John F.D. Taff

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 a foreword 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 features 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent. Dark Stars features all-new terrifying stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, 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. So enter if you dare, dear reader, and discover what horrors await in Dark Stars...

New Tales of Darkest Horror

Dark Stars

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. 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. Dark Stars features all-new stories from the following award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices: Chesya Burke, Ramsey Campbell, Gemma Files, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, John Langan, Livia Llewellyn, Josh Malerman, Usman T. Malik, Priya Sharma, and John F.D. Taff. Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, Dark Stars also features an introduction by Josh Malerman and an afterword from original contributor Ramsey Campbell—a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

The story of the Bells, an early 19th-century Tennessee farm family who begin to notice strange occurrence--odd noises, bangings, and gurglings. Eventually, an entity reveals itself to the family, calling itself, simply, the Witch, and makes it clear from the outset that it was sent to kill the family patriarch, John Bell. Word of its existence spreads, first through the Bell's slaves, then through the rest of the community. It tells jokes, makes predictions, offers unwanted advice, sings, and shows an intimate knowledge of the Bible, history and politics. It harasses those who annoy it, but saves its ire for John Bell and his teenage daughter, Betsy. These two become the focus of the apparition's attacks, both verbal and physical. Ultimately, the Witch fulfills its promise of killing John Bell.

John F.D. Taff

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