Tag: Short Stories Reviews

“The Empty House” by Algernon Blackwood Review

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In the story, a man accompanies his adventurous aunt to a notorious house where, a century ago, a servant was murdered by her jealous suitor. What will the man and his aunt experience in this house ? any ideas ? 

To be fully honest with you here i need to tell you that this story have a lot of dry ice packed around that meat for atmosphere but its still fun to read this story. Because it was published back in 1906 and it’s sort of seeing the journey of the modern day horror we have today. 

This story isn’t bad as most of the horror movies / games / books we have today but it isn’t either nothing original for todays standards because it is an average haunted house story.

Atmosphere in this story is a typical horror story atmosphere nothing unique but also nothing boring. The atmosphere good and sort of moody and old timely, and as we all know these two things together brings much more to the story. So I give this story points for the moody and old timely part in this story.

Ending was oh boy. It was very disappointing, it ruined the whole story. If I go into details then it will turn into a review with spoilers and this blog isn’t about this. So let’s move into something different. 

The introduction into this plot and whole story was actually oddly fantastic, wasn’t expecting this but here we are. But still the introduction doesn’t help the whole story that much because we are looking at the whole book / story not just parts of it.

In the end the whole story is a pretty good morning read, where you just have good time and nothing better to do. 

The main things why this story was so bad are 1) too short 2) too little descriptions + details. And thats all. The whole story and plot could have been million times better if the story was longer and events in this story would have been given more descriptions and details. 

The writing style is okay, but nothing to talk about. The writing style is survivable but it will not stick around with you for a long time. And it is far, far away from Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe level. 

I give this story 1 / 5

“The Woman in the Room” by Stephen King Review

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Narrated from the perspective of a man burdened with deep remorse, pain and his inner demons, the story concerns his decision to euthanize his terminally ill mother with painkillers. 

This story is started with a question which is one of the hardest question in the human history. The question of course is about death, and if it is right to help someone die when they ask you to.

This story is sort of a horror story ish which makes you really think if you could do the same thing which the main character have done. 

It’s important to say that this story is pretty normal when it comes to Stephen King’s work. It circles around the question about if it is right to help someone die when they ask you to.

It’s an effectively sad and depressing story which will stay in your head for a while. This story isn’t long, you can read it within an hour or so. Its short but enjoyable and effective 

The ending was something. Its was strange but kind of interesting. But again people will either love it or hate it. Because it is something you wouldn’t have expected, but again it is a Stephen King story.

It’s a pretty realistic story which doesn’t happen a lot when it comes to Stephen King. And it has the ability to really grip you and make you think. 

The writing style is pretty basic. If you are a hardcore Stephen King fan (like me) you will expect more, and you’ll get disappointed because of it

In the end this story is more sad than scary. And pretty much it is a mediocre story.

I give this story 4 / 5

“The Events at Poroth Farm” by T.E.D. Klein Review

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Jeremy, a college lecturer, takes a summer vacation in Gilead, New Jersey, to prepare for a course on Gothic literature he’ll be teaching in the upcoming semester. He rents an outbuilding from Mennonite couple Sarr and Deborah Poroth, and at first his holiday is happy and productive, but then odd things begin to happen.

This story or what you want to call it was published back in 1972 but it feels like a modern horror classic. Almost as if it was written not longer than 20 ish years ago. 

There are some gothic parts involved in this book, which we all love don’t we? 

The narrator spends some of his time on a remote farm which is of course the Poroth’s Farm. On this farm he spends his time to read Gothic classics for his classes at college. And that list which he have made for the books he wants to read is interesting and inspiring. 

This story will give you a sense of menace together as the unraveling of natural turns into a pastoral setting and a nightmare for a young man seeking a peaceful place to study. 

There are couple of signs in this story which are towards aberrancy. Which is in this story wrapped in an interesting way. And the narrators strange behavior and unforeseen actions makes this story even more eery.

However this story have the unnecessary misogynistic comments and undertones to it. And these things doesn’t nothing to the story for the most part. 

I give this story 3 / 5

“The Gentle Vultures” by Isaac Asimov Review

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This Science Fiction Short Story is set during the Cold War, postulating an alien race acting as Circling Vultures. Hurrians, an alien species, have set a small Moon base in secret, and have been waiting for fifteen years, much longer than they ever expected.

This book is a science fiction book which happens during cold war. Pretty unique take on it isn’t it? But in the end this book isn’t even close to the best science fiction books out there. Though it is a good one to read to sort of get a new breeze into the science fiction field. 

This book needs to get points for its unique and deeply fascinating critique of society and a peculiar analysis of our history which we had until this book was written. 

And the whole perspective or rather said view in this book on stuff like how small monkey-like aliens from space let one man and how they can change the entire structure their society is based with one word.

In the end this book is a typical science fiction book about intergalactic species which makes contact with humans and analysis the history of our species. 

The writing style was meh, it wasn’t good or bad. It was between good and bad but much closer tot he bad side than to the good side. 

I give this book 1 / 5

“The Pit And The Pendulum” By Edgar Allan Poe Review

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This is a short tale about the horror surrounding impending death after the narrator is sentenced for heresy by his inquisitors during the Spanish Inquisition. The mental break that follows results in confusion that makes the entire scenario even more frightening.

This is a typical gothic horror story written by Edgar Allan Poe. If you love the work of Edgar Allan Poe I’m pretty sure that you will love this story too. 

The main character in this tale is again the narrator like in any other tale / story written by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story the narrator has been condemned by a panel of black robed, white lipped, stern faced judges. The crime which the narrator have committed is unknown, but then this is the Inquisition so his offense could be that he is not a religious enough or he might have been accused of one of the many offences against God that require such a low level of proof. 

The narrator in my opinion needs to get some extra points for his high level of horror is something that is part of his nature.It is difficult to believe, as dire as a circumstance can be, that this is truly our final extinction. 

The whole plot is remarkably interesting, chilling, spooky and suspenseful. It needs to get points for the unique story which it has together with the unique perspective which Edgar Allan Poe used in this book. The perspective which this story has really brings a lot to the plot and surely it gives a unique and fun vibe and mood to it. 

The atmosphere itself, inspires the fear in readers mind and make us as readers think about what we really fear and what we might have done in some situations.

This whole story have only 56 ish pages, which is very small story in the end. But of course Edgar Allan Poe have the ability to make the shortest stories long enough to be good and incredible. This story is long enough to be very dark, interesting, scary and to have gloomy mood to it and horrifying dungeon to it. 

On the outskirts it’s just a Gothic horror tale about a man who is afraid to die. There are dozens stories about this topic now on days. But what makes this story fun is to see how the narrator deals and react to the two horrific situations which had nearly killed him. And how this is messing with his mental state.

I give this story 3 / 5

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe Review

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It is the story of a man named Montresor who decides to seek revenge against a man named Fortunato, who has insulted him. He meets Fortunato at a carnival, lures him into the catacombs of his home, and buries him alive.

And yet again we are talking about another classic written by no other than Edgar Allan Poe. 

The writing style is okay for the most part. But it cant be compared with some other work by Edgar Allan Poe. You will know what I mean when you read it. 

The narrator here is Montresor. He is suffering from a huge level of madness. And it is very easy to see that the truth terror here is his behavior. But the final act is also very chilling. 

The plot is good because it involves friend betrayal and we all love that in books dont we ? 

It is a gothic revenge story. This is a story about revenge but there’s nothing particularly elaborate about the revenge itself. It is just the good old murder by burying someone alive.

This story is no less creepy and very thrilling. However it is another carnival story with a tragic ending, but this time the setting is 18th century Italy. It’s something about that right? Everything seems more scary when it happens in that era. But this tale needs to get its points for the tipsy jester, super creepy and the connoisseur of fine wine atmosphere in it. 

This tale is one of the tales which you will either love or hate, so be warned about that. Be also warned that this tale might be hard and heavy for people who have claustrophobia.

This tale can be very easy be read dozens times without you being tired of it, because every time you re-read it you see some new things in this tale which you didn’t notice before. 

The ending itself is very eerie ending, and for sure it has something to it which a lot of horror / thriller books miss now on days. 

This tale is short, but Edgar Allan Poe is able to write a fully-developed story of revenge which not a lot of authors doesn’t have the ability to do.

This story is unique and interesting but it might not be for everyone. Because you know details and these amazing descriptions in it.

I give this tale 2 / 5

“A Descent into the Maelström” by Edgar Allan Poe Review

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It is a tale of fear and terror.  In this piece, the narrator and his guide ascend a high peak on the coast of Norway, which overlooks a section of ocean where a great whirlpool is formed by the changing tide.

The whole story is not particularly creepy as some other tales written by Edgar Allan Poe. However the story is  interesting and vividly written and makes you almost feel like you are actually there and like you are living the story.

The whole plot of this story is a fascinating, because it covers the experience of a man’s near-death experience in a giant maelstrom or whirlpool at sea.

This tale is told from the perspective of an old man who is looking back at his near-death experience. 

The description in this tale is absolutely brilliant. Most of the times the descriptions are so good that you almost feel like you see the whole imagine in your head while you are reading this tale. Because of the description you really see and hear the fellows drawn into the eye of the storm and you feel the rage of the elements.

It is safe to say that this tale have one of the best depiction of a natural phenomenon I’ve at least read so far. 

This tale is considered by some critics to be a science fiction tale based upon an actual maelstrom off the coast of Norway in the Lofoten Islands. 

This tale really shows that Edgar Allan Poe have the huge ability to take all your senses into a story and make you live it. 

However this tale isn’t a horror tale as most tales written by Edgar Allan Poe. This is more or less science fiction tale, and as we all know science fiction isn’t something everyone likes and wants to read. 

This tale will also show you why some people might be afraid of sea and oceans. And if you are not afraid of the sea and oceans it might you give you a little paranoid about it. 

I give this tale 1 / 5

“Eleonora” by Edgar Allan Poe Review

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The story follows an unnamed narrator who lives with his cousin and aunt in “The Valley of the Many-Colored Grass”, an idyllic paradise full of fragrant flowers, fantastic trees, and a “River of Silence”.  It remains untrodden by the footsteps of strangers and so they live isolated but happy.

The best thing about this tale is that it is sort of a mix between horror tale and a romantic tale. But it is far from Edgar Allan Poe’s best tale / story. This tale is sort of a true love story mixed with a lots of horror elements in it.

The writing style is okay, sentimental and for the most part pompous. Some people will love the writing style in this tale and some will hate it.

Morella and Ligeia are related to this story in some way or another. So if you liked it then maybe consider reading these two as well. 

Ending in this one really surprised me because most tales written by Edgar Allan Poe doesn’t have happy endings but this one had. 

For the most part this tale is all about true love which makes it to a unique story written by Edgar Allan Poe. This story is a love story told in the form of prose poetry.

The descriptions in this story is amazing. However the most interesting  description was of the valley where the narrator lives along with the girl he loves.

It is also important to say that this story have sort of a autobiographical touch to it. Because it has couple of links to Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life.

Even though that this story revolves around true love, you will not miss the gothic and horror-ish elements in it. But for the most part this story is emotional, chilling, and involves the question “is it ok to fall in love after the death of your first love?”

I give this story 1 / 5

“The Man of the Crowd” by Edgar Allan Poe Review

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After an unnamed illness, the unnamed narrator sits in an unnamed coffee shop in London. Fascinated by the crowd outside the window, he considers how isolated people think they are, despite “the very denseness of the company around”. He takes time to categorize the different types of people he sees. As evening falls, the narrator focuses on “a decrepit old man, some sixty-five or seventy years of age”, whose face has a peculiar idiosyncrasy, and whose body “was short in stature, very thin, and apparently very feeble” wearing filthy, ragged clothes of a “beautiful texture”.

This story isn’t as scary as most stories and tales written by Edgar Allan Poe. This story is interesting and fascinating. This story explores  the various ways we can be present in the world and experience the people and life around us. Which is very interesting topic for at least me. 

This story really makes you want to stop for a moment and observe whenever you see a big crowd. For someone people this tale may open eyes, because it touches on stuff like how much we are actually isolated and alone in the biggest crowds. But also how big crowds doesn’t have any connectedness with other people.

You will easily find a meaning behind this tale if you only look. Because the idea behind the plot goes actually deeper than just a gothic horror story. 

The narrator in this story carries with him a depth of separation and loneliness. Until he finds an unusual face amongst the crowd of supposed pretenders and hypocrites. This sort of gives you a stalker vibe which we all love when it happens in horror stories.

This story does a brilliant classification of characters and is especially fascinated by an old haunted man who aimlessly strolls through the street, always looking for people to be with.

In the end this story is somehow odd and weird. But this may be just a paranoia made by too many horror and thriller books and movies. Though this story involves the narrator following a person for 2 straight days and at the same time it gives us some descriptions about demeanor, gait and body morphology but doesn’t give us the important details in it.

This story is very enjoyable, interesting and it is a very quick read. Even though this tale isn’t written in the typical Edgar Allan Poe’s style. Which of course is dark, scary gothic style. 

The writing style is just through the roof. It is so richly written, and the old english in this story really brings a lot more to the story than you cant expect. 

I give this story 4 / 5

“The Lawnmower Man” by Stephen King Review

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One summer, Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. The summer before, a neighbor’s cat was accidentally killed when another neighbor’s dog chased it under the mower. Harold has been putting off hiring new help for the summer, but when he sees an ad for a mowing service he calls. A van reading “Pastoral Greenery” soon pulls up to Parkette’s home. The man working for the service, a hairy, pot-bellied fellow, is shown the overgrown back lawn and is hired. Harold is enjoying a rest as he reads the paper, wondering about the lawnmower man mentioning Circe, when he hears the lawnmower outside. Startled, he races to the back porch and sees the lawnmower running by itself and the naked lawnmower man following it on all fours and eating the grass. The lawnmower seemingly deliberately chases and kills a mole and Harold faints.When the police arrive, they conclude that Parkette was murdered and dismembered by a schizophrenic sex maniac. As they leave, the scent of freshly cut grass hangs strongly in the air.

This short story isn’t scary or creepy. It was nothing but disgusting. Because if you write about a fat naked man on fours eating grass and add to it a green juice running down his chin and drips into his pendulous belly it wont go good with the majority of the readers.

This book will probably not be for the majority of readers. Because it involves some disgusting, which even the die hard fans of saw movies wont handle that good as they think.

The main character which is Harold Parkette is a unique character which may be hard for some readers to reality to because of all these fucked up things he does throughout this book.

I need to give this story some points for the Greek mythologies references which this story has. However most of these references comes without any explanation to the Greek mythologies or what it has to do with the story. 

This story also doesn’t give us a clear explanation to what is happening in this book. Which only confuses the reader for the most part. 

This story is far from the best Stephen King’s work, and it very bizarre and strange story for the most part. And it is very hard to pin it down to only one single opinion or genre. However thats the fun with Stephen King because every time you think that Stephen King couldn’t possibly be more bizarre he gives us even more bizarre story. 

Stephen King gives us a very moody and amazing use of Greek mythology into modern day horror story. 

But that’s the problem with this story because to fully get into this book or like it you must know at least some fact about the Greek mythology.

I give this story 1 / 5