Is there ever a better time of year to experience an anthology of short horror stories than right now? This book was the perfect October read and it’s been such a long time since I read a book of short stores that this looked to be the perfect combination.

I must say this was both a wonderful and surprising book. There are so many names that people will recognise here such as Grady Hendrix and C.J Tudor among them. Some wonderful names I really as looking forward to was reading Stephen Volk’s short story. In case you’re unaware Stephen Volk is the mind and writer behind the famous and terrifying BBC event that was Ghost Watch. That being one name I really enjoyed seeing listed.

This is a wonderful achievement for both Flame Tree Press and Mark Morris, this is unique collection of startling, strange tales that are suitable for anyone’s tastes in horror. What I really loved was the effort that was clearly put into making sure this book had that varied amount of stories with very different aspects of the genre. There is post apocalyptic stories, reworked stories and fairytales and even if you are someone who likes to make your own mind up on the supernatural potential in a story, there are a number of stories in the 20 tales that do have you thinking was it the narrator going mad or was it really the ghost of a murdered girl.

I do find it so interesting that some of the tales that were my favourite were written by some of the women authors in this collection. My personal standouts included ‘Swanskin’ by Alison Littlewood and Laura Purcell’s wonderfully strange ‘Creeping Ivy’. As is the way with anthologies, there were stories I did like, stories I didn’t, some I found uncomfortable but overall, this made to be a genuinely fun experience.

I know the introduction from Mark Morris makes it clear that the book is intended to be read start to finish as a whole piece but I know for a fact I will find myself returning to some of my favourite stories in this collection again and again and will definitely be investing in the authors new to me.

Thank you to both Flame Tree Press and Anne for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for review! ‘After Sundown’ is available now!

I usually read a lot of short fiction but have neglected this genre recently. I also love horror fiction. So After Sundown came along at the perfect time. I’ve read other horror fiction by the publisher and have generally been impressed so I was looking forward to this and had high hopes for the collection. There’s a risk with collections featuring multiple authors that you get one or two duds that spoil the whole collection. Thankfully that wasn’t the case here. After Sundown is packed with excellent horror stories. The stories are all very unique so no two are alike. I’d only heard of a few authors before so it was good to stumble across so many new voices to explore further. The best stories are Butterfly Island by C. J Tudor, Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell, Murder Board by Grady Hendrix and Branch Line by Paul Finch.

An excellent collection of short stories by some well known and some new to me authors.
All of them are well written even if not all of them are horror.
I thoroughly enjoyed and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

After Sundown is a fantastic collection of short stories from established authors and new talent.

Each story was gripping in their own unique way, no story felt the same or was on the same theme. I was really kept on my toes while reading these stories!
There were, of course, a few standouts:

Swanskin by Alison Littlewood. A tale in which swans have their skins stolen and they have to stay in human form, serving their husbands. There was just something so ethereal about this story, and the imagery the author used was so vivid.

Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell. A historical piece of fiction about a diary unearthed at a dig site and the intriguing story within its pages. This was just a brilliant atmospheric read, I'm definitely putting Laura Purcell's book on my tbr list.

The Naughty Step by Stephen Volk. A story about a social worker called to a house after a little boy witnesses his mother's death. Goodness, this pulled at my heartstrings and was creepy at the same time.

Branch Line by Paul Finch. A cold case interview about a young boy who went missing in the 1970s and the unbelievable tale of the survivor. I love a ghost story, and this one was both realistic and creepy.

I had an issue with the fact I felt some stories could have been longer, particularly CJ Tudor's Butterfly Island, I would have read an entire book about that story!

I would recommend this collection, not only for horror lovers, but if you enjoy stories that really pull you in and keep you enthralled.

I received a copy of this anthology from Flame Tree Press. Billed as horror, some were and some weren't. I liked some and loathed others. But that is the beauty of short stories you can move on if one doesn't grab you. I liked the stories by C.J. Tudor, , Ramsey Campbell, Michael Marshall Smith and Grady Hendrix the most. I liked the others  to varying degrees.

Anthologies somehow soothe me. A collection of stories from different writers in one place is even better.

After Sundown will probably and hopefully be the first volume of an annual horror anthology from Flame Tree Press. Being the first of such a promising project, Editor Mark Morris has done a wonderful job of picking up the stories.
However, the genre of a few of the stories is more of a psychological thriller and apocalypse rather than being actual horror. But that warning has been given in the introduction. I enjoyed most of the stories though.

Sixteen of the twenty stories being commissioned from seasoned writers in the genres and four picked from an open submission; this collection will give you the pleasure of a spooky October read.

Short story collections are good ways of finding new authors to try out, I've lost count of the number of times I've read an anthology book and ended up putting a load of new books onto my list of things to eventually get round to reading. After Sundown is a great example of this, as not only was there only the one writer in this book that I'd already known of, but with no connective theme, other than horror itself, to bring these stories together, there was a huge variety in the tone, style, and feel of all of them. 

The book features twenty stories in all, sixteen of which come from already established writers, and four from an open submission to the publisher. I honestly wouldn't have been able to pick out these four submitted stories, as all of them were of such high quality. There was also a great variety here, with stories that felt very modern and relevant to events going on in the world today, to stories with a science fiction bent to them, some traditional ghost stories, a Victorian chiller, and some very strange and 'trippy' entries too. What ever style appeals to you most, there's definitely going to be at least one story in this collection that appeals.

'Butterfly Island' by C.J. Tudor is the first book in the collection, and one feels very different to many of the others. It centres on characters in some kind of apocalypse like scenario. It's not clear what's happened to the world, but it seems like there aren't many people left around, and that life has become something of a cheap commodity. The lead character murders a couple of thugs at the start of the story, and this see,s to be something that no one bats an eyelid at. This narrator, along with a group of his friends and some other survivors, decide to head to Butterfly Island, a remote island that was shut off by a reclusive millionaire before the end of the world. However, once they arrive on this deserted island they find brutalised remains, and begin to be hunted through the jungle by more than one killer assailant. This story has a much more action adventure feel to it, and it's makes me think of brightly light movies of the early 2000's that seemed to love using tropical locations to film in. 

In contrast to this story 'Creeping Ivy' by Laura Purcell is much darker and more gothic in tone. Told in the form of a journal recovered from the ruins of Hindhead Manor, it tells the story of a man in the 1800's, the former master of Hindhead Manor. The story recounts the events following the death of his much older wife, a woman he describes as having hated, and who spent all her time in her greenhouse tending to her beloved plants. The author of the journal is happy with the passing of his wife, finally feeling free of her, yet also harbours guilt at being responsible for her death. Dismissing all of his staff, he chooses to be alone in the Manor, yet begins to sense that there is some other presence there with him, one that could be responsible for the sickness overtaking him. This story is much darker in tone and setting, and made me think of classic ghost stories like The Woman In Black, thanks to the creeping madness that seems to be setting into the lead, and the isolated setting of the story.

'Murder Board' by Grady Hendrix is in comparison a much more modern story, and one that feels a little comical in places. Following an aged rock star and his much younger wife in their isolated modern mansion, the two of them play a game during a torrential storm. They use a Ouija board. The older rock star claims that this board has advised him through important decisions throughout his life, and believes in it completely. However, when the board spells out 'i will kill u', this leads to a dangerous situation. Convinced his wife wants him dead, the rocker convinces his assistant to murder her, which leads to a domino event that just leads to worse and worse as the story unfolds. 'Murder Board' is one of those stories where things spiral out of control, and where you wish the characters would just talk to each other, but their misunderstanding and desperation are ultimately what leads to tragic events, rather than any obvious outside force.

My favourite story in the book has to be 'Branch Line' by Paul Finch, which sees a man recounting the story about the time he and a childhood friend walked up an abandoned train line during the 70's in order to get a load of porn mags (what else were kids in the 70's supposed to do?). During this journey one of the teens recounts a few stories about how the track is supposed to be haunted, one of which is particularly chilling. Thinking it's just the usual kind of local stories, they forget about the supposed ghost and focus instead on the prize awaiting them, but when they have their own horrific encounter the story takes a terrifying turn. The slowly building atmosphere of this story, along with the very normal, recognisable setting, made it incredibly creepy. I'm so glad I'm not able enough to walk along abandoned train lines, because this would have put me right off it.

This collection has some amazing stories in it, some that were a slow burn, others that had visceral fear. It had ghosts, monsters, and very human horror. It presented a range of stories that included the fantastical, and made the everyday into something that could inspire fear.

What a collection is this: the first "Anthology of New Best Short Stories," a non-themed Anthology of Horror from Flame Tree Press, and oh! the authors included!


"Butterfly Island " by C. J. Tudor: Think Pandemic. Think 2020. Think "Survivor " without camerapersons or first aid. Think stranded on a jungle island with psychosis. Think "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"


"Research" by Tim Lebbon: Obviously, the Misery-trope has not been overdone. This writer's neighbors are not exactly fans....but oh my are they psychotic. But the best aspect of good Horror is when it twists,  when it turns on you, and you find yourself gasping with astonished delight: that "I can't believe that just happened!" moment...


"Swanskin" by Alison Littlewood: I can't express how angry I became at the injustice in this historically-ser feminist story. To consciously refuse magic as a cultural and personal choice, to effectively imprison women, to mock and brutalize and condemn.....




"That's the Spirit" by Sarah Lotz: intriguing premise, spooky as it works out, and an ending that makes the reader wonder what actually is fact here?


"Gave" by Michael Bailey: I don't think about global population reduction; I worry about overpopulation.  But in this story, plague reduces global population at an incredible rate,  while an elderly gentleman is a lifelong donor, and reminisces in statistics. 


"Whenever You Look" by Ramsey Campbell: This Master of Horror seems to like books, writers, bookselling, as a venue. How an unassuming writer struggles to identify a passage he may, or may not, have written or read, is engrossing.  Reading Ramsey Campbell always makes me feel I belong in the story (of course intensifying the fears).
oh, and another thing about Mr. Campbell's work? 
ALWAYS TERRIBLY SCARY!!!


"Same Time Next Year " by Angela Slatter:  A winning combination of regretful sadness and OMG horror. Won't forget!


"Mine Seven" by Elana Gomel: Glorious! Enwraps Cli-Fi with Arctic Circle history and environment and delivers abject terror coupled with empowering hope.


"It Doesn't Feel Right " by Michael Marshall Smith: A very subtle tale about parenting tribulations....until IT SCARES THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME! NIGHTMARES!


"Creeping Ivy" by Laura Purcell: Oh, Vengeance: thy Name is Woman and thy weapon is Nature.


"Last Rites for the Fourth World" by Rick Cross: Wow. Just an amazing story,  unexpected, so much tragedy and so much hope.


"We All Come Home" by Simon Bestwick:  Oh my goodness.  This one is Scary from Page One.  How I rooted for the protagonist,  who easily elicited my empathy. Did he succeed? Read for yourself...but not at night, alone.


"The Importance of Oral Hygiene " by Robert Shearman: This one to me has a very formal Victorian aura, and is as much a thriller of the Psyche as it is Paranormal. 


"Bokeh" by Thana Niveau: This scary story made me want to be alone,  and not anywhere with trees and grass. Of course, reading alone did not distill the fear. Scared me senseless!


"Murder Board" by Grady Hendrix: Misunderstandings, crosscultural confusion,  and what Cool Hand Luke referred to as a "failure to communicate" combine into ugly consequences.  Or is it the "protective" board?


"Alice's Rebellion " by John Langan: Believe me, you have never seen Alice in Wonderland like this!


"The Mirror House" by Jonathan Robbins Leon: Remarkably feminist in outworking, as an accomplished and gifted academic discovers her reality is an illusion,  and then takes action with intriguing consequences.  Poetic justice. 


"The Naughty Step" by Stephen Volk: This one is seriously edgy, definitely not to be read at night. Shivers!!


"A Hotel In Germany " by Catriona Ward: Subtly unfolded,  the theme is always almost out of reach.


"Branch Line" by Paul Finch: This one I REALLY should NOT have read alone at night: not only is a scary story included,  but the outcome is in-your-face terrifying!

I received a copy of "After Sundown" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I absolutely loved this book. It offers readers twenty unique horror and science fiction short stories from some of the best authors in the genres including Tim Lebbon, author of "The Silence", and Laura Purcell, author of "The Silent Companions" just to name a few.

The book caught my attention from the start and kept me intrigued until the very last page. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I truly enjoyed all of the short stories which for me is a huge feat. I usually dislike a few of the stories in an anthology, but with "After Sundown' I enjoyed them all, more some than others, but I did honestly enjoy the entire book.

The stories offered variety focusing on both the horror and science fiction genres and they had something for everyone. The stories focused on abductions, murders, creatures and so much more. I think all readers will find something to grasp their attention. 

Some of my favourite stories were "Butterfly Island", "Wherever You Look", "We All Come Home", "The Mirror House" , "The Naughty Step", "Branch Line", and "The Importance of Oral Hygiene" (my favourite). After completing this horror anthology, I am definitely interested in reading more of them in the future.

After Sundown is an anthology of compiled stories.  Morris has assembled a stellar line-up of stories from the genrr. After Sundown contains 20 stories from well established authors. Four of these stories are from new authors.  Every story is different. Some are straight up terror while others are more Supernatural.


This book was a mixed bag for me. I did enjoy some of the stories more than others. Some if the ones I enjoyed include: Butterfly Island by CJ Tudor, Swan Skin by  Sarah Lotz, Alice’s Rebellion by John Langon and The importance of oral hygiene by Robert Sherman. There is definitely a story for everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for this ARC.  I loved every story in this book.  It is full of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to share it with my friends!

After Sundown is a collection of twenty horror short stories edited by Mark Morris. The contributors are published authors.

BUTTERFLY ISLAND (C.J.Tudor) is set in a post-viral world and features flesh-eating butterflies, a psychotic maniac, mines and some greedy, gun-happy opportunists. 4/5
RESEARCH (Tim Lebbon) an author ends up inside a plot that could easily be his own. 5/5
SWANSKIN (Alison Littlewood) a fishing town with wintering swans, beautiful women and cruel men. 4/5
THAT’S THE SPIRIT (Sarah Lotz) a fraud psychic with an elderly sidekick and electronic aids begins to wonder about the “messages: his assistant denies sending.  5/5
GAVE (Michael Bailey) a regular donor does what he can for a diminishing population 2.5/5
WHEREVER YOU LOOK (Ramsey Campbell) an author of supernatural thrillers finds himself being haunted by a character. 5/5

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR (Angela Slatter) the one light of the year when ghostly Cindy has some weight is not a good night to hang around the cemetery. 5/5
MINE SEVEN (Elana Gomel) when Lena and Bill go on an Arctic winter vacation, the melting ice unleashes a very old curse. 5/5
IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT (Michael Marshall Smith) a father discovers that his is not the only child in the neighbourhood whose socks initiate a “doesn’t feel right” tantrum. 5/5 
CREEPING IVY (Laura Purcell) a nineteenth Century garden lover’s plants take revenge for her murder. 4/5
LAST RITES FOR THE FOURTH WORLD (Rick Cross) mythical monsters turn up dead in strange places. 3/5

WE ALL COME HOME (Simon Bestwick) a man returns to the site of a childhood trauma to face a repressed memory. 4/5
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE (Robert Shearman) a woman writes a letter of warning to her husband’s lover. 5/5
BOKEH (Thana Niveau) Vera’s daughter sees fairies, but no the Tinkerbelle kind. 4/5
MURDER BOARD (Grady Hendrix) a Ouija board session sets off a string of deadly events. 5/5
ALICE’S REBELLION (John Langan) post-Wonderland, Alice finds her battles not yet over. 4/5

THE MIRROR HOUSE (Jonathan Robbins Leon) a wife discovers an alternate reality in the pantry. 4/5
THE NAUGHTY STEP (Stephen Volk) a social worker comes to care for a little boy at a murder scene. 5/5
A HOTEL IN GERMANY (Catriona Ward) a movie star and her personal vampire(?) on location in Germany. 3/5
BRANCH LINE (Paul Finch) at almost sixty, Richard Gates is questioned about the disappearance, over forty years earlier, of his classmate, Brian O’Rourke in the abandoned Branch Line. 4/5
This collection is a mixed bag: some are excellent, and five of the stories, Research, That’s The Spirit, Wherever You Look, It Doesn’t Feel Right, and Murder Board, are quite outstanding.  
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Flame Tree Press.

If you're into binge-reading short stories and horror, then this is the perfect collection for you. Each story is delicately crafted to ensure top grades for the "jumping-at-the-slightest-sound" factor. There is some truly brilliant writing going on here. There are a few new names to add to my list of authors that I want to read more of. A fine collection of 20 spine-tingling shivers!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Fun book! I had some issues with the book. The lows were really low, but the highs were high. However, I feel that many of these stories didn't really feel like they were horror stories and simply had some horror elements mixed in with other elements. Still, I had a lot of fun with this compilation and was particular impressed with Swanskin, Same Time Next Year, Creeping Ivy, Gave, Bokeh, Murder Board, Alice's Rebellion, The Mirror House, The Naughty Step, A Hotel in Germany, and Branch Line. Grady Hendrix, as always, brings a shining spot to horror, so I have to say Hendrix's piece was one of the stronger parts of these collection. Further, some parts of the collection had stories that didn't feel like horror, but had great concepts even without thorough execution (like Butterfly Island).

This is an anthology of 20 horror shorts, including some famous names too. I’m a sucker for short stories and this one lived quite up to the expectations. What I really liked was how out of the box some of these ideas were, very original and a treat to read, but most of them dealing with the ideas of the end of the world and apocalypse, making it a perfect read for this year, lol. 

Some of these were really great, others not so much and I kinda struggled with them, but that said, every story tops the crazy, out of the box ideas. Among others, my absolute favourites were Swanskin by Allison Littlewood, It doesn’t feel right by Michael Marshall Smith, Gave by Michael Bailey, Research by Tim Lebbon, and Branch line by Paul Finch. Totally recommended if you like crazy, and mind-bending horror short stories.

I received an eARC of its book via Netgalley, authors, and publishers. All opinions are my own.

I have to start out by saying that I usually have no problem with anthologies. I know that the point of them is that all stories are unique and have nothing in common with each other. And I’m usually fine with that, but in this case it just didn’t work for me. 

I did like some of the stories and I will point them out in a minute, but I felt myself skimming through a lot of the shorts and just couldn’t stay interested. My favorite story out of them all was Swanskin (Alison Littlewood), closely followed by Butterfly Island (CJ Tudor), and finally The Importance of Oral Hygiene (Robert Shearman). The rest of them just didn’t impress me very much to be honest.

She is the weed that is plucked and returns each year; she is the root too deep to pull out.
I cut her down. I did. 
Yet her hate springs, evergreen.

-Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell

For me anthologies are always hit or miss. 
There are few in between that I have enjoyed every single story and that's fine. Different authors for different tastes. 

What I didn't expect from After Sundown however was how the stories would stick to my mind long after I had finished reading. That is the sign of a great horror anthology. From murderous kids to a giant blizzard entity wreaking havoc to an aging's rock star maybe not so fortuitous Ouija Board, the scenes are playing in my head over and over. I can't stop it.

Dude, I have to SLEEP tonight.

Some of the authors I've heard about and their amazing work speaks for itself and others were an introduction and damn, what a intro it was.

I can't stop thinking of  Creeping Ivy by Laura Purcell. The last lines of the story reverberates throughout my mind and I knew as soon as I finished I would be looking up more of her work.

This is exactly why I love collections of short stories. It introduces you to a host of authors  you probably wouldn't have chanced on otherwise.

After Sundown is a book essential for this year's terrifying month of October and boasts the short works of authors such as Grady Hendrix, John Langan, Catriona Ward, and Ramsay Campbell. The stories are rich, the writing intriguing  and haunting. Ghost like and bloody.

I love horror year round but horror in October? It's a special kind of happiness.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC. All opinions are my own.

20 short stories that are supposed to be horror from well known and arising literary stars. It appears this is going to be a yearly collection, I would look forward to it if they put true horror stories in it. These were mostly sci-fi and dystopian style stories. Mediocre stories...

After Sundown by Mark MorrisAfter Sundown
by Mark Morris
 Read
My rating:
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars[ 3 of 5 stars ]4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
A collection of 20 short horror stories - After Sundown, is written by some of the great names in the horror genres! As is the case with most of anthologies, it was all over the place for me. None of the story was mind blowing, but I did like few of them. Few of my favourites were Creeping Ivy, It doesn't feel right, The Importance of Oral Hygiene & Murder Box. The rest were ether underdeveloped or not good at all.

Overall, It was underwhelming but there were few hidden gems and few I would prefer to be written as full book rather than a short story.
2.75 (round off 3 Stars)

As a long time lover of short horror stories I'm smiling like a crazed Jack O'lantern at the thought of Flame Tree Press putting out an annual anthology. I would have been happier if it was Halloween themed but that did not stop me from enjoying what will hopefully become a yearly tradition.

The first story to totally blow me away was IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT by Michael Marshall Smith. Everyone has something that particularly creeps them out. For me it's always been stories about children. You just never know what a child will do. They're inconsistent and undependable and therefore terrifying.. One minute they tell you that you're the best mommy in the world and the next minute they hate you because their toothbrush is the wrong color. In this story, the every day chore of trying to get a child appropriately dressed and out the door in time for school was something I could commiserate with until it took a horrifying turn.

BOKEH by Thana Niveau also featured a terrifying child who sees and knows more than her unsuspecting mother gives her credit for until it's far too late. This one inspired such a deliciously dreadful feeling because I could just tell this child was up to no good from the start.

THE NAUGHTY STEP by Stephen Volk finds child services attempting to collect a small boy from his home after he survived a traumatic event. This story was as heartbreaking as it was shocking.

RESEARCH by Tim Lebbon had a Misery vibe to it as an author finds himself held hostage although not by his greatest fan, there is nothing personal in the confinement, just a twisted desire to observe what happens when a writer can not write.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE by Robert Shearman is a dental horror story of epic proportions that at first glimpse seems to be merely the tale of a woman who fears losing her husband before it explodes into supernatural terror well beyond my expectations.

MURDER BOARD by Grady Hendrix should be a caution to anyone considering playing with a Ouija board, especially on a perfectly dark and stormy night in your secluded mansion with your embittered aging, has been, of a husband.

THE MIRROR HOUSE by Jonathan Robbins Leon makes me want to spout some overused cliché like there but for the grace of God go I.... But wait, in the mirror house which one is really me? This was a very clever and fear inspiring tale.

These were my favorites but every story is well worth a read.