Darkness Beckons Anthology

by Mark Morris (Editor)

Overview

An incredible fourth book in the horror anthology series which Booklist called "Highly recommended for longstanding horror fans and those readers who may not think horror is for them. There is something for everyone in this one."

Darkness Beckons is the fourth volume in the non-themed horror series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window. A terrifying cocktail of the familiar and the new, the established and the emerging.

Previous titles in the series, all still in print are After Sundown, Beyond the Veil and Close to Midnight.

Contents List:

SAINT BARBARA by Nina Allan

HARE MOON by H.V. Patterson

UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS by Stephen Volk

DUSK by Angela Slatter

A FACE LEAVING NO TRACES by Brian Evenson

GOOD BONES by Sarah Read

FACTS CONCERNING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ORLOFF SIX by Alyssa C. Greene

HE WASN’T THERE AGAIN TODAY by Peter Atkins

DODGER by Carly Holmes

FROM THE MAN-SEAT by Reggie Oliver

THE SERVICE by Ally Wilkes

THE LATE MRS. APPLEGARTH by Mark Gatiss

THE FIG TREE by Lucie McKnight Hardy

IF YOUR SOUL WERE A PITCHFORK I’D DESPISE YOU by Eric LaRocca

HEEBIE JEEBIES by Amanda Cecelia Lang

KILLING BONES by Simon Clark

IL CREPUSCOLO by Helen Marshall

REMEMBER ME by Ronald Malfi

WITCH’S CLUTCH by Simon Strantzas

CAMP NEVER by J.S. Breukelaar

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787587281
Publisher:	Flame Tree Publishing
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Mark Morris (editor) has written and edited almost forty novels, novellas, short story collections and anthologies. His script work includes audio dramas for Doctor Who, Jago & Litefoot and the Hammer Chillers series. His recent work includes the official movie tie-in novelizations of The Great Wall and (co-written with Christopher Golden) The Predator, the Obsidian Heart trilogy (The Wolves of London, The Society of Blood and The Wraiths of War), the anthologies New Fears (winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology) and New Fears 2 as editor, a new audio adaptation of the classic 1971 horror movie Blood on Satan’s Claw, for which he won the New York Festival Radio Award for Best Drama Special, and a new audio adaptation of the M.R. James ghost story A View From a Hill, for which he won his second New York Festival Radio Award, for Best Digital Drama Program, and which has also been nominated for an ARIA (Audio & Radio Industry Award).

Editorial Reviews

'Like its predecessors, Darkness Beckons is filled with an excellent array of dark tales, written by some of the best practitioners of short fiction working today. As Morris states in his engaging introduction, this book marks the first time that one of his anthologies has contained more female authors than males. I only mention this because it’s important to note that the genre is in constant evolution – not just with regards to gender parity or an emergence of writers from different social backgrounds – but also in terms of thematic tone and subject matter – and it’s certainly refreshing to see so many editors keen to bring new voices and viewpoints to a wider readership.'

Stephen Bacon

'Mark Morris has been working hard to recapture that old-school magic with a brand new series of anthologies, all of which feature new work from the top names in horror today'

Black Gate

'A very impressive set of stories. Perfect for dark and cold evenings as enter the more eerie part of the year and strongly recommended!'

Runalong the Shelves

Praise for the first three books in the series:

“Beautifully written pieces that lean into the intuitive and fantastic.” — Publishers Weekly

"This rich and masterful collection of horror highlights both up-and-coming and established authors in an interesting twist on the standard anthology [...] Highly recommended for longstanding horror fans and those readers who may not think horror is for them. There is something for everyone in this one." — Booklist

"There is no end to the talent Mark Morris has brought together here. Fans of the genre will be pleased to see new work from such favorites as Nathan Ballingrud and Gemma Files, among others. So if you’re ready for a long fall night, pick up a copy of this massive anthology and fall into the mysterious worlds Beyond the Veil." — Phantastiqa

"This is a short story collection that does exactly what it sets out to, delight and scare. With stories from well-known authors in the genre as well as a few from emerging voices, After Sundown has something for everyone. Highly recommended." — The British Fantasy Society

"An entertaining, slickly written, mainstream, fun, something-for-every-horror-fan anthology.” — HorrorTree

“There’s a refreshing lack of pretentiousness about these stories. The authors span several continents so there’s a decent array of themes and styles. Each tale had a very distinct voice, with a superb variety that perfectly illustrates what a broad church the genre covers. I had a blast reading this book. It really has reinvigorated my interest in the horror genre.” — Stephen Bacon, author & critic

“I'm impressed with the imagination and variety coming from the writers. Beyond the Veil, from Flame Tree Press, is another happy clump of ickiness...and I mean that in a good way.” — The Happy Horror Writer

From the Publisher