Dark Formations – M.J. McClymont

5/5 stars

M.J. McClymont has an absolute gift for writing horror. While none of these stories will keep me up at night or force me to peer into dark corners, every one of these stories were so cleverly written and stylized for just the right amount of horror to be an extremely satisfying read.

There is seriously no bad story in this collection. Each of them brought something new and exciting to the table, and I found myself captured with each new story. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but definitely in the running is “Dubhar’s Army.” Chris can’t get his act together, so his ex has filed for joint custody. Their son is getting bullied, and Chris is sent spiraling and confronts Dubhar, the father of the kid bullying his son. What Chris didn’t count on was the sheer torment that Dubhar could inflict without even lifting a finger…

Next on my list is “Easy Game.” Anything reminiscent of Most Dangerous Game always makes me happy, and this one was everything that I wanted it to be! I love the twist that M.J. gave that classic story with ‘Easy Game’, and it made reading this short so interesting! Then there’s “Dark Beira,” a tale of Beira the Cailleach, Queen of Winter. Rory and Sarah have a run of bad luck and stumble into Beira with her corn dolls. Unfortunately for our young couple, this meeting was not the turn of luck that they’d hoped. Please write more of Beira, I need to know more about her and where Rory goes from here!

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention ‘Faux Joe.’ I first read this story in Phobica’s ‘Terrors from the Toy Box’ anthology, and I was really excited to see it here! Joe is socially awkward and feels more at home with his action figure collection; so much so that he wants nothing more than to join them, even if that means some extraordinarily sketchy surgeries.

‘Dark Formations’ is a beautifully put together collection of M.J.’s stories, and there’s something here for every horror enthusiast! Whether you’re a classics reader or prefer body horror and creatures, you’ll find yourself completely immersed in M.J.’s world.

Thank you so much for letting me see this early, M.J.! You’ve not disappointed me yet, and I eagerly look forward to where you’ll go from here!