Review of Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon
Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon (Apex Book Company, 2023) is a collection of short stories, the majority of which have been previously published. A handful of the stories are co-written with other authors, but all of them display Bacon’s distinctive storytelling voice.
Favorites in this collection for me were “When the Water Stops,” a story told in fragments from multiple points of view about an apocalypse in which water is largely unavailable to the masses. Though difficult to read, “Still She Visits” is a brilliantly heartbreaking story about a woman experiencing severe grief after the death of her sister. The titular story, “Danged Black Thing,” co-written with E. Don Harpe, is a dark story about infidelity and revenge, but the opening of the story, echoed at the end, dramatically shifts in tone once you realize what’s really happening. Finally, “Forgetting Toolern” reminded me of Doctor Who in the best possible ways, told from the perspective of an occasional companion of a time and space traveling alien.
As is the case with most collections, some stories will work better for other readers, but I enjoyed reading all of the stories, even the ones that did not make my list. Bacon’s voice comes through clearly in all of her stories, dancing through imaginative worlds as well as ones that quite closely resemble our own. Danged Black Thing releases on June 20, 2023.
The publisher provided me with an advance copy of this book for review consideration.
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