Mark Allen Vann's "Eight Against the Darkness" is an anthology in the New Pulp vein from Xepico Press, which includes tales of intriguing characters wrestling against examples of the Darkness: amorphous, adversarial incarnations and crafty situations that manifest among varying time periods and locales, in each instance different (in shape, scope and circumstance), but eternally the same for all their vexing intent.
To make his idea work, Vann's tales are a cross between Ray Bradbury and Akira Kurasawa, but his fluid expression is the real standout: as unique as any and all parts of his sprawling anthology. His words brew poetry, and his installments become poetry, at least of the somber, Poe-esque kind. There's also a healthy dash of Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft in Vann's fearless flavor. The formula makes his protagonists and scenarios intense and invigorating, page after page, story after story.
The magnificent eight consist of Corr, a warrior prince and son of a witch, not to mention, the fierce protector of the pursued, golden-haired Luthena; Alistair Synne, a pistol-blasting ghoul hunter, up against odds few would have the courage to face; Redd Havick, a cunning, female pirate-captain of the skies, who embarks on a mission of chase and subsequent peril; Thomas Greyclaw, a gargoyle-morphing, Arapaho avenger who engages the beautiful, blood-sucking Lady Ambrosia and her taunting, mystical mirror; Nathan Porter (aka the Revenant), a masked vigilante on the trail of Rigor Mortis, a serial killer puppeteered by the insidious Lord Gaunt; Crypt Bannon, a stalwart voyager on a mission for his friend, William Wallace Danvers, whose sister has vanished after investigating the mysterious Sons of Anubis; Blake Spector, an occult detective who ventures forth to find a friend trapped in an unworldly region; and Mary Minerva, a telekinetic magician's assistant who learns that parlor tricks can prove most enlightening if guided by a mentor of legendary lore.
The enclosed evils prod each archetype to summon special abilities in times of strife and crisis. Darkness, after all, is never easy to overcome, no matter how, where or when it strikes, but Vann demonstrates that it holds little leverage when matched against those of valorous heart.
That's what makes the author's endeavor so inspiring. His entries unnerve, please and guide, no matter the given genre. And as much as his yarns are linked by an allegorical thread, they do stand on their own, each worthy of sequelization.
I love this anthology. I love its sense of unapologetic, conscientious adventure. On this basis, Vann's Guardians of Earth make him a most remarkable raconteur. Indeed, he's cut straight from classic-pulp cloth, as is the extraordinary "Eight Against the Darkness".
Order your copy at
https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Against-Darkness-Mark-Allen/dp/173451180X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=eight+against+the+darkness&qid=1599590089&sr=8-1.
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