Let There Be Dark: Tim McWhorter

Reviewed by Steve Stred

Lately I have been reading a substantial amount of single-author short story collections. Let There Be Dark is another one that has landed in my electronic lap, and it doesn’t disappoint. This is my first go-around with Mr. McWhorter and from the stories collected here, it won’t be my last.

The tales collected in this compilation are fantastic reads. They run the gamut of life’s terrors that are thrown at you. If you are the type of person who thinks to themselves “what if,” a lot, then you will want to dive into this batch of horrors. Tim is able to engage the readers quickly, which makes it easy for you to fall into the story and feel like you have known these characters for many years.

“Growing Cold Together” is a top notch example of this. The tale is centered on Kyle, his fiancée and her sister. During their trip to a ski resort they stop on the side of the road to answer nature’s call. Soon they realize something is out in the cold, something that wants to do them harm. Within two paragraphs the story is laid out and the characters are relatable. You root for them right away which is a hard thing to accomplish after only a few paragraphs.

“No Saints Here” is a fantastic tale of stalking gone wrong and then flipped on its head even more.

“The Dark Side” was a great, trippy read, about an attraction visit gone wrong.

From tales of a trip to Salem in “Rope Burns” to a ghostly encounter in “The Bridge” to a ‘you will never see the end coming’ romp in “Pigs,” this collection keeps its foot firmly on the gas pedal!

Star Rating (out of 5): 4.5*

From an oddities shop looking to expand their macabre collection, to a back roads bridge with a horrifying past, Let There Be Dark is a collection of eight, sinister short stories full of ghostly phantoms, savage beasts, and the most frightening creature of all: humans. This first horror collection from the author of the best-selling novel, Bone White, thrusts you beyond the fringe and reminds us why we should all fear the dark.

You can buy Let There Be Dark from Amazon UK & Amazon US

Steve Stred

Steve Stred is an up-an-coming Dark Horror author. Steve is the author of the novel Invisible, the novellas Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick.

Steve also has a number of works on the go and enjoys all this horror, occult, supernatural and paranormal.

Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog Oj.

You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred

You can visit Steve’s blog here