The first collection of short stories by a number of DarkFuse authors and edited by Shane Ryan Stanley sure looks good on paper. But then just about everything form DarkFuse does. So the critical question becomes: Does the collection deliver the goods?It starts reasonably well. Genre veteran William Meikle contributes SHE SLEEPS IN THE DEPTHS, a Lovecraftian-pastiche that takes a good amount of its page count to get going, but ends with a very satisfying conclusion. 3 stars.The second tale by Mi...

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...This anthology of short stories by DarkFuse, the first in what I suppose is an anthology series that’ll reflect the quality DarkFuse has embraced in its novels and novellas, is a good start to an anthology series, although some of the stories suffered from a lack of originality.Let’s start with “She Sleeps in the Depths”. This was one of the more original stories. A man starts hearing a weird noise. He’s unable to esc...

What more can I say other than, "Great anthology!"

Exceptionally interesting collection of short stories. Enjoyed them all, especially She Sleeps In The Depths by William Meikle, Better Heard And Not Seen by Michael Penkas, and Jaws Of Life by E.G.Smith. Very highly recommended.

DarkFuse’s debut anthology, with the title indicating more collections to come. This is a short, novella length sampling of dark fiction including a nautical tale of mythology, monsters in the closet, winged creatures of indeterminate origin, cannibalistic hillbilly horror, and satanic rituals. An overall strong entry for this DarkFuse anthology.

This is an anthology containing six stories. Some are really short, taking ten minutes to read and others take around half an hour. They all have a fairly dark theme running through them.This is the first anthology to come out of DarkFuse and it doesn't disappoint. Each story is deliciously dark and they are all enjoyable. With anthologies it can be hit or miss as to what you get, but with only six stories there isn't much room to hide. Luckily all of these were of a high standard with two of th...

Short story collections are usually hit or miss, and this is no exception. I would say that you’ve got 4 pretty damn good tales, and 2 that can be a miss. For a collection that’s only got 6 stories, I think that’s a decent ratio.The most original, and the one I thought brought the most to the table was the first story, She Sleeps in the Depths. Characters were well thought out, and there was a nice little twist at the end.Then you have an incredibly creepy and well done ghost tale, Better Heard

ARC for review.Mixed bag of short, dark fiction. "Carrion Fowl" was incredibly disturbing. "Netherview" was a great concept, but then just...ended. The others were nothing special. "She Sleeps in the Depths" by William Meikle"Better Heard and Not Seen" by Michael Penkas"Carrion Fowl" by William R. Eakin"Jaws of Life" by E. G. Smith"Netherview" by Gary McMahon"Children of the Horned God" by Christopher Fulbright

In DarkFuse's first short story anthology, we are presented with six different tales, by six different authors. I found these stories to be unique to themselves (no central theme linking them), which worked quite well for me, as I love being "surprised" by what kind of story I'm getting into.Notable favorites for myself include: "Better Heard and Not Seen", by Michael Penkas. Childhood fears and intense atmosphere really brought this story alive, and it will be one that I will definitely be retu...

A good start for Darkfuse in a series of Anthology's. Overall DarkFuse#1 was a enjoyable read. The first story was my favorite of the six, She Sleeps in the Depths by William Meikle. It's about a man (Fallon) & a woman (Val) and this song they both keep hearing. Second was Better Heard and Not Seen by Michael Penkas. A take on young boy (Kevin) in bed at night and the monster in the closet. Like the story but wish it was longer. Third story was Carrion Fowl by William R. Eakin. About a man who a...

I have sort of a love-hate relationship with anthologies, because sometimes I discover a new voice that really blows me away, but other times the variation in level of quality makes them hard to get through. This book was definitely more the former, as the authors I am familiar with turned in solid contributions, and the new (to me, at least) voices contributed admirably as well.I think my personal favorite may well have been "Carrion Fowl" by William Eakin, for reasons that are hard to describe...

4.5 StarsGood stuff. I went ahead and bumped the rating up to five stars because as an overall collection I really enjoyed this one.SHE SLEEPS IN THE DEPTHS: Probably my favorite of the collection, a Lovecraftian monster tale.BETTER HEARD AND NOT SEEN: Classic "Monster in the Closet" ghost storyCARRION FOWL: My least favorite of the collection due to the stream of consciousness writing style. However, that's more a personal thing with me and the author did a good job with this style.JAWS OF LIFE...

This was a good book of short stories from different authors. I enjoyed all the stories except one was my favorite, She Sleeps in the Depth by William Meikle , I have read other stories by William and I think he is a wonderful author and writes good storylines and creates some good and strange characters.***I received this book in return for an honest review****

A very good anthologyFor a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/darkfu... and follow me on Twitter @josenher

A few of the stories were great, some good and others not so much in my opinion. But that is the case with anthologies. I got to discover some new authors, and enjoyed overall. 3.5 stars.

A collection of six stories, the first Anthology from DarkFuse. All I can say is: READ WITH THE LIGHTS ON. Better yet, read in the daytime. While you're reading "Better Heard and Not Seen," read outdoors, far away from your bedroom and from any closets! Of course, outdoors won't [shudder] help you at all while you're reading "Netherview." Nothing will help. Prepare yourself for shakes, shivers, and chills--and some unforgettable frights.

A novella-length anthology, DarkFuse volume 1 offers six stories; some are traditional, others experimental. All are quite good.She Sleeps in the Depths by William Meikle: A man named Fallon gets an earworm, a sea-shanty of sorts. Close Encounter style, he takes a ship up north, and meets with a woman who hears the same tune in her head. And off they go, in search of the source somewhere out at sea.A Lovecraftian tale, She Sleeps in the Depths has a great atmosphere; the pared-down, detached gre...

Most short story collections are hit or miss with the stories. However, in this one, they're all quite good! I love short story collections that involve different authors since they're an excellent way to sample different authors in one collection. This collection included two authors that are among my favorites (they didn't disappoint!) and the chance to try some authors that I've never read before (also good!). I recommend giving this one a try - you're sure to find something you like (probabl...

Darkfuse #1 is a very good sextet of short tales. There were a few authors that I had not heard of before and that were a pleasant surprise. Anthologies are always hit or miss for me, but this one was a very quick and enjoyable read. She Sleeps in The Depths – William MeikleA man and woman are haunted by a song. A quick and dark short tale from William Meikle. Better Heard And Not Seen - Michael PenkasShadows. Seriously creepy shadows. Very short, but potent. Carrion Fowl - William R Eakin"Wrock...