[Book Review] The Abyss Within (2020)

The Abyss Within is an anthology of new horror short stories, from SmashBear publishing. The collection is in support of Women’s Aid, with all profits from sales going to the charity. Billed as “13 chilling tales to keep you up at night”, these stories certainly deliver on this promise, providing a wide-ranging offering of frights, from eerie folk horror, through creepy supernatural mysteries to gruesome gore.  

One of the joys of horror short stories is their tendency towards the bleaker side - unlike many novels or feature films where the heroes eventually defeat the monster, short stories often end on darker or more ambiguous notes. The reader isn’t given the comforting distance of a long and detailed narrative; we are drawn in quickly, but left wanting more after a swift and sometimes brutal ending. 

Two of the stories in The Abyss Within are exercises in extremely short micro-fiction. Jacek Wilkos’s "The Door Viewer" is barely a page in length, but creates a vivid impression of a disturbing space, in which the narrator feels the scrutiny of an uncanny gaze. In "Dark Times", Chris Tattersall makes excellent use of repetitive language to create a sense of unease within a very ordinary scenario.

The tales vary greatly in setting, style and subject matter, but there are some common themes that appear in several of the stories. Female violence and vengeance is explored in Tabitha Potts’ two entries, “Masquerade” and “Crow Girl”. In the former, an abused woman puts into action a plan to escape her gilded cage, gaining inspiration from the predatory animals she watches in nature documentaries. The eponymous character in “Crow Girl” feels an unusually strong kinship with the natural world - she refuses to speak human language and is shunned by her neighbours. But her affinity with nature proves to be a source of strength. She is able to regain her family and the respect of the community, whilst exacting revenge on those who wronged her.  

Literal and metaphorical masks are the subject of several of the tales. “The Mask” by Jim Tritten features an artefact that captivates its new owner, revealing a dark family history and irrevocably altering both his physical and mental self. Kerri Spellar’s unnerving folk horror tale, “Vermin”, follows pub worker Karen as she is relentlessly plagued by sinister figures in masks fashioned from bloody rabbit fur. “Stone Hollow” by Jerod S. Smelker features masks of a different kind, as a young man new to a suburban neighbourhood discovers that the friendliest of faces can conceal menacing intent. 

Unlikeable protagonists are a staple of the horror genre, and there are a couple of prime examples featured here. The reader gains a certain sense of schadenfreude from the fate of Bethany in Lisa Shea’s “Voodoo Doll”, as her petty and spiteful machinations backfire spectacularly. In “Tea For Two” by Frederick Pangbourne, we see the tables turn as a particularly cowardly and selfish predator finds the consequences of their actions finally catching up to them. 

This collection showcases a wide variety of satisfyingly chilling tales, and there’s certain to be something in these pages to suit any horror reader’s taste. Although the writing in some of the stories is more confident and polished than in others, original and unsettling ideas abound throughout the anthology. If you’re looking to get some short scares (whilst helping a good cause), then a venture into The Abyss Within would be a worthwhile trip.

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