On The Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier

by John Connolly

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Whisperers“Connolly’s dark, lyrical prose will leave unshakable images lurking on the edge of the reader’s consciousness.” —BooklistAll John Connolly fans know to expect the unexpected. He is a master of the supernatural, the dark twist, the creak of a door in the dark, of all creatures sinister. Connolly’s novels have been bestsellers world-wide. Now, step into his imagination for a moment or two and experience this wonderfully nightmarish short story.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

16 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2010

About the author

John Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.

He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.

This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Reviews

[Jayne Subwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself going back and forth between this story and the print I googled with the same name. The story doesn’t exactly match the painting but is close enough to evince a creepy belief in the possibilities.

I found this story in an Anthony called DAGGERS DRAWN, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, well worth reading.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Story ... an inexpensive Kindle download
Connolly doing creepy rather than crime.

Should short stories be sold in an anthology? Is this a way for Amazon to make more money by selling short stories one at a time ... and it was only 99c? Or is it a way for Amazon to introduce a writer to a new market?

I have read Connolly’s “creepy” writing before though his crime novels also have a high level of supernatural creepiness. My fav Connolly (The Book of Lost Things) is not one of his crime series. I have a “creepy” anthology (Nocturnes) and, as with most anthologies, you love some and hate some.

So the positive about this was that is was cheap download and, as opposed to the love-some-hate-some of a collection, this stand alone was a good creepy read. He manages sinister very well and this was suitably dark.

It reminds me of one of those good old spine-tinglers that cuz Jan used to read to us when we were young (Poe? Saki?)

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy short story - certainly worth the .99 cents on Kindle

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very brief, but imaginative and clever inside-out glimpse into a disturbed mind.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a taste, but absolutely chilling. Superbly paced.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 13 page short story, so a quick read. Still creepy for all of its brevity though.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim, nasty, and fun!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected Gem of Storytelling

I was expecting a mystery and got something completely different. "Fake it till you make it" really hits home here.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazing story
haunting in a delicate way