Depths of Darkness is a horror anthology, written by various indie authors from the UK and Ireland. I received my copy during this years Indie Horror Chapter. All proceeds from this book are going towards the charity, The Reader.
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Quick Info
- Title: Depths of Darkness
- Author: Paul J. Kearns, Martin Tracey, M.J. Mars, Stephen Barnard, Peter Caffrey, DE McCluskey, Benjamin Langley, Brad Thomas, Catriona Mowat, Jim Ody, Matthew Cash, David K Slater, Lula Von Goth, E.R. Vickers, Alex Secam
- Publish Date: 11th April 2026
- Genre: Horror
- Sub-Genre: Short Stories
- What to Expect:
- All surrounding the sea
- A mix of genres
- Everything from psychological to cosmic
– Rating: 4 stars –
Trigger Warnings
Death, gore, body horror, thalassophobia, rape, sexual assault, pedophilia, abuse, incest, slavery, racism, alcoholism, death of a parent, death of a child, miscarriage
If I have missed any out or you feel like something should be added, please leave a comment.
Synopsis & My Thoughts
This collection features so many different authors and styles, I thought it would be a disservice to not break it down and go through each story. I’ll only do a little description and my thoughts for each one.
The Promise by Paul J. Kearns
A woman’s husband dies out a sea, only for something else to return.
This was very short but very sweet. It really reminded me of the Monkey’s Paw, and I liked that. It was the shortest one in the collection, I wish it was a little longer so we could see more of the horror parts, but I also like how little information we get.
Rating: 3 stars
Whatever Gets You Thru The Night by Martin Tracey
This follows Cadence who is going on a cruise only to be warned by an old man in a bar to stay in room 331, and only that room.
This was great and action packed. This felt very in line with Martin Tracey’s other book, Beneath the Floodlights which I read recently. This was probably the most fun I had in this collection – the other were good but definitely had me feeling more uncomfortable.
Rating: 3 stars
Ravaged by M.J. Mars
Javi is just a simple diver collecting oysters, for their pearls, when a crew of pirates board his ship. Instead of giving them his newly found green pearl, he swallows it, leading him to develop a sickness like no other.
This was so grim – in a good way. The illness is very vivid, visceral and cringe inducing. The ending on this was also great, it made me feel sad as well as sick – which is hard usually.
Rating: 4 stars
Kraken Island by Stephen Barnard
On John’s stag do, he is separated from his close friends and ends up with some acquaintances, Seth and Rob. They take him to the beach, where they say they can get to Kraken Island.
This was a great cosmic horror, we are left with very few answers and it works really well for it. I enjoyed this a lot.
Rating: 3 stars
The Boatbuilder’s Lament by Peter Caffrey
A man isolates Amelia in a small coastal home, where he begins to create his dynasty and his boat.
This was the most disturbing story in this collection. It made me feel so uncomfortable and I was reading it with a grimace on my face the whole time. I hate it, but it was really good.
Rating: 5 stars
One Foggy Night by DE McCluskey
Paul is logging some overtime in a Liverpool Dock Tower when a strange mist comes from the sea.
This story was very atmospheric and tense. I am very scared of heights so the thought of being so isolated so high up is terrifying.
Rating: 3.5 stars
A Gift For Lady Dymphna by Benjamin Langley
Peter wants to escape his abusive stepfather and travel to the new world. He waits at the docks for a boat to sneak onto – eventually choosing Saint Dymphna.
A Gift for Lady Dymphna was very creepy and tense. I liked the ending, reminded me a lot of the Magnus Archives.
Rating: 4 stars
Below the Waterline by Brad Thomas
A crew mate is sent to isolation after they exhibit signs of an illness, but when something goes wrong with the ship they are left in the dark and alone.
This was scary for so many reasons that aren’t pure horror. The thought of this is very scary, it’s too realistic. The slow realization you are trapped and alone.
Rating: 5 stars
HMS Garland by Catriona Mowat
A slave ship travels through the Atlantic, but when the spiritual leader calls for help, something comes to help.
This was very good and very intense, obviously this is touching on very serious topics. I like how the story doesn’t make the treatment of the slaves more horrific than it was. I liked that the horror partly comes from the truth of what happened to slaves.
Rating: 4 stars
Missing Little Souls by Jim Ody
A town has several missing children – all boys. Jay and his friend Alvin are going to get a picture of the creature they think is taking the young boys.
Missing Little Souls was very good and incredibly atmospheric, there are a few twists in here that I enjoyed.
Rating: 3 stars
No Man’s Thought by Matthew Cash
A horror writer heads to an old sea fort to search for inspiration for a nautical horror story.
This story wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the narration or the humour so two core elements of the story weren’t to my taste. There wasn’t really much horror in here, which is a shame because the setting is very cool.
Rating: 1 star
Offshore by David K Slater
A young boy’s dad comes back from his work on a oil rig, but he slowly starts to change.
I have had a fascination with offshore oil rigs for quite some time, they are such weird constructions and feel completely unnatural – more so than many structures. So, I enjoyed this a lot. I wish we had more answers as to what happened on the oil rig, but I’m okay with it being ambiguous.
Rating: 4 stars
Home is Where the Heart is by Lula Von Goth
A ship is wrecked in a storm, most of the crew die instantly but a few end up on a deserted island. One of the surviving crew begins to hear his loved ones on the breeze, telling him what to do to escape the island.
I liked this story a lot. I have read a couple of Lula Von Goth’s works before and I think this is in the same vein and I enjoyed it a lot.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Blue by E.R. Vickers
A ship is plagued by unexplainable deaths, all of them seemed to have died instantly and without explanation.
This was really good until the ending, I liked the idea of it but it wasn’t executed as cleanly as the rest of the story was.
Rating: 3 stars
The Merseyside Swirl by Alex Secam
A strange whirpool appears just off the coast of Liverpool, in the centre is a strange structure, from which comes the captivating Madame Sequeen and she has a plan.
This was by far the weirdest story but I loved it. I wish there was more because I want to know more about this mysterious figure and her plan.
Rating: 4 stars
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