I really don't enjoy writing reviews of books I didn't exactly love. This one is especially hard because Darker Days is the second collection I've read by Kenneth M. Cain, the first being Embers. Frankly, I enjoyed Embers much more than this new collection.
A Ring for His Own - This story set in the Wild West is a bit wilder than most and in a very strange way.
Heirloom - Thaddeus Claremont, a PI with a love of photography, finds an old camera and that's when things get weird.
Rust Colored Rain - "The creature came within arm's reach. Up until that moment, it hadn't looked so different from any other human being. Then she saw just how inhuman it really was."
Prey - A quick tale of competing species...with an unexpected twist.
Passing Time - After the birth of a child, a couple's relationship slowly deteriorates. Not my favorite story.
What Mama Needs - The drug life.
My Brother Bit Your Honor Student - I love this title. A different kind of zombie story.
Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 1—Henry Wentworth - A wonderful argument against the making of rash decisions.
The Sanguine Wars - The future of modern warfare.
The Hunted - Really a miss for me. Not much more to say.
Her Living Corals - A clever story of one woman's love for a dying reef and her efforts to bring it back to life.
Puppet Strings - A warning for controlling men.
The Trying of Master William - A rather unusual ghost story set in the days of slavery in the American South-land.
By the Crescent Moon - Mike Hayborne just moved into a new rural neighborhood and his cat Chester goes missing. When the old lady down the street warns him to watch out for the Madocs up the foggy path leading to the hills, it's not her fault when he doesn't heed her warning.
Mantid - A frightening tale of Truth or Dare gone bad.
The Underside of Space and Time - Mirror image clones and a break in the space and time continuum.
Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 2—Gemma Nyle - Gemma had seen it all.
The Griffon - Another story I wanted to enjoy, but it just doesn't go anywhere.
Adaptable - A good tale of exploration gone bad.
When They Come - One helluva opening line..."Nobody believes in monsters until they start showing up in broad daylight, their corpses lying right out in the open. Why should they? Monsters are mythical creatures, lore meant to scare children. That was Addison Parker’s experience when one first appeared just off the turnpike, across from Ghost Lake."
The Reassignment Project - Lots of senseless violence. Oh, yeah and aliens, too.
Presage - An intriguing look at what might happen should DNA from the Shroud or Turin ever be cloned.
One Hopeless Night By a Clan Fire - An utterly strange story of a man who receives radio signals through his teeth.
Lenny's New Eyes - A story which answers the question, what would a thirsty demon give for an octoslushie.
Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 3—Anna Kilpatrick - One of the bleakest stories I've ever read.
A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse - Best premise ever. A post-nuclear zombie apocalypse and trying to survive with a pair of stoner conjoined twins.
In a collection this large, twenty-six stories, there are sure to be a few tales that don't work for the average reader, but for me, there just weren't enough great stories to offer up more than three stars.
Published by Crystal Lake Publishing. Darker Days: A Collection of Dark Fiction is available in paperback and Kindle formats. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
From the author's bio - Kenneth W. Cain is the author of four novels, four short story collections, four novellas, and several children's books among his body of work. He is the editor for Crystal Lake Publishing's Tales From The Lake Volume 5 and When the Clock Strikes 13. The winner of the 2017 Silver Hammer Award, Cain is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association, as well as a volunteer for the membership committee and chair of the Pennsylvania chapter. Cain resides in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.
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