HUMANITY IS TARNISHED.First he gave us Little Deaths: The Definitive Edition. Then he unleashed his unique brand of pain in The End in All Beginnings. Now Bram Stoker Award-nominated John F.D. Taff – modern horror’s King of Pain – returns with Little Black Spots. Fifteen stories of dark horror fiction gathered together for the first time, exposing the delicate blemishes and sinister blots that … the first time, exposing the delicate blemishes and sinister blots that tarnish the human condition.
— A man stumbles on a cult that glorifies spontaneous human combustion…
— A disgraced nature photographer applies his skills for a vile outcome…
— A darkened city parking structure becomes dangerously and malevolently alive…
— An innocent Halloween costume has a husband seeing his wife in a disturbing new light…
— A ruined man sees far too much of himself in his broken family…
— A young boy finds a mysterious bottle of liquid containing a deadly secret…
— And so much more.
Little Black Spots is a beacon shining its light into some of life’s most shadowy corners, revealing the dark stains that spatter all mankind.
Praise for John F.D. Taff:
“Of the current breed of authors riding the wave of digital liberation, John Taff is a standout talent. Literary, affecting, chilling, and indicative of that old-school mentality meets new-school daring.”
– Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of The Turtle Boy, Kin and Jack & Jill
“John F. D. Taff has rapidly become one of my favorite writers in the horror genre. His horror is grounded in our day-to-day lives, in our families, our work, our most private thoughts. His stories vibrate with emotion and life and his prose is cathartic, deeply satisfying, like popping the bubbles in bubble wrap.” – Ray Garton, Grand Master of Horror and author of Live Girls and Ravenous
Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated independent publisher.
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“IN THIS CORNER, HAILING FROM PARTS UNKNOWN… THE KING OF PAIN!”
I seriously hope that’s how John F.D. Taff, Mr. King of Pain is announced at this year’s StokerCon. I myself won’t be there to find out, but I sure hope someone makes it happen and films the moment to share with the world.
Little Black Spots is my first Taff outing, and much like my personal embarrassment over my lack of Jonathan Janz reads under my belt, I feel the same shame admitting this about Taff.
I’ve personally always believed that in some cases a short story collection is a good way to be introduced to an author, and in this case Little Black Spots didn’t disappoint. The collection features a grab bag of emotion, atmosphere and chills, while Taff rambles off story after story of dark delights.
It took me a bit to get through this collection, because while the tales were good, I didn’t connect with some of them. It’s bound to happen in a collection.
I’ll focus on my fav’s for a brief synopsis/review.
My fav tale in this entire collection was easily ‘Just a Phone Call Away.’ Good grief this was a psychotic Pin-Head-esque tale of eroticism I didn’t expect. I’d love to see this made into a film. This just kept digging itself into more disturbing territory and the terrain was littered with razor blades.
‘A Winter’s Tale’ is a Lovecraftian ode that has found itself on the Stoker ballots, and rightfully so. I found the set up and the ending worked really nicely together. I’ve enjoyed lately, that there always seems to be one tale in horror-author’s collections that will make you weep, and this was the one that did it for me.
‘The Bitches of Madison County.’ At first I had looked at skipping the story entirely because of the title, but then decided to dive in. Boy was it a twisted look into voyeurism when the subject doesn’t believe they’re being a voyeur but just doing their job. The ending was fantastic and Taff showed how to cast a wide net then narrow it down to throw you into unexpected claustrophobia.
‘The Dark Level’ was a unique tale of dark dealings in a multi-level car garage. I’ve actually had an odd experience in a car garage where a friend and I believed someone was following us as we tried to remember where his car was parked. It turned out to be an echo that occurred specifically through a few levels and the car-park had even developed a ‘haunted’ reputation because of this.
‘The Bunny Suit’ was a demented tale of love and um… intertwining’s. Halloween costumes bringing out what the heart wants.
‘Lincoln, Booth & The Orpheum’ was a stunning closer, with an alternate reality twist. Really enjoyed this. I’m a fan of alternate history tales and Taff didn’t disappoint.
Surprisingly for me, my least favourite tale was ‘Purple Soda Hand.’ It was a brutally off the rails tale for sure, but I found that the plot moved exactly as I expected it would. The turns it took didn’t shock or surprise me, I saw it all coming well in advance. Not to say the writing was bad, it just didn’t do what it was supposed to with me.
Overall, this was a fun collection and while some tales didn’t resonate, the ones that did will stay with me for some time. At the end of the collection the publisher had included an advance look at Taff’s next release ‘The Fearing.’ I decided to not read it, as I’m looking forward to the full serial release this year!
Definitely a great starting off point for new fans of Taff, and for current fans who’ve been waiting to read this, time to get on it.
John F.D. Taff does it again with another brilliant short story collection. It’s hard to describe the many layers he shows in these tales and the genres and sub-genres he plies with such a wonderful skill. His mind is truly warped and we’re all better for it!
Another amazing collection of short stories by the King of Pain!