A Sliver of Darkness
- Downloads：1452
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-20 06:53:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：C.J. Tudor
- ISBN：0241582644
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
**PRE-ORDER NOW - THIS HALLOWEEN PREPARE TO BE TERRIFIED WITH C。 J。 TUDOR'S FIRST COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES**
A creak of the floorboard， a shiver down your spine， the feeling that you're not alone。。。
Join a group of survivors who wash up on a deserted island only to make a horrifying discovery。 Meet a cold-hearted killer who befriends a strange young girl at a motorway service station。 Travel along eerie country lanes in a world gone dark， enter a block of flats with the most monstrous of occupants and accompany a ruthless estate agent on a house sale that goes apocalyptically wrong。
These eleven twisted tales of the macabre from the bestselling author of The Chalk Man are your perfect companions as the nights draw in。。。if you're brave enough。
Praise for C。 J。 Tudor:
'If you like my stuff you'll like this' Stephen King
'C。 J。 Tudor is terrific。 I can't wait to see what she does next' Harlan Coben
'Britain's female Stephen King' Daily Mail
'A mesmerizingly chilling and atmospheric page-turner' J。P。 Delaney
'Her books have the ability to simultaneously make you unable to stop reading while wishing you could bury the book somewhere deep underground where it can't be found。 Compelling and haunting' Sunday Express
'Some writers have it， and some don't。 C。 J。 Tudor has it big time' Lee Child
'A dark star is born' A。 J。 Finn
A creak of the floorboard， a shiver down your spine， the feeling that you're not alone。。。
Join a group of survivors who wash up on a deserted island only to make a horrifying discovery。 Meet a cold-hearted killer who befriends a strange young girl at a motorway service station。 Travel along eerie country lanes in a world gone dark， enter a block of flats with the most monstrous of occupants and accompany a ruthless estate agent on a house sale that goes apocalyptically wrong。
These eleven twisted tales of the macabre from the bestselling author of The Chalk Man are your perfect companions as the nights draw in。。。if you're brave enough。
Praise for C。 J。 Tudor:
'If you like my stuff you'll like this' Stephen King
'C。 J。 Tudor is terrific。 I can't wait to see what she does next' Harlan Coben
'Britain's female Stephen King' Daily Mail
'A mesmerizingly chilling and atmospheric page-turner' J。P。 Delaney
'Her books have the ability to simultaneously make you unable to stop reading while wishing you could bury the book somewhere deep underground where it can't be found。 Compelling and haunting' Sunday Express
'Some writers have it， and some don't。 C。 J。 Tudor has it big time' Lee Child
'A dark star is born' A。 J。 Finn
Reviews
Neila
，
I’m a fan of C。J。 Tudor but not really a fan of short stories so this fell a bit in the middle for me。 I’m definitely more into the horror stories rather than the thrilling ones but overall all were rather good。 I wish there was a tiny bit more atmosphere and angst in some of the stories but obviously can’t win on every single one when there’s 11 of them！Here’s my rating for each story， I enjoyed the most the last 4:End of the Liner: 3。5⭐️The Block: 3⭐️Runaway Blues: 3⭐️The Completion: 2⭐️The Li I’m a fan of C。J。 Tudor but not really a fan of short stories so this fell a bit in the middle for me。 I’m definitely more into the horror stories rather than the thrilling ones but overall all were rather good。 I wish there was a tiny bit more atmosphere and angst in some of the stories but obviously can’t win on every single one when there’s 11 of them！Here’s my rating for each story， I enjoyed the most the last 4:End of the Liner: 3。5⭐️The Block: 3⭐️Runaway Blues: 3⭐️The Completion: 2⭐️The Lion at the Gate: 2⭐️Gloria: 3⭐️I’m Not Ted: 3。5⭐️Final Course: 4⭐️The Copy Shop: 4⭐️Dust: 4⭐️Butterfly Island: 4⭐️ 。。。more
JaymeO
，
There’s nothing better than learning what makes your favorite author’s mind tick！CJ Tudor has long been a favorite author of psychological horror novels。 I have enjoyed all of her books and couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new collection of short stories。A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of eleven dark and disturbing short stories created after her last book didn’t quite make the cut。 She includes some stories that she had previously written， but had not yet published， as well as a few ne There’s nothing better than learning what makes your favorite author’s mind tick！CJ Tudor has long been a favorite author of psychological horror novels。 I have enjoyed all of her books and couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new collection of short stories。A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of eleven dark and disturbing short stories created after her last book didn’t quite make the cut。 She includes some stories that she had previously written， but had not yet published， as well as a few new ones。 As a bonus， she explains how the ideas were born before each story。 This part fascinated me！Also found in this story collection are some familiar characters from Tudor’s previous books。 She mentions that she might even make a few of these into a longer book！Themes of the apocalypse， mental illness， thwarted love， and revenge are explored in the most macabre manner。“The problem with darkness was， once you let it in， it lurked in the corners of your mind， filling them with shadows。”While I usually prefer to read full length books， I devoured this collection in less than two days。 Additionally， it’s rare that I enjoy all of the stories in a collection， but these were fantastic！ End of the Liner 4。5/5The block 4/5Runaway Blues 4/5The Completion 3/5The lion at the gate 3/5Gloria 3。5/5I’m Not Ted 4/5The Copy Shop 4。5/5Final course 5/5Dust 4/5Butterfly Island 4/5My favorites in the collection were Final course， End of the Liner， and The Copy Shop。If you are a fan of psychological horror （Catriona Ward fans I’m talking to you）， A Sliver of Darkness is a must read！I can’t wait to read her next full length book， The Drift， which will be published in January 2023。 Thank goodness I don’t have long to wait！4/5 starsExpected publication date: 11/8/22Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of A Sliver of Darkness in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dee Groocock
，
This is an enjoyable collection of ten short stories from the author。 I think my favourite story was Copy Shop。 I loved the thought of being able to get copies of broken items with sentimental value - plus so much more！I read these all quite quickly， it was a bit of a shock to reach the end， I thought I was only about halfway through！ I loved how the author gave an introduction at the beginning of most of the stories。 I found these to be interesting and informative。This is the first book I’ve re This is an enjoyable collection of ten short stories from the author。 I think my favourite story was Copy Shop。 I loved the thought of being able to get copies of broken items with sentimental value - plus so much more！I read these all quite quickly， it was a bit of a shock to reach the end， I thought I was only about halfway through！ I loved how the author gave an introduction at the beginning of most of the stories。 I found these to be interesting and informative。This is the first book I’ve read by the author and it won’t be my last。 My thanks to Michael Joseph， Penguin Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Ashley
，
First off， thank you so much to #Netgalley， the publisher and especially the author for this ARC！I really liked this book， my favorite story was end of the liner- I could have read a whole book based in that world！ A lot of these stories aren’t really horror， they are more creepy and I went in expecting horror…。。 however， I love the way this author writes， I find it to easy to breeze through her books。 I would definitely pick this book up to read especially during spooky season！
Marisha （MarishaReadsALot）
，
Thank you to NetGalley， Ballantine Books， and C。 J。 Tudor for the advanced copy of A Sliver of Darkness in exchange for my honest review。I don't know how it's possible， but this was my first read by C。 J。 Tudor。 I've gotten really into short story collections lately so I was excited to be invited to read this collection early。 Typically with collections like these I try to rank them in order of personal preference， but there were a lot of stories in this book AND they were all so good I couldn't Thank you to NetGalley， Ballantine Books， and C。 J。 Tudor for the advanced copy of A Sliver of Darkness in exchange for my honest review。I don't know how it's possible， but this was my first read by C。 J。 Tudor。 I've gotten really into short story collections lately so I was excited to be invited to read this collection early。 Typically with collections like these I try to rank them in order of personal preference， but there were a lot of stories in this book AND they were all so good I couldn't have possibly ranked them。There is a solid mix of creepy， ick factor， and downright freaky throughout all of these stories。 I will definitely be reading more of Tudor's backlog in the future。A Sliver of Darkness will be on US bookshelves November 8！ 。。。more
KC
，
Super spooky and a great mystery one of my favorites of theirs yet！！ I didn't want it to end！ I really enjoyed this read and was very very excited to get this arc！ I am definitely telling everyone about it and buying the hard copy。 Super spooky and a great mystery one of my favorites of theirs yet！！ I didn't want it to end！ I really enjoyed this read and was very very excited to get this arc！ I am definitely telling everyone about it and buying the hard copy。 。。。more
Ashley Hart
，
I loved the variety of approaches within these short stories。 They were dynamic horror stories that stood independently but worked well together。 I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。
Zara Harper
，
What a delightful collection of creepy and gruesome stories！ This is my first book of short stories I’ve read since being a kid and it won’t be my last！ Some of the tales really make you think， a couple had me on edge， but they were all fun and enjoyable in their own way！
Kayleigh Kehoe
，
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: A Sliver of Darkness𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫（𝐬）: C。 J。 Tudor𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Horror𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 29th September 2022𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4。5/5”But that’s kind of how storytelling works， isn’t it？ Like a onesided conversation。 I ramble on， you listen。 And if I lose your interest， well， you can just turn the page or close the book。 You won’t， though。 You’ll want to hear this story。 And I need to tell it。 Because I’ve not told anyone else， not in over fifty years。 And that’s a long time to nurse a horror — 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: A Sliver of Darkness𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫（𝐬）: C。 J。 Tudor𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Horror𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 29th September 2022𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4。5/5”But that’s kind of how storytelling works， isn’t it？ Like a onesided conversation。 I ramble on， you listen。 And if I lose your interest， well， you can just turn the page or close the book。 You won’t， though。 You’ll want to hear this story。 And I need to tell it。 Because I’ve not told anyone else， not in over fifty years。 And that’s a long time to nurse a horror。”I didn’t think I’d love this as much as I did。 But I’m coming to realise that C。 J。 Tudor never disappoints。 She is such a great storyteller， she’s the kind of rare author that sees a story in everything around her， and this collection of short stories reflects exactly that。 Readers can expect short horror stories centred around cruise ships， abandoned tower blocks， castaways， creepy villas covered in sand， and so much more。 I honestly can’t pick a favourite story out of the whole bunch。 They were all so good。 Although if there’s anyone I’d love to read more about it’s Gloria。 Tudor alludes to not being finished with this character yet and that literally makes me so excited for her future books。 I enjoyed this so much。 Many short story collections can feel as though each story is the same with slight variations， especially when they’re all told by the same author。 However， each story was different， the characters felt distinguished from one another with different points of view， different dialects… different secrets。 The best part about this collection is no matter the story， no matter the setting， each character felt real， with something to say。 🧚🏻♀️♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡↑ follow my socials for more bookish content。 ↑ 。。。more
Lou Jacobs
，
Book ReviewA Sliver of DarknessC。 J。 Tudorreviewed by Lou Jacobsreadersremains。com | GoodreadsAt last， a debut collection of eleven dark tales from the pen of multi-award-winning author， C。J。 Tudor。 Four of her novels have garnered The International Thriller Writers’ Award for Best First Novel， the Barry Award for Crime Novels， and the Strand Critics Award for Best Debut。I anticipate that this compelling collection will win awards。 Nine of the eleven stories have not been previously published。 Book ReviewA Sliver of DarknessC。 J。 Tudorreviewed by Lou Jacobsreadersremains。com | GoodreadsAt last， a debut collection of eleven dark tales from the pen of multi-award-winning author， C。J。 Tudor。 Four of her novels have garnered The International Thriller Writers’ Award for Best First Novel， the Barry Award for Crime Novels， and the Strand Critics Award for Best Debut。I anticipate that this compelling collection will win awards。 Nine of the eleven stories have not been previously published。 Her novels are known for their dark and twisty plots and this collection will not disappoint。 Each of the stories feature elements of horror， dark humor， thrills and chills， and unexpected twists。 Each story is introduced by Tudor with relevant personal events and observations， providing insight to the story’s inspiration。 Most of the stories are incredibly unique while being menacing， creepy， spooky and dark… all with surprise twisted denouements Due to the recent pandemic， several are post apocalyptic with dark， dystopian futures。 All are tagged with indelible glimpses into her weird imagination。 Most stories merit a 5 Star rating with an occasional 4 star。 The following are thumbnail sketches of those I personally enjoyed the most。In “Runaway Blues” a skinny， pale white dude appears on stage and astounds the audience with his melodic rendition of his own jazz and blue compositions with voice and saxophone， all to thunderous applause。 They call him Fatman， and he comes on stage with a hatbox in front of him， in which he retrieves a brown trilby and ceremoniously places it on his head。 He dedicates all of his songs to his curvaceous girlfriend， Veda， who bought him that marvelous hat。 Suddenly his performances are marked by mournful songs of love and loss。 Although his hatbox is in front of him， it remains unopened。 We learn his girlfriend has jilted him， unceremoniously for another man。 What actually is in that hatbox？ Love can make good men do bad things！ This was written as a tribute to Stephen King。In “Completion” the reference is usually made with the Seller completing （or sealing the deal） the sale of his property or estate。 （ Tudor muses even in an apocalypse the only things to flourish will be cockroaches and real estate agents） A smarmy and slimy agent， Dan Ransom is known to lie， cheat and swindle to complete a deal， Integrity has no place in his countenance。He is anxious to return to Bragshaw Manor to complete the deal with its owner… who he describes as the decrepit， disgusting old bastard。 The manor sits on the hill like a huge ugly vulture… certainly reminiscent of the classic haunted house。 He describes his drive to the manor as tiresome， having the usual obstacles of protestors， vagrants， infected and dead bodies littering the way。 He readily admits he would lie， cheat， and even take bribes to bring about a “completion”。 He has no idea what will be expected of him to complete this deal！In “The Lion At The Gate” we experience a most unusual type of graffiti 。 A gang of four kids take a short-cut down a neglected， spooky road… based upon a dare。 They notice on one of the gates a depiction of a massive lion’s head with multicolored mane and coal-black eyes， psychedelic and creepy。 They are mesmerized and continue to take the same daily path in order to view the lion。 In each viewing the appearance of the lion weirdly changes。 At times it looks like it could actually open its mouth and take a bite。 Will anyone actually reach out and touch the lion’s visage。In “Gloria”—probably my favorite—Gloria reprises her role from the 2019 novel， “Hiding Place。” Oh， I thought she was dead！ Gloria specializes in “cleaning” （well actually， cleaning crime scenes）。 She arrives at the scene with a chainsaw， in order to make the parts of the victim more manageable。 Within hours the “parts” are submerged beneath concrete。Gloria has a chance meeting with a young girl in a coffee shop， who has the ability to “get into” Gloria’s head。 Gloria has had a gradual erosion of her humanity。 She has maimed， hurt and even killed with little or no remorse。 She lacks any form of empathy。 This chance meeting will have gravely unintended consequences。 In “Copy Shop” we are posed with the question if a copy can be as good as the original？ The sign outside the print shop states they can copy almost anything。 Initially a broken vase with only sentimental value is brought in with excellent results。 She laments to husband Alan that her beloved cat Marvin is aging poorly and decrepit， he suggests she put “it” to sleep。 Instead， she presents Marvin to the copy shop。 In two days， she is presented with a new Marvin， as good as a much younger version。 What will she bring next for a better version？ In “Final Course” the world has gone dark。 A group of five old college acquaintances meet for a dinner party at a large estate to discuss their future and hopefully their safety the world is populated by dark creatures who are devouring victims。 Tom brings his eight-year-old daughter， Millie， who is blind and always wears dark glasses to cover her eyes。 One of the guests， Amanda， is horrified by Millie’s presence。 “Everyone knows that the blind act like magnets to those creatures。” Drops of blood from the ceiling fall onto the dinner table … directly over the “closed” east wing of the house。 The host and guests call upon Millie to deal with these creatures。 They have no idea of her special gifts！Equally entertaining are:“I’m Not Ted，” “Butterfly Island，” “The Block，” “Dust，” and “End of the Liner。” C。J。 Tudor masterfully crafts a delicious buffet of eleven， unique and riveting stories that showcases her weird but lovable imagination。Those in search of a fix for dark and macabre entertainmentneed to look no further than this brilliant collection。Thanks to NetGallery and Random House / Ballantine Books for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review。 。。。。 Published at Mystery and Suspense Magazine 。。。。。 。。。more
Andee
，
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|TWITTER|YOUTUBEThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。AS CAWPILE:Characters: 6 | Atmosphere: 7 | Writing: 6 | Plot: 7 | Intrigue: 7 | Logic: 8 | Enjoyment: 6 Total: 6。71 / 3 Stars As with all short story collections， I've averaged out my individual ratings for each story and got this CAWPILE review。 However， as with all short story collections， there were some incredible stories and some less than incredible stor BLOG|INSTAGRAM|TWITTER|YOUTUBEThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。AS CAWPILE:Characters: 6 | Atmosphere: 7 | Writing: 6 | Plot: 7 | Intrigue: 7 | Logic: 8 | Enjoyment: 6 Total: 6。71 / 3 Stars As with all short story collections， I've averaged out my individual ratings for each story and got this CAWPILE review。 However， as with all short story collections， there were some incredible stories and some less than incredible stories。 I do appreciate a short story collection all written by the same author， though， as it means the writing style is consistent。 I like Tudor's quick pacing and the way the stories jump in feet first and keep going。 Almost all of them had tangible characters and interesting plots。 A Sliver of Darkness is easily one of my new favorite short story collections， and I can't wait to see what more this author has to offer。 I highly recommend End of The Liner and the Completion， if you were to pick this up and choose a story at random。 。。。more
Crystal Rees
，
So so good。 Every short story was creepy and fabulous。 Loved the introductions to each story giving me insight into C。J Tudor’s ideas and inspiration behind them。 What a classic collection of horror。 Thank you NetGalley for this arc
Elisa
，
I’ve loved all of the author’s previous novels and this is a collection of short stories， so it’s like getting a lot of books in one。 And every single tale is excellent！ Tudor was writing a full-length novel， but things happened and， as she explains in the introduction， it didn’t work。 She decided to dig up old， abandoned texts that deserved a second look and they are all creepy， scary， unpredictable and very good。 All are so atmospheric， and each includes an introduction explaining where Tudor I’ve loved all of the author’s previous novels and this is a collection of short stories， so it’s like getting a lot of books in one。 And every single tale is excellent！ Tudor was writing a full-length novel， but things happened and， as she explains in the introduction， it didn’t work。 She decided to dig up old， abandoned texts that deserved a second look and they are all creepy， scary， unpredictable and very good。 All are so atmospheric， and each includes an introduction explaining where Tudor got the idea for the story。 Gloria brings back characters from two of her previous novels and left me wanting even more。 Butterfly Island may become a novella in the future （yes， please！）。 Some are set in dystopian landscapes， others in very relatable environments that could be next door （shudder）。 As is usually the case， her characters are a mix of irredeemable， dislikable jerks and nice people that are easy to root for。 Solid， great storytelling。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， #NetGalley/#Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine， Ballantine Books！ 。。。more
Adrian Dooley
，
Ive read and had mixed feelingss about CJ Tudors novels。 Some I have really enjoyed， others not so much。Here we have her venturing into the world of short stories with a collection of 11 overall， the perfect amount I felt for this particular collection。Written during lockdown， there is an appropriate single theme to these varied stories - The Apocalypse。 A mixture of horror， the supernatural and the macabre， the author begins each story with some notes on how she came up with the idea， mostly sp Ive read and had mixed feelingss about CJ Tudors novels。 Some I have really enjoyed， others not so much。Here we have her venturing into the world of short stories with a collection of 11 overall， the perfect amount I felt for this particular collection。Written during lockdown， there is an appropriate single theme to these varied stories - The Apocalypse。 A mixture of horror， the supernatural and the macabre， the author begins each story with some notes on how she came up with the idea， mostly sprung from small events that happened to her in real life and， although nothing like the stories that follow， were enough to spring the seed of the idea or theme。If you are a fan of horror or the macabre and want something to whet your appetite in bite size pieces then this is the collection for you。Some interesting， dark and sometimes funny ideas， I thoroughly enjoyed this collection。May thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley。 。。。more
Tracey
，
As always Tudor didn’t disappoint！！！ Thanks to NetGalley for the change to read in exchange for a review :）
Mara
，
3。5 stars - This was an entertaining， horror-focused collection of short stories！ As is usually the case， some stories were more successful or enjoyable than others， but overall， well worth picking up if you this kind of genre based collection。 （Favs of this collection: Gloria and Lion at the Gate） I also enjoyed the intro to each story with the author explaining the inspiration
DeAnn
，
3 short story starsI usually don’t read short stories， but I like this author， so I gave this one a shot！ The best thing for me was to read these on a recent flight。 My attention span was perfect for these sets of stories。My favorite was “Runaway Blues” about a blues singer called the Fat Man， but that doesn’t really fit him。 I did not come close to guessing how this one would turn out， but I still think of it from time to time well after I finished this book！I did like how the author inserted i 3 short story starsI usually don’t read short stories， but I like this author， so I gave this one a shot！ The best thing for me was to read these on a recent flight。 My attention span was perfect for these sets of stories。My favorite was “Runaway Blues” about a blues singer called the Fat Man， but that doesn’t really fit him。 I did not come close to guessing how this one would turn out， but I still think of it from time to time well after I finished this book！I did like how the author inserted introductions before each story， it helped clear my mind of the previous story and set the stage for the next one。I also liked “End of the Liner” and “The Copy Shop”。 There were a couple of other stories that leaned more to the horror side of things and those were not my favorite。I’m looking forward to the full-length book from this author next！Thank you to Random House/Ballantine for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one。 Scheduled to publish 11。8。2022。 。。。more
Whitney
，
This moody， tight collection of short stories is one of the better collections I've read - no filler， all killer， as the saying goes。 While I'm not familiar with CJ Tudor's longer works， these stories are all frightening， grimy， and as interested in human monsters as supernatural ones。 Refreshingly， there are no clunkers - while I had my favorites， there were no clear winners in the pack - they all had their positive points。 They were all of brief length as well - which I prefer in horror！ Just This moody， tight collection of short stories is one of the better collections I've read - no filler， all killer， as the saying goes。 While I'm not familiar with CJ Tudor's longer works， these stories are all frightening， grimy， and as interested in human monsters as supernatural ones。 Refreshingly， there are no clunkers - while I had my favorites， there were no clear winners in the pack - they all had their positive points。 They were all of brief length as well - which I prefer in horror！ Just a taste of the macabre and then you're on your way。 I'd definitely recommend this to anyone seeking horror that's having a good time。 It didn't take itself too seriously， and I enjoyed the little introductions at the start of each section。 。。。more
Stanley McShane
，
As I read this author， I was harkened back to my teen years。 Many years ago I became engrossed in the writings and short stories of Edgar Allen Poe。 His use of the macabre in his short stories was intriguing。 Reading C。J。 Tudor I wondered if Edgar could have been reincarnated。Each of these stories has a diabolical twist at the conclusion。 I was also enchanted by the idea of the apocalypse and end of life as we know it。 The defeatism and loss of control by the individuals involved became predicta As I read this author， I was harkened back to my teen years。 Many years ago I became engrossed in the writings and short stories of Edgar Allen Poe。 His use of the macabre in his short stories was intriguing。 Reading C。J。 Tudor I wondered if Edgar could have been reincarnated。Each of these stories has a diabolical twist at the conclusion。 I was also enchanted by the idea of the apocalypse and end of life as we know it。 The defeatism and loss of control by the individuals involved became predictable。 My sympathies went out to the people who tried to escape to Butterfly Island。 I did find it hard to believe， however， that sailors giving transfer services would not be aware of the dangers lurking in the shoals。Enjoy these short stories and harken back to the writing mystique of long ago。 4。5 stars – CE WilliamsMany thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Chrissy J
，
I really enjoyed these！ Most of them were absolutely fantastic stories。 It was great to pick up something like this after being in a reading slump & not having to commit to a full novel for a few weeks。 One story here & there was just what I needed！ Can’t wait to read what CJ comes out with next。 Thanks so much to NetGalley & Random House Ballantine for the ARC！
Jen
，
Well。。 I started reading this book with every intention of reading one story a day。 Didn’t work out like that。 Once I started reading I found I moved quickly from one story to the next and I was so lost in the fabulous worlds that CJ Tudor created， a few hours later I reached the end of the whole book。 If you like short stories， this is a collection I can highly recommend。 Part mystery but with a sometimes horror themed twist， each offering brings us something slightly different。 From the poss Well。。 I started reading this book with every intention of reading one story a day。 Didn’t work out like that。 Once I started reading I found I moved quickly from one story to the next and I was so lost in the fabulous worlds that CJ Tudor created， a few hours later I reached the end of the whole book。 If you like short stories， this is a collection I can highly recommend。 Part mystery but with a sometimes horror themed twist， each offering brings us something slightly different。 From the possible links to other dimensions， to stories of the apocalypse， some strange and somewhat terrifying graffiti， and a quick catch up with a name from the past （easily recognisable if you have read the author’s back catalogue）， CJ Tudor delivers with each story。 From spine-tingling tales， to ones that will bring a twisted smile to your face， there are one or two you just might not want to read with the lights turned off。 What I really liked it that each story featured an introduction from the author giving us insight into what inspired the tale。 It does set us up， to a degree， for what is still to come， but not so much as to spoil any surprises。 I ate them all up， in fact you could say consumed them。 I was Hungry for more。 😏 Amongst my favourites were The Block， The Lion at the Gate， Final Course， Dust and Butterfly Island， although in fairness I could happily recommend them all。 Each has a little something that tickles the tastebuds， proper tales of the unexpected， and each with that recognisable CJ Tudor vibe。 It you like the author’s work you will love this collection。 Definitely recommended for a nice Halloween-sequel read。 Why not treat yourself？ 。。。more
Deana
，
I received this courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Random House and I'm glad I did！ I am a huge fan of C。 J。 Tudor and was so excited that she was coming out with a new book。 Then， full disclosure， I saw that it was a collection of short stories， and was a tad disappointed， because I am not a fan of short stories。 I usually never read them， but being that it was one of my favorite authors， I decided to give it a go。 I have to say， this is one collection of short stories I really enjoyed！ They are I received this courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Random House and I'm glad I did！ I am a huge fan of C。 J。 Tudor and was so excited that she was coming out with a new book。 Then， full disclosure， I saw that it was a collection of short stories， and was a tad disappointed， because I am not a fan of short stories。 I usually never read them， but being that it was one of my favorite authors， I decided to give it a go。 I have to say， this is one collection of short stories I really enjoyed！ They are all chilling and just fun to read！ The description reads: The debut short story collection from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man， featuring ten bone-chilling and mind-bending talesTimeslips。 Doomsday scenarios。 Killer butterflies。 C。 J。 Tudor's novels are widely acclaimed for their dark， twisty suspense plots， but with A Sliver of Darkness， she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination。In Final Course， the world has descended into darkness， but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party。 In Runaway Blues， thwarted love， revenge， and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge。 In Gloria， a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a cold-hearted killer， but can a leopard really change its spots？ And in I'm Not Ted， a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen， fatal consequences。Riveting and explosively original， A Sliver of Darkness is C。 J。 Tudor at her most wicked and uninhibited （from Goodreads）。 So， not much to say without giving too much away， but this is going to be a good read for you on those crisp fall nights！ It releases in November 2022， so make sure you pick it up， get a hot beverage， your favorite blanket and read this collection of spooky stories！ Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher！ I really enjoyed it！ 。。。more
E。B。
，
All thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book！ This collection of short stories is full of gritty atmosphere， unique characters， and prose！ I love short stories so I'm very glad Tudor wrote this book！ All thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book！ This collection of short stories is full of gritty atmosphere， unique characters， and prose！ I love short stories so I'm very glad Tudor wrote this book！ 。。。more
Maggie
，
This was a great collection of horror themed short stories。 They were all short and sweet， easy to devour in a few minutes， but still well-developed and intricate for the length。 I also really enjoyed that each one had an introduction by the author giving some background about the story。Digital arc received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。
Gatorman
，
Disappointing collection of eleven short stories from Tudor， who's written some terrific thriller/horror novels to date。 A couple of them are pretty good but most are rather pedestrian and don't really move the needle in any memorable direction。 They're not bad but they're not all that special， either。 Left me wanting more。 Seems like the short form is just not her forte。 Still looking forward to her next novel。 Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Disappointing collection of eleven short stories from Tudor， who's written some terrific thriller/horror novels to date。 A couple of them are pretty good but most are rather pedestrian and don't really move the needle in any memorable direction。 They're not bad but they're not all that special， either。 Left me wanting more。 Seems like the short form is just not her forte。 Still looking forward to her next novel。 Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Diana Puckett
，
This collection was dark， suspenseful， and entertaining。 Not your typical short story collection because the author offers insights throughout the book about what inspired the stories。 This is a great read anytime but definitely ideal for the fall。
Nicholas Masters
，
C。J。 Tudor is fast becoming one of my favourite authors。 Certainly one of the most anticipated authors in her eerie horror/thriller genre。 This compilation of stories provides an insight into the mind of the genius， not only through the introductions to the book and each short story， but through the darker and slightly twisted unique offering that each short story provides。Each story is brilliantly written and greatly entertaining。 The collection starts off with ‘End of the Liner’ a dystopian tw C。J。 Tudor is fast becoming one of my favourite authors。 Certainly one of the most anticipated authors in her eerie horror/thriller genre。 This compilation of stories provides an insight into the mind of the genius， not only through the introductions to the book and each short story， but through the darker and slightly twisted unique offering that each short story provides。Each story is brilliantly written and greatly entertaining。 The collection starts off with ‘End of the Liner’ a dystopian twist on luxury cruises with a though provoking undertone and continues to deliver eerie gems such as ‘The Block’， ‘The Completion’ and the really fun ‘I’m Not Ted’ and ‘The Copy Shop’， finally completing （although not quite completing） in ‘Butterfly Island’Each story is unique （as is C。 J’s inspiration）， each with a different level of creepiness， but all with a massive dose of enjoyment。Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph， Penguin Random House for a Review Copy 。。。more
Mark Myers
，
I'm typically not a short story reader。 That said， I am a C。J。 Tudor reader。 The thing I like the most about novels is character development and short stories typically don't contain enough pages to do that well。 But Tudor does a good job of writing in a box。 The stories in this book are quirky and all contain a twist。 I'd be lying if I said I liked them all。 But she is great at setting a scene and does so uniquely in each story。 I really liked the personal context she gave before every chapter。 I'm typically not a short story reader。 That said， I am a C。J。 Tudor reader。 The thing I like the most about novels is character development and short stories typically don't contain enough pages to do that well。 But Tudor does a good job of writing in a box。 The stories in this book are quirky and all contain a twist。 I'd be lying if I said I liked them all。 But she is great at setting a scene and does so uniquely in each story。 I really liked the personal context she gave before every chapter。 This was a three-star read for me until the story called， "Final Course。" That one blew me away - I read it twice to see what I'd missed。 I honestly could see it as a movie。I'm not sold on short stories， but I did like this and recommend it。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Jayme
，
If you follow my reviews， you know that I am not a fan of short stories and I only enjoy “ subtle horror”， but I am a fan of C。 J。 Tudor， so when offered an ARC of this-I had to give it a try！ After all， “The Other Place” was an easy 5 star read for me， and two of her others earned 4 shiny stars！ （The Hiding Place and The Burning Girls） So， how did I fare with this collection of short stories？Let me tell you what I did like…The book opens with a heartfelt introduction by this “down to earth” aut If you follow my reviews， you know that I am not a fan of short stories and I only enjoy “ subtle horror”， but I am a fan of C。 J。 Tudor， so when offered an ARC of this-I had to give it a try！ After all， “The Other Place” was an easy 5 star read for me， and two of her others earned 4 shiny stars！ （The Hiding Place and The Burning Girls） So， how did I fare with this collection of short stories？Let me tell you what I did like…The book opens with a heartfelt introduction by this “down to earth” author， and in it she shares that in January 2021， her Dad passed away。 He had been in a nursing home for two years， and because of Covid lockdowns， she could only visit him for thirty minutes every two weeks， speaking to him through Perspex。 The first time she hugged him in over a year， was on the day he died。 This book is dedicated to him。 And， those weren’t her only other challenges。 （DO read her full introduction！！！） Writing a book wasn’t working， and she knew it。 She came up with a plan that her editors agreed to-scrap the book she wrote and instead publish this collection of short stories。 With MANY “end of the world” and isolation themes， these stories definitely were NOT all my cup of tea…but with all short story collections you always connect with some more than others。 BUT what I really did enjoy MOST was that ALL the stories also came with an introduction of their own-C。J。 shared her inspiration for each of them and I felt like I was sitting down for an INTIMATE CHAT with a friend， which ended with an evening by a campfire listening to spooky stories…Standouts for me were : The Copy Shop -Can a copy ever be as good as the original？ 😉Dust: I too， gravitate toward spooky hotels and spooky hotel stories， and living in Arizona where we have the yellow glow of Dust Storms， called Monsoons here， added to the intrigue of this one， which featured the Calima winds with their orange glow and the “Hotel California-like”。 Villa de las Alma’s Perdidas on Gran Canaria。Runaway Blues-Pink Martinis at the Blue Flamingo in the 1930’s and a “fat man” who could sing the blues。 Loved the smoky atmosphere…。and the nod to Stephen King。 andEnd of The Liner- the cruise 🚢 of a lifetime…。3。5 stars rounded up！ Ms。 Tudor assures us that her next full length novel， “The Drift” is written and ready for publication next year， （2023） and I know， I can’t wait to read it！ This book of TEN short stories will publish on November 8th of this year， to hold you over in the meantime！ Thank You to Ballantine books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley！ It was my pleasure to offer a candid review！ 。。。more
Tracey Thompson
，
C。J。 Tudor is a British author of thrillers， most notably The Chalk Man， which received praise from horror legend Stephen King。 A Sliver of Darkness is her debut collection of short stories。A Sliver of Darkness contains a wide variety of stories， all containing some aspect of horror， whether that be psychological or physical。 We have young people coming to a sticky end （The Block， and The Lion at the Gate）， questions of whether the grass is really greener on the other side （End of the Liner， and C。J。 Tudor is a British author of thrillers， most notably The Chalk Man， which received praise from horror legend Stephen King。 A Sliver of Darkness is her debut collection of short stories。A Sliver of Darkness contains a wide variety of stories， all containing some aspect of horror， whether that be psychological or physical。 We have young people coming to a sticky end （The Block， and The Lion at the Gate）， questions of whether the grass is really greener on the other side （End of the Liner， and The Copy Shop）， and good old fashioned human violence （Gloria， and Runaway Blues）。I have read a short story every day since April 2018。 Although I may not be an expert on the subject， I certainly know what I like。 And most of these stories were not for me。 Undoubtedly， these stories are entertaining， but in some cases quite predictable。 I also found little variety in tone; many of these stories were told in Tudor’s voice， rather than that of the characters。 I also found the author’s introductions to the stories superfluous; I much prefer when writers let the stories speak for themselves。 These are by no means terrible stories; I just longed for more depth。 If this collection gets more readers interested in short story collections， that is a wonderful thing。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Sliver of Darkness
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Sliver of Darkness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Sliver of Darkness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0