Bestiary of Blood: Modern Fables and Dark Tales
Jamal Hodge, editor
Hardcover / Paperback / Ebook
ISBN: 9781964398228
Crystal Lake Publishing, October 4, 2024, 323 pgs

Crystal Lake has been around since 2012. They seem to fly under the radar for some folks, but I have always kept a friendly eye on them, glancing through some of their books from time to time. In fact, it was just over a year ago that I reviewed Vince A. Liaguno’s Unspeakable Horror 3. If you love horror, you’re bound to find a few titles you like in their catalog.

Jamal Hodge is new to me but the Internet Science Fiction Database (ISFDB.com) lists at least some of his poetry publications going back to 2017, and his website has an interesting array of credentials and experiences, including doing things as a filmmaker. His bio in this book says his poem “Colony” took second place in the 2022 Dwarf Stars, “making him the first Black poet to place in the history of the competition.” This makes me think two things. First, according to the Science Fiction Awards Database (SFADB.com), the Dwarf Stars Award has been around since 2006—they obviously need to read more Black poets; it shouldn’t take that long and it shouldn’t be that rare. Second, Jamal Hodge may be new to me, but plenty of other people probably know about him. If you’ve never heard of him, reader, I’m glad I could introduce you.

The anthology Bestiary of Blood is packed with short entries, most of them fitting the “fable” vibe. Some even have a “moral” after the entry, similar to a number of versions of books of fables you probably grew up with. There are fifty-six entries in all by thirty-seven authors; most of the entries are fiction but the book is studded with a handful of poems, too. A number of these authors should need no introduction, especially if you are a genre reader. Steven Barnes has been in the science fiction game for a long time: if you read science fiction and don’t know who he is then you don’t know much about science fiction. Akua Lezli Hope is one of those stars of poetry whose name should ring bells even if you don’t read poetry. There are horror legends like Linda D. Addison, Wrath James White, Tim Waggoner, and others; there are those folks who are well-known in genre circles, like Eugen Bacon, Christina Sng, and more; and a few names you may not recognize, but who might entertain you nonetheless. It’s a fascinating mix, many of them proven across a range of creative industries. I’ll discuss a handful of stories to give you a taste of what’s in store.

“The Cull” by Melanie Stormm is fun, weird, and clever. The structure is somewhat fable-like, and the writing is kind of exquisite—not flowery, but composed of careful sentences comporting a deliberate, erudite voice. We meet Mr. Midge, who thinks highly of himself and whose primary goal is to live as long as possible. The vibe here is reminiscent of A Bug’s Life, wherein Mr. Midge does things like go to see a doctor and makes sharp observations on the mating habits of spiders, but with the satirical gravitas that fables can pull off. The conclusion is satisfying – though Mr. Midge himself might strongly disagree; you’ll have to read the story to understand why! I recommend that you do.

“You Swallowed Your Tongue” by Geneve Flynn is brief but evocative, perhaps even as much poetry as it is a short story. It begins with a vengeful daughter and dark magic leveraged against her mother, in the form of the monstrous creatures pelesit and polong. Onomatopoeia draws the reader in and makes things somehow sharper and more experiential. Where the piece is most effective is in landing the turn, ultimately describing not just generational trauma but the ways those abuses continue to be passed down.

L.H. Moore’s “And Yet We Fly” is a vivid, gory, and pretty humorous story about an exchange between a rat and a pigeon. As the two consider a discarded piece of pizza, a couple of humans step into the scene, complicating things. The results are in some ways expected and in others surprising, while being very entertaining. The tale is brief, but Moore perfectly creates a scenario of complex comparisons, one which seems simplistic at a glance but offers room for deeper contemplation for those who seek it.

Kumbali Satori’s “Fool’s Gold” is more immersive than many of the other pieces, with a fine literary flourish. The narrative puts the reader into the experiences of King Bow, a fish determined to grow to greatness. First Bow has to survive as a tiny thing, and then Bow has to grow by consuming other small things. Of course, it never ends there. Where things lead speaks to futility perhaps, or perhaps cycles, or the idea that there is always a greater violence out there, waiting for you. It’s a quick but good read.

Cynthia Pelayo’s “Infinity Pool” is a meditation on art and sacrifice, wherein a singer has a supernatural connection to nightingales. The piece extends for a moment to things like urban living and perhaps our connection to nature, but comes back quickly to the singer’s intense relationship with the Night and its celebrated songbird. It is also, I think, about endless cycles, and the way that artistic individuals must constantly feed their creative spirits in order to keep creating. As a meditation, it’s lovely and dark and engaging. Fitting the book, it also comes to an appropriately gruesome conclusion.

“The Hyena and the Rhino” by Rob Cameron is dark and beautiful and definitely one of my favorites. The prose is wonderful and the structure is perfect; in fact, this is something I’d love to see read by Levar Burton. At the center of things is an old rhino who, apparently, once killed a lion, and uses this to exert strict control over the herd. A hyena is always on the periphery, with its own agendas, but underscoring truths as sharp as its teeth in its sly observations. The final movement of the story demonstrates mastery in storytelling, being thoughtful and provocative and just about as flawless as an ending could be.

LeVar, if you’re out there, seriously . . .

If you like shorter pieces and if you like horror you will find a lot to enjoy in this book. With so many entries to read, it is perhaps inevitable that some won’t land for any given reader. That said, I enjoyed many of these works, including a few that I’ll be thinking about for a while, and one or two that have made me curious about what else those authors have written . . . and friends, for me, that is one of the truly gorgeous things about anthologies: discovering authors whose work you will love.