Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising

by Vince A. Liaguno (Editor), Paul Tremblay, Eric LaRocca

The third terrifying volume in the award-winning anthology series of original queer horror.

Like the final girl in a slasher film, the LGBTQIA community knows first-hand what it’s like to fight for its survival. Beaten and bloodied after an extended chase scene through modern-day politics and the courts, we think we’ve triumphed and conquered our oppressors. We breathe a little easier knowing our rainbow is ascending in the distance. But—like the indestructible slasher villain—our enemies rise up again and again, as if on a looping third-act jump scare. It’s a seemingly never-ending return to battle as the pendulum of progress swings back.

In this third volume of the award-winning anthology series, the darkest minds from both the LGBT+ and horror literary communities join forces to bring readers an all-new collection of terrifying tales from that line on the horizon where the dark rainbow rises.

Stories by Chad Helder, Hailey Piper, Mathew L. Reyes, A.P. Thayer, J. Daniel Stone, Yah Yah Scholfield, Oliver Nash, Holly Lyn Walrath, Paul Tremblay, Carmilla Voiez, James Cato, Lucy A. Snyder, Maxwell I. Gold, Zachary Rosenberg, Matthew Blain-Hartung, Maryse Meijer, Vincent Kovar, CG Inglis, Craig Laurance Gidney, Dan Coxon, Kaitlin Tremblay, Michael Thomas Ford, Craig Brownlie, Amanda M. Blake, Sara Tantlinger, and Eric LaRocca. Edited by Vince A. Liaguno.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2023

About the author

Vince Liaguno is the Bram Stoker Award-winning editor of UNSPEAKABLE HORROR: FROM THE SHADOWS OF THE CLOSET (Dark Scribe Press 2008), an anthology of queer horror fiction, which he co-edited with Chad Helder. His debut novel, 2006’s THE LITERARY SIX, was a tribute to the slasher films of the 80’s and won an Independent Publisher Award (IPPY) for Horror and was named a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards in the Gay/Lesbian Fiction category.

He also edited BUTCHER KNIVES & BODY COUNTS (Dark Scribe Press, 2011), a collection of essays on the formula, frights and fun of the slasher film, UNSPEAKABLE HORROR 2: ABOMINATIONS OF DESIRE (Evil Jester Press, 2017), and UNSPEAKABLE HORROR 3: DARK RAINBOW RISING (Crystal Lake Publishing, 2023). Most recently, he co-edited OTHER TERRORS: AN INCLUSIVE ANTHOLOGY (William Morrow Paperbacks, 2022), which was nominated for both the prestigious Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy Awards. His debut poetry collection, DEMO REELS AND ARTHOUSE MADNESS, releases February 2025 from Raw Dog Screaming Press.

He currently lives in the mitten-shaped state of Michigan, where he is a licensed nursing home administrator by day and a pop culture enthusiast by night whose jam is books, slasher films, and Jamie Lee Curtis. He is a member (and former Secretary) of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC).

Reviews

[Icy-Cobwebs-In-Space · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all the millennia of human existence, being Queer has been problematical...not due to its nature, rather due to what H. P. Lovecraft (an author himself WELL acquainted with Bigotry) termed "Fear of the Unknown." What humans don't understand, nor experience for themselves, is feared...and too often, Fear leads straight to hatred, rage, torment...
So for millenia, the simple fact of Being Queer has too often meant an existence of Horror.

As the foreword by Series editor Vincent Liaguno (this Anthology is the third iteration), the pendulum never rests, and when gains have been acquired, eventually losses will occur. Back and forth, ad infinitum.

The 27 stories collected here address that issue, both currently and historically. While it's tempting to think current anti-trends are new, that's just illusion. Look back, look closely, look within. Unfortunately the Rainbow has a Dark Side, and Horror is an aspect of life.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was great. The stories vary in tone and length and horror sub-genre, but they are curated well and they all feel like they belong together in this anthology. Not every story was great, but that's expected in any collection or anthology, and none of them were bad. Most of them were good, and there were a few that were really quite excellent. It was a fun collection to dive into, because you never knew what you would bring to the surface, be it something hopeful, disturbing, reactive, dark, or prophetic.

I would have loved to see some more stories in the body horror and folk horror genres, both of which feel remarkably receptive to queer narratives. There are tastes of them here, though, and the variety was enough that I enjoyed the journey that was put together. Definitely recommend for anyone interested in the genre of short-form horror.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first anthology book and I really enjoyed it! My favourite stories were:
Departures by Carmilla Voiez
Such a Lovely Place by Mathew L. Reyes
If Dillon Believed in Any Kind of Ghost by Paul Tremblay

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unspeakably thrilling, this is an excellent collection of diverse works from all subgenres of literary horror. Spanning different eras, from historical to ultra modern, and storytelling styles, including a few works of poetry, DARK RAINBOW RISING explores multiple aspects of the LGBTQ+ experience through the lens of the horror genre. From the surreal to the sublime, from gentle ghosts to the gruesome and grisly, this collection is gorgeously dark from beginning to end.

[Kurt Hohmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of tales was disturbing in all of the right, horror fiction ways. Each story contained one or more characters under the loose collective label of LGBTQIA, but that—and the element of horror—were the only common threads. Included here are tales of loss and others of retribution, stories of horrific discovery and attempts to brick up horrors of the past.

Vince A. Liagun, the editor, speaks via the introduction to the current political situation for the community. There are very real horrors in this modern world, horrors in the form of bigoted attitudes and hateful speech. The stories in this collection capture those horrors in the way that creative people always have; by revealing them in the light of day for what they are.

And yet—this collection is not simply a political diatribe, something that might only be appreciated by a limited audience. Horror done right invokes universal feelings: dread, fear of the unknown, the drop of cold sweat that runs down the spine upon hearing a strange noise in the dark of night. These things are not unique to LGBTQIA people, but cross the spectrum. Many of the tales in this collection had that effect on me, an admittedly privileged cis-het-white guy.

For horror fans of any label or category, this is well worth reading cover to cover.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an amazing collection of stories. I ripped through the entire book in a few days. I simply could not put it down. One riveting tale followed another. All superbly written and edited. All the best in horror. Apart from the LGBTQIA angle, the overarching theme in the majority of these tales is alienation. Perhaps that goes hand-in-hand with a LGBTQIA identity, but there is a sense of loneliness, revenge, and retributions singing from tale to tale - again all in the best tradition of horror.

Usually with an anthology of over 200 pages and 25 tales, a few bumps sneak in among the pile, but in this case I loved every single story. They grabbed your attention, they grabbed your throat, they grabbed the fear centers of your brain, and did not let go until the final period was placed on the last sentence.

This is essential horror with a LGBTQIA+ mixer. But the horror comes first and it comes thick and fast. While all of the stories have merit, I would like to call out a few of my favorites- “White Meat” by Lucy A. Snyder; “Dinosaur on the 18th Hole” by Kaitlin Tremblay; and “Such a Lovely Place” by Mathew L. Reyes. These three really stuck out for me.

[Anastacia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This horror anthology has a LGBTQ+ theme. The horror of being ostracized and hated just because of who you love. The stories are heartbreaking, shocking, and sometimes sweet. Excellent writing by the authors, these stories made me feel. I could relate to the characters, and feel sympathy for them. A diverse anthology is always appreciated.

The themes are witches, murderers, ghosts, family, and more. Transgender, bi, gay, lesbian, and nonbinary.

[Roger Bundridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

some of these stories are going to stick with me for a long time.