Divining the difference between reality and the fantastic may not be as simple as it seems. Because the world you think you know may not actually exist…
STORIES is a collection of six short stories loosely based on legends and folklore. Each is set in a modern context, giving the reader an unusual take that yields interesting insight on these traditional tales.
Mare — an evil spirit from Germanic and Slavic folklore that rides on people’s chests while they sleep, bringing on nightmares. The Slit-Mouthed Woman — a figure from Japanese urban legends who, mutilated by her husband, returns as a vengeful soul. The Snow Woman — a spirit in Japanese folklore who traps people in snowstorms, then uses her icy breath to leave them frost-coated corpses. Doppelgänger — the double of a living person that sometimes appears when death is near. The Bell Witch — a poltergeist that haunted the 19th-century Bell family in Tennessee. Ondine — the supernatural heroine who tells her husband, “I shall be the shoes on your feet…I shall be the breath in your lungs,” with the caveat that, should he deceive her, he will die.
Each story ends with a twist the reader may not see coming…
"Good for paranormal fans and lovers of ghost stories, but too close to its source influences to be truly unpredictable. "
Reviewer: Reader for Bookangel.
The generically-titled "Stories" is a selection of six paranormal-near-horror stories. Rather than gory terror, these are suspenseful: the type of stories to be told round a campfire in the dark.
Well written and expertly formatted, I can't fault the presentation of this book. I'm not sure whether the title does the collection full credit, as it would be easy to overlook, but it fits the works.
These stories are presented as a very different take on the supernatural, and some of them deliver. I spent most of Snow Maiden expecting the classic Twilight Zone twist, only to encounter the surprisingly subtle change that makes it a very different story. Even when played straight, like the touching tale of the Doppelganger, there's the slight shiver of the unexplained. Some of these however stay too close to their sources. It wouldn't be unfair to say they wear their influences on their sleeves, and their impact is the less for it, for example, The Bell Witch is a cross between Fatal Attraction and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle.
Readers looking for creepy ghost stories will enjoy this. While those who read a lot of traditional ghost stories or psychological horror will find the twists, in the main, predictable, the stories are well-told and a good enough read to keep their interest. What I would say is that it doesn't have much in the way of re-read value, as once you have read it and know how it ends, the journey isn't really enough fun to take again.
