Reviews

When Things Get Dark by Ellen Datlow

sunshine4you's review

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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

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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.

millennialbookreview's review

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4.0

This anthology was a great collection of works inspired by Shirley Jackson. Each author perfectly executed the horror elements to make their story spine-tinglingly creepy and spooky, and each in his or her own way. There were some stories I enjoyed more than others, which I expected for an anthology, but overall, this book is a fantastic collection for any Shirley Jackson fans.

poisonwhiskeyy's review against another edition

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3.0

Truly a mixed bag. Some great stories here, but an equal amount simply fall flat.

rpcroke's review

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5.0

Holy crap this is excellent. All the stories are good with some exceptional.

sjw_creates's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

moonpie's review

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5.0

I loved this anthology. Excellent choices all around, lots of amazing, skilled authors who got the vibe exactly right. There were only three stories I didn't dig, and they weren't all that bad, just not my style.

uma_carstens's review against another edition

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5.0

One of the best anthologies I've read. I didn't dislike a single story and they all really did have the Shirley Jackson vibe to them

jshuman19's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

sed9770's review against another edition

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4.0

A solid collection! Worth reading even just for Khaw, Jones, and Link's stories. Khaw's especially stood out from the rest for me and felt very in line with Shirley Jackson's work/legacy.