Dark Stars : New Tales of Darkest Horror

Dark Stars, edited by John F.D. Taff, is a tribute to horror’s longstanding short fiction legacy, featuring 12 terrifying original stories from today's most noteworthy authors, with an introduction by bestselling author Josh Malerman and an afterword by Ramsey Campbell.

Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent. Dark Stars features all-new stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, and Alma Katsu, with seasoned author John F.D. Taff at the helm. An afterword from original Dark Forces contributor Ramsey Campbell is a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

Within these pages you’ll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harboring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You’ll encounter terrible monsters—both human and supernatural—and be forever changed. The stories in Dark Stars run the gamut from traditional to modern, from dark fantasy to neo-noir, from explorations of beloved horror tropes to the unknown—possibly unknowable—threats.

It’s all in here because it’s all out there, now, in horror.

"A fabulous collection of heady, inventive, and scary-as-hell novelettes written by many of my favorite horror writers. They'll become your favorites too, if they aren't already." —Paul Tremblay, author of Survivor Song

"This collection of suspenseful horror resonates deeply, haunting the soul on many levels." —Brom, author of Slewfoot

"A perfect snapshot of modern horror fiction and an essential showcase for its many voices, Taff's Dark Stars is to this generation what Kirby McCauley's seminal Dark Forces was to mine." —Brian Keene, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rising

"Dark Stars is a constellation that burns bright, despite its title. There isn't a fading star in this gripping, thought-provoking collection, which showcases the tremendous talent of the writers, and the stylistic and thematic variety of contemporary horror fiction. An anthology that shows why literature that is drawn to the dark side of human experience will never die." —Indrapramit Das, author of The Devourers

“Masterfully bringing together the very best of the best voices in contemporary horror, Dark Stars fairly resonates with an assured sense of sadness, mystery and wonder. As soulful as it is disturbing, these stories linger like smoke long after the reading is done. An absolute treat.” —Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Dear Laura

"Featured here are rubies strung on wire — or droplets of blood suspended in air — each story crafted by one of the best horror and suspense authors writing at the top of their games. This anthology left me in awe.” —John Hornor Jacobs, author of A Lush and Seething Hell

"John F.D. Taff has gifted us with a collection of stories that takes in the vast expanse of the horror genre today and guides our eye toward the furthest corners of the cosmos, where these twelve brand-new celestial forms wait to take shape in our nightmares." —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Whisper Down the Lane

"Taff gathers a galaxy of horror geniuses whose engrossing, unsettling stories unveil every empty place inside us....An essential anthology for 21st century horror." —Hailey Piper, author of The Worm and His Kings

“Strange and sinister, uncanny and unforgettable, Dark Stars is an absolute must-read. With an utterly stellar lineup of today's best horror authors, this is one anthology you don't want to miss.” —Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens

“Dark Stars provides not only an image of where horror is now, but a roadmap of where horror is going.” —Brian Evenson, author of The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell