The Scary Reviews

Genre: Horror
Length: 257
Publisher: Grey Matter Press
Release date: July 20, 2018
Kindle Link
Synopsis: 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 Angela Slatter and includes fiction from Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Graham Jones, Bracken MacLeod, Damien Angelica Walters, Alan Baxter, Paul Tremblay, Sarah Read, Christopher Golden, Nerine Dorman, Dan Rabarts, Gwendolyn Kiste, Benjamin Knox, Annie Neugebauer, J.C. Michael, Letitia Trent, Paul Michael Anderson and Karen Runge.

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review

Many years ago, I read Suspended in Dusk volume one, and enjoyed the variety of author and their stories. Now, Simon Dewar is back with another great line up of authors. These writers have provided more great storytelling, and a darker collection of shorts. The introduction by Angela Slatter really set the tone and mood for this great anthology. I typically skip introductions but this one was worth reading.

From the beginning, Karen Runge, who I dig, wrote a heck of a dark tale titled Angeline. It was a disturbing story that hits you hard. The character was broken, confused and living a sad life. This was a real punch in the gut, and the type of writing I love, and have come to expect from her. Sundowners, by Damien Angelica Walters was another hard hitter. She did a hell of a job capturing the horror we all know, a horror which could be waiting to strike at any moment. The irony was brutal, and the storytelling was spot on and fantastic. Paul Tremblay wrote a story so far out there it left my head spinning. He weaved a tale that was somewhere between reality and the unknown. It left me questioning what was real and which way was up. It had undertones of 9/11 and the anxiety felt as that disaster unfolded.

Letitia Trent did an excellent job with her dark and suspenseful short, The Uninhabitable and Desolate Road. I loved the constant mystery and not knowing if the characters would make it to their destination. An Elegy for Childhood Monsters by Gwendolyn Kiste was really something too. It made me look at my monsters, both past and present, and wish I had a few less to deal with. This was anthology was a solid read from start to finish, and these stories were the ones that left a lasting impression on me.