Elemental Forces is the fifth entry in Flame Tree Press’s ABC of Horror series edited by Mark Morris, containing original non-themed horror stories from some of the best practitioners of modern dark fiction. This particular book has sixteen commissioned stories and four of the best that were selected from an open submission window.

Following a brief but interesting introduction by the editor, Poppy Z Brite kicks us off with The Peeler, in which Barton visits a shady place down near the docks, undergoing an operation which will help him pay for an old friend’s medical treatment. But this is no ordinary procedure, and what Barton is set is lose is worth far more than he really understands. This is a visceral, gut-punch of a story, and a fine way to commence proceedings. The Entity by Nicholas Royle is a subtle slice of the uncanny, in which the narrator Tim is asked by Ruth, an old friend from university, to pet-sit for her and her husband whilst they take a short holiday. The house is in rural France, and before the couple depart they tell Tim that the house has an ‘entity’. What follows next is unsettling and suspenseful, told with Royle’s trademark prose – deceptively straightforward and yet layered with disturbing suggestion – with such a wonderful ending. Christina Henry’s Nobody Wants to Work Here Anymore involves strange goings-on at a fast-food restaurant. The setting feels refreshingly original, and the story grows darker and darker as the story progresses. The Scarecrow Festival by Tim Major is an enjoyable slice of British folk horror in which Andy visits his old school friend Gavin in order to attend the village’s scarecrow festival. But tensions are high because they haven’t spoken for 27 years following a disturbing incident at school… The Wrong Element by Aaron Dries tells the story of Hugo and his son Finn (using both characters’ viewpoints) who are scarred – physically and mentally – by Hugo’s ex, Guy. Dark and disturbing.

Mister Reaper by Annie Knox is at times heartbreaking, frightening and humorous. When Stephanie comes round near midnight in a shopping mall after a failed suicide attempt, she is greeted by her version of the Grim Reaper. Only this one has her best interests at heart. I found Laurel Hightower’s The Call of the Deep to be incredibly creepy. Mel works at The Stack (a government nuclear facility), and her shift begins as a fellow co-worker vanishes in mysterious circumstances. This story was one of my favourites, touching on Lovecraftian themes, and it did little to ease my thalassophobia. Luigi Musolino’s The Plague tells the story of Tullio, who wakes one morning feeling like he is coming down with some dreadful illness. To a generation of readers who have recently experienced the Covid pandemic, this one is truly frightening. The always-reliable Paul Finch offers Jack-A-Lent, blending crime and horror into a startlingly intense tale about a gang of violent thugs from Merseyside. Another highlight is Gwendolyn Kiste’s The Only Face You Ever Knew, in which Catherine’s girlfriend Veronica vanishes one day in a supermarket. The progress of this tale caught me off-guard, with some incredibly creepy passages of prose.

They Eat the Rest by Jim Horlock is one that didn’t quite work for me, although it’s an enjoyably delightful piece of body horror. Paul Tremblay’s The Note is mysterious and evocative, telling the story of what happens to a couple when the wife disappears after reading a note pinned to the door of a neighbours’ abandoned house. Unmarked by Tim Lebbon is hauntingly beautiful – with enough about the story to support a much longer work – in which the restless spirit of our long-dead narrator visits an elderly man, whose mutually-beneficial relationship reveals the whereabouts of hidden graves. This supernatural tale is wonderful, melancholy and deeply moving. Red Meat Flag by David J Schow details the search for a gruesome serial killer known as Mister Tweezers, told with unmistakable flair by one of the originators of splatterpunk. PC Verrone’s A Review of Slime Tutorial: The Musical was another that didn’t quite do it for me, despite it being a well-written satire on musical theatre, shot through with some razor-sharp prose.

In Will Maclean’s The Doppelganger Ballet a violent gangster visits a fortune teller, only to be warned that he will soon be murdered by a man with the same face as him. An enjoyable revenge thriller, written in an engaging style. When I say that Eight Days West of Plethora by Verity Holloway reminds me of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, I mean it as a compliment. Mancino steals a mysterious box from a priest and is urged to throw it into the sea. When he fails to comply, a series of strange events make him regret his decision. Kurt Newton’s The Daughters of Canaan is full of portents and nightmarish visions as Mary-Alice struggles to deal with the idea that she can see dog-headed men hidden among society. Does she have a role herself to play in this? A House of Woe and Mystery by Andy Davidson is short and sweet, an apocalyptic tale in which a woman reflects on her life and the events that brought about the end of the world. I loved the brevity of this one, which makes every word count. Sarah Langan’s I Miss You Too Much is a disturbing story about a married woman who journeys back to her childhood home to care for her mother in the last few days of her life. This is a well-written tale, unsettling, and with a nice ending, and is a fine way to round off the anthology.

This anthology is further evidence that Flame Tree Press’s ABCs of Horror is a series that is going from strength to strength. Under the stewardship of Mark Morris, Elemental Forces is another fine entry, suggesting that the market for horror short stories is as vibrant as it’s ever been. The non-themed horror anthology has always been one close to my heart, and these books are testament to the editor’s skill and the willingness of the publisher to bring these new stories to the public. The breadth of storytelling and the quality of prose highlights the diversity that can be found in dark fiction, destroying the notion that horror is a tired genre with little to offer but gore and violence, aimed at a narrow demographic. No matter what sub-genre of horror you prefer, there is surely something here to satisfy every reader. This reader is already looking forward to next year’s entry. Highly recommended.