feels like the earth is finally becoming still and peaceful. The hustle and bustle of the day is fading, and night approaches to wrap the world in a blanket of darkness. I'm a night owl, but dusk is a moment in between, a time when the day shifts from light to dark, and the world be I received a copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars.

Dusk has always been my favorite time of day. When dusk approaches it's that moment when the sun sinks behind the horizon that feels like the earth is finally becoming still and peaceful. The hustle and bustle of the day is fading, and night approaches to wrap the world in a blanket of darkness. I'm a night owl, but dusk is a moment in between, a time when the day shifts from light to dark, and the world begins to wind down. These stories reflect that shift, and how dusk is a time when the world is open to change and anything can happen.

This is a solid collection by a very diverse group of talented writers. There's No Light Between Floors by Paul Tremblay and Another World by Ramsey Campbell explore that time of change through an apocalyptic lens; one other worldly and ancient, the other through religious fervor. Love is a Cavity I Can't Stop Touching by Stephen Graham Jones is about two teens who experiment with expressing love, and how one of them is unable to stop reenacting their macabre exchange. Mother of Shadows by Benjamin Knox is a tense and truly creepy story about a missing girl, and the secrets a mother keeps from her family in plain sight. An Elegy for Childhood Monsters by Gwendolyn Kiste is a melancholy tale about abuse and how people learn to deal with the monsters they carry inside them. by Bracken MacLeod is a haunting tale of a hiker's bad luck. I think my favorite story in this anthology is The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden. This story about a 16-year-old girl on the cusp of womanhood who discovers that becoming a young woman will forever change her life. It is a brilliant take on adolescent maturity.

All of the stories in this anthology are captivating. It contains some of my favorite writers, along with a number of writers who are new to me that I am eager to explore further. This one is solid and entertaining, and absolutely worth it. Spend some time in the dusk with these fantastic writers. You'll be glad you did. ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2019 Frank Errington rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Review Copy

Before we review the anthology, Suspended In Dusk II, I just have to comment on the cover art from the amazing Dean Samed, without a doubt, the best I've seen in 2018. Absolutely stunning. And, for the most part, the stories beneath the cover are just as good.

In Simon Dewar's foreword, he talks about dusk—"the time between light and dark. This grey area that we all find ourselves in from time to time is the fulcrum, the tipping point. This tipping point is the penultimate moment of ch ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2018 Bob/Sally rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Suspended in Dusk II, edited by Simon Dewar, closes out this year's slate of horror anthologies with an interesting mix of new-to-me authors and genre heavyweights like Ramsey Campbell, Paul Tremblay, Christopher Golden, and more. Here, the running theme is that of dusk, the time between times . . . the time between the light and the dark . . . the grey area . . . the tipping point.

Overall, I'd say this was an average collection with a few above average stories. While there were a small handful ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2018 Andi Rawson rated it really liked it

4.5 stars.

Anthologies are always something I both look forward to and dread. I love short stories, but I rarely like more than one or two stories in an anthology that I'm reading and often I hate the rest. This is one of my exceptions. I liked almost every story and I loved several of them. I didn't care for a few but they were the minority. I've seen the process for a few anthologies, and between submissions, editing, and just being able to pick stories that mesh well together, I have nothing b ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2018 Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5⭐

"Horror literature is, to me at least, the history of sharing nightmares." -Angela Slatter

Suspended in Dusk II is a fantastic anthology. I was really happy to see some authors I love in here, and to be introduced to some new favorites as well. The balance of men and women authors in this book was incredibly refreshing, and I was very happy with this book as a whole. All of the stories are related to dusk in some way, and are well-written. You can feel that you're in that time between times r ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Aug 12, 2018 Tracy Robinson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a wonderful collection of current, talented authors. It really has something for everyone. Personally, I love that fact that it is inclusive of both men and women writers. I have my favorites, but I'll leave you to explore this tasteful journey through the minds of some of the very best. Be sure to pick this one up! ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2018 Red Lace Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-for-review, shortstories-anthology, horror-monster-creature, horror-paranormal-supernatural, horror-psychological, paul-tremblay

Seventeen stories that tell of life and death and those happenings in between, where change is all but inevitable. Be prepared for horrors of all kinds, some more subtle than others.

(WARNING: This review contains MAJOR spoilers.)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Grey Matter Press for giving me the opportunity.

First of all, I appreciated the large amount of diversity in this book; from the foreword it became clear that individuals of all shapes of life were given the ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2018 David rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

This is another great book from GMP, and it's why I keep reading what they print. My review is posted here ---> https://wp.me/p5t5Tf-1F8 ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2018 Mommacat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: grey-matter-press, highly-rec, kindle, dark-fiction, anthology

Review Copy

I'd list the authors here, but why? You're fully capable of doing a "look inside" and getting that thrill that you get when you see your favorite authors listed within. I know that I've added several must read authors to my personal list since discovering Grey Matter Press some years ago.

This short story collection starts out strong and gets stronger to endwith a punch in the gut that will leave satisfied and yet wanting more.

Highly recommended- don't wait! ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 10, 2018 Ethan Harris added it · review of another edition

I found the collection, written by a host of talented authors, to be somewhat free-ranging, allowing room for the expression of diverse perspectives on a dark theme.

Jumping up from the pages is the story by Stephen Graham Jones, entitled, "Love is a Cavity I Can't Stop Touching." Jones attacked my sense of well-being from the first sentence and established his own disturbing story without allowing me a second to adjust. This is a story that I really enjoy, grabbing me and pulling me along in a s ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2018 Holly (The Grimdragon) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-mystery-thriller, short-stories-novellas, the-infinite-library

4.5 stars~

“The shadows below seem to hold their breath at my approach. I always seek them out, something to do with grief, maybe. Does my sadness draw me to dark corners? I don’t know why exactly, but ever since I started noticing shadows, they seem more and more alive to me, as if they’re waiting just for me. Waiting for me to walk by so they can let out their breaths.”

Suspended in Dusk II reads like it was written by the firelight of a world on fire. Goddamn. I dug the hell out of this!

The ele ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2018 Suz Jay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“With horror maybe we get to have a preview, a try-before-you-buy kind of thing without the commitment to actual death. Just maybe coming close to the edge reminds us we’re alive.”

Angela Slatter’s introduction sets the tone for this great collection of horror stories. I enjoyed each story, but my favorites are Sarah Read’s “Still Life with Natalie,” Gwendolyn Kiste’s “An Elegy for Childhood Monsters,” and Nerine Dorman’s “That Damned Cat.”

Read’s story focuses on a painter’s obsession with captur ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2018 Brian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Simon Dewar’s second instalment of the series really delivers. There. That’s my review. Deal with it.

Ah, who the hell am I kidding? There is plenty to talk about between the covers. So much so, I fear I may be suspended in my own nightmare of everlasting dusk if I reviewed every single tale. But, I am definitely going to touch on some high points, because this collection has thrown together a multitude of quality writing that begs to be read.

Full Review here: http://kendallreviews.com/suspended- ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2019 GracieKat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, reviewed-for-s-s

Suspended in Dusk II grabs you by the throat from the very first story and does not let go. I honestly can't overstate how good this anthology was. I didn't read the first Suspended in Dusk anthology but I am definitely going to now. If the stories in the first collection are half as good as the stories in Suspended in Dusk II then it will be well worth it. There are some very heavy topics in the stories but they're written so well and not a single one is played merely for shock value or cheap e ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2019 Brian Bogart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Simon Dewar’s second instalment of the series really delivers. There. That’s my review. Deal with it.

Ah, who the hell am I kidding? There is plenty to talk about between the covers. So much so, I fear I may be suspended in my own nightmare of everlasting dusk if I reviewed every single tale. But, I am definitely going to touch on some high points, because this collection has thrown together a multitude of quality writing that begs to be read.

It kicks off with a wonderful introduction by Angela S ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 03, 2018 Yolanda Sfetsos marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology-collections, horror, short-story

Okay.

I've been debating what to do about this book for several days now.

The problem is that while I really enjoyed the first two stories--Angeline and The Sundowners--after that, I started losing interest. I skimmed Crying Demon. Still Life with Natalie was too predictable. Love is a Cavity I Can't Stop Touching was so gross, and not in a good way. Even There's No Light Between Floors was disappointing.

After that, I started several of the other stories and couldn't finish any. Well, except for ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 10, 2018 Autumn rated it really liked it

This is a good, solid horror anthology, and well worth the price. I loved the forward and the theme of suspension in dusk, and the in between places where terrors can lurk and you don't suspect them.
It starts off strong to get you interested and by the end you have experienced a wide range of very well written frights from a pool of amazingly talented authors.
It has something for everyone, from cheesy to disturbing. I have quite a few favorites, but there wasn't one that I didn't like, which ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 09, 2019 Father Longlegs rated it liked it · review of another edition

¯\(ツ)/¯ Sometimes you get peaches and sometimes you get lunch meat. Some good stories, some cheeseball ones. Still searching for the perfect horror anthology!!

flag Like · see review

Oct 04, 2018 Alan Baxter rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy, horror, short-stories

‪I just finished reading my contributor copy of this one. It’s an outstanding anthology, and it’s an honour to be part of it. Well done, Simon Dewar.

flag Like · see review

Jun 13, 2019 Christa rated it it was amazing

Creepy, Gothic, psychological, exceedingly dark, this anthology works due to the contributions of Gwendolyn Kiste, Sarah Read, Damien Angelica Walters, and Annie Neugebauer alone, but tales by Paul Tremblay and Ramsey Campbell can’t hurt either. The most effective stories linger far after the book is closed, transforming dusk from a liminal—but navigable—space into a world of trapdoors and unseen passages that will drop you into realms far more dangerous than a simple, moonless night.

flag Like · see review

Dave Versace rated it it was amazing
Jan 06, 2019

Darryl Le Roux rated it liked it
Aug 04, 2019

Suzie Armstrong rated it really liked it
Dec 09, 2018

Ian Mond rated it really liked it
Mar 01, 2019

Sarah Read rated it it was amazing
Jan 21, 2019

Cathy Blackbear rated it it was amazing
Dec 10, 2018

Christopher Stanley rated it it was amazing
Aug 30, 2019

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Horror

6 users

Anthologies

4 users

See top shelves…

About Simon Dewar

Simon Dewar

20 followers

Simon Dewar was born and bred in Canberra, Australia. He lives there with his wife and 3 daughters.

Simon is the editor for the Suspended in Dusk anthology series from Books of the Dead Press.

His own fiction published in the Bloody Parchment: The Root Cellar and Other Stories, The Sea by Crossroads Press, Death’s Realm from Grey Matter Press, Morbid Metamorphosis from Lycan Valley Press and others. ...more