After three years of facing a global pandemic, there is no denying that our world has forever changed. Each of us can probably point to ways our lives were impacted, both big and small. Author C.J. Tudor has had great success writing original horror/thriller novels. In fact, her fabulous book The Burning Girls was one of my favorite reads of last year. Despite this success, she announced that the novel she had worked on through the pandemic and set for release this year just wasn't turning out the way she wanted it to. Living through the lockdown and facing a few personal tribulations just wasn't conducive to her best writing. Tudor made the decision to completely scrap that work and begin a new novel. In place of that now-defunct novel this year, she has opted to release a collection of short stories. A Sliver of Darkness, out today, sees the author apply her signature suspenseful style to several short stories that should more than satiate her readers.
As the title suggests, each story in this collection contains an element of darkness, either a twist or a supernatural component that gives each page an edge of suspense. I particularly enjoyed the first story which featured an elderly woman on a cruise. I had just seen a news story about a woman who chose to live on a cruise ship instead of in a senior center. She was full of so much joy, meeting different people and traveling from port to port. The woman in Tudor's story has lived most of her life on the boat and has grown tired from living there. The more we learn about the ship, the more nefarious this particular voyage appears to be.
I always appreciate short story collections in that they give me a small sampling of an author's capabilities in easy-to-read bursts. I've read each of Tudor's four novels, all of which are fairly different from each other, so I thought I had already seen the full breadth of her authorial prowess. Yes, some of the stories are about what I expected from the author, but others still veered in vastly different directions, showcasing a new layer to her storytelling talent. Each story is preceded by a personal recollection from Tudor sharing how the particular tale came to be. It is in these behind-the-scenes glimpses into the life of the author that A Sliver of Darkness elevates itself beyond similar collections. Tudor reminds us that she has a life outside of her writing, full of events and relationships that have shaped who she is as a person. Through the context of her own life, we better understand the stories that she tells. As most short story collections do, this one left me wanting to read even more from one of my favorite authors. Lucky for me, I won't have to wait very long. Tudor's next novel The Drift releases early next year.
For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2022, 49)
I love it if authors can write such different things! I always feel like that about Stephen King. I'm always like; How deep is his well of creativity?!
ReplyDeleteShe has definitely followed a similar trajectory to King in that each novel is different from what came before. I feel like each new King work we get is such a gift. His well seems to be infinite!
DeleteMy life had a small impact. Some things u cant do via zoom
ReplyDeleteAnyway i would like to read this one
I'm glad your impact wasn't major. I guess the one big benefit is that we realized that work can be much more flexible than it used to be!
DeleteI sure hope I can afford to live on a cruise ship. I like that! I am not a huge fan of short stories, but I am glad you were able to enjoy many elements of this collection
ReplyDeleteShort stories can be pretty hit or miss for me, but these were mostly hit. And wouldn't it be great to live out on a cruise ship?!
DeleteI like Tudor's writing and am looking forward to reading her new novel when it comes out next year...though I feel bad she had to scrap her other one.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read from her, the publisher asked for a top to bottom rewrite, and she just didn't feel it was worth salvaging. I've heard some really great things about her latest. I have a copy, but I'm waiting until we are a bit closer to the release date before I read it.
DeleteI do like it when an author gives a background to how a story came about, and I do think short stories/novellas are an excellent way to try out an author without committing a big chunk of time. I haven't read this author but she's been on my radar. Nice to hear she exhibits a nice, varied range with these stories.
ReplyDeleteEach of her books have been highly entertaining, though I'm partial to The Burning Girls and The Chalk Man.
DeleteOh this sounds fun. I love short stories occasionally for a change of pace, and the cruise ship one sounds unique! I haven't read this author either so it sounds like this would be a nice introduction.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd really enjoy her books. Great mix between thriller and horror elements.
DeleteI like the premise for this. I'm intrigued now.
ReplyDelete