Uncertainties 7 edited by Carly Holmes

Swan River Press 2024

ISBN: 0781783800506

Available: Hardcover

Buy: Swan River Press

This is the seventh volume in the ongoing anthology series published by the excellent Irish imprint Swan River Press, collecting “strange”, unsettling stories penned by writers from the UK, Europe and USA.

The first, successful, six volumes have assembled a number of noteworthy authors and editors, trying their hand at every possible subgenre of speculative fiction: ghost stories, horror tales, science fiction, fantasy and more.

And since it’s normal that not everything pleases everybody, I will point out the stories which, in my opinion,are the best in the present volume.

In the intriguing and sinister “Pond Scum” by Tyler Keevil, two brothers vacationing in Tuscany are involved in a scary paranormal experience revolving around an unusual pond. This is one of the very few cases of fiction in English  where sentences in Italian are reproduced  and spelled correctly…

“Sad Face”, by the prolific Mark Morris, is a disturbing, atmospheric piece where a widower searching for peace in a wild and secluded resort place ends up being literally engulfed in an unwanted embrace.

“The Winding of the Willows” by Steve Toase is an effective mix of horror and SF, depicting how the water of a stream brings about disease and death in a small village.

“The Good Old Days” by Craig Rosenberg is a kind of neat “ Twilight Zone” story, in which an Aussie man relocated to the USA has to face the past while taking a vacation back in his hometown.

I am looking forward to volume number 8.

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi