Book Review: Dark Matter Presents: Zero Dark Thirty: The 30 Darkest Stories from Dark Matter Magazine, 2021–’22 edited by Rob Carroll

“My skeleton, my choice.”

📚

Zero Dark Thirty is another incredible short story compendium gifted to the sci-fi/horror verse from Dark Matter INK. Filled with “dark stories that explore the shadow side of reality,” this collection captivates and disturbs as it journeys into truly troubled and twisted realms. Haven’t read it yet? Well gird your loins, dear reader, and prepare to be immersed in a series of wonderfully demented, supremely haunting, no-holds-barred narratives.

Standouts include:

• “The Liminal Men” by Thomas Ha: A violent, gory, and bleak tale that immediately conjures harrowing mental images of “The Gentleman” featured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Hush” episode.
  
  
• “This Will Be the Most Vulnerable Post I’ve Ever Made” by Marissa van Uden: An anxiety-inducing, stomach-turning, Black Mirror-esque body horror work where lives and physiques are treated as social media fodder, and where privacy and authenticity are long-dead relics. The scariest part? Our present reality may not be too far removed from fiction.
  
  
• “Queen of the Cloven Heart” by Hailey Piper: A captivating and gruesome story surrounding a nightmarish court where women are considered property to be used, abused, and tossed aside like trash. Terrifying in both its brutality and depressing realism.
  
  
• “Little Lives” by Patrick Lofgren: An appalling, “holy $%@!” futuristic account that gives horror new meaning and dimension.
  
  
• “Potato” by Ken Altabef: A grotesque, shudder-worthy chronicle that will forever have this reader giving spuds some serious side-eye.

Next up on the Dark Matter Presents anthology horizon: Monster Lairs and Monstrous Futures. Can’t wait to dig in!

❤Amanda