Shedding Skin: Two Tales of Horror and Identity

by Julian Darius

In the title story, a man’s girlfriend gives birth while visiting her sick aunt in New Mexico. When he goes to visit them and his newborn child, he discovers his girlfriend’s Native American heritage… and has a hallucinatory experience that will haunt their relationship for years to come. Also included is “Inherited Things,” a short and disturbing vampire story starring two generations of the wealthy Sedgwick family. From Martian Lit. More info at

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

60 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2012

About the author

A creative writer and comics scholar, Dr. Julian Darius holds degrees in English (Ph.D., M.A.) and French (M.A.).

Darius founded Martian Lit, for which he writes several acclaimed comics titles, including Martian Comics, Necropolitan, Kimot Ren, Forever Man, and The Synthetics. He's also published a novel, some short stories, and a screenplay.

In 1996, while still an undergraduate, Darius founded what would become Sequart Organization, an organization devoted to promoting comic books and pop culture as a legitimate art form. He wrote copiously for Sequart’s website, has authored books on comics, and has produced documentary films for the organization.

He co-hosts the Stories out of Time and Space podcast with Scott Weatherly. It covers science-fiction movies and TV shows.

He currently lives in Illinois.

Reviews

[Kevin Thurman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an early draft of this collection from Julian. What an amazing work. Darius's prose style is reminiscent of Richard Ford or Raymond Carver. But, the plots and characters are far from anything you will find in most literature. This is truly some disturbing stuff, but I say that as a compliment. You will not be disappointed. For anyone that likes Lovecraft, Stephen King, Richard Ford, and Alan Moore.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not really sure if I understood the whole mind frame the author had while writing this. I did find it interesting; though, I did not care for the ending. On a side note, I’ve never heard of Inherited Things, a short story that is also included in the book. I extremely enjoyed Inherited Things and wished it were longer!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title story "Shedding Skin" is really interesting and makes up about three-quarters of the book. It's about a guy whose wife has a baby at her Native American aunt's house. Five years later something strange happens.

The second story is much shorter and more abrupt. A guy's dying father tells him he keeps vampires in his dungeon. It was kind of an interesting idea of what you can do with your own pet vampire, something they could try on "True Blood" or something.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neither story is note worthy.
I read this in maybe 30min during my lunch break, while eating lunch.
The concept of the Shedding Skin was interesting but the execution failed miserably.
Inherited things was just awful. A perverted psychopath keeping a vampire to turn a young girl so he can use her for his sick murderous fetishes...and bequeath her to his son.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from GoodReads, and I'm very glad I did. I truly enjoyed these stories. The title story is about a man who finds out a horrify secret about the mother of his child. The second story, while much shorter, is just as gripping. It tells of a dying man and the family secret he reveals. When I was finished reading I still wanted more!

[Nika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but very good and with a twist. I really enjoyed this little book. I loved "Inherited Things". Can't stop thinking about this short story. I wish it was longer, but I liked the way it ended. My mind is playing so many scenarios right now that I wish I had a way with words.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea, but it seems like the stories could have been expanded on to be more cohesive.