From creeping dread to psychological horror to outright terror, Susan York’s short story collection has you covered. The range of the collection is impressive, spanning from secondary world settings with science-fiction and fantasy elements to historical and contemporary real-world settings that draw on the supernatural, extraterrestrials and urban myths.
If I have a criticism for the collection, it’s that I didn’t connect with every short. But even as I type it, that assessment withers under its own weight; because of the range of York’s work, readers with narrower tastes aren’t likely to find their niche in each piece. That same range means there is something in this volume for every horror fan, and for many a sci-fi and fantasy fan besides.
I especially enjoyed Rhapsody’s struggle against the inevitable, the exploration of trauma and shame found in Death on the Mary Celeste, Taking Flight’s rising sense of injustice and explosive climax, and the eponymous Starless and Bible Black’s cosmic magnetism.
Content warning: violence, sexual content, domestic abuse, torture, any and all things frightening
Plot: 7
Characters: 5
Themes: 7
Prose: 5
Overall score: one solitary star, singing.
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