Reviews

When Things Get Dark by Ellen Datlow

twicomb's review

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2.0

I wanted wanted wanted to love this, based on the premise. But story after story just did not grab me, and I found myself skimming faster and faster, trying to find even a single one that I felt was actually “Shirley Jackson”-esque.

I finally did, and no surprise here: it was the one by Joyce Carol Oates. THAT story (Take Me, I Am Free) was 5 stars.

The last story is the book, Skinder’s Veil by Kelly Link, was also excellent.

The rest…well, here’s what I’ll say. Having weird random shit happen in a short story and not bothering to explain it does not make said short story Shirley Jackson-esque. Unfortunately, this seemed to be unclear to many of the writers.

As always, your mileage may vary!

tricapra's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this, a super strong collection over all

hectaizani's review

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3.0

As always with short story collections, some were good, some weren’t to my taste. My favorite was the last one Skinder’s Veil by Kelly Link.

kleonard's review

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5.0

This is a delicious collection of horror stories deliberately evoking the work of Shirley Jackson. I love almost all of the tales herein, and the authors do a great job channeling Jackson's blend of the domestic, the everyday, and the dark and awful. For the most part, the writing is solid and smart. I'd love to read this for a book club of readers knowledgable about Jackson's work so that we can suss out all of the details that pay homage to her here.

mayormccheese's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Some good stories but a bit of a flop in my opinion. Does make me appreciate Shirley Jackson even more because no one quite does it like her. Skinder’s Veil and Special Meal were pretty good but almost all of the rest were forgettable and boring. 

eshalliday's review against another edition

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4.0

Superb! A standout read, wholly deserving of the Stoker Award.

A few stories elevate this right up there:

'For Sale by Owner' by Elizabeth Hand (redolent of 'The Guest' by Emma Cline);

'Hag' by Benjamin Percy and 'Pear of Anguish' by Gemma Files (these two together are what 'Looking Glass Sound' by Catriona Ward wishes it was!);

and 'Skindler's Veil' by Kelly link, rounds off the collection on a T. Kingfisher-ish style high.

('Money of the Dead', 'Special Meal' and 'Tiptoe' were creative, memorable, and noteworthy too, if slightly lacking the execution of the above four.)

kecordell's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.25

jillmlong's review

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2.0

This book was ok. None of the stories were very memorable but they weren't bad. Maybe I was expecting to much with the Shirley Jackson reference.

mooloonadoo's review

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4.0

Favorite stories:

- Hag
- Skinder’s Veil
- Special Meal

chelseadollphin's review against another edition

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2.0

I’m usually a fan of horror short stories, but this collection just wasn’t for me. There were a few stories that I enjoyed, but I found that a majority of them ended too abruptly and/or didn’t contain much of a plot at all.