A Sliver of Darkness

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The Lion at the Gate tells the tale of school chums who encounter graffiti-or is it? This has a very clever twist! Many [of these tales] feature ironic twists that remind me of [Stephen] King’s short story work, specifically NIGHT SHIFT, with a smattering of 'The Twilight Zone' thrown in for good measure."

You won’t though. You’ll want to hear this story. And I need to tell it. Because I’ve not told anyone else, not in over fifty years. And that’s a long time to nurse a horror. C. J. Tudor spent some of her time during the pandemic putting together a collection of short stories that previously had only existed as unpublished or scrapped ideas for full-length pieces. Tudor is not referred to as the British Stephen King by accident. All of these tales are quite dark. Many feature ironic twists that remind me of King’s short story work, specifically NIGHT SHIFT, with a smattering of “The Twilight Zone” thrown in for good measure.With your return, perhaps the legion may shake off the specter of treachery and recapture its honor. Perhaps I should explain. Jucleas and I are not the only links in this chain. Someone is looking for you, Player. The Lion at the Gate – You’ve never seen graffiti like this and if you get too close you might end up like my mates: Carl, Stiff, and Fallow. In this story, we are told about ‘the Fat Man’, a remarkable singer with some serious flaws. It’s a tale of love, revenge, and the lengths that people will go to. This one was not one of my favourites and although the plot was interesting, it was nothing new or special. The twist was predictable, but it was well written and thought out. The first story follows an old woman on a cruise ship that is anything but a fun holiday and made for an excellent start to the collection. The story was unsettling and had an air of mystery around it, however it was a little predictable. The concept was interesting and it would make for a great full length novel where the characters could be more developed and the plot furthered.

I want to thank the publisher "Random House Publishing - Ballantine" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

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The Stigma stone may have disappeared now, but the skill with which you used it augers well. You should report to Lavirintos as soon as possible. Indeed. Ludina of the Dionysia Tavern came to me, a hood drawn across her face, and asked me to set up a clandestine meeting between the two of you. Writing a good short story is certainly an artform and in many ways, is actually harder that writing a fully fledged novel. The limited amount of words mean every single sentence has to be purposefully moving character or plot forward, and long, fluffy paragraphs full of descriptions are nigh-on impossible with such a tight deadline. Yet somehow Tudor makes this look easy across each of these stories. I was utterly alone. My greatest wish was to seek Lady Ariel's guidance, but as a lone soldier...it was not my place. But you had given me an assignment of the utmost secrecy, one that was imperative to securing our future.

One of the biggest challenges when writing a collection like this is keeping things fresh and exciting from story to story. Well, this collection does just that, whilst simultaneously writing with such flair that makes each story a joy to read. In Final Course we’re yet again in a very apocalyptic dystopian world with the reunion of the Infamous Five. Why does Tom’s daughter cause such disquiet? This is very dark, a tad yukky, definitely horror and very unexpected!The debut short story collection from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man, featuring ten bone-chilling and mind-bending tales Tudor has established herself as a solid horror writer and now she has proven that she can nail the short story as well.