Nightscript : Volume 8

Nightscript #8

by C.M. Muller, Steve Tem, Christi Nogle

An annual anthology of strange and darksome tales, which this year profiles the work of 18 contemporary
Steve Rasnic Tem, Christi Nogle, Luciano Marano, Joshua Rex, Jo Kaplan, M.C. St. John, John Garland Wells, Harrison Demchick, Daniel Braum, Sam Dawson, Justin A. Burnett, Grace Lillie, Dixon March, K. Wallace King, J. S. Kuiken, LC von Hessen, Gordon Brown, and Patrick Barb.
"A very promising anthology." —Ellen Datlow, Best Horror of the Year
"An annual highlight of the genre." —Anthony Watson, Dark Musings
"Weirdness with truth at its heart." —Des Lewis, Real-Time Reviews

Genres: Horror, Anthologies

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2022

About the author

I live in St. Paul, Minnesota with my wife and two sons—and, of course, all those quaint and curious volumes of forgotten lore. I am related to the Norwegian writer Jonas Lie and draw much inspiration from that scrivener of old. My tales have appeared in Shadows & Tall Trees, Supernatural Tales, Vastarien, and a host of other venues. In addition to writing, I also edit and publish the annual journal Nightscript. My debut story collection, Hidden Folk, was released in 2018.

Reviews

[Bill Hsu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would check out some of the earlier volumes.

[Daniel Mowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, brooding, heart-pounding, and an unsettlingly good time.

This is the first Nightscript collection I’ve read, and I quickly understood how it reached its eighth installment.

This collection scours the depths of darkness, whether found during the night, or under the warm rays of the sun. Eighteen explicitly distinct stories ranging in their subject matter, story-telling, literary formats, and approaches to what terrifies us most, rounds out this anthology into a solid and captivating amalgamation of short-form horror. Whether you’re frightened of the ghosts that walk your halls and stalk the moonlit grounds, or the sentient conglomerations of your apartment’s pipes, or the inhuman vileness found in your family/friends/community in the endeavor of belonging (social hierarchies or unrequited love), revenge (romantic, sexual, social, feminist, etc), tradition (motherhood, folk horror), and satisfaction (refer above to extensions of revenge), or portals to other dark worlds, or archaic evils incomprehensible to the mind, you’ll find it in this collection.

Each story features a talented author that has beyond a doubt earned their spot in this collection. A broad range of perspectives, backgrounds, and artistic talents lend a fresh feel and voice to each story, and never allows a repetition to bore you. I was excited to find names in the collection that I’ve seen and read before, and I was even more excited to discover unknown names with all the intrigue of skill, craft, and creativity that has me searching for their work wherever I can find it.

There was not a single story in this book that I wouldn’t re-read, a front to back solid lineup. Personal favorites include: “Sophie Anne” by Harrison Demchick, which turns a possessed doll trope on its head; “The Mythologization of Tymber Prescott in Five Selected Photos” by Luciano Morano, which is a internet deep dive into occult horror with the most beautiful and detailed writing; “The Wardrobe” by Gordon Brown, an isekai Narnia meets Alice: Madness Returns with a trope inversion that is darkly delicious; and “N is for Night,” which is the epitome of darkness and shadows in writing that I could only ever aspire to relay in the same ways that Steve Rasnic Tem was able to pen.

While I can’t speak for any preceding Nightscripts, I can speak for Volume VIII to tell you that it is well worth the read.

[Violet Weiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for horror anthologies and this is a good one