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In Darkness, Delight
In Darkness, Delight: Masters of Midnight
Midnight strikes like an invocation, clock hands joining in prayer to the darkness. After the twelfth chime, there’s no escaping the nightmare.
Fear reigns supreme.
Featuring:
Josh Malerman: One Thousand Words on a Tombstone - Delores Ray
William Meikle: Refuge
Jason Parent: Violet
Ryan C. Thomas: Who Are You?
Mark Matthews: Tattooed All in Black
Evans Light: One Million Hits
Lisa Lepovetsky: Kruze Nite
Israel Finn: The Pipe
Patrick Lacey: In the Ground John McNee: Dogsh*t Gauntlet
Michael Bray: Letters
Monique Youzwa: Rules of Leap Year
Billy Chizmar: Mirrors
Espi Kvlt: Pulsate
Paul Michaels: Angel Wings
Andrew Lennon: Run Rabbit Run
Joanna Koch: Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood
Fear reigns supreme.
In Darkness, Delight is an original anthology series revealing the many facets of modern horror—shocking and quiet, pulp and literary, cold-hearted and heart-felt, weird tales of spiraling madness alongside full-throttle thrillers. Open these pages and unleash all-new terrors that consume from without and within.
Featuring:
Josh Malerman: One Thousand Words on a Tombstone - Delores Ray
William Meikle: Refuge
Jason Parent: Violet
Ryan C. Thomas: Who Are You?
Mark Matthews: Tattooed All in Black
Evans Light: One Million Hits
Lisa Lepovetsky: Kruze Nite
Israel Finn: The Pipe
Patrick Lacey: In the Ground John McNee: Dogsh*t Gauntlet
Michael Bray: Letters
Monique Youzwa: Rules of Leap Year
Billy Chizmar: Mirrors
Espi Kvlt: Pulsate
Paul Michaels: Angel Wings
Andrew Lennon: Run Rabbit Run
Joanna Koch: Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood
298 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2019
About the author
Andrew Lennon
84 books255 followersAndrew Lennon is the bestselling author of Every Twisted Thought and several other horror/thriller books. He has featured in various bestselling anthologies, and is successfully becoming a recognised name in horror and thriller writing.
His work has appeared alongside horror royalty such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Richard Chizmar, Clive Barker, and many more.
Andrew is a happily married man living in the North West of England with his wife Hazel & their children.
For more information please go to www.andrewlennon.co.uk
His work has appeared alongside horror royalty such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Richard Chizmar, Clive Barker, and many more.
Andrew is a happily married man living in the North West of England with his wife Hazel & their children.
For more information please go to www.andrewlennon.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 12, 2022
CORPUS PRESS is a publisher that I've grown to love. Everything I've read from them looms large over the competition and IN DARKNESS, DELIGHT is no exception! Featuring authors like Josh Malerman, Patrick Lacey, John McNee and William Meikle, among others, how could this volume be anything but excellent?
I can't cover all the stories here or my review would be as long as the book itself-because almost every tale in this book is good. What I'm going to focus on here are the ones that I found to be truly exceptional:
THE PIPE by Israel Finn: I had no idea where this story was going and when it got there, I felt...stunned ...just...stunned. I love short stories with a punch and this is definitely one of them! (His volume of short stories, DREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, is now heading towards the top of my "to be read" list.
LETTERS by Michael Bray: Here's another tale it's hard for me to describe without giving anything away. It twists and turns into itself before it twists again. My emotions were so confused I felt absolutely wrung out by the time I finished. LOVED it!
ONE MILLION HITS by Evans Light: A group of teenagers on Halloween night concoct a scam to bring in as much candy as possible, and then they concoct another scam to get a million hits on their site. You already know things will go wrong, but just how wrong was a surprise to me.
VIOLET by Jason Parent: It's always hard to lose someone, and sometimes I think it's even worse when you lose a dear pet. After all, you're with your pets almost every single day of your life. Sometimes, you just don't want to listen to platitudes or the attempts of others to comfort you. Or worse yet, when they try to tell you what to do. I felt this one deep in my heart.
THE DOGSHIT GAUNTLET by John McNee. I chuckled at the title, I admit it. But the actual story was scary and sad, with the two being all wrapped up and twisted around each other. I was so happy for Paul...and then I felt so sorry for him. Read it and you'll see.
TATTOOED ALL IN BLACK by Mark Matthews: You might recognize the title from the Pearl Jam song BLACK. It's an excellent tune and this tale is excellent too. I've yet to read anything from Mark Matthews that I haven't enjoyed. At this point, I doubt I ever will. (P.S. Prepare to have your heart ripped out and then you can "be a sun in someone else's sky.")
REFUGE by William Meikle I came away from this story feeling that it was about forgiveness. I'm not sure my conclusion is correct, but I do know that holding a grudge can kill you. Let love rule instead.
PULSATE by Espe Kvlt: I've already cursed in this review with John McNee's title, so...all I can say about this one is: WTF? I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but I know I liked it! (I've done a search for this author on Goodreads and don't see anything else by them. That needs to change!)
As a long, long, long-time reader of horror anthologies, I like to think that I'm a good judge of them. There certainly are a lot more of them in this age of digital publishing and it can be difficult weeding out the good from the bad. I hope you feel that you can trust me when I say this will surely make my top ten of the year list, so DON'T MISS OUT!
Highly recommended!
*I received a paperback ARC from the editors, Evan Light and Andrew Lennon, in exchange for review consideration. I considered it, said HELL YEAH, and read the book!*
**Further, I have been friends online with a few of these authors for years and I think I should let you know that. Our relationships have not affected the honesty of this review.**
I can't cover all the stories here or my review would be as long as the book itself-because almost every tale in this book is good. What I'm going to focus on here are the ones that I found to be truly exceptional:
THE PIPE by Israel Finn: I had no idea where this story was going and when it got there, I felt...stunned ...just...stunned. I love short stories with a punch and this is definitely one of them! (His volume of short stories, DREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, is now heading towards the top of my "to be read" list.
LETTERS by Michael Bray: Here's another tale it's hard for me to describe without giving anything away. It twists and turns into itself before it twists again. My emotions were so confused I felt absolutely wrung out by the time I finished. LOVED it!
ONE MILLION HITS by Evans Light: A group of teenagers on Halloween night concoct a scam to bring in as much candy as possible, and then they concoct another scam to get a million hits on their site. You already know things will go wrong, but just how wrong was a surprise to me.
VIOLET by Jason Parent: It's always hard to lose someone, and sometimes I think it's even worse when you lose a dear pet. After all, you're with your pets almost every single day of your life. Sometimes, you just don't want to listen to platitudes or the attempts of others to comfort you. Or worse yet, when they try to tell you what to do. I felt this one deep in my heart.
THE DOGSHIT GAUNTLET by John McNee. I chuckled at the title, I admit it. But the actual story was scary and sad, with the two being all wrapped up and twisted around each other. I was so happy for Paul...and then I felt so sorry for him. Read it and you'll see.
TATTOOED ALL IN BLACK by Mark Matthews: You might recognize the title from the Pearl Jam song BLACK. It's an excellent tune and this tale is excellent too. I've yet to read anything from Mark Matthews that I haven't enjoyed. At this point, I doubt I ever will. (P.S. Prepare to have your heart ripped out and then you can "be a sun in someone else's sky.")
REFUGE by William Meikle I came away from this story feeling that it was about forgiveness. I'm not sure my conclusion is correct, but I do know that holding a grudge can kill you. Let love rule instead.
PULSATE by Espe Kvlt: I've already cursed in this review with John McNee's title, so...all I can say about this one is: WTF? I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but I know I liked it! (I've done a search for this author on Goodreads and don't see anything else by them. That needs to change!)
As a long, long, long-time reader of horror anthologies, I like to think that I'm a good judge of them. There certainly are a lot more of them in this age of digital publishing and it can be difficult weeding out the good from the bad. I hope you feel that you can trust me when I say this will surely make my top ten of the year list, so DON'T MISS OUT!
Highly recommended!
*I received a paperback ARC from the editors, Evan Light and Andrew Lennon, in exchange for review consideration. I considered it, said HELL YEAH, and read the book!*
**Further, I have been friends online with a few of these authors for years and I think I should let you know that. Our relationships have not affected the honesty of this review.**
July 24, 2021
So Delightful! 👍🏽
I truly love short story collections. And I am always delighted when I am not disappointed with the selections.
This book is a great example of a good collection. There are some heavy hitters here, like: Josh Malerman, William Meikles, Andrew Lennon, Billy Chizmar, Evans Light, Michael Bray and so many others.
The stories are all fantastic! Not a dud in this bunch. Can’t remember what I paid for this book, but knowing my budget, it has to be no more than $5.00 dollars.
Now, don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. You are going to love this anthology.
Five stars ⭐️.
I truly love short story collections. And I am always delighted when I am not disappointed with the selections.
This book is a great example of a good collection. There are some heavy hitters here, like: Josh Malerman, William Meikles, Andrew Lennon, Billy Chizmar, Evans Light, Michael Bray and so many others.
The stories are all fantastic! Not a dud in this bunch. Can’t remember what I paid for this book, but knowing my budget, it has to be no more than $5.00 dollars.
Now, don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. You are going to love this anthology.
Five stars ⭐️.
January 14, 2020
Review originally appeared in SCREAM Magazine Issue #58
I love short stories! I think it’s so entertaining to grab an anthology and just read straight through the book, comparing and contrasting each author’s contribution to the theme. I have found some of my favorite authors this way--sometimes one story will stand out among the others as particularly worthy of praise and adoration. If the storytelling was exceptionally noteworthy, I have been known to buy some of the author’s short story collections or novels-so it’s my opinion that anthologies and short stories, in general, are important.
In Darkness, Delight: Masters of Midnight there was a great mix of familiar and new-to-me authors. I will admit, I skipped around and read the stories from some of my favorite authors first (Of course I read Josh Malerman’s first. Shhhh-don’t tell. It was weird but I have come to appreciate and love Malerman’s unique brand of weird)
The standouts for me are: The Pipe by Israel Finn- I read a short story collection by Finn earlier this year and instantly fell in love with his imagination and storytelling voice. It was a treat to see his name in this collection and I was not surprised I enjoyed his story.
One Million Hits by Evans Light- I have never read an Evans Light story in an anthology that I didn’t like. This one was about some boys who get up to some Halloween hijinks and things go horribly wrong. Great unexpected twists in this one! Tattooed All In Black by Mark Matthews- Everyone needs to buy a bunch of Mark Matthews’ books. This guy writes some seriously twisted, heart-wrenching horror. I’m here for everything. Some of the new-to-me authors came out swinging! Lisa Lepovetsky, Monique Youzwa and Joanna Koch each had impressive stories with a memorable bite to them. As with any anthology, not every story is going to knock it out of the park and there were a few in this one that left me feeling indifferent or I ultimately skipped them but there were only a couple. Most of these tales are 3 or 5 skull offerings rounding this collection out to be a solid
I love short stories! I think it’s so entertaining to grab an anthology and just read straight through the book, comparing and contrasting each author’s contribution to the theme. I have found some of my favorite authors this way--sometimes one story will stand out among the others as particularly worthy of praise and adoration. If the storytelling was exceptionally noteworthy, I have been known to buy some of the author’s short story collections or novels-so it’s my opinion that anthologies and short stories, in general, are important.
In Darkness, Delight: Masters of Midnight there was a great mix of familiar and new-to-me authors. I will admit, I skipped around and read the stories from some of my favorite authors first (Of course I read Josh Malerman’s first. Shhhh-don’t tell. It was weird but I have come to appreciate and love Malerman’s unique brand of weird)
The standouts for me are: The Pipe by Israel Finn- I read a short story collection by Finn earlier this year and instantly fell in love with his imagination and storytelling voice. It was a treat to see his name in this collection and I was not surprised I enjoyed his story.
One Million Hits by Evans Light- I have never read an Evans Light story in an anthology that I didn’t like. This one was about some boys who get up to some Halloween hijinks and things go horribly wrong. Great unexpected twists in this one! Tattooed All In Black by Mark Matthews- Everyone needs to buy a bunch of Mark Matthews’ books. This guy writes some seriously twisted, heart-wrenching horror. I’m here for everything. Some of the new-to-me authors came out swinging! Lisa Lepovetsky, Monique Youzwa and Joanna Koch each had impressive stories with a memorable bite to them. As with any anthology, not every story is going to knock it out of the park and there were a few in this one that left me feeling indifferent or I ultimately skipped them but there were only a couple. Most of these tales are 3 or 5 skull offerings rounding this collection out to be a solid
May 18, 2019
Sometimes, as reviewers, there are books that are hard to review for one reason or another, and to me, the worst of those occasions comes when there's a book that I felt so confident I would love (in this case, due to my pre-formed love for quite a few of these creators), only to find that the end result was nothing like my expectations. Sadly, In Darkness, Delight is one of those occasions.
I'm not sure what it was about this anthology and me that seemed unable to mesh, but there were a disappointingly low number of stories in the collection that warranted 4 or more stars from me. I found many of them to be anticlimactic, and there's an overarching theme in many of them that I struggled with: I adore it when a horror creator can merge heartbreak and fear, but when I'm only given the former without the latter, I find myself wondering how that particular piece fit the theme of the collection at large.
There are a lot of talented creators in this lineup who I will continue to support and eagerly await each release from — I'm still obsessed with last year's Doorbells at Dusk collection, which featured many of the same creators — but sadly, In Darkness, Delight just didn't ever quite pan out for me.
Finally, I'd like to quickly give a shout-out to my favorites in the collection: 'In the Ground' by Patrick Lacey, which details a boy's descent into possible madness after the loss of his father; 'The Pipe' by Israel Finn, in which we're treated to a terrifyingly claustrophobic view of a white supremacist's torture methods; and 'The Rules of Leap Year' by Monique Youzwa, which has one of the most interesting and unique premises I've ever seen as a family attempts to murder one of their own on each Leap Year.
Content warnings for violence, murder, body horror, suicide, racial slurs, ableist slurs, murder of a pet, substance abuse, and domestic abuse
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
———
Buddy read with the lovely and amazing Cassie! 💕🌈
I'm not sure what it was about this anthology and me that seemed unable to mesh, but there were a disappointingly low number of stories in the collection that warranted 4 or more stars from me. I found many of them to be anticlimactic, and there's an overarching theme in many of them that I struggled with: I adore it when a horror creator can merge heartbreak and fear, but when I'm only given the former without the latter, I find myself wondering how that particular piece fit the theme of the collection at large.
There are a lot of talented creators in this lineup who I will continue to support and eagerly await each release from — I'm still obsessed with last year's Doorbells at Dusk collection, which featured many of the same creators — but sadly, In Darkness, Delight just didn't ever quite pan out for me.
Finally, I'd like to quickly give a shout-out to my favorites in the collection: 'In the Ground' by Patrick Lacey, which details a boy's descent into possible madness after the loss of his father; 'The Pipe' by Israel Finn, in which we're treated to a terrifyingly claustrophobic view of a white supremacist's torture methods; and 'The Rules of Leap Year' by Monique Youzwa, which has one of the most interesting and unique premises I've ever seen as a family attempts to murder one of their own on each Leap Year.
Content warnings for violence, murder, body horror, suicide, racial slurs, ableist slurs, murder of a pet, substance abuse, and domestic abuse
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
———
Buddy read with the lovely and amazing Cassie! 💕🌈
May 13, 2022
This is a collection filled with nightmarish images and stories. As with collections of these types, there are always some you’re going to love and others you might not be quite as crazy about. A few of them were so deeply depressing that I had to take breaks in-between stories. I’m only going to mention the ones that stuck with me.
The Pipe Isreal Finn
A young black man finds himself in a real nasty bind when he makes the mistake of answering a summons by his girlfriend’s racist father. This was a harrowing tale 😳. It’s definitely one of my favorites in this collection and I’m not saying anything more.
Angel Wings by Paul Michael
A boy bored outta his head during a school field trip to examine religious artifacts perks up when he spies what claims to be genuine angel wings. He’s grieving the loss of his mother and those wings give him a glimpse of hope. Gah, this story was filled with the absolute deepest of despair. Read at your own peril!
The Dogshit Gauntlet by John McNee
A lonely man takes a shortcut on his way to catch the bus and meets a woman who may be too good to be true. This story was incredibly unique. One where everything bends and is just out of focus, a story where new friendship and love blossom under the lurking backdrop of haunting eeriness.
Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood by Joanna Koch
This is a delightfully strange story about a couple who have dealings with a very odd designer. It gave me shades of Katherine Dunn’s writing at times and was weird in all the best ways. And the end was perfection. I loved this story with my whole heart and I hope you all get a chance to experience it.
Tattooed all in Black by Mark Matthews
This is the saddest grief-laden nightmare of a story in this collection. It will murder your heart. Make sure you’re ready for it. Seriously. I’m not being dramatic.
Definitely give this a read if you’re a horror fan and like to dwell in the darkest corners of the human experience.
The Pipe Isreal Finn
A young black man finds himself in a real nasty bind when he makes the mistake of answering a summons by his girlfriend’s racist father. This was a harrowing tale 😳. It’s definitely one of my favorites in this collection and I’m not saying anything more.
Angel Wings by Paul Michael
A boy bored outta his head during a school field trip to examine religious artifacts perks up when he spies what claims to be genuine angel wings. He’s grieving the loss of his mother and those wings give him a glimpse of hope. Gah, this story was filled with the absolute deepest of despair. Read at your own peril!
The Dogshit Gauntlet by John McNee
A lonely man takes a shortcut on his way to catch the bus and meets a woman who may be too good to be true. This story was incredibly unique. One where everything bends and is just out of focus, a story where new friendship and love blossom under the lurking backdrop of haunting eeriness.
Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood by Joanna Koch
This is a delightfully strange story about a couple who have dealings with a very odd designer. It gave me shades of Katherine Dunn’s writing at times and was weird in all the best ways. And the end was perfection. I loved this story with my whole heart and I hope you all get a chance to experience it.
Tattooed all in Black by Mark Matthews
This is the saddest grief-laden nightmare of a story in this collection. It will murder your heart. Make sure you’re ready for it. Seriously. I’m not being dramatic.
Definitely give this a read if you’re a horror fan and like to dwell in the darkest corners of the human experience.
October 30, 2019
IN DARKNESS, DELIGHT
As I do with most anthologies that I review, lets not make small talk and simply jump right in:
Who Are You? - Ryan C. Thomas
A single homebody starts noticing people in public with no expressions and smile blankly with a set of horselike teeth. Who are these people and why does he keep seeing them everywhere? A freaky yarn that reminds me of a cross between They Live and the Twilight Zone. Loved it.
5 stars out of 5
In The Ground - Patrick Lacey
After Noah's father is killed, he gets the burning desire to dig a hole...and never stop. Reminiscent of the good parts of Tommyknockers, in a way. Great storytelling.
4.5 stars out of 5
The Pipe - Israel Finn
Sara's father isn't happy about Derik taking his daughter away from him and forces Derik into a nightmare journey through hell. One hell of a creepy story that makes you feel the torture all through your body. Great story.
5 stars out of 5
Angel Wings - Paul Michaels
A magical story about a loner kid that discovers more at the PT Barnum-type museum within the fake, tourist trap displays than he bargains for.
4 stars out of 5
Run Rabbit Run - Andrew Lennon
Swinging your arms around without looking and whacking the class bully in the nose will cause you to have a bad day. For little Tommy, he has no idea how bad. Great story that makes you have childhood flashbacks.
5 stars out of 5
Kruze Night - Lisa Lepovetsky
Hugh's wife thinks that he's going through a mid-life crisis, but Hugh only wants a small taste of his youth back. When he sees a flyer promoting a Classic Kruze Night, Hugh is all in, against his wife's protests. What's the worst that can happen? A fun little tale that I absolutely loved.
5 stars out of 5
The Rules of Leap Year - Monique Youzwa
When a large inheritance and family are involved, look out. There are "rules" to follow. Great tale that reminded me of something that could've been on Creepshow.
4.5 stars out of 5
Letters - Michael Bray
Finding your love hanging by the neck from the ceiling with a clothesline wire imbedded in her skin and her dead eyes staring off into the distance can have a disturbing effect on you. For Miles, her death was just the beginning of the hell he was about to face. A fantastic tale by Michael Bray. I didn't want it to end.
5 stars out of 5
One Million Hits - Evans Light
High school seniors decide to spend Halloween out Trick 'r' Treating. After making one hell of a haul, they decide to record a few tricks to see how many hits on social media they get. Things don't go as planned. The story started out really well and then kind of exploded in crazy excess.
4 stars out of 5
Violet - Jason Parent
The unfortunate thing about man’s best friend is that they all have a shelf life. It makes it hard to let go. A nosy neighbor is about to learn the hard way. Great story that feels like something from Tales From The Crypt.
4.5 stars out of 5
The Dogshit Gauntlet - John McNee
A boring man finds love, but things aren’t what they seem in the Dogshit Gauntlet. Decent writing overcomes a mediocre ending.
3 stars out of 5
Tattooed All In Black - Mark Matthews
A man who suffers from the loss of his wife stumbles through life hoping to feel her spirit again. Damn. Talk about a dark story. I don’t remember the last time I read something this black!
5 out of 5 stars
Every Lucky Penny is a Drop of Blood - Joanna Koch
Okay. I’ve learned that bizarro horror is not for me and this one would fall in that category. It’s not that it’s bad. It’s simply that my brain isn’t made to process bizarro, so I have no idea how to rate it.
*** here. I’ll let you decide for yourself.
Mirrors - Billy Chizmar
A cynical snippet on a man recollecting how he’s aged. Too short to really go anywhere.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Refuge - William Meikle
A Muslim refugee is persecuted in his new home in the UK. A tie-in story for Meikle’s Sigils and Totems Mythos. A decent story if added to other mythos tales, but seems directionless on its own with no background to enlighten the reader.
3 out of 5 stars
Pulsate - Espi Kvlt
Starts out well as our protagonist gets a tattoo that later changes before his eyes. Then, madness sets in and...ah, hell. I don’t know. If you figure it out, let me know.
3 out of 5 stars
Overall - a solid 4.5 star anthology, which is unheard of. Most will have a couple shining stars with a bunch of filler. Not the case here. A couple of new-to-me authors that I’ll be keeping my eye out for along with more of the same excellence you’d expect from the known veterans. All in all, a must have for any self respecting horror fan.
As I do with most anthologies that I review, lets not make small talk and simply jump right in:
Who Are You? - Ryan C. Thomas
A single homebody starts noticing people in public with no expressions and smile blankly with a set of horselike teeth. Who are these people and why does he keep seeing them everywhere? A freaky yarn that reminds me of a cross between They Live and the Twilight Zone. Loved it.
5 stars out of 5
In The Ground - Patrick Lacey
After Noah's father is killed, he gets the burning desire to dig a hole...and never stop. Reminiscent of the good parts of Tommyknockers, in a way. Great storytelling.
4.5 stars out of 5
The Pipe - Israel Finn
Sara's father isn't happy about Derik taking his daughter away from him and forces Derik into a nightmare journey through hell. One hell of a creepy story that makes you feel the torture all through your body. Great story.
5 stars out of 5
Angel Wings - Paul Michaels
A magical story about a loner kid that discovers more at the PT Barnum-type museum within the fake, tourist trap displays than he bargains for.
4 stars out of 5
Run Rabbit Run - Andrew Lennon
Swinging your arms around without looking and whacking the class bully in the nose will cause you to have a bad day. For little Tommy, he has no idea how bad. Great story that makes you have childhood flashbacks.
5 stars out of 5
Kruze Night - Lisa Lepovetsky
Hugh's wife thinks that he's going through a mid-life crisis, but Hugh only wants a small taste of his youth back. When he sees a flyer promoting a Classic Kruze Night, Hugh is all in, against his wife's protests. What's the worst that can happen? A fun little tale that I absolutely loved.
5 stars out of 5
The Rules of Leap Year - Monique Youzwa
When a large inheritance and family are involved, look out. There are "rules" to follow. Great tale that reminded me of something that could've been on Creepshow.
4.5 stars out of 5
Letters - Michael Bray
Finding your love hanging by the neck from the ceiling with a clothesline wire imbedded in her skin and her dead eyes staring off into the distance can have a disturbing effect on you. For Miles, her death was just the beginning of the hell he was about to face. A fantastic tale by Michael Bray. I didn't want it to end.
5 stars out of 5
One Million Hits - Evans Light
High school seniors decide to spend Halloween out Trick 'r' Treating. After making one hell of a haul, they decide to record a few tricks to see how many hits on social media they get. Things don't go as planned. The story started out really well and then kind of exploded in crazy excess.
4 stars out of 5
Violet - Jason Parent
The unfortunate thing about man’s best friend is that they all have a shelf life. It makes it hard to let go. A nosy neighbor is about to learn the hard way. Great story that feels like something from Tales From The Crypt.
4.5 stars out of 5
The Dogshit Gauntlet - John McNee
A boring man finds love, but things aren’t what they seem in the Dogshit Gauntlet. Decent writing overcomes a mediocre ending.
3 stars out of 5
Tattooed All In Black - Mark Matthews
A man who suffers from the loss of his wife stumbles through life hoping to feel her spirit again. Damn. Talk about a dark story. I don’t remember the last time I read something this black!
5 out of 5 stars
Every Lucky Penny is a Drop of Blood - Joanna Koch
Okay. I’ve learned that bizarro horror is not for me and this one would fall in that category. It’s not that it’s bad. It’s simply that my brain isn’t made to process bizarro, so I have no idea how to rate it.
*** here. I’ll let you decide for yourself.
Mirrors - Billy Chizmar
A cynical snippet on a man recollecting how he’s aged. Too short to really go anywhere.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Refuge - William Meikle
A Muslim refugee is persecuted in his new home in the UK. A tie-in story for Meikle’s Sigils and Totems Mythos. A decent story if added to other mythos tales, but seems directionless on its own with no background to enlighten the reader.
3 out of 5 stars
Pulsate - Espi Kvlt
Starts out well as our protagonist gets a tattoo that later changes before his eyes. Then, madness sets in and...ah, hell. I don’t know. If you figure it out, let me know.
3 out of 5 stars
Overall - a solid 4.5 star anthology, which is unheard of. Most will have a couple shining stars with a bunch of filler. Not the case here. A couple of new-to-me authors that I’ll be keeping my eye out for along with more of the same excellence you’d expect from the known veterans. All in all, a must have for any self respecting horror fan.
December 7, 2019
3.5 stars to this solid collection. The best stories of the bunch dealt with grief and loss in ways that were truly captivating. Standouts include "The Pipe," "Angel Wings," "The Dogshit Gauntlet," "Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood," and "Refuge."
May 10, 2022
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – I love short story collections! Ones from single authors are awesome, but I also really enjoy anthologies of collections from different writers put together. If edited well, the collection of widely different voices can, despite the odds, somehow come together to form a really cohesive whole. With IN DARKNESS, DELIGHT’s first volume, MASTERS OF MIDNIGHT, Andrew Lennon & Evans Light did exactly that.
This was my first brush with many of these authors – all but 3 actually, which is a pretty high number of unknowns to me considering there are only about 17 stories total in the whole thing. Of the below list of contributors, I was only familiar with Malerman, Lacey, & Chizmar. What a shame, because the rest are also amazing, and I’m excited to read more by them in the future!
Contributors:
Josh Malerman | William Meikle | Jason Parent | Ryan C. Thomas | Mark Matthews | Israel Finn | Evans Light | Joanna Koch | Andrew Lennon | John McNee | Patrick Lacey | Paul Michaels | Michael Bray | Lisa Lepovetsky | Espi Kvlt | Billy Chizmar | Monique Youzwa
I loved that this collection had a nice mixture of both male and female writers. I know this isn’t something everyone cares about or looks at, but as a woman who has been reading horror her entire life, I can say that for a long time, I didn’t even know there were female horror writers anymore. Of course, I knew about the classic horror writers, but was totally ignorant to modern stuff!
I’m incredibly grateful that my newfound bookish community, both on Instagram & Twitter, have introduced me to so many. And now, when I’m picking up a collection for example, I can make a mental note of the inclusion, and it’s a nice little extra thing to appreciate. 🙂
Overall, I really enjoyed this entire collection. It’s mainly horror, although at least one of the stories also blends a sort of science fiction-y type thing to the plot (which I loved). I love variety, and the stuff here is great – some gore, some fun, some emotionally impacting hits. I didn’t give less than 3.5 stars to any of the stories, and I’ll highlight a couple of my top favorites on my blog – but if you’re thinking of reading it, feel free to skip that, and go in blind! It’s an excellent read, and I’d definitely recommend it!
Blog for full review: https://letsgetgalactic.com/2019/07/0...
This was my first brush with many of these authors – all but 3 actually, which is a pretty high number of unknowns to me considering there are only about 17 stories total in the whole thing. Of the below list of contributors, I was only familiar with Malerman, Lacey, & Chizmar. What a shame, because the rest are also amazing, and I’m excited to read more by them in the future!
Contributors:
Josh Malerman | William Meikle | Jason Parent | Ryan C. Thomas | Mark Matthews | Israel Finn | Evans Light | Joanna Koch | Andrew Lennon | John McNee | Patrick Lacey | Paul Michaels | Michael Bray | Lisa Lepovetsky | Espi Kvlt | Billy Chizmar | Monique Youzwa
I loved that this collection had a nice mixture of both male and female writers. I know this isn’t something everyone cares about or looks at, but as a woman who has been reading horror her entire life, I can say that for a long time, I didn’t even know there were female horror writers anymore. Of course, I knew about the classic horror writers, but was totally ignorant to modern stuff!
I’m incredibly grateful that my newfound bookish community, both on Instagram & Twitter, have introduced me to so many. And now, when I’m picking up a collection for example, I can make a mental note of the inclusion, and it’s a nice little extra thing to appreciate. 🙂
Overall, I really enjoyed this entire collection. It’s mainly horror, although at least one of the stories also blends a sort of science fiction-y type thing to the plot (which I loved). I love variety, and the stuff here is great – some gore, some fun, some emotionally impacting hits. I didn’t give less than 3.5 stars to any of the stories, and I’ll highlight a couple of my top favorites on my blog – but if you’re thinking of reading it, feel free to skip that, and go in blind! It’s an excellent read, and I’d definitely recommend it!
Blog for full review: https://letsgetgalactic.com/2019/07/0...
December 14, 2020
Well...wow! I went into this short story collection not really knowing what to expect, because I had not previously heard of the contributing authors. However, I was enthralled and sucked into almost every story. Each story was its own unique stand-alone work of art, and I was more and more "delighted" with each turn of the page.
My favorite stories:
THE PIPE: This story gave me chills. It's the story of one father's punishment to the man responsible for taking his daughter away from him. I was squirming in my skin as I read this one!
VIOLET: Such a short story that packed a HUGE punch....if you're an animal lover, this one will certainly hit you in the feels.
LETTERS: A story of what loss and grief can do to someone...I totally "felt" Miles's pain over losing his wife in such a tragic way and his unique way of trying to make peace with her absence.
ONE MILLION HITS: I think this had to be my favorite of the entire collection! What starts off as an innocent ploy for a group of high school friends to scare up as much Halloween candy as they can quickly turns into a horrifying quest of social media hits. I could not turn the pages fast enough with this one!
One thing that I loved about this collection is that the stories didn't seem to "try too hard" to be horror. In some collections, I feel that each story tries to outdo the rest and really reaches too much and ends up just being weird and strange, rather than true horror. However, each story in this anthology was haunting and spooky in it's own respect- whether it be the emotional punch that is was packing, the blood curdling language, or the original ideas that make your mind wander into the darkness.
I am certainly going to be looking for more by these authors, and I cannot wait to dive into the second volume in this collection. If it is as hauntingly dark as this one was, I know I am in for a very enjoyable wild ride.
**Thank you to Corpus Press and Erin Mahairi for providing me with this copy to read and review.**
My favorite stories:
THE PIPE: This story gave me chills. It's the story of one father's punishment to the man responsible for taking his daughter away from him. I was squirming in my skin as I read this one!
VIOLET: Such a short story that packed a HUGE punch....if you're an animal lover, this one will certainly hit you in the feels.
LETTERS: A story of what loss and grief can do to someone...I totally "felt" Miles's pain over losing his wife in such a tragic way and his unique way of trying to make peace with her absence.
ONE MILLION HITS: I think this had to be my favorite of the entire collection! What starts off as an innocent ploy for a group of high school friends to scare up as much Halloween candy as they can quickly turns into a horrifying quest of social media hits. I could not turn the pages fast enough with this one!
One thing that I loved about this collection is that the stories didn't seem to "try too hard" to be horror. In some collections, I feel that each story tries to outdo the rest and really reaches too much and ends up just being weird and strange, rather than true horror. However, each story in this anthology was haunting and spooky in it's own respect- whether it be the emotional punch that is was packing, the blood curdling language, or the original ideas that make your mind wander into the darkness.
I am certainly going to be looking for more by these authors, and I cannot wait to dive into the second volume in this collection. If it is as hauntingly dark as this one was, I know I am in for a very enjoyable wild ride.
**Thank you to Corpus Press and Erin Mahairi for providing me with this copy to read and review.**
May 31, 2019
Revel in bleak and digestible modern horror shorts in the form of Masters of Midnight, the latest collection from Corpus Press.
A warning, readers. The subject matter of these short stories was DARK and unrelenting. These are some of the most depressing stories I’ve had the pleasure(?!) of reading. I won’t point any fingers (TATTOOED ALL IN BLACK, ahem) but I was pretty devastated after finishing these up. These are not lighthearted or cheeky tales of horror-romp-madness. This is bleak, serious horror. In darkness, delight, indeed!
Many of the shorts were bite sized and spanning only a few pages- micro shorts, if you will- and were generally quick paced and sharply ended plots. Admittedly, I failed to connect with several of the stories. I either didn’t feel anything for the character or it was a subject matter that doesn’t have a home in my literary world. While all of them undoubtedly have a place in the hearts of other readers, I particularly enjoyed the setting in The Pipe by Israel Finn, the Halloween vibes of One Million Hits by Evans Light (this would have been a great addition to Doorbells at Dusk, another wonderful Corpus Press title), and the inventiveness of The Dogshit Gauntlet by John McKnee. I was glad to see the return of one of my favorite authors Joanna Koch as well. They were uniquely “modern” in a sense that they weren’t overly supernatural. No monsters, vampires, werewolves, etc. Psychological and spiritual themes, for a lack of a better term, mainly.
As a whole, Masters of Midnight is a well rounded collection of heavy, modern horror stories. Your heart will ache and your jaw will drop just from the pure desolation and ruthlessness of these gems. Seriously, don’t read this if you’re already sad. There are no happy endings ahead. Correction- there’ll be no justified, moral lesson happy endings ahead. Only straight up cold-son-of-a-bitch endings. These authors don’t fuck around.
A warning, readers. The subject matter of these short stories was DARK and unrelenting. These are some of the most depressing stories I’ve had the pleasure(?!) of reading. I won’t point any fingers (TATTOOED ALL IN BLACK, ahem) but I was pretty devastated after finishing these up. These are not lighthearted or cheeky tales of horror-romp-madness. This is bleak, serious horror. In darkness, delight, indeed!
Many of the shorts were bite sized and spanning only a few pages- micro shorts, if you will- and were generally quick paced and sharply ended plots. Admittedly, I failed to connect with several of the stories. I either didn’t feel anything for the character or it was a subject matter that doesn’t have a home in my literary world. While all of them undoubtedly have a place in the hearts of other readers, I particularly enjoyed the setting in The Pipe by Israel Finn, the Halloween vibes of One Million Hits by Evans Light (this would have been a great addition to Doorbells at Dusk, another wonderful Corpus Press title), and the inventiveness of The Dogshit Gauntlet by John McKnee. I was glad to see the return of one of my favorite authors Joanna Koch as well. They were uniquely “modern” in a sense that they weren’t overly supernatural. No monsters, vampires, werewolves, etc. Psychological and spiritual themes, for a lack of a better term, mainly.
As a whole, Masters of Midnight is a well rounded collection of heavy, modern horror stories. Your heart will ache and your jaw will drop just from the pure desolation and ruthlessness of these gems. Seriously, don’t read this if you’re already sad. There are no happy endings ahead. Correction- there’ll be no justified, moral lesson happy endings ahead. Only straight up cold-son-of-a-bitch endings. These authors don’t fuck around.
October 23, 2019
This was another fun read and was part of my October/Halloween must read list. There were definitely a good number of memorable stories in this one, and even a few, I hope get made into a film for the theater or even a series like Tales From The Crypt on Shudder.
May 22, 2019
This collection is delightful dish of dark, fun stories. I dug it--and you will to.
September 30, 2022
Started out strong, my favorite story was the first one by Ryan C. Thomas. There were some other very interesting and inventive stories, like Monique Youzwa's story, but there were four in the middle that i just couldn't get into at all. Originally purchased this book for the Josh Malerman story, having not heard of any of the other authors, and was disappointed to find that it was one of the shortest and sort of a gimmick story as it was "chiseled" into an illustrated tombstone at the end of the book. I'll check out a few of these authors as well as the other entries in this anthology series and would recommend to someone looking for some scary stories to read before bed.
Ryan C. Thomas - Who Are You? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Patrick Lacey - In the Ground ⭐⭐⭐
Israel Finn - The Pipe ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paul Michaels - Angel Wings ⭐⭐⭐
Andrew Lennon - Run Rabbit Run ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lisa Lepovetsky - Kruze Nite ⭐⭐
Monique Youzwa - Rules of Leap Year ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Michael Bray - Letters ⭐⭐⭐
Evans Light - One Million Hits ⭐
Jason Parent - Violet ⭐
John McNee - The Dogshit Gauntlet ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mark Matthews - Tattooed All in Black ⭐
Joanna Koch - Every Penny is Another Drop of Blood ⭐
Billy Chizmar - Mirrors ⭐⭐
William Meikle - Refuge ⭐⭐⭐
Espi Kvlt - Pulsate ⭐⭐⭐
Josh Malerman - One Thousand Words on a Tombstone: Delores Ray ⭐⭐⭐
Ryan C. Thomas - Who Are You? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Patrick Lacey - In the Ground ⭐⭐⭐
Israel Finn - The Pipe ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paul Michaels - Angel Wings ⭐⭐⭐
Andrew Lennon - Run Rabbit Run ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lisa Lepovetsky - Kruze Nite ⭐⭐
Monique Youzwa - Rules of Leap Year ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Michael Bray - Letters ⭐⭐⭐
Evans Light - One Million Hits ⭐
Jason Parent - Violet ⭐
John McNee - The Dogshit Gauntlet ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mark Matthews - Tattooed All in Black ⭐
Joanna Koch - Every Penny is Another Drop of Blood ⭐
Billy Chizmar - Mirrors ⭐⭐
William Meikle - Refuge ⭐⭐⭐
Espi Kvlt - Pulsate ⭐⭐⭐
Josh Malerman - One Thousand Words on a Tombstone: Delores Ray ⭐⭐⭐
April 13, 2022
I love these books
I like reading spooky short stories. They are fun quick reads. They are also a way to discover new authors and get a taste of their writing styles.
I like reading spooky short stories. They are fun quick reads. They are also a way to discover new authors and get a taste of their writing styles.
August 11, 2021
A fab collection of dark, sinister, weird and creepy tales. Everyone will find something in here they like surely, I found many. Sit down and be creeped out.
September 9, 2019
Vaguely decent stories from amateur authors...
I chose this book because I wanted to read the second installment, and it just seemed right. Most of the stories were imaginative and well written, but almost all of them could stand additional editing.
I think Evans Light was the only author in this collection that I read before. His was definitely the best story in the book. I look forward to the second book, as I have read some of those authors multiple times and enjoyed their works.
I chose this book because I wanted to read the second installment, and it just seemed right. Most of the stories were imaginative and well written, but almost all of them could stand additional editing.
I think Evans Light was the only author in this collection that I read before. His was definitely the best story in the book. I look forward to the second book, as I have read some of those authors multiple times and enjoyed their works.
June 29, 2019
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.*
Triggers: Racial Slurs, Suicide, and Domestic Violence
In Darkness Delight is an original anthology series, trying to encompass the many facets in the Horror genre. While the writing for the most part is well done and the stories unique, I feel that it didn't live up to the caliber of writing that Horror lovers have come to expect from many of the contributing authors.
In Darkness Delight contains 17 short stories: 1. One Thousand Words on a Tombstone by Josh Malerman 2. Refuge by William Meikle 3. Violet by Jason Parent 4. Who Are You? By Ryan C. Thomas 5. Tattooed All in Black by Mark Matthews 6. One Million Hits by Evans Light 7. Kruze Night by Lisa Leptovetsky 8. The Pipe by Israel Finn 9. In the Ground by Patrick Lacey 10. Dogshit Gauntlet by John McNee 11. Letters by Michael Bray 12. Rules of Leap Year by Monique Youzwa 13. Mirrors by Billy Chizmar 14. Pulsate by Espy Kvlt 15. Angel Wings by Paul Michaels 16. Run Rabbit Run by Andrew Lennon 17. Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood. These stories run the gambit of weird tales and edge of your seat thrillers, to literary, pulp, to shocking and heartfelt. There is something for everyone within the pages of this collection.
I'm beginning to love anthologies because every time I read one, I discover new authors with amazing talent, and that leads to so many great, horrifying adventures! It's also great to see more well known authors and find out what creepy new shorts have been lurking in their brains since I last visited their work. There were some absolute, bang on winners in this anthology, they absolutely belonged here. But others, though great stories and well written, didn't seem to fit into any Horror sub genre at all, which I feel was the downside to this work. Let's talk about some of these stories.
Ok, let's get some of the negative out of the way. I hate to say this once again, but Josh Malerman has left me disappointed once again. I didn't like Inspection and his story here followed suit. One Thousand Words on a Tombstone does have an interesting premise- a girl dies after seeing a witch. Awesome! The writing style, not so much. The story is told in short paragraphs, attempting to mimic how writing is on a tombstone. While I applaud him for trying something different, it felt disjointed, hard to follow and took away from what could have been a decent story.
In the Ground by Patrick Lacey tells the events of a sons decent into madness after his father's death.
Tattooed All in Black by Mark Matthews was a solid story dealing with grief and loss. I appreciated the Pearl Jam shout out to their song “Black”. If you know the song, the title would make much more sense. It's about a man trying to cope with the loss of his love.
Violet by Jason Parent is a heart wrenching story about dealing with the loss of a pet that left me in tears. What do all of these stories have in common? They are stories based more on sadness than fear. These were decent tales, some really well done. But they did not seem to fit into this collection at all.
Positives: stories that did fit into this collection- The Pipe is a disturbing story about a white supremacist putting his daughter's new boyfriend through a claustrophobic torture chamber. This will have you on the edge of your seat and squirming until the very end.
One Million Hit is full of crazy twists and turns as a group of high school boys pull elaborate pranks and record them to post on Youtube. But they end up pulling a prank on the wrong person and the boys get much more than they bargained for.
The Rules of Leap Year is another worthy tale about a family tradition of attempting to murder one of their own each leap year. Both stories very original and unique.
In Darkness Delight was a decent anthology with some great Horror tales that will stick with you long after you read them. But I felt the collection was bogged down by stories of grief and loss. And though they were good stories, horrible things happening doesn't make it a Horror story. These shorts mixed in with the real deals left the anthology lacking in real scares and left me craving for more delightful darkness.
Triggers: Racial Slurs, Suicide, and Domestic Violence
In Darkness Delight is an original anthology series, trying to encompass the many facets in the Horror genre. While the writing for the most part is well done and the stories unique, I feel that it didn't live up to the caliber of writing that Horror lovers have come to expect from many of the contributing authors.
In Darkness Delight contains 17 short stories: 1. One Thousand Words on a Tombstone by Josh Malerman 2. Refuge by William Meikle 3. Violet by Jason Parent 4. Who Are You? By Ryan C. Thomas 5. Tattooed All in Black by Mark Matthews 6. One Million Hits by Evans Light 7. Kruze Night by Lisa Leptovetsky 8. The Pipe by Israel Finn 9. In the Ground by Patrick Lacey 10. Dogshit Gauntlet by John McNee 11. Letters by Michael Bray 12. Rules of Leap Year by Monique Youzwa 13. Mirrors by Billy Chizmar 14. Pulsate by Espy Kvlt 15. Angel Wings by Paul Michaels 16. Run Rabbit Run by Andrew Lennon 17. Every Lucky Penny is Another Drop of Blood. These stories run the gambit of weird tales and edge of your seat thrillers, to literary, pulp, to shocking and heartfelt. There is something for everyone within the pages of this collection.
I'm beginning to love anthologies because every time I read one, I discover new authors with amazing talent, and that leads to so many great, horrifying adventures! It's also great to see more well known authors and find out what creepy new shorts have been lurking in their brains since I last visited their work. There were some absolute, bang on winners in this anthology, they absolutely belonged here. But others, though great stories and well written, didn't seem to fit into any Horror sub genre at all, which I feel was the downside to this work. Let's talk about some of these stories.
Ok, let's get some of the negative out of the way. I hate to say this once again, but Josh Malerman has left me disappointed once again. I didn't like Inspection and his story here followed suit. One Thousand Words on a Tombstone does have an interesting premise- a girl dies after seeing a witch. Awesome! The writing style, not so much. The story is told in short paragraphs, attempting to mimic how writing is on a tombstone. While I applaud him for trying something different, it felt disjointed, hard to follow and took away from what could have been a decent story.
In the Ground by Patrick Lacey tells the events of a sons decent into madness after his father's death.
Tattooed All in Black by Mark Matthews was a solid story dealing with grief and loss. I appreciated the Pearl Jam shout out to their song “Black”. If you know the song, the title would make much more sense. It's about a man trying to cope with the loss of his love.
Violet by Jason Parent is a heart wrenching story about dealing with the loss of a pet that left me in tears. What do all of these stories have in common? They are stories based more on sadness than fear. These were decent tales, some really well done. But they did not seem to fit into this collection at all.
Positives: stories that did fit into this collection- The Pipe is a disturbing story about a white supremacist putting his daughter's new boyfriend through a claustrophobic torture chamber. This will have you on the edge of your seat and squirming until the very end.
One Million Hit is full of crazy twists and turns as a group of high school boys pull elaborate pranks and record them to post on Youtube. But they end up pulling a prank on the wrong person and the boys get much more than they bargained for.
The Rules of Leap Year is another worthy tale about a family tradition of attempting to murder one of their own each leap year. Both stories very original and unique.
In Darkness Delight was a decent anthology with some great Horror tales that will stick with you long after you read them. But I felt the collection was bogged down by stories of grief and loss. And though they were good stories, horrible things happening doesn't make it a Horror story. These shorts mixed in with the real deals left the anthology lacking in real scares and left me craving for more delightful darkness.
January 4, 2020
Another great anthology. Love these short stories that have ”meat” in them. Only problem was that the book ended too soon.☹️
November 15, 2020
3.5. All these horror short stories were creepy and captivating. Excellent collection. Enjoyed!
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