On the HahaFiction shelf
Different Kinds of Darkness
Scientific mishaps, fantasy and occult danger share this collection with the linked BLIT stories, in which certain images can kill anyone who sees them. The title story follows schoolchildren who turn one dangerous picture into a secret test of endurance.
From the publisher’s blurb
“increasing the story count from 36 to a cosmically significant 42.”Read the full description at Publisher description of the expanded ebook, Ansible Editions
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What makes it funny?
When the children discuss implanted computers, Jonathan pictures an exam rule requiring pupils to leave their heads outside. A practical objection to cheating becomes an impossible school routine.
The comedy at work
Langford finds jokes in technical ideas and the habits of speculative fiction. The wit persists through serious stories, where a precise observation or a logical extension can be funny and unsettling at once.
Try this if…
Short-fiction readers who enjoy scientific puzzles have a clear way into the collection. The stories move between genres, with frightening ideas accompanied by an interest in how people reason about them.
Good to know
These are Langford's non-parody stories. The original collection has 36; the expanded 2015 ebook has 42, so the contents vary by edition.
A few distinguishing details
- Dangerous images become a schoolyard endurance test
- Technical conceits provide jokes as well as threats
More funny cosmic horror
Sources & further reading
- David Langford's official book page lists Different Kinds of Darkness in B-format paperback, ISBN 9781592241224, 288 pages, and hardback ISBN 9781592241217, 288 pages.
Author commentary
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Publisher ebook page
Publisher
- Author contents and edition history
Author commentary
- Title story at Lightspeed
Reading sample
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