Creatures of the Night (Dark Tide, vol. 17) by Simon Clark, Kevin J. Kennedy, and Gord Rollo

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2024

ISBN: 9781964398181

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Amazon.com 

With the Dark Tide horror novella series, Crystal Lake Publishing seems to have found a winning formula.  Each volume has three novellas that center around a particular theme, with one story per author.  In this case, the theme is vampires.  Overall, it’s worth the purchase: you don’t need to be a Nosferatu nut to enjoy the stories.  In order, the three stories are: ok, good, and outstanding. The last one alone (which, thankfully, is the longest) is enough to make the whole book worth it.

“Return of the Blood Feeders” by Simon Clark, deals with a strange type of Norse vampire. There’s nothing wrong with the writing or plot, but this one just didn’t click for me.  It might be because the last monster seemed a bit over-the-top, and out of place in the story: it just didn’t fit.  Other readers may feel differently.

Kevin J. Kennedy’s “Perspective” is one of those stories that attempts to ‘”humanize” vampires, and it does it well. These aren’t goody two-shoes vampires like the undead in Twilight.  In this story, they may have human emotions like love, sadness, and loss, but they know how to kick serious ass-and serious ass they do kick!  There is a wonderfully messy fight towards the end with vampires, werewolves, and demons ripping off heads and sending body parts raining down everywhere, a great smash of a conclusion to a well written tale.  It’s a good combination of drama, mystery, and messiness, as well as a tale of vampires trying to find a reason to exist.  They do find it, and it’s a good reason to endure immortality.

Gord Rollo’s “Beneath Still Waters’” is a true house-shaker, a pure rollercoaster of excitement, from beginning to end.  It has all the elements: a remote Canadian town with a tragic past, Native American folklore, and one very unpleasant underwater monster.  There’s a decent amount of the story that takes place on or under a remote lake, and that’s where the writing really shines.  The author knows his stuff when it comes to putting fear and excitement in underwater sequences.  Diving can be nerve-wracking, with the claustrophobia of cave-diving and limited visibility.  The author clearly knows this, and puts the natural dangers of diving to very good use in the story.  There’s also a good twist to the ending.  Sure, maybe the heroes may be a bit foolish with some of their plans to stop the creature, but who cares?  It’s a thrill ride that keeps you hooked, and that’s all that matters.

Bottom line: it’s worth it.  Recommended.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson