Alone In The Dark: Anthropomorphic Tales Of The Things That Go Bump In The Night by Will A. Sanborn


Alone In The Dark: Anthropomorphic Tales Of The Things That Go Bump In The Night
Title : Alone In The Dark: Anthropomorphic Tales Of The Things That Go Bump In The Night
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 144043865X
ISBN-10 : 9781440438653
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 410
Publication : First published October 10, 2008

Using the meta-genre of anthropomorphic animals, this anthology collects tales of dramatic horror, with stories that are both atmospheric and affecting. The anthropomorphism is also used in a wider sense as well, humanizing The Other, including stories with sympathetic monsters. This collection provides a wide selection of horror. There's dark fantasy and speculative fiction, stories inspired by both Rod Serling and H. P. Lovecraft. There are campfire tales and ghost stories, up through stronger tales at the darker end of the spectrum. There's psychological horror and some non-traditional tales which add their own spooky flavor, and some lighter stories and even a bit of comic relief to balance things out. Stories by: Simon Barber, Michael Bard, Austin Crowder, William Eakins, Kathleen Fenlon, Kevin Frane, Jason Gillespie, Chris Goodwin, Renee Carter Hall, Allen Kitchen, Watts Martin, Brian L. Miller, J. Scott Rogers, Will A. Sanborn, SeHT, Thomas Shaw, and Tim Susman.

Alone In The Dark: Anthropomorphic Tales Of The Things That Go Bump In The Night Reviews

  • Sean Silva

    I've read several short story collections, and "Alone in the Dark" is one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Sometimes with short story collections, a couple of pieces feel out of place, or you just skip over some and move on to the next story. Will Sanborn made sure that wasn't the case here. I read it from cover to cover, and I enjoyed every minute.

    It has wonderful stories that cover tales of horror, psychological thrillers, ghost stories, and everything in-between, both with lighter and darker themes. He was able to get tons of great writers within the fandom, including Tim Susman, Thomas Shaw, Chris Goodwin, Brian Miller, Austin Crowder, and many others.

    Renee Carter Hall contributes her great story “Waking the Beast”, which played on some of my biggest fears, beginning forcefully strapped down, and somebody wielding a large knife. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. Then there’s Watts Martin’s “Carrier”, where he took the idea of infected anthros and gave it a superb non-zombie twist, which is simply brilliant if I must say so. Kevin Frane adds his story “The Stars are Wrong”, which is a riveting tale about an astronomer who seems to be the only one that notices the constellations have gone completely out of whack. It was so good, it had me reading well past my bedtime. And even Will Sanborn brings his own tale "Faded Celluloid Dreams", which is one of the most original uses for an anthropomorphic character that I've seen in sometime. It's a story about a human who meets an old, forgotten vampire bat that was genetically engineered for roles in old Hollywood monster movies.

    Plus the book has wonderful artwork from Heather Bruton, Sara "Caribou" Palmer, Amber "Vantid" Hill, and many more. It is simply a great read with some fantastic stories I'd recommend to anyone.