VARYING DISTANCES by Darren Speegle_Review

Prepare to lose yourself in the mesmerizing voice and worldview of author Darren Speegle…

“Speegle’s delicious evocation of landscape delivers the reader, quite seamlessly, from places of precisely-evoked geography into landscapes of haunting spiritual menace…” – Graham Joyce

In his latest short story collection of dark, unsettling tales, Darren Speegle takes us on a journey through the textured layers of time and space. From Flower Age Ibiza, Spain to present-day war-torn Iraq, from the mysteries of America’s Deep South to those of a haunting future landscape where humans and machines are virtually indistinguishable, these stories explore what it is to be us among the varying distances.

   An infamous German writer searches for the meaning of consciousness.

A future artist is forced by a cult leader to try to capture his soul in a portrait..

An American contractor working a camp gate in Iraq is confronted by incoming vehicles the likes of which he has never seen before.

A godlike being welcomes in Halloween with a special device. 

A hitman tries to determine which woman among a party of three is the android, his target.

This surreal collection includes:
Introduction by Jeffrey Thomas
In the Distance, a Familiar Sound
The Flesh Winks While the Ghost Weeps
The Staging Yard
For Love of War
Balearic Moon
A Carousel of Faces
Death Paper Burn
Twinkle, Twinkle, Amsterdam
That’s the Game
Song in a Sundress
A Puddle in the Wilderness
Nowhere

“There is much poetry in these pages. It is a major component of the original voice of Darren Speegle… And his dialogue? Throughout, it sings, and scintillates. It’s one of his strongest virtues.” – Jeffrey Thomas

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Darren Speegle is the author of seven books, including his recently released debut novel The Third Twin (Crystal Lake Publishing).

His second novel, Artifacts, is due in 2018, while a third, The World Is My Oyster, has recently been completed. His fifth short story collection, A Haunting in Germany and Other Stories, was released in 2016 by PS Publishing.

His short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in numerous venues, including Analog, Best New Horror 28, Subterranean, Cemetery Dance, Clarkesworld, Postscripts, ChiZine, Crimewave, The Third Alternative (now Black Static), Fantasy, Dark Discoveries, and Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy.

His human-evolution-themed anthology Adam’s Ladder (co-edited with Michael Bailey) was released in September 2017 by Written Backwards Press.

A widely traveled American, Darren often sets his stories in exotic or interesting places where he has lived (Germany, Alaska, Southeast Asia) or otherwise explored (broader Europe). Between gigs as a federal contractor in the Middle East, Darren resides in Thailand. When not writing, he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and biking.

Varying Distances by Darren Speegle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: VARYING DISTANCES by Darren Speegle


I approach any book by Darren Speegle, whether a novel or story collection, with a sense of breathless expectancy and awareness that my mind is about to be expanded beyond its previous limitations. This man is a certified genius. Within a short time, I have read his collection CRIES FROM THE STATIC, and now the collection VARYING DISTANCES. I literally perceive my mind and imagination stretching to untold distances and directions. Whether he explores the Inner Landscape, or the Cosmos unfolded, author Darren Speegle is The Man.