Page Count 400
Publication date September 2022
Publisher Michael Joseph, Penguin Randomhouse
Synopsis
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-Timeslips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor’s novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.
In “Final Course,” the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In “Runaway Blues,” thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In “Gloria,” a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a cold-hearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in “I’m Not Ted,” a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen, fatal consequences.
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Review
If you’ve been here before you’ll know I’m not a fan of short stories. And yet.. I keep trying! They always take me ages to get around to and forever to finish, but who can say no to C J Tudor? So here I am, trying again.
What I loved most about A Sliver Of Darkness was the forewords and intro. Probably an odd thing to focus on, but reading Tudor opening up about herself and her experience through the last few years of turmoil we’ve all endured was a beautiful aspect of the book.
I struggle to invest in short stories because i need more character development, but with this collection I got to invest in the author herself, which was even better. Discovering what motivated and inspired Tudor to write these stories made me instantly intrigued to read them, so yes, I finally found a collection I enjoy!
Tudor does us right on the endings in this collection. Open, ambiguous or sudden ends are exactly what I want to see, especially so in a horror collection- which of course I chose to read over Halloween.
The length and pacing of the tales was perfect every time, leaving me content that I’d gotten a full reading experience from each one.
I’ll not delve into them individually as it’s too easy to spoil a short story, instead if you’re a fan of social horror, dystopia or creature features I recommend you snap this up!
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