Kaleen Rae: And Other Weird Tales

by David Brian

Jonathon is in love, he has met the girl of his dreams, but she only has eyes for another. Just maybe, the mysterious Kaleen Rae can use her charms to resolve his problems, but at what price?

Welcome to a world that is both weird and horrific. A place occupied by vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts and things that go bump in the night.

Welcome to the world of Kaleen Rae.

More macabre tales from the mind of David Brian.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

228 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2010

About the author

Official 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.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually my third short story collection by the author in a few weeks and I’m pleasantly surprised to find not only that the quality is holding up, but that it actually might even be improving. This book features most of the prototypical genre scenarios…haunted places, shapeshifters, vampires, but the author really shines when he moves away from the beaten to death clichés into something more original. That’s where it gets to really be fun. Mind you, the other stories are fun too and do typically feature original takes. Well, maybe expect for the vampire story. Vampire fiction is a tough sell in general, too inherently cheesy And so was this one, the love scene alone was just…what’s the world…gaudy, maybe, Or tacky. Yeah, that story was silly. But the other ones were really good. And I especially appreciate the plot twists each one provides so obligingly in the end. The character writing is improving too with this collection. Just more fleshed out and realistic characterizations, dimensionality and all that. Plus they read so quickly, easy one evening read and lots of fun. Fans of scary stories without too much guts and gore would enjoy this, most likely.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really entertaining collection of stories. my personal favourite was Lonely Is The Night. This started out as a bog standard vampire tale, but it ended up blowing me away with its take on the situation. The twist near the end was superb.

[Mark Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

received an ARC copy of this book. Nice selection of stories ranging from horror to fantasy and sci-fi (genetic engineering). My favorites were Kaleen Rae, Payback, and Dark Angel.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested an ARC of this book, and when I did so David Brian warned me I had previously read a number of the stories in this updated collection. Nevertheless, I'm glad I decided to give it a go. I enjoy David's writing style, and this proved an enjoyable collection. My favorite stories were (the original shorter version of) The Strange Case at Misty Ridge, and Kaleen Rae, which is about a young man who is overweight and suffers with bad acne, and his attempt to win the girl of his dreams. You know what they say... be careful what you wish for.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 4+ really. But not quite worthy of a 5.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of short stories. My favorite was the title story Kaleen Rae, which reads almost as a sinister fairy tale. I also really enjoyed The Hunt, and Dark Angel.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book. It contains a variety of horror/dark fantasy stories, and the majority were very good. My favorites were Kaleen Rae, Payback, The Hunt, Skin Deep, and The Strange Case at Misty Ridge (which was the original short version. I have previously read the Misty Ridge novel, which is also excellent).

[David Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a selection of updated stories, which I originally wrote over the course of a few years.

This is a collection of macabre tales, featuring subjects of paranormal fantasy, bizarre science and gritty horror.

I hope you enjoy reading Kaleen Rae: And Other Weird Tales.

[Kaddi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of 7stories and a poem which combine to provide an interesting mixture of stories.
KALEEN RAE: is the title story and reads like an adult fairytale.
It is a good read and ambles along without providing any forewarning of the horrors in store. 5 stars.

PAYBACK: is the story of a young man who despises his work colleagues. Very good. 5 stars.

THE HUNT: a really different werewolf tale. This made me quite sad by the end. 4stars.

THE STRANGE CASE AT MISTY RIDGE: a haunted house story. Loved this. 5 stars.

LONELY IS THE NIGHT: a vampire story. Loved the twist near the end. 5stars.

SKIN DEEP: love doesn't always run smooth. 3stars.

HEATH HOUSE: this is a poem about a haunted house. It was okay but felt out of place amongst the other stories. 2stars.

DARK ANGEL: this was maybe closer to sci-fi than horror but I really enjoyed it a lot. Its just a shame this story didn,t go on longer as I wanted to know what happened to them next, but a nice tale of an unlikely love. 5stars.

[Jacqueline Lehrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

actually i am almost done reading this book, but i wanted to write my review lest i forget my obligation to do so as a goodreads book giveaway winner. the collection of stories reminds me of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz with a more adult tone. the stories go under your skin as only macabre stories do. most of the stories are relatively short so it is a quick read though the subject matter may have you turning it over in your head hours later. enjoy, it is a trip.

[David Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently reviewed this early edition of Kaleen Rae, and although I am happy with the caliber of the stories within, I have to be honest and say that the book is in need of a serious re-edit... It is high on my to do list.

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little selection of horror stories, some with suprising twists.

[Julie Loveland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've previously read and enjoyed a couple of novels by this author. I picked up this collection of nine short stories a few years ago, when it was up as a kindle freebie. I got through the full book over the course of a wet Sunday afternoon. It was good. I'd recommend it for fans of horror, particularly those don't crave buckets of blood and gore in order to enjoy the horror genre.
My favourite stories in order.
Kaleen Rae 5
The Strange Case at Misty Ridge 5
Dark Angel 5
Payback 4
Big Bad 4
Skin Deep 4
The Hunt 3
Lonely is the Night 3
Heath House 3

I make that an average of 4 stars.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection with a varied selection of decent horror stories. I particularly enjoyed the title story, Kaleen Rae, and also Payback, Dark Angel, and Skin Deep.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading Kaleen Rae and Other Weird Tales and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys slightly unconventional horror.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three-and-a-half stars.

[Chris Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[James Sunderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice mix of horror shorts. Averaging out to 4.25 stars.
Kaleen Rae: 5 stars.
Payback: 5 stars.
The Hunt: 4 stars.
Misty Ridge: 5 stars.
Lonely is the Night: 5 stars.
Skin Deep: 3 stars.
Heath House: 3 stars.
Dark Angel: 4 stars.

[Abby Cornwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining collection of horror/paranormal tales.

[Matt Munday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting stories in this collection; plus a few excellent ones. The title story Kaleen Rae was my favorite.