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The Cthulhu Child
Revised and updated addition: Featuring two additional stories, and further added content.
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about masked 'slashers', those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre, and culminating in Every Single Night, a flash fiction homage to the Godfather of British horror - James Herbert R.I.P.
More unsettling tales from the mind of David Brian.
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about masked 'slashers', those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre, and culminating in Every Single Night, a flash fiction homage to the Godfather of British horror - James Herbert R.I.P.
More unsettling tales from the mind of David Brian.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2013
3 people are currently reading
932 people want to read
About the author
David Brian
19 books382 followersOfficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-...
Once More with Feeling
"There are people in the house. They have the children. What should we do?"
Available October 17th, 2022. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDMCLZVQ
I was born into a world of horror... Well, not quite, but almost! To be more precise, my 'very sudden' arrival into this world came about via a broken cinema seat. It was a seat into which my heavily pregnant mother found herself wedged. Once it had collapsed beneath her bulk, the resulting chaos of attempting to free her - perhaps not surprisingly - induced a rather rapid labor.
Talk about a grand entrance.
I'm guessing it was something of a talking point among those present, and probably for many years after.
Oh, yeah, and the film that was showing? It was The Phantom Of The Opera!
I have had a fascination with all aspects of the horror genre since my childhood, and it is a major driving force in my desire to write entertaining stories.
Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria is my first novel; It's the story of Laura Bennett, who finds everything changes on the day a beautiful and mysterious stranger first enters her life...
A novel length re-imagining of J.S. Le Fanu's original novella, Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria draws on much of the original narrative, but also introduces an array of new Characters to bring a whole new level of horror, and tragedy, to the legend of Carmilla.
The novel is co-authored by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and David Brian.
Collections of my short stories can be found in the fantasy books Dark Albion, Kaleen Rae, and The Cthulhu Child.
Once More with Feeling
"There are people in the house. They have the children. What should we do?"
Available October 17th, 2022. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDMCLZVQ
I was born into a world of horror... Well, not quite, but almost! To be more precise, my 'very sudden' arrival into this world came about via a broken cinema seat. It was a seat into which my heavily pregnant mother found herself wedged. Once it had collapsed beneath her bulk, the resulting chaos of attempting to free her - perhaps not surprisingly - induced a rather rapid labor.
Talk about a grand entrance.
I'm guessing it was something of a talking point among those present, and probably for many years after.
Oh, yeah, and the film that was showing? It was The Phantom Of The Opera!
I have had a fascination with all aspects of the horror genre since my childhood, and it is a major driving force in my desire to write entertaining stories.
Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria is my first novel; It's the story of Laura Bennett, who finds everything changes on the day a beautiful and mysterious stranger first enters her life...
A novel length re-imagining of J.S. Le Fanu's original novella, Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria draws on much of the original narrative, but also introduces an array of new Characters to bring a whole new level of horror, and tragedy, to the legend of Carmilla.
The novel is co-authored by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and David Brian.
Collections of my short stories can be found in the fantasy books Dark Albion, Kaleen Rae, and The Cthulhu Child.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 19, 2019
I quite enjoyed this selection of 6 short stories. The book is opening up with The Cthulhu Child. Interesting to see how the old ones come back to earth in the physical presence of a little girl. Jennifer, her mother, is very fond of how Megan's behaviour changed after her visit to the lavatory. What happened? What was the role of the pregnant waitress in the burger joint? The second story, Kingdom Falls, is quite moving with all its abuse agains dog and child. Every single night was a bit weaker in my opinion. I prefer The Rat by James Herbert but at least it pointed that book out. Sweet Sugar is a very interesting description of a man suffering from dementia and his twisted thoughts (that was quite a moving story actually). Aphrodite Tears gave a classic murder story a nasty edge. Losing him has a melancholy touch and as a message be careful when you're unfaithful to your wife. You could end up in a different way. Overall a fine selection of stories, more or less horror but every single one readable. I would have expected more Lovecraft and Cthulhu to be honest but didn't regret having read that book. Well written, good prose and plotting. Recommended!
March 14, 2014
David Brian is a classy writer. He's actually got style and sophistication. Even when he's telling us about death, dementia, and cannibalism, he does it with good manners. This is not to say that what he's writing isn't sufficiently macabre or horrific. Brian just delivers a dab of refinement with his monsters.
The stories in this little collection are all good little horror pieces, with one notable exception (and this was a great story, just not horror per se). But, sadly, the stories taken separately are much better than the collection as a whole. The selections for this book didn't quite jive for me. The first two stories shared a key element that diminished the impact of both stories due to their being placed back-to-back. The best story of the bunch isn't technically a horror story at all (as noted above). However, this story, "Sugar Sweet," is easily the most disturbing and most effective piece in the book.
I think there is an art (like flower arrangement?) to picking and placing stories in a collection. If this collection contained more stories, perhaps it would have been easier to avoid some of the placement pitfalls encountered here. But, as it stands, you'd be best served to buy this book and read the stories out of order, with a fair chunk of time between them. If you do that, I'd say you'll be quite pleased.
The stories in this little collection are all good little horror pieces, with one notable exception (and this was a great story, just not horror per se). But, sadly, the stories taken separately are much better than the collection as a whole. The selections for this book didn't quite jive for me. The first two stories shared a key element that diminished the impact of both stories due to their being placed back-to-back. The best story of the bunch isn't technically a horror story at all (as noted above). However, this story, "Sugar Sweet," is easily the most disturbing and most effective piece in the book.
I think there is an art (like flower arrangement?) to picking and placing stories in a collection. If this collection contained more stories, perhaps it would have been easier to avoid some of the placement pitfalls encountered here. But, as it stands, you'd be best served to buy this book and read the stories out of order, with a fair chunk of time between them. If you do that, I'd say you'll be quite pleased.
February 24, 2014
This collection of four stories from David Brian was deceptively deep, yet dark and disturbing. Alliteration aside, these stories ranged from good to perfect.
The Cthulhu Child was the first story. If I had to guess, it came earlier in the author's career than the others. The other three are all technically infallible, but this one had a few minor typos, nothing that detracted from the story. My only real issue was that I'm not overly in love with Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos and certainly am no expert, so grasping the Lovecraftian deities was impossible without research. Still, for fans of Lovecraft, this tale pays homage in a way that surely does not disappoint. For horror fans in general, a solid and unique read. Cthulhu mythos meets Invasion... 4 stars
Next up was Losing Him. This story was masterfully written. Like the first tale, it is done from a strong female perspective. The only complaint I would have with this story is that its primary theme was a small element of the first story. The author's sinful delight? David Brian has serious talent, so in the anthology, I would have loved to have seen more diversity. Still, the point of view assumed in this piece was an excellent choice from which to craft the story that unfolds... 4 stars
Sweet Sugar is the third story. It is perfect. No word in it is wasted. It is beautiful, horrifying, and tear-jerking, all at the same time. I wouldn't necessary classify it as horror, though I do not fault the author for doing so. This moving piece is not only as good as some of the work of those fancy-schmancy elitist types who shun genre fiction as second-rate, but it outshines them. Literary fiction with power and class from a genre fiction specialist... 5+ stars
The last story is flash fiction. I generally hate flash fiction because usually the stuff I read does not qualify as a story in any sense of the word and its far too short to become invested in the plot or characters. Thankfully, Brian's story is longer than what I usually see and does tell and interesting tale that I rather enjoyed. I do not know how to rate flash fiction so I will leave the rating here blank.
So... 4.333333333333333333333 (and so on) stars, by my calculation. This definitely wets my appetite for Brian's work. I look forward to reading more in the near future.
The Cthulhu Child was the first story. If I had to guess, it came earlier in the author's career than the others. The other three are all technically infallible, but this one had a few minor typos, nothing that detracted from the story. My only real issue was that I'm not overly in love with Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos and certainly am no expert, so grasping the Lovecraftian deities was impossible without research. Still, for fans of Lovecraft, this tale pays homage in a way that surely does not disappoint. For horror fans in general, a solid and unique read. Cthulhu mythos meets Invasion... 4 stars
Next up was Losing Him. This story was masterfully written. Like the first tale, it is done from a strong female perspective. The only complaint I would have with this story is that its primary theme was a small element of the first story. The author's sinful delight? David Brian has serious talent, so in the anthology, I would have loved to have seen more diversity. Still, the point of view assumed in this piece was an excellent choice from which to craft the story that unfolds... 4 stars
Sweet Sugar is the third story. It is perfect. No word in it is wasted. It is beautiful, horrifying, and tear-jerking, all at the same time. I wouldn't necessary classify it as horror, though I do not fault the author for doing so. This moving piece is not only as good as some of the work of those fancy-schmancy elitist types who shun genre fiction as second-rate, but it outshines them. Literary fiction with power and class from a genre fiction specialist... 5+ stars
The last story is flash fiction. I generally hate flash fiction because usually the stuff I read does not qualify as a story in any sense of the word and its far too short to become invested in the plot or characters. Thankfully, Brian's story is longer than what I usually see and does tell and interesting tale that I rather enjoyed. I do not know how to rate flash fiction so I will leave the rating here blank.
So... 4.333333333333333333333 (and so on) stars, by my calculation. This definitely wets my appetite for Brian's work. I look forward to reading more in the near future.
July 27, 2015
This was a quick and entertaining collection of short horror stories. The monsters proved to be both human and otherworldly. There is also a flash fiction short that pays homage to James Herbert. The title story was my favorite.
June 1, 2019
Quick preamble…a while back I read the author’s story collection and really disliked it, although I seem to recall he was quite gracious about it. A fact one never forgets in a world where there are so many sh*tty graceless authors and sh*tty angry reviewers. So anyway, that experience mostly took the author off my radar, but then two of his books ended up on my Kindle as freebies and looked like quick reads, just enough to pass an afternoon and I figured why not try again. I’m not huge on second chances, but this actually worked out. Which is to say this was a perfectly adequate collection of short scary stories. Nothing mindblowing, sure, but a huge improvement over earlier work. These tales were actually entertaining without resorting to clichés and, while at times formulaic, nevertheless consistently strove for originality. First two are the longest and the best. Thematically there is a nice variety here, because different people find different things scary, this allows the genre lots of space to roam and the author took advantage of it. From cosmic to cannibalism, there are tentacles, gore and guts for everyone. And some are just purely psychological, which I really enjoy. So yeah, overall, pretty decent, well done. Definitely above average for a Kindle genre freebie. Even the editing is up to par. Nice quick fun read.
March 31, 2014
This is a book of four short stories and the first is the longest of them.
I liked Cathulhu Child lots, and the mother and daughter Jennifer and Meghan were very easy to like. The author wrote them extremely well and the trip they were on all of a sudden went from mundane to horror book crazy for Megan. Just looked like a fast food restaurant, but it was hiding big secrets. The conversation between Jennifer and her daughter had me laughing as well, so it was a good when all of a sudden things changed.
Kingdom Falls was all told from a little girls POV and that made this little story fun as we see things from a child's perspective. Princess was happy in her life, and thought everyone loved her daddy as much as she did, but that wasn't the case and when he's put away things change. And as events play out the book takes a dark turn. And it does it so well. I was left thinking no way did that just happen. Not horror but horrific. Well written again and I was left wondering just what happens next.
Of the last two, one was a short but sad look on when your mind starts forgetting things as we age, I could picture Sugar and her man well in my mind. And then the last one Losing Him. This had a really big yuck factor to it. The missing husband and beat upon wife. In just a few pages you can get a real feel for what her life had become. Again not a horror story in the sense of being scared but its the twist that all the stories in the book had. I can't wait to read more of David Brian's work and I can recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read that's a bit quirky but likes a surprise twist to things.
I liked Cathulhu Child lots, and the mother and daughter Jennifer and Meghan were very easy to like. The author wrote them extremely well and the trip they were on all of a sudden went from mundane to horror book crazy for Megan. Just looked like a fast food restaurant, but it was hiding big secrets. The conversation between Jennifer and her daughter had me laughing as well, so it was a good when all of a sudden things changed.
Kingdom Falls was all told from a little girls POV and that made this little story fun as we see things from a child's perspective. Princess was happy in her life, and thought everyone loved her daddy as much as she did, but that wasn't the case and when he's put away things change. And as events play out the book takes a dark turn. And it does it so well. I was left thinking no way did that just happen. Not horror but horrific. Well written again and I was left wondering just what happens next.
Of the last two, one was a short but sad look on when your mind starts forgetting things as we age, I could picture Sugar and her man well in my mind. And then the last one Losing Him. This had a really big yuck factor to it. The missing husband and beat upon wife. In just a few pages you can get a real feel for what her life had become. Again not a horror story in the sense of being scared but its the twist that all the stories in the book had. I can't wait to read more of David Brian's work and I can recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read that's a bit quirky but likes a surprise twist to things.
March 20, 2014
Revised edition with added content:
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about masked 'slashers', those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
I hope you enjoy
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about masked 'slashers', those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
I hope you enjoy
November 14, 2014
Brief but entertaining, though I didn't think Megan in the first story was quite such a brat to deserve...well, check out this enjoyable nibble of horror to get a taste yourself. Good creepy fun, Kingdom Falls was my favourite.
October 15, 2015
The Cthulhu Child is a collection of 6 deliciously dark short stories. Now I love a good horror story. And over the years I’ve learnt that a great many things form part of the horror genre. There are of course monsters and beasties and ghosts and zombies and vampires and ghouls and everything in between. Then of course there is reality, which on its own can dark and horrifying without any help from the supernatural. I tend to steer away from the latter because it depresses me too much.
This book is a blend of everything.
The first story, The Cthulhu Child is a creepy little tale that will forever make me worry about taking a wrong turn. It is a story of a mother and daughter and what can happen when you end up at a little burger joint in the middle of nowhere. It especially worries me because the whole reason everything happens is that the daughter Megan needs to pee. I drink a lot of water, enough said.
The second story Kingdom Falls has no supernatural elements in it, but still manages to be horrifying at the same time. I feel bad for the princess, I feel bad for the dog, I feel bad for the twins. So basically I feel bad for almost everyone. This is a big deal, because it is a teensy story as far as im concerned and I wouldn’t normally care about a character that is only going to last 15 minutes from start to finish.
You know those little short stories that are like a line but still scare the crap out of you? I love those. That is what Every Single Night, the third story reminds me of. Short, sweet and completely evil.
Sweet sugar wouldn’t be classified as horror. That is to say it doesn’t create the same sense of fear a zombie coming at you would. It’s far more real than that. Like losing your child. That’s the sort of fear it elicits.
I loved how twisted Aphrodite Tears was and there’s not much I can say about it without giving to much away. Let’s just say as far as im concerned just desserts were given.
The last story Losing Him reminds me of something worthy of Stephen King only like 600 pages shorter. It’s twisted, it’s dark, it’s well deserved.
Now I know some people may be of the opinion that the story types are too varied but in my opinion that makes it a well rounded book. So if you like your short story collection to have a lil bit of this and a lil bit of that, this book is for you.
I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review. Just as a side note, i'm reading the revised edition which includes two additional stories. The first edition has just four, short stories.
This book is a blend of everything.
The first story, The Cthulhu Child is a creepy little tale that will forever make me worry about taking a wrong turn. It is a story of a mother and daughter and what can happen when you end up at a little burger joint in the middle of nowhere. It especially worries me because the whole reason everything happens is that the daughter Megan needs to pee. I drink a lot of water, enough said.
The second story Kingdom Falls has no supernatural elements in it, but still manages to be horrifying at the same time. I feel bad for the princess, I feel bad for the dog, I feel bad for the twins. So basically I feel bad for almost everyone. This is a big deal, because it is a teensy story as far as im concerned and I wouldn’t normally care about a character that is only going to last 15 minutes from start to finish.
You know those little short stories that are like a line but still scare the crap out of you? I love those. That is what Every Single Night, the third story reminds me of. Short, sweet and completely evil.
Sweet sugar wouldn’t be classified as horror. That is to say it doesn’t create the same sense of fear a zombie coming at you would. It’s far more real than that. Like losing your child. That’s the sort of fear it elicits.
I loved how twisted Aphrodite Tears was and there’s not much I can say about it without giving to much away. Let’s just say as far as im concerned just desserts were given.
The last story Losing Him reminds me of something worthy of Stephen King only like 600 pages shorter. It’s twisted, it’s dark, it’s well deserved.
Now I know some people may be of the opinion that the story types are too varied but in my opinion that makes it a well rounded book. So if you like your short story collection to have a lil bit of this and a lil bit of that, this book is for you.
I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review. Just as a side note, i'm reading the revised edition which includes two additional stories. The first edition has just four, short stories.
June 19, 2013
This was only the third book I'd ever downloaded onto kindle, and although it was only short it contained some really interesting stories. I was moved by Sweet Sugar as it touched me on a personal level, but shan't say anymore as it would be a spoiler.
September 3, 2013
This is a small book of four short stories, the first of which, The Cthulhu Child, will remind many, I’m sure, of a very popular television series of the past, The Twilight Zone. The narrative is clear, well written, although the two main characters are rather common; nothing seems to be out of the ordinary until you come near the end. All of a sudden, something happens that is very, very strange. It is surprising to the max; the tale becomes dark and unusual. The ending is climatic, unexpected, I dare to say, “diabolically beautiful”. The next three stories: “Losing Him”, “Sweet Sugar”, and “Every Single Night” are also unique, but you, as a reader, now sense that these are not going to be ordinary tales. You feel ‘more prepared for surprises’ as you read along, but to no avail, they will surprise you too, each on its own unique way.
I would also like to point out that I have always enjoyed finding phrases or sentences that identify a talented writer, and here, Mr. David Brian produced several of them, but one that I find very evocative is: “…the landscape slopes away into an expanse of rural splendor,…” just magnificent.
A great little book that you can read in about an hour; it deserves 5 Stars,
Jake Taylor
I would also like to point out that I have always enjoyed finding phrases or sentences that identify a talented writer, and here, Mr. David Brian produced several of them, but one that I find very evocative is: “…the landscape slopes away into an expanse of rural splendor,…” just magnificent.
A great little book that you can read in about an hour; it deserves 5 Stars,
Jake Taylor
March 1, 2017
The Cthulhu Child is a story that proceeds a series of short stories. 21st century twilight zone. I thought I was reading the titled story that left my mouth hanging open as I turned the page to see a new story. Some of them are true life scary. Every one was a great read. You have no idea what's coming. I wanted to read something by this author. Many people recommended as s starter book. I am now a fan of David Brian.
April 24, 2014
Good Collection
This is a tough one to rate. Why? The book is advertised as a work of horror. In many ways it is, in others it isn’t. The Cthulu story is more sci/fi with a hint of bone-chilling horror. Aphrodite’s Tears is more a work of suspense and terrible regret. “Losing Him” is an excellent, “gotcha ya.” Story.
I came across some punctuation issues. This could be the difference between the common English language we in the states and those in the UK speak. They didn’t detract from the stories at all.
I enjoyed the prose of each different story. I commend the author for being able to be diverse and flowing with each style. Very nice.
Of the six shorts I’m going with Sugar and Kingdom Falls.
Sugar covers a topic many of us with aging parents can relate to. An excellent tribute for families who are dealing with a parent enduring the ravages of time. Very well crafted
Kingdom Falls takes twists and turns which are very refreshing. This story appears to be taking place in medieval times, till you start reading. It’s an excellent shocker. Princess is an abused child who in the end reaps her revenge and it isn’t pretty. Well done.
All in all, a four star work.
January 18, 2016
With a title like The Cthulhu Child i was expecting tales centered around Lovecraft's mythos, whereas actually this was a short book of very unusual short stories. Only the title story relates to anything Lovecraft, and it is actually up for debate as to whether some of these tales qualify as horror. That being said, they are all of a dark nature and range from good to excellent. Two in particular, Sweet Sugar and Kingdom Falls, were superbly crafted stories that left me deeply moved. I read the whole book in under an hour, but it was time well spent.
April 20, 2015
Only a quick read, and a strange mix of stories but all were very good. Kingdom Falls and Sweet Sugar were exceptional. five plus stars!
May 21, 2019
I took a cautionary approach to this book, because I was not sure what to expect with an anthology of short stories titled The Cthulhu Child. I have been an avid reader of all things Mythos for almost three years, having found in HLP's universe a trove of amazing stories and authors (and some crappy ones, too).
The Cthulhu Child is not crappy.
It starts with a wrong turn, in a car driven by a bitter, divorced mom and a bitter, smart-mouthed teenager. They chance upon a decrepit burger joint in BFE, and needing to take a pee, they enter into an immaculately clean and scrumptious smelling restaurant, staffed by a woman who's heavily pregnant. Very heavily pregnant. As in, she appears to be carrying Dumbo the Elephant.
I was intrigued.
I was even more intrigued when the daughter goes to the loo, and someone follows her into the next door stall.
No more spoilers, but this was an awesome title story. The book continues with a number of other stories, some more "horrific" than others, but all well done. The story of the abused girl, although not traditional horror, was probably the scariest, simply for its authenticity. Overall the book contained a few grammatical errors, but nothing that marred my overall enjoyment.
I'm going to look up James Herbert's The Rats, at the author's postscript bequest.
Nicely done.
The Cthulhu Child is not crappy.
It starts with a wrong turn, in a car driven by a bitter, divorced mom and a bitter, smart-mouthed teenager. They chance upon a decrepit burger joint in BFE, and needing to take a pee, they enter into an immaculately clean and scrumptious smelling restaurant, staffed by a woman who's heavily pregnant. Very heavily pregnant. As in, she appears to be carrying Dumbo the Elephant.
I was intrigued.
I was even more intrigued when the daughter goes to the loo, and someone follows her into the next door stall.
No more spoilers, but this was an awesome title story. The book continues with a number of other stories, some more "horrific" than others, but all well done. The story of the abused girl, although not traditional horror, was probably the scariest, simply for its authenticity. Overall the book contained a few grammatical errors, but nothing that marred my overall enjoyment.
I'm going to look up James Herbert's The Rats, at the author's postscript bequest.
Nicely done.
June 3, 2013
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about masked 'slashers', those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
I hope you enjoy. :)
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about masked 'slashers', those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
I hope you enjoy. :)
April 4, 2014
Revised edition with added content:
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
February 21, 2017
Confession time. My husband knows the author personally, and so my netter half has been twisting my arm to read this little book of six short stories for well over a year. I didn't really fancy it though, because i'm not into the whole Cthulhu thing.
As it turned out, it was only the title story that related to the mythos, and this was actually a fun and gory little tale.
I'm not sure whether all of these stories qualify as horror, at least not in any recognized sense, there are no werewolves, ghosts or vampires to be found here. That being said, all of the stories contain elements of creepiness, and some are downright unsettling.
I particularly enjoyed Kingdom Falls & Losing Him, but the real gem in this collection is a story titled Sweet Sugar. It is not a horror story... and yet it is.
As it turned out, it was only the title story that related to the mythos, and this was actually a fun and gory little tale.
I'm not sure whether all of these stories qualify as horror, at least not in any recognized sense, there are no werewolves, ghosts or vampires to be found here. That being said, all of the stories contain elements of creepiness, and some are downright unsettling.
I particularly enjoyed Kingdom Falls & Losing Him, but the real gem in this collection is a story titled Sweet Sugar. It is not a horror story... and yet it is.
June 5, 2013
Downloaded this for free and what a good little book it turned out to be. My favourite story was Sweet Sugar, and it actually brought tears to my eyes. Every Single Night is an homage to James Herbert,s The Rats, and I,m sure it would have raised a smile on the face of the horror master. This was a very good little read.
June 13, 2013
Nice little book full of interesting stories, and each of which provided a very clever twist. A very good freebie read.
November 27, 2014
Well that was weird!
August 3, 2019
Readable horror tales
Short tales of horror with a small ‘h’, but readable In less than an hour. Plus a preview of another book entitled ‘Carmilla’.
See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...
Short tales of horror with a small ‘h’, but readable In less than an hour. Plus a preview of another book entitled ‘Carmilla’.
See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...
July 2, 2019
Nice little short anthology.
November 17, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
March 25, 2014
Revised edition with added content:
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
There are many different aspects to the world of horror, and all of them have their own particular place when it comes to providing scares for the reader.
We all love monsters, regardless of whether they be vampires, werewolves, or tentacled monstrosities.
Equally, literature is full of tales about those who hide in the shadows, and who are on an unstoppable quest to hunt us down.
Sometimes though, we are confronted by events in the real world which can be as harrowing as any presented by creatures who stalk the night.
Whilst not directly corresponding to the situations mentioned above, The Cthulhu Child provides a selection of darkly disturbing tales, each dealing with a separate element of the horror genre.
May 16, 2019
This is only a short book. It took me little more than an hour to read all six stories. I enjoyed them all, but there is one story in particular, Sweet Sugar, that really resonated with me due to events in my own family.
Sweet Sugar is beautifully written, and also tragic and horrifying. This story alone makes the book worth 5 stars, at least for me.
Sweet Sugar is beautifully written, and also tragic and horrifying. This story alone makes the book worth 5 stars, at least for me.
April 23, 2015
Very good 5+*
November 10, 2016
This was a really unusual selection of stories, and not at all what I expected based on the cover. All were well written, but Sweet Sugar and Kingdom Falls were my favorites.
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