A Review of 'Eyes In All Shadows & Other Stories'

A book that's as terrifying as it is entertaining.

Sometimes, we have to look to darkness in order to see the light.

No better is this exemplified than within the Horror genre. At its best, a good Horror story can truly embody what it means to experience emotions such as pain and loss, along with the elation that comes from ultimately facing your fears. It should be no surprise, then, that Horror has often been intermingled with the Fantasy and Swords-and-Sorcery genres for as long as we can remember. Classic tales told by the likes of Robert E. Howard, HP Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and more show that something exceptional can truly be made when your protagonist is likewise made vulnerable and tested by something they don’t quite understand.

It’s a tale as old as pulp storytelling itself; and in many ways, I would venture to say that Fantasy and Horror go together much like peanut butter and jelly. They are both an inseparable pair, and when done right, they can be the uncontested cream of the crop for the entire medium.

I am glad to say that Eyes In All Shadows, penned by author Rob Rimes, belongs right alongside this set of venerated classics. Now being the third canonical release in the Barbarians of the Storm anthology, it’s not only a brilliant collection of Horror-themed short-stories, that thrills as much as it entertains, but I also believe it’s his best work yet, and a testament to the revival of pulp as a renewed art form.

Now before I go into further detail and break down the different aspects of this anthology, I will go ahead and impart my overall impressions of the book. Although this is technically the third published book within a pre-established series, Eyes In All Shadows comes with the added benefit of being disconnected, almost in its entirety, from the other two Barbarians of the Storm novellas. In essence, it’s simply a collection of six unique short-stories that each do a wonderful job of expanding the undeniably savage, albeit comedic at times, world in which these characters find themselves.

The greatest advantage here is that you do not need any prior knowledge of Barbarians of the Storm, in order to enjoy this one to its fullest.

First off, I will go ahead and name the positives I found while reading. If you have read any of Rob Rimes’ previous stories, then you will know that as a writer, he is clearly very talented at infusing both his setting and characters with a wealth of personality, coupled with a healthy dose of “B-Movie”-style humor. And although each of these stories are relatively short in their length - approximately 30 pages on average - not a second is wasted in establishing the motivations of each character or faction, nor the heightened drama in which they find themselves in.

Thankfully, moments like these are many. In fact, I would even venture to say that character is the most important aspect to Eyes In All Shadows, as there is some truly inspired character development that goes on in each major event. Most of the people you once knew as little other than side characters are now given full screen-time. And some you may even find yourself rooting for more than even the main characters in the series. This is not a weakness in the writing for characters such as Dan or Fenrik, as I quite enjoyed them both in Dan the Destructor and Atomic Beasts. Instead, it shows that Rimes has really honed his craft here.

I can now say comfortably, for example, that Erzulyn is my personal favorite character in the series, due to the harrowing journey she is given here. But yours may well be different; therein lies the magic.

In addition, Eyes In All Shadows will make you feel the hardships that its characters are put through, and the resolve that’s formed as a result of such trauma. There are even some sensitive subjects brought up here and there, such as rape and the murdering of infants. Yet even so, these are always painted with broad enough strokes so that they never become distracting, and they are only there to sell the true horror and savagery of this world along with some of its more sinister denizens.

Now, as for negatives, I found that there were surprisingly few to mention during my read, as I enjoyed almost all of the plotting and character growth that’s present here. However, there are a couple I think that are still worth mentioning.

As I’ve said before, Rob is very talented when it comes to mixing in humor with his stories, all without compromising its more serious dramatic moments. In contrast, there is much less humor in this entry, in particular, which fits in well with some of the heavier subject matter that’s here. This is not so much a negative in itself as it is just more of something to keep in mind when reading. Aside from the occasional comedic reprieve with either Fenrik or Frank, these stories are, in fact, much darker than what has transpired before (or after, since this is a prequel).

Meanwhile, the only legitimate piece of critique I have (and this is little more than nitpicking on my part) is that the use of punctuation can sometimes break the pace and halt the flow of the story. This is not commonplace enough to be distracting, mind you, but it is sometimes a minor annoyance, emphasis being on the minor.

On a final note, for those who are not familiar with the Barbarians of the Storm franchise, the writing does primarily take place in the present-tense, as it’s often used to deliver the drama with a greater sense of poignancy and gusto. Personally, I think this works quite well overall as a stylistic decision. Yet if you’re annoyed by this sort of technique, then it’s certainly something to be aware of.

With all of that said, however, I would deeply and heartily recommend this latest entry in the Barbarians of the Storm series. Not only is it a byproduct of an author who has undoubtedly honed his craft to a fine edge over such a short time, but I believe it’s also a fine example of what can be accomplished with just the right blending of techniques, along with holding the proper respect for one’s own cast of characters.

You can find Eyes In All Shadows on Amazon, along with Rimes’ other works. Being about $14 Paperback (or $7.50 Kindle version), I can guarantee that it’s a whole hell of a lot of bang for your buck!