A Sliver of Darkness

If I start this review by saying that I don't really like short stories then you might be wondering why on earth I chose to read A Sliver of Darkness, described as 'eleven twisted tales of the macabre'. The reason is simple: the stories are by C.J. Tudor, a sublime and talented storyteller and one whose full-length novels I have read and loved.

Of the eleven stories I can honestly say there isn't a duff one amongst them. That said, I did have my favourites, two of which had similarly aged protagonists and storylines (think groups of kids going places where they shouldn't).

The Block plays on that strange allure of abandoned buildings, both eerie and fascinating. This story really sent chills down my spine as four friends discover more show more than they bargained for.

The Lion at the Gate also follows four boys who discover a graffitied lion painted on a gate. This story questions whether what you can see can be trusted. Is the mind playing tricks on these boys or is the lion more sinister than they realise?

The stories vary in length and perhaps the shortest is I'm Not Ted which I thought was a clever tale of the dangers of temptation. I also particularly liked the salutary tale, The Copy Shop, and Final Course, in which friends from years ago meet again in a dystopian world.

Each story has an introduction from the author which I felt helped me to really engage with them. The collection as a whole is a perfect mixture of horror, the apocalyptic, and crime, with morals such as being careful what you wish for, and be kind to others or you reap the consequences, coming into play. I thought it was a fine set of dark and often twisted tales, each one individual and entertaining. show less

A Sliver of Darkness by C. J. Tudor is a very highly recommended collection of eleven chilling short stories.

After an introduction explaining why the short story collection was released, Tudor follows with eleven excellent short stories. All of the stories are introduced with a personal note, which provides a visceral context to the themes and the reason she wrote the story. The collection starts out strong with "End of the Liner" and follows it with ten more outstanding short stories. Stories include: End of the Liner; The block; Runaway Blues; The Completion; The Lion at the Gate; Gloria; I’m Not Ted; The Copy Shop; Final Course; Dust; Butterfly Island.

The characters are all relatable, realistic people which makes them very show more empathetic even when the situations they find themselves in seem fantastical. Tudor can make the most bizarre situation seem believable. Every story in this collection was a winner for me. As with any collection, some will resonate more with certain readers than others, but this collection provides ample opportunities for readers to certainly find several stories they will enjoy immensely. In general, fans of the Twilight Zone will appreciate this collection.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House via NetGalley.
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I'm a big fan of C.J. Tudor's writing. She's got a vivid (and darkly creative) imagination that has hooked me with every book she's written. I was thrilled to see that her latest, A Sliver of Darkness, is a collection of short stories.

I like the portability of short stories, the ability to pick out a tale, and have a satisfying start to finish experience. But, with A Sliver of Darkness, I couldn't just read one....I binge read all eleven tales in a day. They're all so so very different and I just had to see what the next one would be about.

Tudor writes a detailed description of how each story came to be, what triggered the idea. I really liked knowing the 'why/how/what behind every story. It's fulfilling for readers like me that show more wonders where an author finds or imagines their idea for a book or a tale. Some of them are innocuous comments, a memory from years gone by, a location or a personal event.

Did I have a favorite? Besides all of them? The first one, End of the Liner was apropos - what would happen if a cruise ship escaped the plague by not ever docking? Or being dared to go inside that abandoned building. How about graffiti art - that's just a tad too good? A name that just pops up in your brain - right Ted? Or a reprise visit from a character that briefly appeared in one of Tudor's past books. Anyone else remember Gloria from The Hiding Place? How about a beautiful butterfly sanctuary on an isolated island that ends up being much different than a group of people imagined - or hoped? Tudor has hinted that this last tale might be fleshed out in the future. I hope so!

An easy five stars for A Sliver of Darkness.

Wanting more from C.J. Tudor? Me too! Can't wait for her new book - The Drift - coming out January 31/23. show less

I love short stories and I love C.J. Tudor, so what could be better? I already had a taste of Tudor’s short story writing when three were tacked on to an audio that I listened to a couple of years ago…one of them showed up in this collection (The Lion at the Gate) and I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed it the first time. Too bad for the reader that the other two weren’t included in this collection because they too were great! One of them (The February House) was so beautifully written that I paused once or twice to savor the prose.

So, of course, I was a sucker for this book. Many of the stories are hilarious in a black and twisted way – I loved them all.

Since the book includes eleven stories and since they are short, I don’t show more think I’m up to the task of reviewing intelligently (do I ever?), so I will just say that they were comprised in equal measures of quirky, gory, zombie, flesh eating, cultish, horror, fantasy, futuristic, sci-fi, and even a dash of dystopian for good measure.

The stories:

End of the Liner – was my favorite, probably because of the ironic ending (I love ironic endings). It’s the end of the world as we know it; survivors live out their lives cruising the seas on Ocean Liners. The extravagance and opulence is still in evidence everywhere on board, but needless to say, a little shabby after (circa) 50+ years. Our MC, Leila, is about to be “retired” at the age of 75 (out with the old, make room for the new). Her friend Mirabelle appears to be well connected; she’s been 72 for the past five years. Leila is still mourning the loss of her daughter Addison who was “lost” at the age of 18. Be careful what you wish for…
The Block – slum neighborhood with a large spooky boarded up monolithic building – kids break in – there’s a reason this spooky looking building is boarded up!
Runaway Blues – what do these men keep in their hatboxes?
The Completion – I’m thinking Lenny Bruce….tonight tonight...somebody’s gonna get fried tonight….
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.
Gloria– a sympathetic Cleaner/Hit Woman, going soft?
I’m not Ted – he'll get one last chance to withstand temptation and elevate.
Final Course – Don’t Open That Door! There’s a little of the Masque of the Red Death in this one
The Copy Shop – It can make anything as good as new…
Dust – How a Stepmother is rewarded for taking care of her stepchildren? …and, maybe a few others along the way
Butterfly Island – here’s my advice: stay away from anyone who says they have a great idea

One of the interesting things about this book was the introduction and the personal notes preceding each of the stories. I found it fascinating how some odd incident ignited the creative spark.

It has been said that CJ Tuder is GBs counter to Stephen King. So, if you are a King lover, this might be for you. Personally, I have never gotten through a King novel or managed to sit through a television or film version of his work (it’s not polite to boo), so I can’t compare. It could be the length of his novels with some weighing in at over 1000 pages. My eyes are always searching for another good read, so my attention span begins to crumble at around page 280 unless in the midst of an exciting finale.

All of Tudor’s books fit my palate, so as soon as I saw this was coming up, I recommended to all my libraries in the hopes that I’d be one of the first to get my hands on a copy. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for not making me wait and for providing me with an ARC of this book for review. You probably noticed - I loved it! show less

Tis the season for chilling tales of horror and mayhem and no one does it better than C. J. Tudor. A Sliver of Darkness is her latest, a collection of eleven dark and twisted stories guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of the most jaded reader. It’s hard to pick a favourite but I think that has to go to ‘The End of the Liner’ but, honestly, they’re all creepy good fun. I also found it added to my enjoyment that, at the beginning of each story, Tudor gives an explanation of what motivated her to write.Overall, an excellent collection, perfect for the Halloween season.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

CJ Tudor has a very casual way of writing. As a reader you are able to settle in immediately and enjoy the reading experience because the words flow so easily. Each of these great short stories begins with a little personal snippet from the author, and I found it really interesting that in one she referenced Stephen King, because he is the other author whose writing I find effortless to read. This is a fabulous collection of short stories that are full of twists and each one definitely leaves you thinking. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced copy.

I have read all of C J Tudor's books and have enjoyed all of them. I'm not a fan of short stories but did find this collection enjoyable.

The collection has eleven stories all very different ranging from mild horror to some in the not too distant future. My favourite has to be the first one End of the Liner. This is about people who are on a never-ending cruise and what happens to one particular lady. I thought this story was quite clever. I also enjoyed Runaway Blues which the author says she was inspired by Stephen King.

A quick collection of short stories which are perfect for this time of year. Two stood out for me, the rest were just ok by enjoyable.