On Darkened Wings and Other Short Horrors
Winona Morris
Independently published (November 27, 2024)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
This is Winona Morris’s first collection and I’m hoping to see more from her. Between these pages are fifteen stories that could happen anywhere, which is part of the genius of her storytelling like Stephen King. Each story starts out so normally and then goes dark very fast and by the end, I’m left wondering how what happened was allowed to happen. The title story On Darkened Wings is perhaps my favorite for it ruthlessly illustrates how barbaric human beings can be when we find someone that is not like us. The poor Nephilim never had a chance in the story and died a terrible, painful death at the hands of “supposed” Christians, which brings into question who is truly holy and pure and who is not? I really identified with the Nephilim and was horrified in the way he died.
My next favorite was The Grass is Lava. It brought back some nostalgia for the game I played as a kid, but then it took a dark and twisted turn and there was no going back for any of the characters. They either had consciouses or no moral ineptitudes. And that’s kind of what I feel I would learn if the world was slowly ending like this. I wouldn’t want to be eaten to death by backyard plants. What a horrible way to go! *shivers*
If that wasn’t bad enough, there’s the lady who accidentally cut off parts of her fingers and they get cooked into her husband’s chili. Turns out her husband really has a taste for meat and wants seconds, which she wasn’t prepared for and a fight ensues. The fear of being eaten is one of the oldest for mankind and for good reason. It kept us alive from large predators when we had no way to defend ourselves, but to run away. But does this lady really get away? Even if she survives, she will live with the horror of that night in her mind for the rest of her existence. Talk about dark and twisted. Loved it!
Then there was the dark and very short story, She Loved Him Dearly So… in which the witch refuses to give up the man that she loves to another. Wait until you see the spell she puts on him towards the end. This just goes to show how dark and vengeful a human heart can be.
The rest of the stories in this collection are equally dark, funny, and twisted. I assure you. The kept me turning page after page quickly to see what happens next. Winona Morris is The Mistress of Body Horror and I’m waiting to see what else is sitting in the dark recesses of her mind to be spilled out onto the page. Waiting and hoping I get to read it soon. Please let it be soon!
