This was incredible. A few mind-blowing standouts, solid anthology overall, and just a few that didn’t stick the landing for me but definitely a must-have for lovers of short fiction and Shirley Jackson. Datlow is Queen. I have 6 pages of notes.

Review originally published at LitReactor (Reading Notes)
https://litreactor.com/reviews/reading-notes-when-things-get-dark-stories-inspired-by-shirley-jackson-edited-by-ellen-datlow

The stories in this anthology drew inspiration from American writer, Shirley Jackson. These tales capture different facets of her literary style and the overarching themes commonly found threaded through her collective body of work.

Present in this anthology are stories of quiet horror, murder mysteries, secrets, hauntings, dysfunctional families, rage, loneliness, psychological terrors, and the supernatural. Following are the notes I jotted down for each story as I read them. I was vacationing at Dillon Beach, CA, and staying in a quaint, little cliff-side house called Wit’s End. It was literally the perfect setting.

A note about "reviewing notes":

As I read, I jot things down about the stories to help me remember what they were about and how they made me feel. So, these are not complete sentences or full reviews, but I think they get the message across and I'm happy to share them.

"Funeral Birds" by M. Rickert
Lenore is socially awkward and lonely. Going to funerals to people-watch. Part of the suffering and sadness of others while at the same time, just an observer. Maybe even fantasizing the funeral is someone she loved.

"For Sale by Owner" by Elizabeth Hand
Subtle, quiet horror with a memorable opening line. A dog walker finds joy in her curiosity about the homes of strangers. She gathers a group of women to trespass with her for an overnight stay in a strange house.

"In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" by Seanan McGuire
A beautiful, atmospheric, literary story blurring the line between fantasy and horror.

"A Hundred Miles and A Mile" by Carmen Maria Machado
“I wouldn’t approach a dog that bites.” The luring of a girl? Repressed childhood memories.

"Quiet Dead Things" by Cassandra Khaw
A tense story about a murder in a strange, little town.

"Something Like Living Creatures" by John Langan
A strong sense of mood and power. Divination. Witches. Empowerment. Rituals.

"Money of the Dead" by Karen Heuler
A claustrophobic, suffocating, toxic relationship between a mother and her son. A tragic tale rife with parental guilt. Suffering. Nature vs. nurture. Terrifying.

"Hag" by Benjamin Percy
“The ocean likes to cough up its dead.” For fans of cults, small-town horror and secrets, murder, family dynamics, and a strong sense of place. Coastal. FEED THE HAG. One of my favorite stories in this collection.

"Take Me, I Am Free" by Joyce Carol Oates
A disturbing story of neglect. “Before I knew what was happening she got inside me and kept growing and growing and now she’s everywhere.” Unwanted child. Reluctant motherhood.

"A Trip to Paris" by Richard Kadrey
Compelling tale. Needing freedom, independence from family. Tied-down. Claustrophobic. Mold. Guilt.

"The Party" by Paul Tremblay
“Eat, drink, and fuck for tomorrow we die.” Living in the moment. Unplugging. Secretive, weird, cultish party. Cake.

"Refinery Road" by Stephen Graham Jones
Themes of friendship. Ghosts. Family secrets. Abuse. Guilt. Redemption.

"The Door in the Fence" by Jeffery Ford
A strange little story about the journey a widow embarks on after the death of her husband.

"Pear of Anguish" by Gemma Files
Another favorite story, this one is dark. Coming-of-age. Adolescent girls. Self-harm. Witchcraft. Menstruation. Finding kindred spirits when you’re awkward, lonely, different.

"Special Meal" by Josh Malerman
A family meal. Dystopian? Restrictions on education; learning. Math. Rebellion. Defiance.

"Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive Home" by Genevieve Valentine
Different women in “compromising” situations. “You could kill a woman practically anywhere.” Sexism. Predators. Pretending and performing in relationships. Independence.

"Tiptoe" by Laird Barron
Photography. Predators. A childhood game. Family dynamics. “Warm and fuzzy outside, cold tapioca on the inside.” A lakehouse vacation—the description transports the reader. Clairvoyance. Sons & Fathers.

"Skinder's Veil" by Kelly Link
A man is distracted by his roommate having too much sex, takes a job as a housesitter for a friend who has a regular housesitting gig for a residence out in the woods. There are some strange house rules. The story is very “Twilight Zone”-esque. Rose Red & Rose White. Friends & Neighbors.

This is my ritualistic plug for anthologies and short fiction collections by one author. I truly believe that anthologies are the best way to discover new storytellers that are compatible with your unique preferences. It's so simple to pick up something like, When Things Get Dark and sample the stories as they apply to the overall theme that interests you. In this case, if you're a fan of Shirley Jackson, you're bound to find something here that moves you the way her stories did. Then, you can pick up one of these author's collections and sample more short fiction to be totally sure they're a fit.

Short fiction. It's the best.

Shirley Jackson is a fave, and some of the authors in this collection are too (Elizabeth Hand! SGJ!) so I was pretty excited to find this one at my library. And it was as enjoyable as I hoped! Sometimes, I find short story collections make me kind of restless, because they're uneven and it's hard to keep momentum going when changing stories frequently, and I start to become preoccupied with how many are left. There were a couple stories in here that didn't really do it for me, but most of them really did, enough that I felt invested even between tales. Some stories were enchanting (the Kelly Link) some haunting (Elizabeth Hand), atmospheric ("Hag", the Seanan McGuire), some skin-crawlingly horrifying ("Tiptoe", oh my god). There's a touch of dystopia ("Special Meal") and a story by Joyce Carol Oates so disturbing and sad that it will stay with me in a horrifying way. They all have a Shirley Jackson-esque thread running through them, despite being extremely different stories.

“Am I walking toward something I should be running away from?” ― Shirley Jackson

Start reading "When Things Get Dark" and the air chills with the same unsettling feeling a séance might evoke. This anthology is challenged with conjuring the spirit of Shirley Jackson's work and the best of these stories dissolve the security of what you rely on. Fear quickens your pulse as the atmosphere shifts away from the safety of "normal".

Horror can easily resort to the gross-out, the blatant scare, the knife-in-the-eyeball shocker. Shirley Jackson was better than that. For the most part, the stories in this collection dip into a dark pool of growing uneasiness. A few fall short, more sketches than fleshed out pieces, but even those hold true to the tone set.

My favorite is "For Sale by Owner" by Elizabeth Hand. A trio of women decide to camp out in a beautiful deserted house. It turns out much more complex than just the obligatory haunted house tale. Stephen Graham Jones, the author of "My Heart is a Chainsaw" and "The Only Good Indians," is also well represented here with "Refinery Road," a night ride where reality seems to bend. "Quiet Dead Things" by Cassandra Khan touches on the theme of the evil possible by a community consciousness that Ms. Jackson illustrated. "In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" by Seanan McGuire tapped into the eeriness felt as terror approaches someone placed out of their element. The closing knockout in this book is "Skindler’s Veil" by Kelly Link, also about a character trying to get his bearings in an environment demanding blind faith despite some unbelievable twists.

I had planned on mentioning a few more pieces--suffice it to say this deserves 5 stars. Ellen Datlow has put together a potent collection of pieces that will usher you into the world Shirley Jackson defined.

Thank you Ellen Datlow, Titan Books, and NetGalley for providing the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. #WhenThingsGetDark #NetGalley

I wanted to like this being a Jackson fan, but some of these short stories didn't make sense or was too vague or I felt they just ended abruptly..... Not terrible, just apparently not my jam.

A lovely collection of short stories that give that Shirley Jackson feel. I enjoyed it. I did read out of order a bit, skipping back and forth between different stories. I enjoyed seeing the different writers style reflected. Very nice collection!

I really enjoyed most of these short stories, some of them more than others. Some not at all - looking at you, Paul Tremblay. This is a book I will listen to again because it was that good.

"Funeral Birds" by M. Rickert
Lenore is socially awkward and lonely but knows how to keep a secret.

"For Sale by Owner" by Elizabeth Hand
Subtle, quiet horror. A group of housewives find excitement in their curiosity about the homes of strangers.

"In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" by
Seanan McGuire
Beautiful, atmospheric, Lyrical, and spooky. Follows the pattern of abuse and how they change but stay the same.

"A Hundred Miles and A Mile" by Carmen Maria
Machado
Maybe premonition or hypnosis? Or voices from another time.

"Quiet Dead Things" by Cassandra Khaw
A story of racism, prejudices, and murders in a little town.

"Something Like Living Creatures" by John Langan
Rituals and tradition. What’s more believable - witches learning divination or girls learning religion - or both.

"Money of the Dead" by Karen Heuler
Toxic relationship between a mother and her son. A tragic tale if parental guilt and nature vs. nurture.

"Hag" by Benjamin Percy
For fans of cults, small-town horror and secrets, murder, family dynamics.

"Take Me, I Am Free" by Joyce Carol Oates
A disturbing story of neglect between a mother and her unwanted child as well as the father who pretends not to notice.

"A Trip to Paris" by Richard Kadrey
Compelling tale of craving freedom and independence from family and the surprising guilt afterwards.

"The Party" by Paul Tremblay
I wish I could say I knew what this story was attempting to tell, but I don’t. I listened to it twice but it just ends with no idea why I care anything about the characters or what happens to them.

"Refinery Road" by Stephen Graham Jones
Themes of friendship, ghosts, and secrets. Spooky!

"The Door in the Fence" by Jeffery Ford
A supernatural story about the life of a widow after the death of her husband, noticed by a neighbor boy.

"Pear of Anguish" by Gemma Files
Dark coming-of-age of adolescent girls.
Finding kindred spirits when you're awkward, lonely, and different.

"Special Meal" by Josh Malerman
Math is forbidden and a girl has to hide she has secretly learned it.

"Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive Home" by
Genevieve Valentine
Different women all named versions of Elizabeth all going through experiences with sexism, predators, and pretending/performing in relationships.

"Tiptoe" by Laird Barron
Family dynamics between fathers and sons, childhood secret trauma, and psychopathy.

"Skinder's Veil" by Kelly Link
A man takes a job as a housesitter for a friend who has a regular housesitting gig for a residence out in the woods. There are some strange house rules. The story is very "Twilight Zone"-esque.

Multi-author short story collections tend to be very hit-or-miss, so congratulations to Ellen Datlow for putting together such an excellent one! A few absolute bangers, many perfectly decent short stories, and only one or two (this took me a while to read, so I don't actually remember if there were two) meh ones. I'm impressed.

A decent collection, but it seemed like most of the writers were doing their own thing rather than trying to write like Jackson. There was some strong ones like "Funeral birds", "Take Me, I Am Free", or "For Sale By Owner" that seemed to have the Jackson spirit and some very atmospheric and fun ones like "In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" or "Quiet Dead Things" that also had the more dark tones of "We Have Always Lived in the Castle". But otherwise it was just alright.