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WHEN THINGS GET DARK
SFX
|October 2021
Shirley Valentine
RELEASED 21 SEPTEMBER
320 pages | Hardback/ebook
Editor Ellen Datlow
Publisher Titan Books
You won’t find Shirley Jackson’s voice within the pages of this anthology but you may find elements of her essence – her ghost, if you like – among its 18 original stories by some of the best contemporary horror writers. Editor Ellen Datlow’s brief for her contributors was not to write about Jackson, or Jackson’s characters, but to create something new inspired by the legendary writer of works including “The Lottery”, The Haunting Of Hill House and We Have Always Lived In The Castle.
What she’s achieved is a selection box with elements in common – themes of domestic turmoil, ghostly encounters, female solidarity but also dysfunction – from writers who remain distinctly themselves while playing in Jackson’s sandpit.
This story is from the October 2021 edition of SFX.
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