Channel The Dark

Welcome, welcome, my dear Darklings and (dis)Members, to Channel The Dark.

 

It is with great pleasure that I accept your submission, for I was running low on souls and servants. Front desk tells me it’s time for a seasonal restock, and what better way to celebrate this opening volume of Channel The Dark than with some new blood. These writers are hungry, talented, dedicated to their craft…but sometimes the language they use and the situations they describe are not for little ears. Consider yourself warned!

 

The focus of this volume is to raise awareness of and funds for mental health services and suicide prevention, recognising the hard work and resilience of the staff and volunteers of SOSAD Ireland. It is also intended to introduce you, our readers, to the work of new and upcoming writers in the genres of dark speculation.

 

I would like to convey my gratitude to Bekka Björke for donating original artwork for the cover of this volume. Her generosity is very much appreciated.

 

This volume is divided into two sections, opening with our (dis)Members – those who have promised their souls to me – and then showcasing the work of our Authors, those who are already lost to the whims and woes of intra-dimensional reality. This latter section will feature new and original work, as well as new insights into previously published work, in the forms of extracts from their novels accompanied by explanations as to their emotional background and why the author was moved to write these integral pieces.

 

We open this inaugural volume with the visually immersive novella Eidetic by Angus Cree, playing out a dark conspiracy in a future inspired by the ‘Bladerunner’ universe. We then move on with justified trepidation to James Dwyer’s We Do What We Must, a vision of an apocalyptic world in which living Curses move among us, toying with us as they feed. Next, Gary J. Martin takes us on a lyrical quest to rescue the damsel, in The Metaphor.

 

Gestalt by David Noone is a mournful eulogy-in-waiting, as a young man with strange powers is manipulated by those who might otherwise guide him. Then we put our pedal to the metal to bring you Taxicab to Venus, the first of two very different offerings by Joseph Learoyd. A soulful poem breaks our stride and implores us to recognise the threat posed by unchecked trauma, in When There Is No Light by Marie Lyons.

 

Glen Brady-Power’s Phobia tells us of a young man suffering from the curse of being misunderstood. A New Past, a heartfelt tale of a boy clinging desperately to painful memories, introduces us to Derek Boyd; while the second story by Joseph Learoyd – Sinus – takes us nose first through the streets of Victorian London, sniffing out murder most foul. Closing Part 1 is Reflected Illusions, another soul-searching poem by Gary J. Martin (author of Knight of Gaelgara).

 

But wait! In Part 2, you pass into the realm of our Authors, where more wonders await…

 

As well as some who have dared compose something new without my permission, our Authors betray me further! They wish for you, their readers, to know the thoughts, fears, and motivations behind some of their work to date. I will allow you to peruse these insights, appreciate their messages, and be inspired to support the burgeoning careers of those who have helped us come to this stage.

 

We open Part 2, then, with the work of Ishmael A. Soledad, our first author, who explores an unprecedented awakening of past lives in Jesus Just Left Chicago. He then allows us a glimpse into his psyche, taking us behind selected scenes of Sha’Kert: End of Night, his Ditmar-nominated and Publishers-Weekly-reviewed Sci-Fi drama.

 

Ronald A. Geobey’s Fensham’s Wake is next – an epic poem weaving a tale of treachery and spiritual enlightenment. He then opens up about some emotional scenes in his action-packed Space Opera, Pawns of The Prophet. Daniel Wade regales us with Carnivals of Heaven, Wonderlands of Hell – a gritty story set in contemporary Dublin, as something strange occurs during an otherwise straightforward burglary – before revealing some harsh truths behind A Land Without Wolves.

 

Tyler E. C. Burnworth is next, with a personal reflection on mental health issues, before adding depth to scenes from his blistering Military Sci-Fi thrillers, Redshift and Apogee. Last, but by no means least, Nick Carlson speaks of the personal influences behind some of the early scenes in his creepy novel, Hell’s Gulf, as he introduces you to its protagonist, Rowan Vane.

 

As editor of this volume, Ronald A. Geobey closes it with a new short poem, The Candelabra, an allegorical piece about appreciating the present moment.

 

For it is all we ever have.

 

The Gatekeeper

Temple Dark Books

May 2023