Darkscapes

J.R. Rain, Piers Anthony, Tegen Wren, Matthew S. Cox, Richard Roberts, James Wymore, Darin Kennedy, Robert J. Defendi, Jordan Elizabeth, J.P. Sloan, W.K. Pomeroy,
Benjamin Sperduto, Mark W. Woodring, S.E. Bennett, B.C. Johnson, Piers Anthony, J.E. Anckorn, Andrew Buckley, Nathan Croft, Rena Rocford, Ann M. Noser, Randy Attwood, Katie Young,
Genre: 
Other

SCI-FI/FANTASY:  “Darkscapes” is a collection of 21 short stories with something imaginative for every reader. Journey into the darkness, where nothing is what it seems and your worst nightmare is just around the corner...

Those looking for dark realism will appreciate “Sorry for Mouse”, a tale of a veteran who discovers a clever — and disturbing — new hobby, and “Bootheel”, where a former German POW returns to face his demons. For horror fans, “Roomie” is an intense story about four roommates fighting a losing battle to leave home, while an aging rock star learns the horrific secret to everlasting youth and fame in the graphic “Four Hundred Eyes, Sixty-Four Hundred Teeth”. Sci-Fi and adventure enthusiasts will enjoy “The Giovanni Effect”, a nail-biting story of a home invasion on a remote planet, and “Landing a Job in the Private Sector”, where a highly trained and compromised futuristic assassin finds herself considering a career change. 

On the lighter side, a sheepherder discovers his calling in the hilarious “Moses and the Talking Bush That Was Conveniently on Fire” and bare-bones detective “Skeleton Jim” finds himself in over his head when his beautiful new client can’t remember murdering her husband.  For lovers of the speculative, two caprifauns explore a lost kingdom and possible past lives in “Second Sentience” and a young man discovers women – robotic and human - in “A Match Made in Heaven”.

There isn’t a dull story in these or any of the 21 stories included in this book, an impressive feat for an anthology with such a variety of genres. Anyone looking for a spooky fireside story or tale of strange adventure is sure to be more than satisfied. 

Janice Martin