Review: Shards by Shane Jiraiya Cummings

West Australian short story scribe and HorrorScope creator Shane Jiraiya Cummings takes readers on a literary journey into the depraved depths of monsters, murder and mayhem in his debut collection of horror works Shards. Featuring 40 flash-fiction morsels (tales that are 1000 words or less) and spanning Cummings career to date, Shards is a beautifully illustrated [by Andrew J. McKiernan] collection of horror-themed works that highlight the emergence of a rising talent in the Australian horror scene.

The decision to create a single author collection in the flash fiction art form is a risky one, given that it is a form equally loved and hated by authors and readers because of its often stripped-back, one-scene nature, but pays handsomely for an author who has become one of the country’s premier writers in the form. Cummings has long been an advocate for the style, and Shards shows that when done right, the micro form can be as powerful and lasting as any form of longer works.

The book itself is divided into themes, cataloguing a breadth of work that ranges from dark and twisted to subtle and perverse. As with any single-author collection that deals an expanded timeframe of an author's work, the strength of individual stories vary from piece to piece, but given the in-and-out nature of the format, it is very easy to quickly find something that you like.

Standouts likely to tickle your fancy include the excellent Stealing Fire, Spin the Witch Bottle, On Dark Clouds Borne, the Cruel Summer series, Congo Jenga and Wrack.

At its finest, Cummings' work possesses a King-like quality, creating rich and colourful characters in a handful of words, and using a well-restrained hand that suggests that dark and subtle supernatural horrors are at play with well-timed exits, but others may be drawn to his black humour and strong exploration of themes and morals.

As with all collections, some of his work – particularly a few of those exclusive to the collection – miss the mark, but for the most part, this is an impressive and encouraging work that says just as much about the author as it does the art form. Well worth a read.

Shards is available through the Brimstone Press website for $17.95.