Dark Tales from Elder Regions: New York edited by Jessica Burke and Anthony Burdge
Myth Ink Books, 2016

ISBN: 9781500774844

Available: Kindle ebook, print

Burke and Burdge have curated a great selection of stories in this anthology. It contains nineteen urban horror stories set in New York City that take place in a variety of time periods. They explore the dark side of humanity and the supernatural, all framed in the five boroughs of this fascinating city.

As with all anthologies, there are some stories that stand out more than others. “Beautiful Dreams” by D. J. Tyrer and “The Professor’s NY Adventure” by Gordon Linzner take place in the distant past. In the first story, an attorney by the name of Chambers meets with a jailed criminal named Breton, on behalf of a client, to retrieve a stolen item. After getting the information he needs, Chambers finds himself in the Bowery. Posing as a doctor, Chambers gains entrance to the rooms of the man about whom Breton gave information to Chambers. He finds the man reading in bed, so distracted by what he is studying he doesn’t notice Chambers entering his apartment. It is in this man’s hand that Chambers finds the item for which he has been searching: L’Histoire d’Ys et Carcosa. “The Professor’s NY Adventure” is the tragic story of a Professor V, a famous vampire hunter, stalking his lifelong nemesis. In doing so, he accidentally causes on of the greatest tragedies in the history of the city. The vampire finds Professor V and poses the question as to who is the real monster.

Some stories have a very unique feel. “The Sixth Borough” by Gregory Norris is a frustrating story of a man who despises the city and is being pushed to the edge by his deceptive roommates who he discovers have been bleeding his bank account dry. He hears of the mythical sixth Borough, Bella Vista, where creatives and artists are welcomed. The story is very claustrophobic, told as the main character’s world is closing in around him as he tries to find this creative solace. Andrea Jane’s “Retro Viral” follows a group of partiers who hold a rave in an abandoned medical facility. The past and present merge as they relive experiences of some of the former patients. In between the scenes at the facility are conversations about a disease that should have been long dead, inflicting the party-goers. We all know someone who has horror stories of awful in-laws, but “The Vintner of Little Neck” by Chris Tithill takes it to a new level. The narrator’s brother-in-law, Dakota, and his family, comes to visit a few times a year, and he is a taxing person to deal with. How the narrator deals with his problem, and others, is quick and painless…for him.

“The Mad Monk of St. Augustine’s” opens in 1968 with the arrest of a monk who has been found to have murdered brother monks, and used their hearts in Satanic worship rituals. After being locked in a subterranean cell, he was found with his wrists chewed to ribbons, dead. Jump to 1986. A group of high school friends decide to kill their boredom with a nighttime trip to St. Augustine’s Monastery, which was abandoned in 1969 for “financial reasons.” After they laugh off the story of the haunted monastery, they are all met by something, just not what they expected. I have to admit this one held my interest more than others. I’m a sucker for a good mad monk tale. Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian and Matthew Lewis’ The Monk hold special places on my bookshelves.

There are also some humorous stories found in this anthology. “Now Departing” follows Melissa, a bookish introvert whose time has come as Death comes to take her. Melissa is not having any of it, and attempts to argue her way out of her final journey. “The None Percent” is a disturbing but funny story about a corporate businessman who discovers he’s dead. He ends up with other dead suits, a member of the elite None Percent bent on causing havoc in the business world for the living.

I haven’t even included all of the stories in this review. It was hard to select the ones I discussed because there are so many good stories in this anthology. Admittedly some of them start as a slow burn, but the reader is definitely rewarded in the end with little things staying with them for a long time after putting the book down. They all have a certain Lovecraftian feel, and each have something that lingers. Unfortunately the copy I had was released without the artwork by Luke Spooner, but having seen the cover art and some of his portfolio, you can be sure of quality work for this book. Highly recommended.

Contains: very little gore, but more psychological terror than anything else

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker