In the introduction to A Sliver of Darkness, the debut short-story collection by C.J. Tudor, the author provides a very personal glimpse into her life, with the passing of her dad, and the impact that it had on her and her writing. A finished manuscript was scrapped because it didn’t work and rather than skip the publication year, C.J. suggested a collection of short stories be published in its place.
As I read the introduction it almost felt as if this book was a ‘something is better than nothing’ release by a beloved author.
But trust me when I say that this book is a premier collection of dark works by one of the best horror/thriller writers of the modern era. When Stephen King says ‘If you like my stuff, you will like this’ he is telling the truth.
This collection of eleven short stories is a wonderful read. The stories vary in length and theme, but in her style, everyone features twists that you don’t see coming and glimpses into our nature that sometimes break and other times bite.
I want to tell you what my personal favorites are, but I find that I can’t narrow down the list. As I tried to, I kept thinking ‘Oooh that one was good’ and so I won’t. Just read the damn book and try to decide for yourself.
One thing that I will mention is that C.J. introduces each story with some thoughts on the inspiration of the story and her thoughts about the process of writing it. I love to peek into the mind of writers and see behind the curtain as they go about their craft.
Overall this collection is highly recommended. If you are a fan of Stephen King, Kelly Link, or the horror or thriller genres, there is definitely something here for you.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy of this book. I'm leaving this review voluntarily!

First, I have to say that this was not really a book of horror stories unless you are a really scaredy cat. I'm not a fan of short stories. They are usually a hit or miss for me. This collection was great. I enjoyed most stories. There were a few that I believe should be turned into a standalone novel. I wanted the story to continue or to dig even deeper and was disappointed when the story ended. There is a lot of potential in those! I like that the author included a little bit of a background story for the individual stories. Overall, a great read (even for those who don't like short stories).

A Sliver of Darkness is a horror anthology with eleven short stories. I can genuinely say that I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection. It's not often that I can say that as I am usually only half impressed. This collection is what I expect when I want to read a horror anthology. As I was reading, I felt nostalgia for early Stephen King horror anthologies like Skeleton Crew and Night Shift. It was that good.

To start each story, the author gives us a peek into what motivated her to write the story. All of the stories were creepy, twisted and disturbing. It is hard to pick a favorite. If I was hard pressed, I would have to say "Dust", "The Block" and "Final Course" are the ones that stuck with me the most. I definitely think there is something in here for any horror fan. I highly recommend it!

This was a fun read. There are 11 short stories in the collection, along with an introduction to each story where Tudor tells you what or who inspired the story. There is also an introduction to the whole collection where the author details how this collection came to exist.

Most of the stories were great. Really well written with good character development and excellent plots. There were one or two that I didn't enjoy as much, but none of them are ones I would consider bad, just kinda meh. My favorites were End of the Liner, I'm Not Ted, and Gloria. I would definitely pick this up if you like horror/thrillers and short stories.

My thanks to Random House, Ballantine Books, author C.J. Tudor, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

CJ Tudor is the QUEEN of creepy.
I don’t do a lot of short stories but I will read anything she publishes and I loved this!
Of course I enjoyed some more than others but each one she was able to fully flesh out and fully invest you in a character or situation in such a short amount of time. While also leaving you in goosebumps.
Loved it!

A Sliver of Darkness

This is a short story collection from beloved author CJ Tudor. Each story begins with a short intro by the author explaining the inspiration behind the story, which I thought was very fun. Like most anthologies, I really enjoyed some stories and some were just okay. My favorite was End of the Liner, in which a group of survivors after the end of the world have been living on a cruise ship out at sea for literal decades. The old people get ceremonially “retired” and our main character is hearing rumblings that she’s about to be retired. The cruise ship was clearly a Disney knockoff-type ship in its heyday, so you have the creepy mashup of murals of kid-friendly characters peeling off the walls/servants in costumes and a tense Big Brother atmosphere. Other favorites were The Completion, Dust, and Final Course.

Some stories were slightly “meh” but none were duds. Overall a good collection.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy!

I do not read a lot of short story collections - but CJ Tudor has been a fav author of mine so I have been slowly going through these here and there - which I do like that option. Just quick little story when i only have a few mins to read was really nice. And - they are good overall. I really like the insights to Tudor’s writing process. And my favorite, standout stories include: Runaway Blues, End of the Line, And i am not Ted, but I think all of them were really great and very well written.

What a mixed bag of short stories. Fans of Tudor need to give this a chance as there are stories that most likely will appeal to them. I found the Lion at the Gate and The Block too creepy. I would love to hear more about Gloria as she’s a fascinating woman. The End of the Liner needs to be flushed out into a longer story. Give this a read. 3.5 stars

Thanks so much to NetGalley for my copy! I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I'll have my full review of A Sliver of Darkness up soon.

I really enjoyed every story in this collection! Each one had me completely invested. There were times where it was very clear the author was taking inspiration from the pandemic and shutdowns that were happening while she was writing, which I thought brought an interesting element to the stories.

If anyone knows me, they know how much I love short story collections, and this one was no exception. Especially when they are dark and twisted like these are. If you love the creepy and the weird, please check these out!

This was a very fun collection of alternate reality horror short stories! I've really enjoyed C.J. Tudor's books in the past so I knew I would love this as well. I wish i could read full length novels of all of these short stories, because I keep thinking about them and wish there was more. I also really enjoyed the forwards to all the stories where the author talked about the origins and the basis behind all the stories, it was really interesting and a nice look into the behind the scenes of writing the stories. I personally wasn't scared or deeply unsettled by any of the stories, which is the only reason it's a 4 not a 5. But otherwise, it was a very enjoyable collection!

Each story was unique in their own way. They were all well written and eerie.


If you love short stories, this is for you. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for a honest review

In true, C.J. Tudor fashion, she's left me terrified once again.

This shiver-inspiring collection of short stories feel plucked from the darkest recesses of Tudor's imagination. One never quite knows what horror to expect with each new tale, and there are some that will undoubtedly stick with me for years to come (the Block and the cruise ship in particular).

Perhaps of particular value, especially as a writer myself, are the insights provided in each introduction. They offer the reader an opportunity to better get to know Tudor and also more keenly sus out the undercurrents of each story. I left A Sliver of Darkness feeling inspired to look at my surroundings with the lens of a writer (but also absolutely horrified, obviously).

I also found this shift from novel to a collection of short stories both fitting and refreshing. I have loved all of Tudor's books, but this collection offered a more expansive look into her creative mind.

Like all anthologies I read, this one was just alright. There were some stories I enjoyed or connected with but then others that just seemed boring or forgettable. I think Tudor is a stronger novel writer than short story one.
The stories I enjoyed (even though some were not developed enough):
End of the Liner
I'm Not Ted
The Final Course
The Copy Shop

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Sliver of Darkness by CJ Tudor is a book of short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. I appreciated how the author introduced each story with an explanation of how she came to write it. This added a little something extra to the stories. If you like CJ Tudor’s previous books, definitely check this one out. The writing was excellent and the stories were just as thrilling as her novels are. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

A Sliver of Darkness is a short-story collection comprised of 10-tales by beloved author, C.J. Tudor. This was Tudor's only 2022 release, a fact that she addresses within this book. Anything from Tudor would get me excited, but I was particularly looking forward to trying out some shorter fiction from her. This collection was definitely interesting.

I found these stories to be unique and entertaining. It's pretty clear Tudor has entered her dystopian/post-apocalyptic era and I'm not mad about it. This explored themes that felt fresh and relevant to our post-pandemic world. It also got pretty murdery and twisted; two things I adore in dark, or speculative, fiction.

I enjoyed how each story had a short introduction by the author. This reminded me of King's The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. I always enjoy when an author includes these types of insights into their inspirations, or connections, to each story. It makes the experience more personal. Additionally, I feel like it helps to set-up the proper tone for each story. I'm definitely glad that Tudor decided to include them in the final copy of the book.

Overall, I found this collection to be varied, unpredictable, well-written, engaging and it definitely gave me a lot to think about. Considering all the world has been through over the past 3-years, I don't think it is surprising that this is the type of creativity Tudor felt like expressing. It definitely feels apropos for the times.

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love Tudor's style and will continue to pick up everything she writes!

I did not enjoy this collection of short stories. I didn’t find them scary, creepy or very interesting. I did enjoy this author’s other book, “The Other People”, so I will continue to read the authors novels, but not any more short stories.

CJ Tudor is a talented writer who knows how to create a compelling story, and this is a great variety that showcases their talent well. As with any collection of this type, it's a mixed bag, with some really great stories and some just so-so. However, all of them were worth reading and I didn't think any were a waste of time; quite the contrary, I enjoyed them all. It's a solid collection.

I usually don’t read short stories so it’s hard for me to rate this book when I’m not a fan of them. I did enjoy the first story the most.

This book is a collection of short stories and I liked how the author wrote a little note on why she chose this short story to be part of the book and how it can
Me about.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.