Author | Critic
“Darkest Hours is a fantastic collection of short horror stories with some of the most unique premises I’ve ever read! Body horror, terrifying visions, and monstrous creatures all make an appearance. The clarity and confidence in the writing made these stories come alive.”
“No sober person had any supernatural encounters. Nothing good happens after dark, so stay the F*** home. Oh, and mirrors are evil so get rid of them! Now!”
Eric Raglin talks to Mike Thorn about the horrors of academia, formative metalhead experiences, and addiction in horror fiction. In the second half of the episode, they have a spoiler-filled discussion of “A New Kind of Drug” from Thorn’s collection Darkest Hours (Raglin provides a warning in advance, and the rest of the episode is spoiler-free).
“In the short story notes, Thorn cites a lot of influences (both literary, musical and cinematic) that inform his work, but Thomas Ligotti seems to be a name that crops up throughout. While Darkest Hours covers a lot of the same themes (nihilism, anxiety, and the human condition), Thorn’s work approaches them in a far more mainstream and accessible way. Still, I think this says a lot about the prevailing tone of his work, and there are stories here that scared (‘Long Man’, ‘Sabbatical’), disturbed (‘The Auteur’, ‘Fear and Grace’) and disgusted (‘Fusion’) like few other collections have managed for me.”
“I was already a fan of his work, but the range he displays in this collection for both fiction and non-fiction writing is mind-boggling. I loved every word, and every creepy minute.”
“Highly recommended—whether Thorn is composing his own horror fiction or opining on horror cinema, he’s a gifted writer and craftsman of the written word, and I very much look forward to much more from him.”
