Showing posts with label dark fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dark fiction. Show all posts

October 10, 2014

Writings on the Wall by D.G. Sutter

Synopsis:
Somewhere deep within, cradled in flesh and blood, our demons dwell. They feed on our darkest secrets and desires in an ill-fated world, craving only freedom. They tear through and reign upon us. Writings On the Wall features twenty gruesome, transgressive tales of loneliness, heartbreak, and self-destruction. Where the real horrors surrounding us are each other.
This is a perfect collection to pick up for the season. Just the right combination of creepy and messed up for Halloween coming up.

You can tell short stories are good when you feel like you have read a whole novel in only a small number of pages. That is what this collection provided.  Instead of the stories feeling like they ended abruptly or that something was missing, these provide a full and engaging story. They surely keep you turning the page.

Some of them were a little out there and weird, others dealt with demons that people face everyday.

These stories were marked with insanity, horror, and disturbing images. The writing throughout was really solid. Despite having all different authors, the stories didn’t seem to have many different feels to them. They flowed together well as a collection and kept you waiting to see what you would get to read next. With any collection, some stories were better than others, but as a whole they were all good.

I really enjoyed reading this. Anyone who enjoys horror or books that are a bit off (think Chuck Palahniuk-esque) will enjoy this.

The last story in the collection had me gagging as I was reading it. It was so descriptive and disturbing.

4/5 stars

Memorable Quote: It’s no longer cool and dangerous, because you realize you’ve never seen he world through anyone else’s eyes, and soon those eyes will disappear. You begin to doubt the reality of the world around you, begin to feel the moment you go, the world goes, but that’s not true. It will exist without you and you will be what you once were: nothing.  –First Assisted Suicide, Leonora Stein

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November 12, 2013

Dead Ends by Bart Hopkins

Bart Hopkins is the author and Co-Author of two novels. With Dead Ends he puts his writing to the test and forms a short story collection.

Dead Ends is made up of three short stories with dark tones. Things may not always be as they seem. And the endings are there to shock you.

Dead Ends.

Recalculating:

Recalculating is a story where you sort of know the ending from the start, but you are still completely surprised to see how it plays out. You may never see it coming.

When a couple comes upon a GPS system at a garage sale, they decide to take a much needed vacation.
This may be the worst mistake of their lives.

Listening to directions on a GPS may not be all it is cracked up to be.

Sweet Lenora:

The beginning of this story had sort of a Carrie feel to it to me. With a crazy mother and a daughter.

Then it turned out to be very far from that once you get to the end. Though, maybe they need to find Jesus.

This one is unlike Recalculating, because you can’t really guess what is going on.

It keeps you hanging on until the end because it keeps you guessing where the story is headed.

Here’s a piece of advice: you may want to have some garlic around you while reading this.

Character development was surprisingly well done in such a short amount of pages.

Donations:

Donations is easily the creepiest and most horror filled of the three. It is also longer than the other two, so the character and story development really adds to it.

When the one you love is dying, how far will you go to save them?

This short story combines two different story lines, and they come together in a surprising way. It will keep you guessing up until the last page.

It is a very dark story with a mix of romance and craziness.

You may sleep with the lights on after this one.



Overall rating: 5/5 Stars. If you like horror, drama, and short stories, pick this up now. 

October 2, 2013

Blubber Island by Ismael Galvan

Hippies. Zombies. Gore. Bums. Drugs.

Lots of drugs.

So many drugs that I really believe the author was on drugs when this was written.

I would love to tell you what this book was about, but I don’t really know what it was about.

There were a few different story lines going at one time, but there was so real smooth transition between them.

Many times while reading this, I was just completely lost, confused, disturbed, or wondering why in the world the author decided to use the elementary insults that were in this book.

It seems to me that if this book falls into the right hands, it may gain a small cult following just because of all the zombies and hippies.

But, I just didn’t quite understand it.


1/5 stars. 

September 21, 2013

Annabelle by Nancy Christie

Annabelle is a very hauntingly dark short story. So, obviously, I was thrilled to read it.

Annabelle is the daughter of a painter. Her father’s artwork means everything. So much so that it controls the family.

Annabelle’s mother is her father’s model. She receives all of the attention because as I said before, the art is everything.

Annabelle becomes jealous. She wants to be noticed. She wants to be wanted.

When the twist in the story is revealed, everyone’s life is turned upside down and it becomes more dark and disturbing than I had originally thought it was.

There is not much I can say without giving away the whole story. Go read it!


4/5 stars. It was a little slow in places, but the story was good and I was able to read it in one sitting. 

August 10, 2013

The Students Sold Us Secrets Volume One by Lee Mavin

The Students told us secrets is a collection of short stories that are written in the form of journal entries by students.

The narrator is an anonymous teacher who received these texts and compiled them in the process of evaluating student behavior of the generation. Behavior against each other, and behavior towards those in power such as teachers.

While this is a work of fiction, it is horrifying that many students, I’m sure, actually have the thought processes close to the ones in this collection. The stories themselves are full of horror, suspense, and gore, but the fact that these are not too far off from reality makes them even more terrifying.

I love short stories. There is just something about the way that they have to be told in such a limited amount of pages that makes them difficult. They can either be really good and well written, or you can leave them with the sense that you didn’t receive the full story and there is something missing.

Lee Mavin did a very good job of putting these stories together in a way that they flowed well together. I felt as though I received all of the details necessary to put the story together. It was well written, and it was a very interesting read.


5/5 stars
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May 31, 2013

Demon Inhibitions by Gary Starta

Have you ever thought about there being someone out there in the world (or a different world) that looked just like you and was your alternate self?

Well, in this novel, Caitlin Diggs does not have to wonder about this. She is forced to confront this notion.
Caitlin is a former FBI agent that left the force because she came into having some supernatural powers. 

When a case calls for her to hunt down a truly evil demon and try to bring him to justice, her life is changed forever.

From discovering a world where demons are as common as humans, to evolving into a goddess herself, Caitlin must reevaluate all of her previous thoughts about everything mystical and paranormal to fit into this world and do the job that put her there in the first place.

There isn't much else to say about this one other than: READ IT. It is exciting and keeps you hooked from the very beginning.


5/5 stars It was pretty hard to put this one down. I don’t normally read books about demons, vampires, etc. But this one was really good!


May 11, 2013

Snow Day by Dan Maurer


Snow day is a novella that is told like a spooky campfire story told to children. It also reads like it could be a child’s nightmare.

I really enjoyed the writing of this novella. Mr. Maurer did a wonderful job of setting the tone of the story. It was spooky throughout the whole story and had a hint of doom around each corner.

It tells the story of one snow day. Usually snow days are days that children love more than none other. What could beat getting out of school for the day and being able to play in the snow? Not much!

But when things go in a horribly wrong direction that leaves the main character haunted for life, snow days aren’t something to be excited over anymore.

Some parts are a little silly, and some parts are very gorey (the ending for sure!). But, there is just something about this story that keeps you holding on until the very end. It captivates your mind by drawing very explicit mental images, and I think that is where the skill of the writer comes in.

If you are into spooky and somewhat unsettling novellas, this one is for you!

5/5 stars. Kept me hanging on until the end, and Dan Maurer did a wonderful job with descriptive writing. 


November 23, 2012

Branded Faith by Nick Wisseman


Book One:

A stranger alone in a bar. A mysterious scar around his eye. The ability to heal or to harm. A religious connection.

That is all we get out of this story. Yet, it is remarkably well rounded and interesting.

From what I described above, you may feel as if you leave the story feeling as though there is something missing, but there isn’t.

Branded Faith is the first story in a series of short stories titled Outcasts.

It leaves you wanting more, and I cannot wait to see what the next story holds.

5/5 It doesn’t give you much detail, but if it gave you any more it would ruin the story. Very intriguing way to start a collection


Read ahead for spoilers