Synopsis
From the bestselling author of Come with Me, five collected novellas from the master of terror, featuring possession, parasites and something monstrous lurking outside…
COME CLOSER…
Five terrifying collected horror novellas newly reissued from the “modern-day Algernon Blackwood”.
Skullbelly
After three teenagers disappear in a forest, a private detective is hired and uncovers a terrible local secret.
The Separation
Marcus arrives in Germany to find his friend up-and-coming prizefighter Charlie in a deep depression. But soon Charlie’s behavior grows increasingly bizarre. Is he suffering from a nervous breakdown, or are otherworldly forces at work?
The Stranger
Set a rural Florida parking lot, David returns to his car to find a stranger sat behind the wheel. The doors are locked and there’s a gun on the dashboard. And that was when then the insanity started…
After the Fade
A girl walked into a small Annapolis tavern, collapsed and died. Something had latched itself to the base of her skull. And it didn’t arrive alone.
Now, the patrons of The Fulcrum are trapped, held prisoner within the tavern’s walls by monstrous things, trying to find their way in.
And one more novella to be revealed!
Review
Thanks to Tantor for the audio of this one. I’m not sure if I missed this one for super long or if it came back around to be honest, but I enjoyed my experience with it.
Five novellas, all of pretty similar length, are featured in this collection and it marks my first read from the author. The narration by Joe Hempel was solid, and I enjoyed the voice work he did. The same can be said for Amy McFadden, I just get shook up when the production changes people, but this was for a separate novella, so it worked.
Skullbelly, the first novella, was a great introduction to the author with a narrative voice that felt reminiscent of King. A private investigator is hired to look into the disappearances of multiple teens. A group of friends went hiking and only one returned, covered in the other’s blood. It turns into this sort of no-where-to-turn boogeyman search when many of the townsfolk won’t help—or at least, won’t help as much as they should. I thought it was well written and paced.
The Separation, the second novella, features a therapist and friend visiting Germany to see how their prizefighting friend, Charlie, is holding up. He claims to feel unmoored, that things are happening that he’s not in control of, that he’s not doing at all. His ex claims that he is bothering her in the night. This felt like an atmospheric, multiversal Inception twist and I enjoyed the ending allowing some interpretation.
The Stranger, novella three, is a single location story that features a couple on two different wavelengths. The man, is not quite sure what he’s still doing with her, and the woman, is hopelessly interested. When a creepy stranger locks himself in their car, things get a little strange…or more like insane. I wasn’t married to this story, mirroring the couples own struggles, but one things that sold me was how uncomfortable it made me. Weird, random, and out there, that is where this was succeeded.
After the Fade, the fourth novella, was spectacular. The standout for me for sure. A precursor of sorts to a zombie(-ish) apocalypse. Another couple on the fritz, a musician and his girlfriend agree to meet at the local bar to talk. Although she does arrive, they never get to have that normal talk. That’s because things get awfully strange. A woman arrives at the bar before collapsing, some sort of insect attached to the back of her head. What followed was another single location story as the bar patrons attempt to make it through the night. I thought this was great, pulse pounding, and as a survival story, the author thought out a lot of the things that seem mundane in everyday life. Windows, doors, heating vents, fireplaces and chimneys, how many other entry points do we ignore every day?
The fifth novella is left off the blurb, so I will not go into any detail on it. But I did enjoy it. It was perhaps my least favorite, but we’re still talking an enjoyable read. As a collection, this offered readers quite a good variety. As a snapshot into the author’s writing style, I think that variety was key too, especially as the collection features longer stories. Enjoyable and different.
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