Reviews

When Things Get Dark by Ellen Datlow

mayormccheese's review against another edition

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

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

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

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

4.0

Favorite stories:

- Hag
- Skinder’s Veil
- Special Meal

chelseadollphin's review against another edition

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.

almond's review against another edition

3.0

I was disappointed to find most of the stories in this collection incredibly dull. I struggled to finish it.

shieldbearer's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

Man, a lot of these really did not do it for me, and I generally like horror and Jackson-esque moods. 

Shout out to the great stories: 
Quiet Dead Things by Cassandra Khaw
Refinery Road by Stephen Graham Jones 
Money of the Dead by Karen Heuler
Funeral Birds M Rickert
A Trip to Paris 

I liked some of the others alright especially in concept but execution was varied. I Shant say which stories I disliked but if you know me you can probably guess

sunshine4you's review

dark emotional 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

4.5

vagariousmind's review against another edition

5.0

Do you reminisce about the creepy unsettling short stories you read in high school that have stayed with you?

Read this collection.

Shirley Jackson would be so proud, these definitely all have her flavor. Not every story really did it for me personally, but they still all carried the Shirley Jackson vibe, which was the intent. And so I think it deserves 5 stars.

This was.... so good. What a beautiful, creepy, unsettling, confusing homage. YES.