The Spectrum Collection [Paperback]

Dark Continents (Author)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 20 Dec 2010

A short collection of dark speculative fiction from the members of Dark Continents Publishing, Inc.

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Product details

Paperback: 108 pages
Publisher: Dark Continents (20 Dec 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 098362450X
ISBN-13: 978-0983624509
Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 0.6 x 22.9 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,806,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of horror tales 29 Jun 2011

By Becs

Format:Paperback

This book serves as an introduction to the writing of the authors of Dark Continents Publishing. Ten tales and three poems spanning the spectrum of dark speculative fiction lurk inside this book, and with the foreword promising that the stories would pump up the reader's adrenaline, I couldn't wait to get started.

The Elms, Morecambe (Simon Kurt Unsworth) kicks off the collection. Unsworth has chosen a great setting in which the main character, Wisher, relates his unsettling, gloomy story - a seaside cafe, normally seen as cosy and cheerful. Next time I visit such a place for a cuppa, I'll remember these ghostly goings-on.

Wild Goat Curry (John Irvine) is about a goat hunter out on the hills alone, and being watched... Although I enjoyed the build-up of tension in this one, I felt it could have done with tighter editing. Wicked Appetites (Sylvia Shults) is about Michael, a struggling writer. But he's not like any writer I've ever met. This post-apocalyptic tale has a delicious twist at the end. This is followed by a dark poem, Tooth Fairy (Tracie McBride). That is one scary fairy! The Bodymen (Adrian Chamberlin), a well-written, creepy tale of the undead, was one of my favourites. Luke buries his dog - for the second time. And then he relates what happened when he worked as one of the Bodymen, collecting dead animals for the pet crematorium. Nicely paced and gripping.

Lemminaid (Carson Buckingham) is an entertaining ghostly revenge story. I guessed how it would end, but that didn't spoil the enjoyment at all. (Note: Lemminaid does not appear in current versions of the book). Lost (Maureen Irvine) - about a couple taking a wrong turn - was a bit predictable, and the occasional point-of-view switches were distracting. I liked the oppressive setting though....

Archi's Story (David M Youngquist) is a well-written and (mostly) gripping zombie tale. Great pacing, although the end seemed a little quiet. It felt like part of a novel, rather than a complete short story. I wanted to read more. This is followed by a poem, Gift from a Vampire (Maureen Irvine). The post-apocalyptic The End (Serenity J Banks) is next, about a group of survivors and what they are prepared to eat in order to prolong their bleak existence. There was good characterisation and scene-setting in this. The only gripe I have is that I didn't discover the gender of the main character until having read a sizeable chunk. Apart from that, I loved it.

A Dawn Parade with a difference is the setting in Lest We Forget (Tracie McBride). A man attends with his young son, and starts praying. And he really needs to pray. Chilling. My favourite poem in the book is My Sister Doesn't Live There Anymore (John Irvine). The postman delivers mail to the house, even though nobody has lived there for years...

The anthology closes with The End of Leonard Bangston (John Prescott). Leonard reluctantly goes along with his mother's idea of showing kindness to the strange old lady in the creepy house. Prescott starts slowly, with lots of atmospheric scene setting, but it's worth reading on. Despite it being predictable and needing tighter editing, I enjoyed it, especially the second half.

The book is nicely laid out, but I'd have liked the authors' names on their stories, because I had to keep checking the Contents page to see who had written each one. This is a good collection of diverse tales. For me, the highlights were The Bodymen, Wicked Appetites, Archi's Story, and The End, but there are several other gems here, and I look forward to reading more from all of these authors.

NOTE: I understand that The Last Rose of Summer (Dave Jeffery) is included in the latest edition of the book. I've already had the pleasure of reading this brilliant tale about a serial killer stalking Rose Delaware. You are in for a treat. Read more ›

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