Another instalment of stories that I’ve read and recommend.

SHORT FICTION

Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe by Matthew R. Davis (pub. JournalStone Publishing, 2025). Matthew R Davis isn’t in any rush with these stories, so settle in your favourite chair and let them ferry you gently into the dark.

I particularly liked the story, A Walking Wound.

Opening sentence: “As the rest of the band ate, Jennifer sat and stared out through the service station window into the night that swallowed up the truck stop beyond.”

An Eater by Heather Cutforth published in Tales from the Moonlit Path online zine. I don’t like saying too much about stories in case I mar the reader’s experience. With that in mind, this is an excellent piece of writing and well worth five minutes of your time.

Halloween ’97 by Milanka Sulejic. Another story published in Tales from the Moonlit Path. This one has much more haunting tone.

LONG FICTION

The Lamb by Lucy Rose (pub. W&N, 202r). A tremendously dark, yet horrifyingly sensual read.

Opening sentence: “On my fourth birthday, I plucked six severed fingers from the shower drain.” 

Freakslaw by Jane Flett (pub. Transworld Digital, 2024). A fast and funny read dashed with a streak of dread. A book for all us freaks out there.

Opening sentence: “The trucks show up one afternoon like a parade of chorus girls with dirty knickers.”