Review by Elouise Hobbs

The self-published anthology by Cardiff University’s Creative Writing Society, which celebrates and examines internal and external darkness, contains a unique collection of short stories, flash fiction and poetry.

Not only did Cardiff students write the content, but a member of the society also designed the front cover. This, their third anthology, shows the development of the society, exemplified in the range of the pieces.

It explores the nature of dreams, time and space and questions of human nature. The theme of darkness is interesting; darkness is embodied in many forms but is not always presented in the menacing nature, which is expected. It is surprising when the darkness becomes light and even comic at times.

I found the form of texts impressive as they ranged from traditional poems, which subvert the fairytale genre to diary entries, which began at the end, making it intriguing to read.

Considering the limited amount of words, the short stories achieved a lot as they were fast paced and very complex, establishing character, setting and mood with a few carefully placed words. The fifty-page anthology is good value for money, with the pieces enclosed being worthy of publication and all profits going to the Alzheimer’s society.

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Copies of Let The Darkness in will be on sale from 10.30am on Tuesday 11th February in the Humanities Cafe at Cardiff University.

The anthology costs only £3 and all profits made will go to charity.

Digital copies are available from Amazon here: http://t.co/xGBejwVxk

For further information and to obtain a physical copy of the anthology at a later date,
please contact the president of the society, Freddie Rochez.