Short story anthologies are typically a mixed bag, and Dark Faith: Invocations, edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon, was exactly that.

Whenever I pick one up, I try to stifle any expectations I might have based on the title or theme. And as I grow older and a little more cynical, my expectations anymore tend to decrease. So I was pleasantly surprised at just how entertaining many of these stories are.

Dark Faith: Invocations has some very familiar names in the speculative fiction genre, such as Tom Piccirilli, Tim Waggoner, Mike Resnick, and Max Allan Collins. And I’m sure many fans are also familiar with the writings of Jay Lake, Nick Mamatas, and Lucy Snyder, to mention just a few more authors.

But the stories indeed are a mixed bag, mostly involving, or revolving around, a supreme being, or a supposed supreme being. Some of the stories that will leave you thinking, or at least gnaw away at your brain like a song you just can’t get out of your head include “Thou Art God,” by Tim Waggoner, “Night Train,” by Alma Alexander, and “A Strange Form of Life, “ by Laird Barron. For the most part, reading Dark Faith: Invocations, was a fun experience. The stories were different and at times somewhat challenging. And if you don’t like one particularly well, you just might love the next. And the key part I mention is that it was a fun experience. When reading isn't fun, then it is work. And who doesn't like fun? ( )

Even the very best anthologies are inconsistent, and this one is no exception, but very few horror anthologies can fairly be called this ambitious. In fact, despite the cover and the publisher's pedigree, it might be unfair to call this simply a "horror" anthology. Stories like "The Cancer Catechism" and "Little Lies, Dear Leader," while certainly dark and disturbing, are hardly supernatural at all. And some of the truly supernatural stories are downright funny. Most likely you will love some of these stories--I found "Fin de Siecle" to be one of the stand-outs--you will find some to be simply mediocre, and I found a couple to be too fringe and experimental to be interesting. The only thing I can guarantee is that you will definitely bump into one or two that will stick with you long after you've closed one set of covers and pulled up another. ( )

Attempting to provide a summary judgment for an anthology is always a difficult task. Placing such a value on a compilation that is as esoteric, nontraditional, and diverse as Dark Faith: Invocations is practically impossible. The best one-liner that I can think of is this (and admittedly very middle of the road): you will likely enjoy many of these stories and dislike many as well.

Each of these stories attempts to blend various religious themes with either the horror or science fiction genres. For that reason alone, I think this book has value. I found many of the stories to be incredibly compelling, particularly the ones that attempt to anthropomorphize God or bring the immaterial into the material world. Looking back, my favorites included:

"Thou Art God" - where an ordinary man is given awesome powers.
"The Angel Seems" - with shades of a Grimm Fairy Tale, an angel offers to protect a village for a price
"Coin Drop" - what happens when an ordinary vending machine starts giving out goodies much better than Hershey bars...

Some of the stories that went went South for me often were too off-the-wall, even for a compilation such as this, or were written in a style that I just couldn't connect with. A redeeming factor, though, is that all the stories are fairly short, so you don't waste too much time on the chaff.

In sum, I would say that a handful of these are very good, a larger chunk are interesting-but-not-great, and about six or seven are a bit of a chore to plow through. All said, I think that is a pretty good record for an anthology that is as daring in its purpose as this one. ( )

I couldn't get through it. The violence was too much for me. For all that, it was well written. Vividly described. Tension. Suspense. Tragedy too. I wanted something encouraging, and didn't find that here. Each story seems to portray a unique bizarre, twisted reality where there is no comfort, no safety, and nothing to trust. ( )

I'm 85% through Dark Faith, Invocations, and trying to slow myself down so I can enjoy it longer. This is hands down one of the most diverse and interesting new Sci-Fi/dark fiction anthologies I've come across. The stories run the gamut from humor (what would it be like to live in God's brain), to dark horror (fungi-become god slowly overtake humanity), to thoughtful reflections on the nature of faith and the role of a god (or lack thereof) in our own lives (what kind of god would you create if you could select your own?) I found Jay Lake's thoughts on the role of religion in a cancer patient particular moving, given his personal health difficulties. There are many stories that examine "the holy" external to a Judeo/Christian perspective. Definitely recommended as a must-read.