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BOOKS  Shards (Brimstone Press, 2009)"With Shards, author Shane Jiraiya Cummings and artist Andrew J. McKiernan take us on a guided tour of the darkest backroads of the imagination. It is wonderfully moody and creepy." – Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Patient Zero and The Wolfman "Shane Jiraiya Cummings with Shards shows he is not only a master of the flash fiction style of writing but has pretty much written the definitive statement on how it should work. The collection is a strong statement on the validity of an internet-driven writing style and is a must have for any collector of Australian Dark Fiction." – Jeff Ritchie, ScaryMinds "Shards is a superior collection of over thirty pieces of flash fiction by a writer who not only loves the form, but also clearly deeply understands it ... Together, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Andrew McKiernan and Brimstone Press have collaborated to create a superior collection in Shards, filled with fantastic illustrations and razor-sharp flash fiction that won’t disappoint fans of the form, and may even create some new ones, given the chance. – Martin Livings, Australian Specfic In Focus "Shards is an exceptional demonstration of the art of the very short story ... Cummings’s writing is evocative, visual, and confident, managing to capture a multitude of differing voices and images within the confines of a very minimalist medium ... The overall experience of Shards is that of a dizzying, vivid, frightening rollercoaster ride, plunging the reader repeatedly into dark and horrible places, only to climb up toward the light for a gulp of air before dropping sharply into another nightmare. All lovers of dark fiction will find something to cherish here, and those who appreciate high quality artwork will enjoy McKiernan’s touches, too." – Felicity Dowker, The Specusphere "Cummings' work possesses a Stephen King-like quality, creating rich and colourful characters in a handful of words... Well worth the read." – Mark Smith-Briggs, HorrorScope “Shards cuts you right open and then sets about infecting the wound. Cummings' prose is as the title suggests: short, sharp, and deadly. The tales themselves are relentless, battering you with their suggestive intensity or mocking with bleak humour. Add to this darkly disturbing illustrations by Andrew McKiernan and Shards is one hell of a nightmare." – Dr Marty Young, President, Australian Horror Writers Association. “If flash fiction is the distinctive form of our internet age—and everything points that way—then I can’t think of a better demonstration of the art than Shards." – Richard Harland, award-winning author of The Black Crusade and World Shaker. "Shards offers a worthy selection of short-short stories that reflects the author’s prominence in the contemporary upsurge of 'flash fiction' among Australian horror writers. It is varied, the stories sometimes giving a short sharp jolt, sometimes evoking a creeping dread, and at other times, suggesting a world that has already slipped over into darkness. Fans of the short-short form will welcome this darkly entertaining foray into a world gone subtly—and, at times, unsubtly—askew, from one of Australia’s 'new bloods' of horror. Combined with a wealth of evocative illustrations from Andrew McKiernan, Shards represents a unique horror experience." – Robert Hood, the 'Godfather of Aussie Horror' and award-winning author of Creeping in Reptile Flesh. "Shards is a maelstrom of words and images that delivers intense stories and repeated sucker punches to the emotions." – Sharyn Lilley, Eneit Press PUBLICATIONS (as Editor)  Midnight Echo
#2 (AHWA, 2009)"Midnight Echo offers a wide range of styles and themes that wrenched my eyes open to the possibilities of the genre, from almost-believable twists on everyday themes to the completely off the wall. This magazine is highly recommended as a showcase of local and international talent, and a must-add to the regular reading list of anyone with a reasonably strong constitution." – Damien Smith, The Specusphere "Challis and Cummings aimed for an Australian feel to this issue, and in that, they have succeeded. Midnight Echo continues to be a great showcase of dark fiction writers that is maintaining an extremely high standard." – Stephanie Gunn, HorrorScope  Black Box (Brimstone Press, 2008)"Black Box, the sequel to Shadow Box, is a superb gathering of a multitude of different artistic talents, covering authors (some of Australia’s finest in the genre and some exciting new voices), alternative musicians, and visual artists. I was amazed at the range of skill on display. "Black Box is a perfect fit with Shane’s other current major project, Black magazine. He and Angela Challis have produced an excellent publication delving into the alternative dark culture swirling beneath Australia’s apathetic, middle class exterior. Black Box furthers ones education along this alternative path. "I applaud Shane’s administrative skills in bringing together 95 authors, musicians, and graphic artists, to produce an amazing product. Included is a bonus audio CD containing the music in the anthology, so you can take the lingering seeds of fear you’ve just read with you." – Brenton Tomlinson, HorrorScope "The authors have really outdone themselves and, I suspect, in some instances let themselves go to places they’d not been before. Some stories are downright chilling, painting vivid moments of despair, rage, and chaos. Others cover some very bleak and disturbing territory – deals with devils, prayers answered in twisted miracles, murderous family tragedies – Black Box has them all ... This really must have been a mammoth project to bring together: kudos to Shane Jiraiya Cummings for the effort." – Ross Murray, The Specusphere  Shadow Box (Brimstone Press, 2005)"I haven’t been this excited by a project for quite some time now; as a writer and reader of dark fiction for twenty nine years, the prospect of seventy tales from sixty six authors is what makes a job like this so enjoyable. The ‘box’ is exquisitely packaged, with excellent graphics and sound effects (including a delightful ‘X-ray gallery’) to complement the works of fiction within, and the Box, and its hundred and twenty four pages made clearer for me what it is that I love (and loathe) regarding horror fiction. "... it is clear to see that the Shadow Box project was a worthy undertaking, featuring some masterful examples of flash fiction from some truly talented writers. The fact that I have come away from the readings, as enthusiastic as when I began, informs me that contemporary horror is well and truly alive and at only $3 a copy, with the profits going to the Red Cross and AHWA, this is a definite must to add to your reading list in 2006." – Mark Deniz, Australian Specfic In Focus "The delivery is outstanding. I include the overt elements which have been the subject of much interest among the net-based genre community; elements such as the consistently disturbing art throughout, and the sound-bite media elements (ghostly children, squeaking bats, thunder, X-ray machines and the like). Shane Jiraiya Cummings has a very polished artistic style and a good sense of eerie, although the next edition better have animation and non-linear internal navigation to really suck the marrow out of “multi-media” and come away from the edge even bloodier from the cuts. "Most importantly, the editorial arrangement of the content – prose, art, sounds – makes Shadow Box stick together like congealed blood. The pacing and the coherent arrangement into sections made the whole package greater than the sum of the parts. The editing work by Angela Challis and partner Cummings is better than in any collection of flash-fic this reviewer has seen. I wet my pants with appreciation, and came away remembering only a small amount of the specifics, but I know I had a good time. Brilliant." – Bryn Sparks, Australian Specfic In Focus SHORT STORIES The Cutting Room (first published in Gratia Placenti, 2007) "Cummings didn't disappoint, with the mortuary tale "The Cutting Room" proving to be precise in its lines and harbouring another twisted concept. Cummings is really getting down to where the metal meets the flesh with this story." – Jeff Ritchie, ScaryMinds ""The Cutting Room" by our own Shane Jiraiya Cummings is an amazing tale that many of you will already be aware of. This was the first time I’d had the pleasure of reading it. Shane easily translates the cold and clinical world of the morgue onto the pages and then adds a good measure of dark to disturb the reader. Then he twists, repulsing and yet drawing in the viewer so in the end, the tale will linger in the minds of the anthology reader for some time to come." – Brenton Tomlinson, HorrorScope "Set in a morgue, "The Cutting Room" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings, read by Damaris Mannering, is a graphic description of the autopsy of a barely dead young woman. The narrative creates rising tension on several levels as the supercilious pathologist humiliates his inexperienced assistant, who is simultaneously embarrassed and aroused by the spectacle, and the reader cannot help anticipating the resolution—or otherwise—of this visceral tale. That it concludes with a supernatural encounter is not necessarily surprising, but the ending, though satisfying, hints of more to come." – Paul S. Jenkins, The Fix Prescience (first published in Borderlands #8, 2007) “Prescience could only have been written by Shane Jaraiya Cummings. It’s the kind of off-beaten path of Gestalt that I expect from this writer and editor of the surreal. A simple, straight forward and yet bizarre story that captures an idea, a moment and makes it resonate.” – Paul Mannering, Australian Specfic In Focus Genesis Six (first published in Apex Digest #8, 2007) “This is one of those stories that absolutely only makes sense in the last sentence, but Cummings makes the journey a tense, fascinating, and enjoyable one. Libby is driving, trying to get her daughter Jessica away from a darkness that seems to be eating everything, much like the Nothing in The Neverending Story. They are heading towards the light, which Libby is convinced will provide some sort of safety. Tightly written, well paced, this story is fantastic.” – Alexandra Pierce, Australian Specfic In Focus "Creates a nice sense of menace at the encroaching darkness, as well as evoking a sense of panic." – Ben Payne, Australian Specfic In Focus Stealing Fire (first published in Book of Shadows, 2006) “Shane Jiraiya Cummings’ story about a disturbed loner seeking revenge on the elemental force that took his family from him, entitled “Stealing Fire”, is a case in point. The central character emerges so fully formed, and the story is packed with so much intense and unsettling emotion, that it feels genuinely epic, despite being only 800 words long.” – Tim Kroenert, Australian Specfic In Focus “One day a collection of the truly best dark fiction will be released, and when that happens, Shane Jiraiya Cummings’ “Stealing Fire” will be included. This is unique and weird and stands out as one of this collection’s best.” – Paul Mannering, Australian Specfic In Focus Love in the Land of the Dead (first published in ASIM #22) “Love in the Land of the Dead, which demonstrates that survival in a world overrun by zombies, is all about keeping a Zen attitude. It’s a well written and deliberately gruesome piece of flash fiction, but nothing heavy man.” – Kathryn Linge, Australian Specfic In Focus Congo Jenga (first published in Shadowed Realms #8, 2005) “For skin-crawling and gory, "Congo Jenga" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings is top stuff. In this vignette, we see a sick pervert on the receiving end of voodoo justice, the victim of a curse that evokes the feel of Thinner by Stephen King. I almost had to read this one peering out between my fingers, and despite being subeditor of this magazine, I feel Cummings is more than justified in presenting this fine offering.” – Jason Fischer, Tangent Online "It’s rare for a short story to be perfectly well-rounded, but "Congo Jenga" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings felt like a faultless, brutal sphere. It’s short, sweet – and no holds barred as our protagonist does battle with a parasite for transgressions committed in the wilds of Congo. Shane’s sentences come off nicely timed, with just the proper intervals. What wonders lie in store as he develops his themes?" – Matthew Tait, HorrorScope "And I'll certainly never travel to Africa, ever, if any part of Shane Jiraiya Cumming's story, “Congo Jenga” is true. Not that I'd be at any risk, because I don't do horrible things to native boys, but who knows how else I might cause offence? Then I'd be stuck with a knife, trying to … oh, it's too horrible." – Devin Jeyathurai, Australian Specfic In Focus Cruel Summer (first published in Shadow Box, 2005) "The only author who pens more than one story is editor Shane Jiraiya Cummings with his “Cruel Summer” series. These include (Sand), (Sun), (Sky), (Surf) and (Shadow) and overall these were very engaging, I felt that (Surf) was easily the best, with (Sky) the weakest link in the chain. The quintet has a pervading disturbance that the events in (Surf) bring to the fore and that (Sky) didn’t deal with with enough impact. A day at the beach will never be the same however..." – Mark Deniz, Australian Specfic In Focus Ian (first published in Ticonderoga Online #5, 2005) "A world where all the men are called Ian? Sounds like it would send me loopy… but this is the world that Shane Jiraiya Cummings’ narrator of “Ian” inhabits. She grows up in (very) rural Tasmania, knowing only Ians… and things don’t change so much when she leaves home. It sounds so inane, so innocuous - it’s just a name, after all - but Cummings turns it into something much more than that. This is a thoroughly engaging story." – Alexandra Pierce, Australian Specfic In Focus "“Ian" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings, is a very different tale from the first and definitely keeps the tension building throughout. The premise of the story, as given in the title and the first line—"Every man I've ever met has been named Ian. I'm not exaggerating."—is strange enough, and it kept me sufficiently intrigued to really want to get to the end. "Beginning with what might be small-town-weirdness, an isolated character describes the various 'Ians' who enter her life - the only men she has ever known. But, as the larger world is revealed around her, we begin to realise that this is not just case of rednecks with a penchant for Gaelic variations on the name John. "I found "Ian" to be quite creepy—aren't most 'Ians' a little creepy? Imagine a world full of them! That's creepy to me!—and I rushed to the end of the story eagerly anticipating an answer, a revelation as satisfying as the rest of the tale. Unfortunately the "whys" and "hows" weren't really on offer. The tale ends well, but safely, leaving me a little unsatisfied after such a peculiar premise and strong beginning. This is definitely the 'Gonzo' tale of the issue though and I've come to realise that all Ians dwell in the very, very deepest crevice of the Uncanny Valley. I'll never meet another Ian in quite the same way again.” – Andrew McKiernan, HorrorScope A Killer Smile (first published in Antipodean SF #88, 2005) “"A Killer Smile" by Shane Jiraiya Cummings is definitely the stand-out story for this issue. This is how flash fiction should be written—sharp, brilliant images conjured by amazingly few words. Cummings’ aptitude for flash fiction is evident in every carefully chosen phrase.” – Stephanie Gunn, HorrorScope |