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Into Shadow #7
Out of the Mirror, Darkness
A cynical “fixer” for a silent-film studio must confront the shadows behind the bright lights in this noir-tinged short story by New York Times bestselling author Garth Nix.
It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.
It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.
Audible Audio
First published November 15, 2022
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About the author
Garth Nix
236 books14.9k followersGarth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
January 25, 2023
I need to stop being a completionist because I really DID NOT need to read all seven of these stories when I wanted to read three max...But when I see it's technically a series that I know isn't connected, I still can't help myself and feel the need to read it in order, go figure.
If you're thinking of reading any of these just go for it, it's fine to do it out of order, I promise. As for this one, didn't grip me, and I'm glad it's over.
If you're thinking of reading any of these just go for it, it's fine to do it out of order, I promise. As for this one, didn't grip me, and I'm glad it's over.
December 19, 2022
I liked this, though the cinematic setting definitely made me think of Nghi Vo (who also has an amazing story in this collection, What the Dead Know) and her Siren Queen.
It's definitely a story I think would stand the expanding into a novel or series - but as a standalone it worked.
And that's the end of the collection! Some good, some not so, but I'm definitely glad I dug into it.
It's definitely a story I think would stand the expanding into a novel or series - but as a standalone it worked.
And that's the end of the collection! Some good, some not so, but I'm definitely glad I dug into it.
December 29, 2022
When a mysterious illness plagues a movie set, Harper and Mrs Hope are left to find the evil lurking amongst the stars. I really liked this, although I wish it was longer. The setting of a film set really added to this otherworldly atmosphere and built on the mystery nicely. Mrs Hope was also a really intriguing character that I would have loved to have spent more time with. She's like an occult Miss Marple.
February 6, 2023
Boring. Painfully unoriginal. Annoyingly cliché.
Scary foreign object has spooky words on it and gets translated by random British person and they have to defeat the evil presence that was released from the object.
Yawn 🥱
CW: references to addiction
Scary foreign object has spooky words on it and gets translated by random British person and they have to defeat the evil presence that was released from the object.
Yawn 🥱
CW: references to addiction
October 6, 2024
Entertaining horror listening 🎶😆🎵
This kindle novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book seven of seven
Located at a film studio in the1920's A short story with strange things going on.
I would recommend this series and various authors to readers looking for a large variety of horror mystery adventure novels 🤔 😎 2024 😉🤗
This kindle novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book seven of seven
Located at a film studio in the1920's A short story with strange things going on.
I would recommend this series and various authors to readers looking for a large variety of horror mystery adventure novels 🤔 😎 2024 😉🤗
July 15, 2024
Hellblazer & Ray Donovan Mashup
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (November 15, 2022) released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook (November 15, 2022)
I enjoyed the place-setting and various characters in this paranormal fiction short Out of the Mirror, Darkness. It takes place in 1934 studio era Hollywood (a current premiere of De Mille's Cleopatra is referenced) with a studio fixer (a Ray Donovan type circa 1930s, WW1 veteran, etc.) having to deal with an enchantment that is bewitching the leads of a current production. But the fixer themself is rather ineffectual when something beyond strongarm work is required and they need the assistance of a Hellblazer proxy to solve the case. The dea ex machina, even arrives by airplane! It is all wrapped up rather too easily and quickly.
Australian Garth Nix (1963-) is a magic and fantasy writer who has published dozens of books. His most popular novel is Sabriel (The Old Kingdom #1) (1997).
Out of the Mirror, Darkness is the seventh of seven Amazon Original Kindle eBooks/Audible Audio audiobooks released on November 15, 2022 as part of the Into Shadow Collection of short stories where "Some truths are carefully concealed; others merely forgotten. In this spellbinding collection, seven acclaimed fantasy authors create characters who venture into the depths where others fear to tread. But when forbidden knowledge is the ultimate power, how far can they go before the darkness consumes them?"
Trivia and Link
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Kindle short stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (November 15, 2022) released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook (November 15, 2022)
I enjoyed the place-setting and various characters in this paranormal fiction short Out of the Mirror, Darkness. It takes place in 1934 studio era Hollywood (a current premiere of De Mille's Cleopatra is referenced) with a studio fixer (a Ray Donovan type circa 1930s, WW1 veteran, etc.) having to deal with an enchantment that is bewitching the leads of a current production. But the fixer themself is rather ineffectual when something beyond strongarm work is required and they need the assistance of a Hellblazer proxy to solve the case. The dea ex machina, even arrives by airplane! It is all wrapped up rather too easily and quickly.
Australian Garth Nix (1963-) is a magic and fantasy writer who has published dozens of books. His most popular novel is Sabriel (The Old Kingdom #1) (1997).
Out of the Mirror, Darkness is the seventh of seven Amazon Original Kindle eBooks/Audible Audio audiobooks released on November 15, 2022 as part of the Into Shadow Collection of short stories where "Some truths are carefully concealed; others merely forgotten. In this spellbinding collection, seven acclaimed fantasy authors create characters who venture into the depths where others fear to tread. But when forbidden knowledge is the ultimate power, how far can they go before the darkness consumes them?"
Trivia and Link
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Kindle short stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
June 5, 2023
3.5 Stars
A 1920’s paranormal Hollywood setting where MC Mr. Harper is a fixer who has learned throughout the years that there’s an occasionally otherworldly bent to the problems that arise in show biz.
When movie production is stalled because the 2 main stars are in an unexplained indisposed kind of way, Harper needs to find a solution stat!
This read like a chapter in the life and times for this oft beleaguered executive. It kept my interest serving as a nice little stop gap in between my longer reads.
A 1920’s paranormal Hollywood setting where MC Mr. Harper is a fixer who has learned throughout the years that there’s an occasionally otherworldly bent to the problems that arise in show biz.
When movie production is stalled because the 2 main stars are in an unexplained indisposed kind of way, Harper needs to find a solution stat!
This read like a chapter in the life and times for this oft beleaguered executive. It kept my interest serving as a nice little stop gap in between my longer reads.
June 21, 2025
I'M FREE!
January 23, 2023
I'm so glad we ended on something of a high note because this has been a rollercoaster of a ride!
While I can't say I found myself invested in the characters, the story itself was really good. I enjoyed both the time period and the setting, the paranormal element (it felt a little Indiana Jones to me but gender bent), and the writing kept me glued to the page.
Infact, this is one of the few stories in this collection that actually, start to finish, felt like a fully fleshed out read without that sense that something was missing or rushed. If not for the fact that none of the characters will have any staying power in my mind, this would've received a higher rating. But if Nix ever decided to make this into a series, I would definitely read more from them.
3.5 stars
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
While I can't say I found myself invested in the characters, the story itself was really good. I enjoyed both the time period and the setting, the paranormal element (it felt a little Indiana Jones to me but gender bent), and the writing kept me glued to the page.
Infact, this is one of the few stories in this collection that actually, start to finish, felt like a fully fleshed out read without that sense that something was missing or rushed. If not for the fact that none of the characters will have any staying power in my mind, this would've received a higher rating. But if Nix ever decided to make this into a series, I would definitely read more from them.
3.5 stars
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
January 11, 2023
Eh, this one was a little bit dull. I'm hit or miss with Garth Nix. Either I'm bored or I'm enthralled with him, and it was the former here. Doesn't help that I don't normally like noir, and this had that feel.
October 25, 2023
I enjoyed the setting but it wasn't that interesting to me.
July 20, 2023
После кровавого паззла Undercover и трагической поэмы Six Death это прям совсем дешманский алиекспресс.
Гарт Никс, айяйяй.
Продолжать сборник не буду, судя по оценкам и отзывам, там дальше не лучше.
Гарт Никс, айяйяй.
Продолжать сборник не буду, судя по оценкам и отзывам, там дальше не лучше.
February 14, 2025
This was the definition of fine.
I don't really know what to say about it, the plot was predictable but not offensive or bad. It didn't make me feel anything it's just a short story I happened to read.
I do think this may have been better served as a slightly longer novella to really build up the atmosphere and characters more.
I don't really know what to say about it, the plot was predictable but not offensive or bad. It didn't make me feel anything it's just a short story I happened to read.
I do think this may have been better served as a slightly longer novella to really build up the atmosphere and characters more.
November 16, 2022
Nothing outstanding, no disappointment, a solid, short read. Kind of like a steak and potatoes serving, not intended to drop you to your knees, just a decent effort all around.
Read
November 30, 2024Definitely not for me.
July 27, 2024
This was so boring.
January 13, 2023
1.5/5 Stars
December 22, 2022
This felt weirdly like an old TinTin or something, with the uncomfortable exoticizing of the ancient Middle East, careless blending of different ancient cultures, and the existence of a mysterious wise woman/witch/sorceress who Knows Things somehow that’s never explained and Solves Everything Alone Without Explaining Anything, not to mention the old Hollywood setting. TL;DR it’s super tropey in often problematic ways without appearing to DO anything with the tropes (or problematics!) other than recapitulate them. 🙃
January 15, 2024
Stars: 4 out of 5.
This was a suitably atmospheric short story about the bad that can come from playing with ancient artifacts.
I really liked Harper and Mrs Hope. Now I kinda hope that there are more short stories about them.
This was a suitably atmospheric short story about the bad that can come from playing with ancient artifacts.
I really liked Harper and Mrs Hope. Now I kinda hope that there are more short stories about them.
Read
February 12, 2024... ok?
July 10, 2025
This was so cliché I want to laugh
August 14, 2023
Out of the Mirror, Darkness by Garth Nix
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
This is a short story from the „Into Shadow-Collection“. It was the fourth story in this collection for me. The others were a mixed bag, where some were brilliant, others lost me completely. With this one it was the same… somehow the story could‘ve been great, but it just wasn‘t. 😕
„It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.“
Basically I liked the story and especially that creepy touch, that it all had. The problem for me was, that it seemed I‘ve missed something, the whole time. How is it possible for normal people (no Indiana Jones‘ or Lara Crofts) to know so much and to just take the strange happenings as they are… additionally no interest in the characters as well (or maybe for this very reason) and therefore a „No“ for me. 🙁👎🏻
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
This is a short story from the „Into Shadow-Collection“. It was the fourth story in this collection for me. The others were a mixed bag, where some were brilliant, others lost me completely. With this one it was the same… somehow the story could‘ve been great, but it just wasn‘t. 😕
„It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.“
Basically I liked the story and especially that creepy touch, that it all had. The problem for me was, that it seemed I‘ve missed something, the whole time. How is it possible for normal people (no Indiana Jones‘ or Lara Crofts) to know so much and to just take the strange happenings as they are… additionally no interest in the characters as well (or maybe for this very reason) and therefore a „No“ for me. 🙁👎🏻
October 23, 2025
I did not expect to reach the end of the 'Into Shadow' series and for this to come out on top!
But here it is, Nix is my full four-stars!
What I wouldn't wish for to have been able to give Tamsyn Muir or Alix E. Harrow five stars, but they just didn't do it for me here.
I haven't read Garth Nix since The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, and his The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set remains one of my favourite Fantasy series (please give an award to whoever made the decision to cast Tim Rice as the narrator for the audiobooks!), so, I guess, the prize goes to...
But here it is, Nix is my full four-stars!
What I wouldn't wish for to have been able to give Tamsyn Muir or Alix E. Harrow five stars, but they just didn't do it for me here.
I haven't read Garth Nix since The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, and his The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set remains one of my favourite Fantasy series (please give an award to whoever made the decision to cast Tim Rice as the narrator for the audiobooks!), so, I guess, the prize goes to...
August 30, 2025
Hollywood between the wars. A studio executive deals with a sleeping dog and actress who have been taken hostage by a sinister creature from Sumerian times that was inadvertently freed from an antique prop mirror.
February 26, 2023
This really felt cinemtaic or part of ongoing series: of this guy working on a movie set and he deals with some supernatural shit with his kick-ass lady. I loved it.
June 25, 2025
i would read more stories about harper and mrs. hope
November 24, 2023
1.5 stars. This was underwhelming and just kind of boring. It was an all-round uncomfortable experience, from the weird exoticisation and mixing of ancient eastern cultures to the tedious writing and plot.
The setting was maybe the only redeeming aspect, as I actually liked that it revolved around this old Hollywood movie set. However, the potential and the intrigue of this unique setting was just drowned by everything else.
The plot was reminiscent of something akin to Indiana Jones, which had the opportunity to be kind of interesting, but just wasn’t done well at all. It just felt like an underdeveloped, icky knockoff that tried too hard to be intense and thrilling.
Also, for all that it tried to build up to, the ending was unfortunately so anticlimactic and cliché. There really wasn’t anything about it that was able to draw me in or that felt like a satisfying conclusion.
I also wasn’t fond of any of the characters, who I felt no emotional connection to at all. I think the characterisation (along with everything else) definitely suffered from the short story format and the author’s focus on what turned out to be shoddy world building.
Overall, this was so disappointing, and I’m not sure if I’d be interested in reading any more of the author’s work based on just how much I disliked it.
The setting was maybe the only redeeming aspect, as I actually liked that it revolved around this old Hollywood movie set. However, the potential and the intrigue of this unique setting was just drowned by everything else.
The plot was reminiscent of something akin to Indiana Jones, which had the opportunity to be kind of interesting, but just wasn’t done well at all. It just felt like an underdeveloped, icky knockoff that tried too hard to be intense and thrilling.
Also, for all that it tried to build up to, the ending was unfortunately so anticlimactic and cliché. There really wasn’t anything about it that was able to draw me in or that felt like a satisfying conclusion.
I also wasn’t fond of any of the characters, who I felt no emotional connection to at all. I think the characterisation (along with everything else) definitely suffered from the short story format and the author’s focus on what turned out to be shoddy world building.
Overall, this was so disappointing, and I’m not sure if I’d be interested in reading any more of the author’s work based on just how much I disliked it.
January 14, 2025
DNF @ 63% I can’t do this. Even my boredom has standards.
March 14, 2023
This collection wraps up with another story in the 3.5 star range for me. This one is actually a good fit of story complexity to wordcount, unlike the last few in the collection, but something about it is a little bland. It's like a fantasy story that anyone could have written spliced together with traces of cool ideas from his Old Kingdom series.
The setting is very cool: we're at a low-rent film studio in the early days of Hollywood, and the fixer is prowling the lot to make sure that things are running on schedule, whether that's through finding supplies or talking people into calming down. When both the starring dog and the leading lady of a new film fall asleep and can't be woken, he has to figure out how to solve an issue of dark magic beyond his normal skill set. There's a touch of hard-boiled detective tone to this, and "we need to deal with this evil today because it gets stronger at night" really keeps the clock ticking.
Unfortunately, the magical threat doesn't create much menace until the very end, and the story felt less distinctive as it continued. Mild spoilers:
All in all, this was a competent read but not a stunning one. If you want a better view of Garth Nix's short fiction, check out Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories. "Hope Chest" in particular is a real gem. I think he's best at novel length, but there are some cool ones in that batch.
The setting is very cool: we're at a low-rent film studio in the early days of Hollywood, and the fixer is prowling the lot to make sure that things are running on schedule, whether that's through finding supplies or talking people into calming down. When both the starring dog and the leading lady of a new film fall asleep and can't be woken, he has to figure out how to solve an issue of dark magic beyond his normal skill set. There's a touch of hard-boiled detective tone to this, and "we need to deal with this evil today because it gets stronger at night" really keeps the clock ticking.
Unfortunately, the magical threat doesn't create much menace until the very end, and the story felt less distinctive as it continued. Mild spoilers:
All in all, this was a competent read but not a stunning one. If you want a better view of Garth Nix's short fiction, check out Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories. "Hope Chest" in particular is a real gem. I think he's best at novel length, but there are some cool ones in that batch.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews