Guys, I discovered just today an amazing author with great books. Check out this article below.
Vincent Macraven
Fresh, original horror in three bone-chilling novellas.
This set of novellas takes readers into the frightening corners of haunted homes and possessed minds, as Macraven (A Diverse Gathering, 2012, etc.) explores man’s most intimidating fears. The tour begins in “Where the Dead Dwell” in an old Victorian home that once belonged to the Wilcox family back in the 1930s. The family is the first that the house watches, “absorbing feelings and deep emotions” from the parents and their daughter as they grow and change. Over time, the house ceases to be a mere structure and instead transitions into a container of evil, filling up with the spirits of the previous owners and haunting the new ones. Weaving among the generations of owners, family conflicts, secrets and fears rise to the surface as the house haunts its inhabitants with voices and images of lost loves. Each inhabitant must face down the evil that the house contains or live a life of terror. In “Watching Black Mountain,” a man rather than a property sets the reader’s fear in motion. Zachariah Prophet, a disturbed and troubled man, believes himself to be God. He devotes himself to brainwashing others into believing the same and furthers his own illusions with the assistance of illegal drugs. But as intoxicating as the power is, Zachariah is unknowingly headed to a tragic end. The collection ends with “The Devil Incarnate,” a brief story centered on Merrick, a detective haunted by the victims he couldn’t help. As he slips into a sort of madness, he finds himself drawn further into the world of his unsolved mysteries. Hypnotic in its delivery, this bold set of stories stalks the reader with haunting images and ideas that could stir up deep-seated fears. Ghosts, demons and spirits abound, as well as the frightening thought that we can be our own worst enemies.
Three riveting stories of evil, revenge and death.
In his latest short story collection (Tales from the Mind of a Schizophrenic, 2011), Macraven spins tales of murder, religious fanatics and people on the brink of insanity.
This book offers the variety of stories teased by its title, and many have recurring themes. Religion, for example, plays a part in many stories, including “Monk,” in which the titular character questions his faith. Lost souls torment a priest in “When Our Demons Come,” and in “Caught Up in the Devil,” a home invasion is believed to be the “devil’s work.” Several stories address mental turmoil, such as a schizophrenic’s internal struggle while attending a party in “A Case of Madness.” In the unexpectedly engaging “Irreversible Damage,” a psychologist discusses a patient’s years of drug abuse. But while the collection’s overall tone is bleak—most stories end in murder or imminent psychosis—Macraven keeps the book from drowning in unadulterated gloom. Several stories, such as “File 349” and “After the Fact,” have darkly humorous twists. He also judiciously handles religious issues, as when the nameless narrator of “My Rant” makes it a point to blame humanity, not God, for the world’s dismal state of affairs. Macraven’s style is often abstract but in an old-fashioned, romantic fashion reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. Sometimes the Poe influence is overt, as in the 1832-set “Prior to My Madness,” which has a protagonist named Edgar Bellows; other times he uses it with more finesse, as in the Poe-esque opening line of “Murder”: “It was a warm Friday night when I first decided to end the life of Chet Williams.” Stories such as “Feeding,” “12:01” and “A Birthday Party” are quite unsettling, but the author surprises with the good-natured, poignant “Longing,” featuring a widowed woman living alone, and “Henry,” about an elderly man getting lost on his drive to a doctor’s appointment.
A standout, frequently profound story collection.
