Symphony of the Damned

De: TroyAnthony Schermer, Victoria Hancox, Matthew Hollis Damon, David Lowrie, James A. Hirons, Adam C. Mitchell, Pat O'Neill, R.M. Breslin, Sara Jordan-Heintz, Matt Martinek

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

From Savage Realms Press comes a dark and twisted tome with over 400 pages of skin-crawling, spine-tingling horror that is sure to make you sleep with the lights on! This eclectic mix of the macabre and the maniacal features 27 tales of terror:

• A man purchases a painting by the notorious serial killer, John Wayne Gacy
• A night of seemingly harmless flirtation brings a woman much more than she bargained for
• A journalist's interview for a human-interest story quickly evolves into a living, breathing nightmare
• A man's dream of making contact with extraterrestrials has unforeseen consequences
• While investigating a beautiful and mysterious planet, the crew of the Starship Tigris quickly discovers that all is not the paradise it appears to be
• A doctor's emergency house call results in a truly horrifying discovery
• In a near-future dystopia, stringent laws are passed dictating how men can interact with women
• A couple receives a phone call from their daughter on the 15-year anniversary eve of her death
• An elite team discovers the sole lifeform on a deserted planet is carrying a deadly secret
• A bus ride takes an unexpected detour into the gruesome and the macabre
• and many more

Symphony of the Damned summons forth the ghoulishly diabolical talents of authors Adam C. Mitchell, A.E. Jackson, Andy Holberry, Buck Hanno, Catherine Jordan, David Lowrie, Debra J. Tillar, James A. Hirons, James Mascia, Luis Medina, Margaret McGoverne, Marie Lanza, Matthew Hollis Damon, Matt Martinek, Pat O'Neill, R.M. Breslin, Sara Jordan-Heintz, TroyAnthony Schermer, Victoria Hancox, and concludes with a terrifying novella by J. Miles Parker.

WARNING: Contains material that is unsuitable for younger audiences! Parental discretion is strongly advised!

PRAISE FOR SYMPHONY OF THE DAMNED...

"No matter what the reader fancies, as long as it’s unsettling, s/he is certain to find something melodiously creepy in Symphony of the Damned." Rebecca Rowland, Horror Tree - 4/5 Ravens

"This book will chill you, and you are going to want to sleep with the lights on and check under the bed." Donadee's Corner

"Each tale begins with an intriguing premise and escalates the tension from that point forward to the unique and inevitable conclusions you won’t see coming! Really fun, uncanny, gothic, horrific, fast paced, slow burning nightmares to cuddle up with - I enjoyed every story!" A.E. Jackson

"Filled with top-notch horror!" Lisa Owens

"One of those that's great to keep on your bedside table... It's sure to give you pleasant nightmares." Heather Daughrity

"Fantastic read!" Leva Brown

"Symphony of the Damned is one hell of a wicked collection." Jack, ARC Reviewer

"Very strong horror anthology! Great to see some unique indie voices springing up that I have never been introduced to." Milton Wilson

"Super unsettling and creepy. I hope there is a volume 2 on the horizon!" Mark

"Compelling horror you can’t put down." Jessica Jackson

"A good mix of different types of horror stories to get into the spooky season spirit." Brianne Nally

"Great horror stories!" Debra Tiller

"Without a doubt the best horror anthology I have ever contributed to." Pat O'Neill

"A treasure trove of short horror [with] shades of Lovecraft, Bradbury, Heinlein, Poe... Monsters, demons, aliens, murderers and ghosts. Creative stories and great writing!" DJT

"Lots of nasty stories ― in a good way!" Margaret McGoverne

"5 Stars from me and a thank you to the cast and crew who brought us this diabolical little feast." R. Scott

Not bad. But it dragged for me.

Symphony of the Damned is a collection of short horror stories written by a selection of dark horror Indy authors. There are 27 stories in this collection that I personally found a dozen to be fun and memorable. That does not mean that the other five stories in this book aren’t worth your time, not at all!! It means exactly what it says ‘personally found memorable.’ In other words, they are all I can literally remember. That’s probably because I’ve got too many books going at the same time, and three of them are anthologies. I probably should slow it down a little, but I’m trying to get some books cleared out of my ‘To be read’ pile and it seems that October and Halloween is a good time to do that for horror anthologies.

If I enjoyed the story I immediately open notepad, record the title and rate it with a star upon completion. If time allows I try to write up a quick review on each story I’ve finished, but sometimes I’m just too busy or lazy and by the time I get to making time my Swiss cheese brain has leaked out most if not all the pertinent information.😅 Hence the titles with stars and no reviews. For the other dozen plus stories within… I didn’t say they were good. But that’s just my opinion and everyone has one.

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A Kiss Is Not A Kiss by Catherine Jordan. This story knocked my socks off!! It actually creeped me out!! I was so excited about this story I was telling my husband all about it through a closed bathroom door just to share it with someone. 😂 5⭐️

Adam C. Mitchell, gets the fifth grade snicker for his humorous addition, Caedes Damnatorum Ataraxia. Where in this alternate universe “Spem means poop” and she is beautiful. No rating for you, silly story. But your play on words is certainly worth a mention.

I didn’t say they were good. I said they were memorable. 🙂

Heartache by Buck Hano. I actually enjoyed this one very much. It’s smart and well fleshed out. 5⭐️

All Sales Are Final by Luis Medina was a bit of unexpected fun x’s two with a twist. 5 ⭐️ for this little diddy!

One For The Road by Victoria Hancox 4⭐️

The Essence of Me by David Lowrie 5⭐️

Devil May Come by Marie Lanza 4⭐️

An Act Of Kindness by James Macias 4⭐️

Vincent Rides The Bus by Matt Martinek 5⭐️ Great story!! May have killed public transportation for me for the rest of my life! 😱

The Sanderling by Matthew Hollis Damon 5⭐️ Wow! 😮 That’s a future I would not want to be living in as a healthy man!

The Canyon by Debra J. Tillar. 5⭐️ This story is a great little sci-fi horror, (and my favorite in the book) about an exploratory team of scientists and mission specialists sent out to an uninhabited planet to check out its viability for colonization. Much to their horror they soon learn they are not alone.

The last story, Sins in the Flesh by J. Miles Parker… Hell no! This is a DNR for me!! I’m so far over this story I done jumped the moon and Mars too! I gave it a fair chance by listening to a good half. 1+ hours and I can tell you the names of the major players, but can I tell you about the play? Umm, no! Aside from what tickles hubby’s wife’s fancies, and what his best friend thinks is best for hubby. Zero! 0⭐️ from me. Honestly, I am not a terribly prudish person, but I do have my limits and I am a horror snob… and this most definitely is not horror. Like the old lady from those Wendy’s commercials I ask, “Where’s the beef?” But in this case I know where the beef is. I just have no idea where the heck the plot went. “Where’s the plot!?”