Looming Low: Vol. II
Edited by: Justin Steele and Max Cowan
Publisher: Dim Shores
Publication Year: October, 2022
ISBN: 9798985828214
Format: Hardcover and First Paperback editions limited to 150 hand-numbered copies.
At the time of this post, I have seen that number now in question for First Paperback.
An e-book version is promised to arrive, but timing remains uncertain.
The award-winning anthology series returns with a stellar Table of Contents:
Kurt Fawver – “Radius Unknown”
No time is wasted with this powerful opener, encapsulating the paranoia of our ever-shrinking reality, elevated to a fever pitch.
Alvaro Zinos-Amaro – “Undo”
An unplanned pregnancy is extinguished, along with the meltdowns that ensue.
Brian Evenson – “Vigil in the Inner Room”
Curiosity coupled with a desire to escape strange routines introduce a premature spatter from the roasting pot to an open flame.
I want more of this world.
Michael Kelly – “Dead but Dreaming Still”
Post-Apocalyptic rumbles of hunger become tiny cries of hope.
Gwendolyn Kiste – “To the Progeny Forsaken”
“It’s a Good Life,” tastefully retooled beyond a petulant childhood.
Anya Martin – “The Other Cat”
With accuracy that speaks experience, an aging woman cares for a more aged parent.
Clint Smith – “Lovenest”
The amicable meeting of a divorced couple devolves into a time-weary battle of the ex-es.
Jeffrey Thomas – “Strangler Fig”
A drifting marriage of puppeteers presents a sinking performance for a wedding party.
Simon Strantzas – “Still Packed”
A souvenir from the business trip of an unhappy wife delivers novelty to a faded relationship.
Brooke Warra – “We Don’t Live Here Anymore”
An all-too-approachable collage of a collapsed family and the excavations to follow.
Michael Griffin – “We Spend Weekends With Dad”
Inevitably, a parent will place the priorities of their children on the back burner, no matter how brief.
Matthew M. Bartlett – “The Cryptic Jape”
Sacrifices are made to impress – and achieve success.
Craig Laurance Gidney – “Impz”
Show the uninspired just how effective one can be with the faintest motivation.
Cody Goodfellow – “Protect & Serve”
A policeman new to the force brushes against archaic influences.
David Peak – “Zones Without Names”
A paranoid vagrant author is located by a fan, and follows him to a wiry nest where he procures an egg.
I want to know more about this world.
Erica Ruppert – “Ex Astris”
A private investigator shares similar encounters of a missing young lady that’s not missing at all, but residing in places we don’t look.
Richard Gavin – “The Intercessor”
A woman has been presented with the inexplicable and returns to share the experience.
Kaaron Warren – “Songs We Sing at Sea”
A cruise ship, bereft of passengers and captain, service staff are quarantined to drift aimless in a time of plague. Books read, movies watched, nothing left but tales to tell and songs to sing of love, the ship, and the sea.
I adored this story.
S.P. Miskowski – “Across the Darkness”
I have sourced fetching items at estate sales. Some may say this holds potential for a wardrobe with ethereal repurcussions.
A.C. Wise – “Into the Green”
Distress and misery await an enterprising streamer in pursuit of engaging content.
Gemma Files – “Bb Minor”
Few are fond of a squeaky wheel in cramped quarters.
Nadia Bulkin – “Your Heart is a House on Fire”
One assumes torment and sorrow is reserved for the living, yet grief holds its own silent trauma for this retired paranormal investigator.
I look forward to upcoming discussions with various authors that have been featured in this anthology.
Leah Looks At – Looming Low: Vol. II