I've never read anything by Shirley Jackson before, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. However, I love all manner of short stories, and anything edited by Ellen Datlow tends to be very good so I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed! My favorites in this collection are Quiet Dead Things (I'll read anything by Cassandra Khaw), The Pear of Anguish (Gemma Files is awesome), and Refinery Road (by the master Stephen Graham Jones). These 3 stand out for me, but all of the stories were good, which is a rare accomplishment for an anthology with such diversity of talent. This was a great read for the start of the fall season.

I love Shirley Jackson- she truly is the queen of classic horror. I just finished We've Always Lived in the Castle and read The Haunting of Hill House last year- so I was really excited to read this short stories that are a nod to her writing.

These stories are very varied in style and that made for a quick and easy, to pick up on a whim, read. There were some I really enjoyed- the book starts off with a quick and eerie read, that I wish was a little longer. But, it did feel very Jackson-esque to me. I also really enjoyed the 2nd story, For Sale by Owner and really wished that it had a whole long story surrounding it. The writing was really well done- and I REALLY wish we got to see what they saw in the upstairs room of the house!

That Party was another one that felt like a great beginning to a book- but where it ends felt so unfinished. Which can be the case with a lot of short stories. They feel too much like an idea that someone never quite finished. This can be a good and bad thing, because it can leave a lot up to the reader to interpret, which some people really enjoy. But, I really like to know the end.

Special Meal was one of my favorites. The way it was written was so well done- whatever the writer wrote, you just had to believe to be true and move on. And it made for a really great, short read. I told my Husband, who's not a reader- that he had to see how the author started this one off and brought you into their world in such a short time. I will be looking up more stories from this author!

The book ends with Skindler's Veil, which really was the perfect one to end with. It was a full story, that felt much longer than it was. It had a strange, dreamy quality, peppered with things that couldn't quite be understood. And it has an ending- which I appreciate. I honestly wish I could have spent a little more time inside of this strange house, to see what else would visit there.

Overall, this is a good read to pick up for the Fall season. It's not one that you have to invest too much time in, since they're short stories. You can pick it up whenever and not have to try to keep up with a long storyline- which is nice for some seasons of life. Did I love all of the stories? No. But, I appreciate the tribute to Jackson, and think she would've enjoyed reading them, as they do all feel a little like her.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. What a good collection of stories love Shirley Jackson's stories and I loved this collection some better than others but all good, highly recommended.

Spooky spine tingling fun! Just in time for fall. Some of the most brilliant authors of horror come together to deliver a fitting tribute to the queen of eerie, Shirley Jackson.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories in this collection and most definitely felt the essence of Shirley Jackson coming through. It was interesting to see how such different authors could be inspired and translate her style into a unique work of their own.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I had high hopes for this book, as not only am I a big Shirley Jackson fan (particularly her short stories), but I have read and enjoyed work by almost every writer in this collection. But something about it just didn't work for me. Many of the stories seemed to lean too heavily on Jackson-esque tropes like the sinister small town inhabitants, the house where strange things happen, the vague menace that's never explained – but the problem is, in the hands of anyone except Jackson, these just come across as derivative (perhaps unavoidably) and unconvincing.

Usually I find that the shorter a short story is, the better, but unusually here I found that the longer stories were the most successful. The shorter pieces, to me, went nowhere and felt flimsy. The longer pieces seemed to wear Jackson's mantle more lightly, and brought in more of the different authors' voices, which worked much better. I enjoyed 'Skinder's Veil' by Kelly Link, 'Hag' by Benjamin Percy', 'For Sale by Owner' by Elizabeth Hand and 'Money of the Dead' by Karen Heuler (honestly, I couldn't see any Jackson influence at all in his one, and it's actually stronger for it). However, the rest of the stories have already fallen out of my head.

I still admire and enjoy the fiction of the writers in this collection – I just don't think it contains their best work.

This anthology set out to gather some of the best writers of today to write Shirley Jackson stories in their own voices. I enjoyed them all but particularly enjoyed Skinder's Veil by Kelly Link, Quiet Dead Things by Cassandra Khaw, Refinery Road by Stephen Graham Jones, The Pear of Anguish by Gemma Files, Hag by Benjamin Percy, The Door in the Fence by Jeffrey Ford, and Tiptoe by Laird Barron, all of which stood out with their own unique spin on Jackson's tales of the ordinary and the strangeness lurking just beyond the face of that everyday world.

This was an enjoyable book of creepy tales written in homage to Shirley Jackson, for those who like their horror with less gore and more subtle chills. My particular favorites were "For Sale By Owner" by Elizabeth Hand, about a charming but overly welcoming house, "Special Meal" by Josh Malerman, which makes me glad I was never good at math, and "Skindler's Veil" by Kelly Link about a unique house sitting gig. With other stories by writers such as Stephen Graham Jones, Carmen Maria Machado and Joyce Carol Oates, this collection is a winner.

Ellen Datlow is a celebrated editor of books, and she has put together this latest anthology featuring both well-known and lesser-known authors, including Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen Graham Jones, Cassandra Khaw, and Kelly Link, among others. This collection is a celebration of all things Shirley Jackson, at least more so when it comes to her reputation as being a horror writer. (Even though her work is mostly psychological fiction, and, perhaps save for her controversial short story “The Lottery,” she generally came to the horror genre late in her career.) Datlow has collected stories that are inspired by Jackson’s work, but the one hard and fast rule was that the authors brought together for this book were instructed to not write about Jackson or her life. Rather, her stories and novels were to be used as a springboard to imagine what Jackson might have written if she were at work today. The results are pleasantly surprising in that some stories feature queer characters or persons of colour. However, like any collection or anthology, there are both bangers and clangers here.

The good news is that the bangers tend to outweigh the clangers, and even the lesser stories are all enjoyable in some way — you could find things to admire about, say, Cassandra Khaw’s “Quiet Dead Things,” such as the evocative use of language, even though you might have to re-read it to catch important plot points that seem buried on a first reading. (Because the narrative is quite confusing if you’re not paying close attention.) However, the best stories in this collection generally (not always, but generally) avoid copying Jackson’s writing style, and are first-rate thrillers that could stand alone outside of this work. The book is also slightly front-loaded and back-loaded, which is where you’ll usually (not always, but usually) find the true standout gems. However, there are a few stories here that feel as though they are the beginnings of a much longer piece of work, offering little in the way of a satisfying conclusion. This is true of the first story in the collection: “Funeral Birds” by M. Rickert. The piece is about a nervous lady who becomes haunted by the ghost of the woman she has killed, but even though the piece ends with a sort of resignation of fate, there seems to be more to the story that needs to be told. The same is also true of Seanan McGuire’s “In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There,” which is a well-written tale of a woman who goes to live in a haunted lake house. However, the story just ends before it gets going.

I might be sounding churlish, though, by addressing the flaws of this anthology first because there are some diamonds among the dross that would make a still-living Jackson proud. I loved Elizabeth Hand’s “For Sale by Owner,” which is a disturbing tale of what can go wrong if you’re three middle-aged ladies who love to trespass in empty houses. Similarly, “Hag” by Benjamin Percy is a pulse-pounding thriller about a crime reporter investigating a possible murder, only to become embroiled in a sort of The Wicker Man-style cult. (And I know that Jackson didn’t write the screenplay for The Wicker Man, which goes to illustrate that the best stories of this bunch are more loosely inspired by Jackson’s work.) Richard Kadrey’s “A Visit to Paris” — a story about a woman who has murdered her family and is wracked with guilt — is just as enjoyable. Josh Malerman (best known for writing Bird Box) successfully captures the paranoia of Jackson’s work with “Special Meal” — a tale about why it is best if you don’t know any math. Even though all of these stories are great, Datlow saves the very best one for last: Kelly Link’s “Skindler’s Veil.” It’s about a housesitter who experiences some very weird happenings and it is a knock-out. This story goes to show why Link is a master of the short story, even if this one is more of a novella. (I hope this is a tease that we’re going to get a proper novel out of Link someday.)

Overall, I was quite impressed with When Things Get Dark and I was pleased to see that the occasional author didn’t take the obvious horror genre route, opting instead to focus more on matters of the mind, rather than the supernatural. Jackson is a mixed bag when it comes to being an author for me: the only novel of hers that I haven’t read is The Haunting of Hill House but have found that her novels do tend to either drag or be overly pessimistic towards the human condition. This makes her a bit of a tough read at times, never mind the fact that she wrote of a specific time and a specific place that is now long gone. Thus, it’s telling that when authors in this anthology merely offering a blatant pastiche of Jackson’s work — such as Joyce Carol Oates’ “Take Me, I Am Free” and Paul Trembley’s “The Party” (which is a rewrite of Jackson’s The Sundial in short form) — the result is a strikeout. In the same breath, the good stories make up for the bad, so my main criticism might be that Datlow could have cut some of the 18 stories presented here and just have gone with the cream of the crop. Padding aside, When Things Get Dark is a largely successful endeavour that shows just how much of an influence Shirley Jackson had with her writing. Though the anthology is not always spooky, some of the stories here will make your hair stand on end. Warts and all, this was a pleasant read and one that fans of Jackson’s work should be curious enough to check out.

Best anthology I've read all year, hands down. Possibly the best I've read in the last several years. Shirley Jackson is a legend, and the fact that they got a virtual who's who of the weird and eerie (Joyce Carol Oates, Carmen Maria Machado, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Josh Malerman, Elizabeth Hand, oh my!) to contribute Jackson-esque stories--I just don't even have words. Sinister prose so delicious you can taste it. Mind. Blown.

When Things Get Dark is an outstanding collection of short stories inspired by Shirley Jackson. Several incredible authors are present here such as Joyce Carol Oates, Josh Malerman, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Elizabeth Hand, Seanan McGuire, Carmen Maria Machado, and more! These stories will have you more than ready for the Halloween season. Be sure to check out asap!

I really enjoyed these stories. Based on previous Jackson reading, there was a definite feel of her writing style.

All these short stories in this collection will send chills running down your spine. I suggest reading in the fall spooky season.

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.

Shirley Jackson has long been one of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to read this collection of short stories inspired by her writing. Her influence is seen in each and every one of these stories.

The stories included in this anthology are:

Funeral Birds – M Rickert
For Sale by Owner – Elizabeth Hand
In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There - Seanan McGuire
A Hundred Miles and a Mile – Carmen Maria Machado
Quiet Dead things – Cassandra Khan
Something Like Living Creatures – John Langan
Money of the Dead – Karen Heuler
Hag – Benjjamin Percy
Take Me, I am Free – Joyce Carol Oates
A Trip to Paris – Richard Kadrey
The Party – Paul Trembley
Refinery Road – Stephen Graham Jones
The Door in the Fence – Jeffrey Ford
Pear of Anguish – Gemma Files
Special Meal – Josh Malerman
Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive You Home – Genevieve Valentine
Tiptoe – Laird Barron
Skindler’s Veil – Kelly Link

October is the perfect month for this release as this is definitely a collection to read on a spooky, cold, dark night. As with any anthology, not all the stories are amazing, some were hits, some were misses. The good ones, though? Were really, really good. These are some atmospheric tales. Shirley Jackson would be honored.



When Things Get Dark will be published October 12th, 2021 by Titan Books

I really thought I would love this book, given that I am not only a Shirley Jackson fan, but a fan of several of the writers who have stories in this collection. But something just didn't work for me. Almost without exception, the stories start off promisingly before fizzling out like a damp squib. In almost all of the stories, there is a vague sense of unease but we don't get any kind of conclusion, or a peek behind the curtain. Sometimes the not knowing is the thing that is frightening, but in this collection, I just found myself frustrated. I appreciate that these are short stories rather than fully fleshed out novels, but I wanted more stories that felt fully realised and fewer stories that sounded good but went nowhere.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brian Eno famously said, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

What’s that got to do with When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson? Glad you asked! Much like the Velvet Underground inspired a group of musicians who would go on to have lasting musical influence, Jackson has clearly influenced the very best horror, horror adjacent, and dark fiction authors working today.

Ellen Datlow has long been one of our finest editors, with impeccable taste, and this table of contents is shockingly good. Check out the list of authors featured in the anthology: Joyce Carol Oates, Josh Malerman, Carmen Maria Machado, Paul Tremblay, Richard Kadrey, Stephen Graham Jones, Elizabeth Hand, Kelly Link, Cassandra Khaw, Karen Heuler, Benjamin Percy, John Langan, Laird Barron, Jeffrey Ford, M. Rickert, Seanan McGuire, Gemma Files, and Genevieve Valentine.

Many of them are personal favorites of mine, authors whose books I immediately read upon publication. All of them are working at the top of their game here. Some of the writers featured seem like natural fits—when I first read Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link and Growing Things by Paul Tremblay, Shirley Jackson came to mind in the best way possible. Kindred spirits. It’s not surprising to me that they turn in two of the standout stories in this collection, which is saying something considering the uniformly high quality. Joyce Carol Oates, Carmen Maria Machado and Seanan McGuire also seem like good fits on paper, and they are.

Then there are the surprises. The genius of Ellen Datlow is that she looked at amazing writers like Stephen Graham Jones, Richard Kadrey, and Cassandra Khaw, who I don’t think of as working in quite the same fictional space as Jackson, and thought, hell yes. They knock it out of the park. In fact, everyone does.

While none of the stories are direct homages to Jackson, they are all clearly inspired by her work. The stories are set in the suburbs, in small towns, in remote spaces. They are uniformly character driven, not plot driven. They are open ended, often without a concrete resolution, but always compelling. There’s no outright horror here. The stories are unsettling, disquieting, even disorienting. I found myself replaying stories in my head long after reading them.

This collection is special. Somewhere, Shirley Jackson is peering over those glasses of her, one eyebrow raised, a sly smile on her lips.

This is definitely a collection to read on a dark rainy night. Like most anthologies, not all the stories are a hit, but oh man, the ones that are are home runs. The atmosphere written in to some of these stories is incredible. Shirley Jackson would be delighted.

When Things Get Dark is an anthology of purposely written stories inspired by or in tribute to Shirley Jackson. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that although I consider myself a fan of speculative fiction, I had never read any anthology curated by the legendary Ellen Datlow, the editor of this volume. Now, I can understand better why her name is held in such high esteem in the publishing community – this book is a real cracker. For a start, the contributing authors are all well-regarded, prize-winning writers. It would be unfair to single out specific authors, since practically all of them are household names in the horror and speculative fiction community. So here is the full list of the eighteen featured stories and their respective writers:
Funeral Birds – M Rickert
For Sale by Owner – Elizabeth Hand
In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There - Seanan McGuire
A Hundred Miles and a Mile – Carmen Maria Machado
Quiet Dead Things – Cassandra Khan
Something Like Living Creatures – John Langan
Money of the Dead – Karen Heuler
Hag – Benjamin Percy
Take Me, I am Free – Joyce Carol Oates
A Trip to Paris – Richard Kadrey
The Party – Paul Tremblay
Refinery Road – Stephen Graham Jones
The Door in the Fence – Jeffrey Ford
Pear of Anguish – Gemma Files
Special Meal – Josh Malerman
Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive You Home – Genevieve Valentine
Tiptoe – Laird Barron
Skinder’s Veil – Kelly Link

As is wont to happen in such anthologies, some stories may be more striking than others, but none are duds. Perhaps more importantly, despite the different styles and approaches typical of each specific author, the result is a cohesive one which breathes the same atmosphere of Shirley Jackson’s writing. In her introduction, Datlow explains that she wanted the contributors to “distill the essence of Jackson’s work into their work, to reflect her sensibility.” She identifies as the defining elements of the classic author’s approach “the strange and the dark underneath placid exteriors… comfort in ritual and rules, even while those rules may constrict the self so much that those who must follow them can slip into madness”.

These themes do underlie many of the stories, which often find horror in domestic life by revealing disturbing undercurrents in parent/child relationships – for instance in the creepy Tiptoe by Laird Barron or Joyce Carol Oates’ Take me, I am free. Some of the stories adopt a realistic worldview, others are overtly supernatural. Some of the best pieces, however, are not really one or the other, but are more whimsical in nature, bordering on symbolism/magical realism. Such is the case with the closing novelette, Skinder’s Veil by Kelly Link, in which a housesitter gets more than he bargains for, including encounters with anthropomorphic animals. Or Josh Malerman’s Special Meal which, despite having no supernatural element to it, was, to this reader, the scariest, most nerve-racking of the lot.

Datlow states that she did not want authors riffing on Jackson’s own works. Some of the featured stories however do appear to be very obviously referring to specific stories or novels by Jackson. Unsurprisingly, the Haunting of Hill House is channelled in a number of haunted house tales, such as Elizabeth Hand’s For Sale by Owner and Seanan McGuire’s In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There. Ghosts of other sorts appear in Money of the Dead by Karen Heuler, Refinery Road by Stephen Graham Jones and M. Rickert’s Funeral Birds. Quiet Dead Things by Cassandra Khan has the same small-town horror feel to it as Jackson’s notorious The Lottery. Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive You Home by Genevieve Valentine is a thoughtful piece of feminist Gothic, but also references The Bird's Nest by having all the female characters sport names which are variants of "Elizabeth".

Titan Books have got a winner here: a thrilling encounter with the uncanny courtesy of the some of the best contemporary horror writers.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2021/07/When-Things-Get-Dark-Shirley-Jackson-Ellen-Datlow.html

This anthology features short stories from some of my favourite writers, including Seanan McGuire. It also introduced me to some writers whose work I hadn’t read before. All are paying tribute to Shirley Jackson.

Like any collection of short stories, there were some I absolutely loved. My favourites in this anthology were those by M. Rickert, Elizabeth Hand, Seanan McGuire, Joyce Carol Oates, Josh Malerman and Kelly Link.

Although the other stories were well written, I often failed to connect with either the main character or the plot. Some I enjoyed, until I realised I’d run out of story before the thing I felt was missing showed up. I don’t expect to love every story in an anthology, though.

Usually when I review anthologies, I’ll include a short quote and a sentence to describe each story: what it’s about, its theme, or what I loved or didn’t love about it. I started doing that here but then abandoned the idea. There were some stories that I couldn’t explain in a sentence without spoiling them for you.

There were others that I couldn’t explain because, quite honestly, I need someone to explain them to me. Perhaps a reread will help me find the missing puzzle pieces. Maybe what I perceived as deliberate ambiguity was actually the literary equivalent of a joke’s punchline going over my head. I may read the review of someone smarter than myself and when they explain it, the lightbulb will finally turn on above my head.

So, instead of giving you an explanation and a quote, I’m only providing a quote here.

Funeral Birds by M. Rickert

“The truth was she rarely went to the funerals. Delores was special.”

For Sale By Owner by Elizabeth Hand

““That’s trespassing.”
“Only if we get caught,” I replied.”

In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There by Seanan McGuire

“She moved here for a haunting, and even if the house refuses to be haunted, she fully intends to be.”

A Hundred Miles and a Mile by Carmen Maria Machado

“It’s strange, the knowing-not-knowing. It twitches like something that won’t die.”

Quiet Dead Things by Cassandra Khaw

“We’re going to die for what happened.”

Something Like Living Creatures by John Langan

““You saw something!” Samantha said.
“Did you?” Kayla said.
“Yes,” Jenna said.”

Money of the Dead by Karen Heuler

“On one side, life; on the other, death. It was almost, sometimes, as if they could see across the divide, or hear a furtive, melancholy whistle.”

Hag by Benjamin Percy

“Without you, the island starves.”

Take Me, I Am Free by Joyce Carol Oates

“Just sit here. Don’t squirm. I’ll be watching from the front window.”

A Trip to Paris by Richard Kadrey

“Why won’t you stay dead?”

The Party by Paul Tremblay

“I do get into the spirit of my themes. Perhaps too much.”

Refinery Road by Stephen Graham Jones

“It was just the three of them, same as it had always been. Same as it would always be.”

The Door in the Fence by Jeffrey Ford

“Some people, when they get old, all they can think about is dying. Some, on the other hand, find freedom.”

Pear of Anguish by Gemma Files

“The past is a trap and memory is a drug.
Memory is a door.”

Special Meal by Josh Malerman

““Do you really not know what today is?” Dad asked. “It’s okay if you don’t.””

Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive Home by Genevieve Valentine

“Never be stuck on the road alone, that was the rule.”

Tiptoe by Laird Barron

“Trouble is, old, weathered pictures are ambiguous. You can’t always tell what’s hiding behind the patina. Nothing, or the worst thing imaginable.”

Skinder’s Veil by Kelly Link

“Skinder may show up. If he does, DO NOT LET HIM IN.”

While I didn’t find any of the stories scary, there were some that were accompanied by a growing sense of dread. Others were unsettling. Then there were those that left behind confusion in their wake. But that’s the beauty of anthologies; there’s usually something for everyone. The times where a question mark appeared over my head? Those stories are probably someone else’s favourites.

Content warnings include child abuse, death by suicide, domestic abuse, mental health and self harm.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

4.5 rounded up

Anything with Ellen Datlow's seal of approval is okay in my book, and when I saw some of my favorite reviewers eagerly anticipating this read on Twitter, I requested faster than pretty much every title this year. I was thrilled to be approved and quickly dove in,

A collection of stories inspired by Shirley Jackson. Need I say more? From haunting to eerie to downright terrifying, there is something for every reader.

Some of my favorites included:

Funeral Birds – M Rickert: An offbeat tale of compulsion, jealousy, and love that gave me serious Poe vibes as well as Shirley Jackson. I enjoyed this one.
For Sale by Owner – Elizabeth Hand: One of my favorites. A mysterious house and a group of friends determined to do something fun. What could go wrong?
In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There - Seanan McGuire: A story of recovery and community with a twist. Really enjoyed the voice
A Hundred Miles and a Mile – Carmen Maria Machado: I will literally read a grocery list if it's written by Machado, and this story didn't disappoint
Quiet Dead things – Cassandra Khan--Loved the atmosphere and the vivid imagery. Creepy, brutal story with Lottery vibes
Money of the Dead – Karen Heuler: Interesting premise. Loved the mystery and reminded me of Vivarium
Take Me, I am Free – Joyce Carol Oates: This story of a mother and child's heartbreaking interaction will stick to your bones
A Trip to Paris – Richard Kadrey: No spoilers for this one, but I think of it frequently. Great imagery and voice
The Party – Paul Trembley: Loved this apocalyptic relationship
Special Meal – Josh Malerman: Harrison Bergeron meets 1984. Literary and compulsively readable. One of my favorites in the collection
Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive You Home – Genevieve Valentine: Excellent creepy atmosphere and character development in a short word count
Skindler’s Veil – Kelly Link: Loved this one. No spoilers, but I'll definitely be re-reading this one

Huge thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.