LET THERE BE DARK
Tim McWhorter
01/16/2024 2nd Edition
Manta Press, Ltd.
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis
Hello Horror Fans! It’s your old pal Skull with Let There Be Dark, a seriously awesome collection of short horror stories by Tim McWhorter, that grabs your attention from the start and doesn’t let go until the last word of the final story. A cool thing about this collection is the use of unique locations such as a drugstore bathroom, a Japanese hot spring spa, and a Colorado mountainside. There are also some places you would expect weird shit to go down, but even then, McWhorter stretches your imagination and refuses to take the easy road and that’s exactly what this reviewer likes. Let’s get in there!
Let’s kick things off with Skull Session, because anything with skulls involved kinda gets my attention. If you’re into Horror in all its forms, you’re probably familiar with shops or sites selling oddities that run the gamut from antique weaponry to 3 headed pig fetuses in glass jars of formaldehyde. A lot of people with big bucks dig this stuff and are willing to lay down a lot of green for it. BUT it must be real deal or at least convincing. No one cares how you get the item they just want a real Viking skull with a sword injury and if you screw up, things can go south in hurry. The owners of INFERNALES hope that what Jorn is bringing them today is legit. Otherwise, they’ll have to improvise with what’s on hand…
Speaking of dangerous, big money situations, let’s hop into a stolen Chevy with Tony Malone for The Company You Keep. Tony usually drives a Mercedes, but it’s in the shop after a major accident that just happened to include the boss’ main squeeze. That’s a real bad thing because Vincent Delmonico is a powerful mob boss who doesn’t take mistakes lightly. Getting fired by this guy means you’ll never work anywhere again. So Tony is grateful for this chance at redemption. Well, probably that’s what it is. All he knows for sure is that he and mob enforcer, Visili Prek, are driving out into the middle of nowhere with the plan of retrieving something of great importance. Much is decided that night between a pair of derelict drive-in movie screens with performances worthy of an Oscar. Does Tony keep his job? Who’s the annoyed movie critic and why? Your old pal Skull encourages you to buy the book and find out!
Tim McWhorter is magician who knows how to take words and crystallize them into fear. No Saints Here is an excellent example of this that takes readers on a crazy rollercoaster ride of emotions where every detail counts. We meet Clancy the oversexed handyman and witness his dastardly deeds, but it’s up to us to decide if he’s the absolutely worst person in the story. McWhorter builds tension and raises the stakes by turning the unplanned twosome into a terrifying threesome, which suddenly left turns into a what-the-fuck-foursome with surprises all around. Pow! Things are looking pretty bad for Clancy, especially when a fifth person, who’s definitely not looking for a quintet, walks into the crazy scene…
LET THERE BE DARK-Collected Stories by Tim McWhorter earns 5 Scary Stars and a place on The Skull Cave’s “Wall of Fame”! Like an unstoppable train, the hits keep on coming with stories like The Bridge that explores an urban legend, Rope Burns that summons the spirits of angry witches to an unlikely spot, and Pigs which discourages one from stopping at random farms in the middle of nowhere in search of cheap lodging. Let There Be Dark delivers real feel horror regardless of the format you purchase it in and there are multiples. The recent 2nd Edition published by Manta Press is available in digital format only at this time. If you’d rather read a physical copy of this excellent collection, the original 1st Edition is still available in tradebackfrom Hydra Publications. Both of which are easy to find on Amazon.com and most likely your favorite bookseller as well. That is the current info as of this writing. Whichever format you choose, be prepared to make an evening of it, because you won’t be able to read just one story.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with your old pal Skull. If you enjoyed this review, please take a few minutes to share it and consider following me on WordPress at: www.damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com or Twitter/X @skullsnflames76 or Facebook at: www.facebook.com/DamagedSkullWriterandReviewer
I’m sure you’ll want to get in touch with/follow Tim McWhorter! Some good ways to do that are to visit him at: www.timmcwhorter.com Or say howdy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tim-McWhorter-author Don’t forget twitter/X @Tim_McWhorter
Stay safe and keep reading independent Horror!
About your reviewer:
Brian James Lewis/Your old pal Skull is a disabled writer, poet, and book reviewer with PTSD whose work has appeared in Trajectory Journal, Mythic Picnic, The Awakenings Review, and multiple horror anthologies. Please visit him at: www.damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com, X/Twitter @skullsnflames76, or https://facebook.com/DamagedSkullWriterandReviewer
