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Night at the Demontorium
Psychological meets supernatural in a room without dimensions known as the Demontorium. Located just behind a tissue-thin layer of normalcy, its corrosive influence seeps through. When the demons stir to life, an item dropped on a marriage bed opens up the phantasmagoric regions of hell. A victim leaps from a kidnapper's car into unknown realms where death and identity change places at will. The violent death of a provocative woman shocks her conventional family, but nothing can kill her addiction.
Sparky's First Day. He Dreams in Yellow. The Entrepreneur. Aunt Téa's Addiction. Bedring. Five cautionary tales meant to tighten your grip on the thin layer that separates you from inhabitants of the Demontorium.
Sparky's First Day. He Dreams in Yellow. The Entrepreneur. Aunt Téa's Addiction. Bedring. Five cautionary tales meant to tighten your grip on the thin layer that separates you from inhabitants of the Demontorium.
- GenresHorror
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2011
7 people want to read
About the author
Naima Haviland
17 books12 followersNaima Haviland writes novels and short stories in various genres, from dark fantasy to light romance. She takes as inspiration the Southeast United States, including her home in the Florida Panhandle, an ocean paradise with a not-too-distant past full of eccentrics, explorers, pirates, ghosts, and UFOs.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 16, 2019
Naima Haviland's collection of horrific tales begins on a very dark and dramatic note: "It seems like yesterday that Téa carved a big circle out of her belly and tried to scoop her entrails into the toilet. Before starting, she'd put duct tape over her mouth so her screaming wouldn't bother the neighbours." In the opening story, Aunt Téa's Addiction, Haviland writes about a woman addicted not to drugs or alcohol, but to something far more fundamental, and there are very few lengths to which she won't go to get it. This is an original, and disturbing, story. The occasionally visceral content notwithstanding, it's ultimately a story about the search for attention and approbation – the search, ultimately, for love.
He Dreams in Yellow is a story about a man haunted – not just by a ghost, but by the wrong turns he has taken in life, and the pain he has caused, to himself and others. Malcolm's world is a drab, colourless place, apart from the bright yellow of his dreams or visions. This is a story about love beyond death; I was going to say unconditional love, but perhaps it isn't that at all. Because the object of Malcolm's love torments him mercilessly: she is always there, but cannot be kept, confronted, or held.
Sparky's First Day is a story of confused perceptions and of a character trapped in his own mind. We travel with the protagonist through the winding, and occasionally horrific, corridors of his brain. The difference is that ultimately we learn the truth, whereas he does not.
The Entrepreneur is more bloody, and probably the most disturbing and effective tale in the collection. At first sight, you might be charmed, as the narrator is, by the man she goes to meet. He is a friendly, likeable guy; but he is not what he seems to be. And, more to the point, there are others like him: "They're regular guys," he explains. "You'd never pick them out of a crowd." This is a tale of slowly mounting discomfort leading at last to absolute horror, and it is the stuff of nightmares.
Bedring, meanwhile, is a bizarre and thematically rich story about the darkness that lurks behind the facade of normality. Fittingly for a story of suburbia, it begins on a banal, and even rather benign, note: a man coming home to discover an empty house and an unmade bed. From there, it rapidly descends into a world of madness: a world where survival is paramount, and where danger lies in wait in the most ordinary surroundings. And it's about the fight for survival, and how principles and even love can amount to little compared to the desperate, primal urge to survive. It's also about the internal politics of the family, and how people slip into certain roles within a family which do not necessarily reflect their characters or wishes.
This is a nice collection of dark stories with supernatural twists, full of unusual angles on topics such as addiction and mental illness. Haviland's writing style is dexterous, and able to evoke both beauty and horror. It's occasionally gruesome, and not therefore for the squeamish, but if you're made of sturdy stuff it's well worth a read.
He Dreams in Yellow is a story about a man haunted – not just by a ghost, but by the wrong turns he has taken in life, and the pain he has caused, to himself and others. Malcolm's world is a drab, colourless place, apart from the bright yellow of his dreams or visions. This is a story about love beyond death; I was going to say unconditional love, but perhaps it isn't that at all. Because the object of Malcolm's love torments him mercilessly: she is always there, but cannot be kept, confronted, or held.
Sparky's First Day is a story of confused perceptions and of a character trapped in his own mind. We travel with the protagonist through the winding, and occasionally horrific, corridors of his brain. The difference is that ultimately we learn the truth, whereas he does not.
The Entrepreneur is more bloody, and probably the most disturbing and effective tale in the collection. At first sight, you might be charmed, as the narrator is, by the man she goes to meet. He is a friendly, likeable guy; but he is not what he seems to be. And, more to the point, there are others like him: "They're regular guys," he explains. "You'd never pick them out of a crowd." This is a tale of slowly mounting discomfort leading at last to absolute horror, and it is the stuff of nightmares.
Bedring, meanwhile, is a bizarre and thematically rich story about the darkness that lurks behind the facade of normality. Fittingly for a story of suburbia, it begins on a banal, and even rather benign, note: a man coming home to discover an empty house and an unmade bed. From there, it rapidly descends into a world of madness: a world where survival is paramount, and where danger lies in wait in the most ordinary surroundings. And it's about the fight for survival, and how principles and even love can amount to little compared to the desperate, primal urge to survive. It's also about the internal politics of the family, and how people slip into certain roles within a family which do not necessarily reflect their characters or wishes.
This is a nice collection of dark stories with supernatural twists, full of unusual angles on topics such as addiction and mental illness. Haviland's writing style is dexterous, and able to evoke both beauty and horror. It's occasionally gruesome, and not therefore for the squeamish, but if you're made of sturdy stuff it's well worth a read.
July 3, 2012
This is a collection of five stories; Aunt Tea’s Addiction, He Dreams in Yellow, Sparky’s First Day, The Entrepreneur, and Bedring.
Aunt Tea’s Addition – Aunt Tea married into the family but doesn’t fit in to well. It seems she does things that make her stand out on purpose. Almost like she is looking for attention. But her latest behavior will affect more than just her.
He Dreams in Yellow – Malcolm is depressed. Everything has fallen into dark and drab colors. Everything, that is, except Marjorie. She appears in her bright yellow jump suit that he cannot avoid seeing. Will Malcolm eventually succumb to his depression? Who else will it affect?
Sparky’s First Day – The story starts with “I’d been kidnapped” and does from there. Trying to find help yet having people after him at every step. Is there really an escape or is there something much more going on?
The Entrpreneur – A young lady goes to a teacher about a friend of hers. The teacher is trying to get her to help him work with him on his side business. She eventually finds the friend and more trouble than she could expect.
Bedring – A man finds an item on his bed. This leads to the true feelings of his wife. Will they work through them to rescue his son?
I will admit that I read this book through once and had a hard time trying to find the point of a couple of the stories. When I went back over the book for review, it made more sense to me. This is the first book in a collection of horror stories series. They are good little thrillers with interesting twists.
If you like horror stories, check out this book. You may find another to add to your collection.
I received this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.
Aunt Tea’s Addition – Aunt Tea married into the family but doesn’t fit in to well. It seems she does things that make her stand out on purpose. Almost like she is looking for attention. But her latest behavior will affect more than just her.
He Dreams in Yellow – Malcolm is depressed. Everything has fallen into dark and drab colors. Everything, that is, except Marjorie. She appears in her bright yellow jump suit that he cannot avoid seeing. Will Malcolm eventually succumb to his depression? Who else will it affect?
Sparky’s First Day – The story starts with “I’d been kidnapped” and does from there. Trying to find help yet having people after him at every step. Is there really an escape or is there something much more going on?
The Entrpreneur – A young lady goes to a teacher about a friend of hers. The teacher is trying to get her to help him work with him on his side business. She eventually finds the friend and more trouble than she could expect.
Bedring – A man finds an item on his bed. This leads to the true feelings of his wife. Will they work through them to rescue his son?
I will admit that I read this book through once and had a hard time trying to find the point of a couple of the stories. When I went back over the book for review, it made more sense to me. This is the first book in a collection of horror stories series. They are good little thrillers with interesting twists.
If you like horror stories, check out this book. You may find another to add to your collection.
I received this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2011
A small collection of short horror stories, each involving an unusual angle on themes of addiction and other madness/mental illnesses. As another reviewer has noted, it's difficult to go into detail on these as I don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say that Ms. Haviland's tales are rarely totally straightforward, but their twists are what make the horror effective. I would particularly praise the author's variations in point of view; they are used to great effect, luring the reader in (that first sentence, for example) then teasing with gradual illumination or a sudden revelation.
Although the roughness is sometimes an active part to the story, they could use some polish to smooth it out a little. The edits would help with clarification in a few places, as well as taking care of a few typos and grammar. The ideas behind the stories are excellent, but slightly gimmicky, relying on twists. This makes them excellent for a reader interested in reading once or twice, but may not bear up to repeated readings.
Overall rating: 4 stars - Readers who enjoy tales of madness will appreciate this collection. It's not unlike The King in Yellow or even Lovecraft in places, but with modernized language use, and less expansive in detail and description.
November 17, 2011
Night at the Demontorium: Series One by Naima Haviland.
A collection of short stories. An exceptional collection lovingly crafted of dark, thoughtful visions of death and addictions. The writing is surprisingly refreshing considering the subject matter.
I admit to having a difficult time describing the stories without telling all, so to speak. I can say that they are quick and easy to read while leaving you thoughtful at the end. Each story evokes a different response ranging from awe to disgust.
I am very glad to have discovered Naima Haviland and hope to read more of her work. Her stories are elegant and horrible both.
Night at the Demontorium: Series One is not to be missed.
A collection of short stories. An exceptional collection lovingly crafted of dark, thoughtful visions of death and addictions. The writing is surprisingly refreshing considering the subject matter.
I admit to having a difficult time describing the stories without telling all, so to speak. I can say that they are quick and easy to read while leaving you thoughtful at the end. Each story evokes a different response ranging from awe to disgust.
I am very glad to have discovered Naima Haviland and hope to read more of her work. Her stories are elegant and horrible both.
Night at the Demontorium: Series One is not to be missed.
February 4, 2015
Amazing little stories to muddle the mind. Enjoyed reading these wee stories very much my thanks to the author Naima Haviland for the pleasure of reading this amazing book. Yes I would be so delighted to recommend this wonderful book to my friends so happy reading to all & keep smiling from wee me. xxxxxx
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews