Knee-Deep in Grit by Adrian Collins and Mike Myers (Editors) – Review

Published: June 30, 2018

Publisher: Grimdark Magazine

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Series: Standalone

Pages: 380 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Get knee-deep in grit with twenty-five grimdark sci-fi and fantasy short stories from the shadowy vaults of Grimdark Magazine. The top names in dark speculative fiction and the genre’s brightest newcomers bring you stories of war, betrayal, violence, and greed, as anti-heroes and adversaries fight to the bittersweet end.

For the first time, the first two years of fiction from Grimdark Magazine are printed on dead trees and bound together like captive slaves to be read or reread and proudly placed among your favourite tomes on your bookshelf.

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I’ve only read a few (like 2) anthologies and as such I’m not really sure how I want to rate this one. I don’t have much to compare it to, so I suppose I’ll babble about it for a few paragraphs like I do for everything else. Knee-Deep in Grit is a collection of all the short stories featured in Grimdark Magazine since its genesis two years previous. You don’t need prior knowledge of any of the author’s works to be entertained by the stories and, as a matter of fact, it may lead you to try out some of the authors.

There is a wide variety of stories here, from scifi to fantasy, but all are considered to be grimdark fiction. Some of my favorites included At the Walls of Sinnlos, A Recipe for Corpse Oil, and Viva Longevicus though I liked most all of them. I definitely want to read more by Michael R. Fletcher though I’m not sure when I’ll find the time – perhaps I’ll have to try out the audio format of his books. I have to say that Viva Longevicus was super creepy because, well, mutant rats were taking over planets in a meat starved vermin horde. So yeah, that’s pretty terrifying. Some of the stories are a little creepy, others just plain dark, but there’s something for everyone who enjoys the darker side of fiction.

Overall I thought Knee-Deep in Grit was a great way to try out some new authors and get an idea as to what to expect from future issues of,Grimdark Magazine. I’ll definitely make a point to check it out more often now that I’ve had a taste! Additionally, I’ll also be adding several of these authors to my watch list so I can keep up with any new releases they might be putting out!