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Nightmare Man
Jessie is not living the life he imagined. He spends his days working a job he hates. He spends his nights tormented by night terrors.
He once had goals and dreams. Now he's just trying to get by.
Unfortunately for Jessie and his family, while he's given up on his dreams, his nightmares haven't given up on him. And right now one is crossing over into the waking world.
He once had goals and dreams. Now he's just trying to get by.
Unfortunately for Jessie and his family, while he's given up on his dreams, his nightmares haven't given up on him. And right now one is crossing over into the waking world.
77 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 27, 2020
EDIT - in this review, i give misinformation about the availability of ryker's books. they are totally available on nook. i am too embarrassed to rewrite the review, and i think it is good to have a public record of one's own dumbassery, so i thought i would just lead in with this PSA. my bad.
this one my least favorite of alan ryker's book so far, but it's still pretty spectacular. and my ranking of it was IN NO WAY clouded by my having learned just before starting it that he has written other books that are only available for stinky kindle and he was effectively freezing me out even though i have been his little cheerleader all this time. which he probably doesn't even know, but now he does. thank you for passing along the message, netgalley!
this is the most emphatically supernatural of his books (that i have had the ability to read, hhmph) and i know that Burden Kansas was about a vampire, which is totes supernatural, but the treatment of vampires in it was starkly realistic: with the western-genre tone, it could have been any predator that stoic keith was protecting his livestock from. and The Hoard had…what it had, but honestly, the hoarding aspect of that story was the truly horrific element, so that one also skirts my supernatural-stamp. Among Prey was just excellent storytelling, and didn't need any supernatural to make it burn.
this one is nightmare city.
not for me; you've all read me bitch and moan about how nothing scaaaares me and how that is the curse of my once-young life.
however, the one story that ever ever scared me was when i was nine years old and i was in the backseat of my aunt's car as we were going somewhere pretty far from home. i finished the book i had brought with me to read and grew bored, so i started rooting around in this little mesh pocket thingie she had over the passenger seat, and i came across a copy of stephen king's night shift. "book!" i said to myself, and i started to read it.
and then i got to the story entitled the boogeyman.
and it destroyed me.
and that is the feeling i have never been able to recapture, but which i long for so fiercely,
i mention this because this story is similar in theme, with a nightmare creature affecting the waking life of its dreamer: jessie is a man who suffers from night terrors; very vivid nightmares of a hooded figure with whom he fights in an unconscious state and which feels so real. his disorder affects his home life; his vigorous thrashings and potential violence force his wife to sleep on the couch, and although he tries to hide the nocturnal situation from his two young children, he is exhausted and overwrought and things start to unravel, until he begins to question whether the nightmare man may not be a dream after all, and his family might be in great danger.
it's a really solid story, and it has a more redemptive ending than king's, but one which did not leave me wanting to go sleep in mommy and daddy's bed for weeks afterward.
ryker does the "ooooor iiiiis iiiit??" thing really well, and that is probably my favorite part of any of his books; that creeping questioning feeling, the not-knowing where it is all headed.
another good, short little punch from ryker.
looking forward to more from him… on my nook.
come to my blog!
this one my least favorite of alan ryker's book so far, but it's still pretty spectacular. and my ranking of it was IN NO WAY clouded by my having learned just before starting it that he has written other books that are only available for stinky kindle and he was effectively freezing me out even though i have been his little cheerleader all this time. which he probably doesn't even know, but now he does. thank you for passing along the message, netgalley!
this is the most emphatically supernatural of his books (that i have had the ability to read, hhmph) and i know that Burden Kansas was about a vampire, which is totes supernatural, but the treatment of vampires in it was starkly realistic: with the western-genre tone, it could have been any predator that stoic keith was protecting his livestock from. and The Hoard had…what it had, but honestly, the hoarding aspect of that story was the truly horrific element, so that one also skirts my supernatural-stamp. Among Prey was just excellent storytelling, and didn't need any supernatural to make it burn.
this one is nightmare city.
not for me; you've all read me bitch and moan about how nothing scaaaares me and how that is the curse of my once-young life.
however, the one story that ever ever scared me was when i was nine years old and i was in the backseat of my aunt's car as we were going somewhere pretty far from home. i finished the book i had brought with me to read and grew bored, so i started rooting around in this little mesh pocket thingie she had over the passenger seat, and i came across a copy of stephen king's night shift. "book!" i said to myself, and i started to read it.
and then i got to the story entitled the boogeyman.
and it destroyed me.
and that is the feeling i have never been able to recapture, but which i long for so fiercely,
i mention this because this story is similar in theme, with a nightmare creature affecting the waking life of its dreamer: jessie is a man who suffers from night terrors; very vivid nightmares of a hooded figure with whom he fights in an unconscious state and which feels so real. his disorder affects his home life; his vigorous thrashings and potential violence force his wife to sleep on the couch, and although he tries to hide the nocturnal situation from his two young children, he is exhausted and overwrought and things start to unravel, until he begins to question whether the nightmare man may not be a dream after all, and his family might be in great danger.
it's a really solid story, and it has a more redemptive ending than king's, but one which did not leave me wanting to go sleep in mommy and daddy's bed for weeks afterward.
ryker does the "ooooor iiiiis iiiit??" thing really well, and that is probably my favorite part of any of his books; that creeping questioning feeling, the not-knowing where it is all headed.
another good, short little punch from ryker.
looking forward to more from him… on my nook.
come to my blog!
March 13, 2017
Like usual, I feel the nightmare man before I see him, before he pulls himself through.
This was a superb and creepy short horror story! At only 70, or so, pages, this was a really well thought out novel that rounded itself up perfectly at the end.
I didn’t like to read this before I went to sleep because the imagery of the Nightmare Man was so vivid and terrifying that I was worried I was going to start experiencing a creature pulling itself out of a shadowy hole in the corner of my room. Ryker was really good at the nightmarish imagery in this novel, there were certainly some really creepy moments.
This story starts out as a scary story about a man with night terrors but it progresses to be much more meaningful than just that. This novel teaches us that we can’t blame others for failures in our lives, that could easily be rectified and that there is an enemy inside us all that we should try to overcome, to become the best person that we can possibly be.
This was a superb and creepy short horror story! At only 70, or so, pages, this was a really well thought out novel that rounded itself up perfectly at the end.
I didn’t like to read this before I went to sleep because the imagery of the Nightmare Man was so vivid and terrifying that I was worried I was going to start experiencing a creature pulling itself out of a shadowy hole in the corner of my room. Ryker was really good at the nightmarish imagery in this novel, there were certainly some really creepy moments.
This story starts out as a scary story about a man with night terrors but it progresses to be much more meaningful than just that. This novel teaches us that we can’t blame others for failures in our lives, that could easily be rectified and that there is an enemy inside us all that we should try to overcome, to become the best person that we can possibly be.
September 11, 2013
4.5 stars!
Night terrors. I didn't know much about them until I read this book. Apparently, they can be hereditary and/or influenced by stress. They can also be flat out horrific. But what happens when your night terrors spread out to other people? Has your dream become real or has it been transferred like some kind of deadly disease? You will need to read this fine horror novella to find out.
I have been a fan of Alan Ryker for a couple of years now, and he hasn't disappointed me yet. In this story,(and every Ryker story, really), you feel for the characters and what they're going through. In this novella, the main character has what has to be one of the worst jobs to ever exist, and Mr. Ryker made me FEEL the distress this character was experiencing. Like this character, I had to do some deep breathing to calm myself down!
Overall, this was an excellent read. The pacing was good and the tension ran high. If you have a spare hour or two and this story sounds good to you, I highly recommend it!
Night terrors. I didn't know much about them until I read this book. Apparently, they can be hereditary and/or influenced by stress. They can also be flat out horrific. But what happens when your night terrors spread out to other people? Has your dream become real or has it been transferred like some kind of deadly disease? You will need to read this fine horror novella to find out.
I have been a fan of Alan Ryker for a couple of years now, and he hasn't disappointed me yet. In this story,(and every Ryker story, really), you feel for the characters and what they're going through. In this novella, the main character has what has to be one of the worst jobs to ever exist, and Mr. Ryker made me FEEL the distress this character was experiencing. Like this character, I had to do some deep breathing to calm myself down!
Overall, this was an excellent read. The pacing was good and the tension ran high. If you have a spare hour or two and this story sounds good to you, I highly recommend it!
December 20, 2013
Nightmare man is another anxiety filled ordeal from the Darkfuse stable and follows in the vein of some outstanding novella’s I’ve read recently. You have to feel for Jessie, married with two kids, he suffers from night terrors, traumatic and menacing nightmares that send him scurrying violently for safety, anything to escape the Nightmare man. His wife sleeps on the settee and Jessie is desperate for a way out, a normal life, an end to the nightmares ruining his life.
When he finds a trial medical program offering new drugs, he enlists and the prospect finally for a cure to his problems is hopefully just round the corner. Soon after starting the new drugs, the threat posed by the shadow man that haunts his dreams starts to bleed into reality, coming for those he loves most and Jessie has to confront his nemesis head on.
This is the second piece of fiction I've read from Alan Ryker and he has the canny ability to write clever, interesting stories full of ordinary characters you actually care about and can’t help but root for. Highly recommended.
When he finds a trial medical program offering new drugs, he enlists and the prospect finally for a cure to his problems is hopefully just round the corner. Soon after starting the new drugs, the threat posed by the shadow man that haunts his dreams starts to bleed into reality, coming for those he loves most and Jessie has to confront his nemesis head on.
This is the second piece of fiction I've read from Alan Ryker and he has the canny ability to write clever, interesting stories full of ordinary characters you actually care about and can’t help but root for. Highly recommended.
September 11, 2013
Alan Ryker clearly knows about the fears that haunt so many of our lives. This is the story of a man so haunted that his nightmares affect his family to the point that he locks himself in his bedroom at night and his wife sleeps on the couch.
Finally he searches out all the outside help he can find in an attempt to save his family and himself from the danger of his nightmares.
What causes them? Can he rid himself of the night terrors? Alan Ryker leads us down this path of this tormented man's life in this one sitting read that I think you will enjoy as much as I did.
ETA: This may seem like a nice little horror novella, but Alan Ryker got his typing fingers into my brain and stirred them around. The night I read this I woke from a screaming nightmare. After being comforted by man and cat, I read for a while and went back to sleep only to be awoken by another nightmare.
Reality = Alan Ryker.
September 10, 2013
This one was an instant 5 star read for me, on a personal level. The subject matter of "night terrors", and the underlying factors of what may be a contributing factor to them, is something that our family knows a great deal about.
Personal issues aside, Alan Ryker has written a very well-researched, and ultimately terrifying novella that blends facts and "what-ifs?", perfectly. I simply did not stop until the final page. The theories proposed here could give even the soundest sleeper nightmares! When dealing with a subject like this, there is no limit to where your imagination (or nightmares!) can take you. That, I feel, is what makes this novella truly stand out.
Highly recommended!
Personal issues aside, Alan Ryker has written a very well-researched, and ultimately terrifying novella that blends facts and "what-ifs?", perfectly. I simply did not stop until the final page. The theories proposed here could give even the soundest sleeper nightmares! When dealing with a subject like this, there is no limit to where your imagination (or nightmares!) can take you. That, I feel, is what makes this novella truly stand out.
Highly recommended!
September 11, 2013
I have just started reading Alan's books this year and have become a big fan of his work. This was the fifth book of his that I have read( Burden Kansas, Blood Tells True, Among Prey and The Hoard ). This is a story about a man named Jessie who has Night Terrors( Nightmare Man). And how he deals with it once it starts effecting his life(family). I thought this book was very, very good and I gave it 4 1/2 stars. I just put this in my top 10 DarkFuse books. I highly recommend this book!
December 13, 2013
Alan Ryker is an up and coming writer in the dark fiction genre. If you haven’t read him and you are a fan of the genre then you have some catching up to do and you are going to have fun doing it.
Nightmare Man is the most recent of several very good novellas and novels of Ryker that have been published by Darkfuse with several more on the way. This is not my favorite Ryker work. My personal favorites are the Vampires of the Plains series and The Hoard. Still, it was very good.
Characters drive Ryker’s work. Sure, horrific things happen. The baddies are up there with the best of them. His powers of description will bring a shudder (as in the case of the marvelous Vampires of the Plains series) or squeamish hives (in the case of The Hoard). But it is the characters that stand out for me. You really feel that you know them and there is a certain truth to them that comes from a sensitivity and empathy for his subject matter, whether it is the relative of a hoarder trapped in their obsessions, or in this case a man plagued by night terrors that not only destroy his peace of mind but, it seems, have the danger of crossing the bridge from the inner dreamscape to the outer real world.
In all of his works, you feel that Ryker understands and feels for his characters and knows what makes them act the way that they do. What drives the Hoarder? What are "night terrors" like and where do they come from? This adds a sense of realism to the fantastic, brings a whole deeper emotional level to the narration, and makes the stories so much more unsettling.
I gave this one somewhere between 3 1//2 to 4 stars because we have read stories like this before and I felt that I was on familiar ground. It is better than the usual story of this type because Ryker gets into what "night terrors" really are---the source and their effect of the sufferer. He really set the "originality" bar pretty high with The Hoard though, otherwise I probably would have rated higher.
Nightmare Man is the most recent of several very good novellas and novels of Ryker that have been published by Darkfuse with several more on the way. This is not my favorite Ryker work. My personal favorites are the Vampires of the Plains series and The Hoard. Still, it was very good.
Characters drive Ryker’s work. Sure, horrific things happen. The baddies are up there with the best of them. His powers of description will bring a shudder (as in the case of the marvelous Vampires of the Plains series) or squeamish hives (in the case of The Hoard). But it is the characters that stand out for me. You really feel that you know them and there is a certain truth to them that comes from a sensitivity and empathy for his subject matter, whether it is the relative of a hoarder trapped in their obsessions, or in this case a man plagued by night terrors that not only destroy his peace of mind but, it seems, have the danger of crossing the bridge from the inner dreamscape to the outer real world.
In all of his works, you feel that Ryker understands and feels for his characters and knows what makes them act the way that they do. What drives the Hoarder? What are "night terrors" like and where do they come from? This adds a sense of realism to the fantastic, brings a whole deeper emotional level to the narration, and makes the stories so much more unsettling.
I gave this one somewhere between 3 1//2 to 4 stars because we have read stories like this before and I felt that I was on familiar ground. It is better than the usual story of this type because Ryker gets into what "night terrors" really are---the source and their effect of the sufferer. He really set the "originality" bar pretty high with The Hoard though, otherwise I probably would have rated higher.
September 27, 2013
Don't know that many guys with the name of the most famous Rick Springfield song, but the main character in this horror novella, Jessie, is having trouble sleeping. He's got a familiar horror problem faced by those in all the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, only it's not Freddy Kruger scaring him while he sleeps. He keeps having nightmares of the Nightmare Man (often not capitalized as 'nightmare man'). I was watching Stephen King talk about horror films and how he felt sequels tended to ruin the horrific elements presented in the original story (somewhat timely considering he just had published a sequel to THE SHINING). The good news for this book is it feels like a fresh nightmare story, not like an unnecessary sequel.
The Nightmare Man is drawn fairly well, as is the protagonist. This is the third story by this author I've read and he clearly writes good. I've been somewhat disappointed in the endings of his stories, this one being no exception. I felt like with all the good Nightmare Man setup that the resolution of that primary arc would last longer than a page or two. I'm not going to spoil the story and say what that resolution is, but it seemed way too rushed and didn't match the pacing of the rest of the tale. It warranted more pages for this reader's money. Overall, it's a good story that I liked, but didn't love. I'm certain this author is going to write a story that I love someday because his writing is strong. My favorite stories are ones with satisfying endings and this one doesn't qualify in that department. 3.5 stars, rounded down here, rounded up at Amazon where the stars align a bit differently. 1,539 Kindle locations. Approximately 77 pages.
The Nightmare Man is drawn fairly well, as is the protagonist. This is the third story by this author I've read and he clearly writes good. I've been somewhat disappointed in the endings of his stories, this one being no exception. I felt like with all the good Nightmare Man setup that the resolution of that primary arc would last longer than a page or two. I'm not going to spoil the story and say what that resolution is, but it seemed way too rushed and didn't match the pacing of the rest of the tale. It warranted more pages for this reader's money. Overall, it's a good story that I liked, but didn't love. I'm certain this author is going to write a story that I love someday because his writing is strong. My favorite stories are ones with satisfying endings and this one doesn't qualify in that department. 3.5 stars, rounded down here, rounded up at Amazon where the stars align a bit differently. 1,539 Kindle locations. Approximately 77 pages.
October 9, 2017
Jessie experiences night terrors in the shape of the 'Nightmare Man'. When the nightmares start to escalate, threatening his families safety, he decides to enlist in a new sleep study and drug trial. Things do not go as planned as his nightmares are desperately trying to merge with his reality.
I have to admit that when I started to read this story I didn't think it was going to engage me that much. Once I hit around 30% I found that the story really drew me in. Jessie is someone that I had a love/hate relationship with, I found many of his traits to be unlikeable but I think that made him all the more real and for a novella his character was really well drawn. The supporting characters in the book were also fleshed out really well, I especially liked the character of Leslie.
The story itself was not horror for me but unsettling in the themes that were explored; disappointment, resentment, temptation as well as the elements of the 'Nightmare Man' himself. There were some great concepts that could have been padded out a bit more but for 77 pages the author has done a great job in delivering an interesting read. While the book may not have wowed me, I have a feeling that elements of it are going to sit in some dark recess of my brain for quite some time to come. Recommended.
This book was one of the Darkfuse books of the month.
I have to admit that when I started to read this story I didn't think it was going to engage me that much. Once I hit around 30% I found that the story really drew me in. Jessie is someone that I had a love/hate relationship with, I found many of his traits to be unlikeable but I think that made him all the more real and for a novella his character was really well drawn. The supporting characters in the book were also fleshed out really well, I especially liked the character of Leslie.
The story itself was not horror for me but unsettling in the themes that were explored; disappointment, resentment, temptation as well as the elements of the 'Nightmare Man' himself. There were some great concepts that could have been padded out a bit more but for 77 pages the author has done a great job in delivering an interesting read. While the book may not have wowed me, I have a feeling that elements of it are going to sit in some dark recess of my brain for quite some time to come. Recommended.
This book was one of the Darkfuse books of the month.
December 4, 2013
This is the story of Jessie. he hasn't been sleeping too well lately owing to some heavy duty night terrors. when his nightmares start to impact on his son, Jessie seeks help from a psychiatrist who refers him to a sleep study. He goes along to enrol, and they give him a drug to supposedly help with the dreams, that's when things take a turn for the worse...
This is another of those stories that slowly, but surely wiggles its way under your skin and stays there. I have always had a thing about closed cupboard doors at night but now at least I know I am not alone, and this has validated my fears! The pace belted along, and I felt invested in Jessies story. The characters were solid and felt real. I really enjoyed this, although it brought back memories of when I was a child and my nightmares! For a quick read (with the lights on!) to keep you up at night, I recommend this.
This is another of those stories that slowly, but surely wiggles its way under your skin and stays there. I have always had a thing about closed cupboard doors at night but now at least I know I am not alone, and this has validated my fears! The pace belted along, and I felt invested in Jessies story. The characters were solid and felt real. I really enjoyed this, although it brought back memories of when I was a child and my nightmares! For a quick read (with the lights on!) to keep you up at night, I recommend this.
September 16, 2013
What, exactly, are you afraid of? When night comes and it's time to sleep, all your fears, wants, and needs of the day are let loose, to venture and paint pictures in your mind of what could be. But, what if the thoughts you buried so deep manifested a being that wants to remove the source that's keeping you from what you desire? Should you set if free? Or do you face the Nightmare Man and finally free yourself from fear's hold?
A solid tale of "night terrors."
A solid tale of "night terrors."
December 6, 2013
Review originally appeared at: http://www.confabulatorcafe.com/2013/...
In Alan Ryker’s Nightmare Man, Jessie, a young collections agent and would-be artist deals with his night terrors, in which he is haunted by dreams of the shadowy Nightmare Man. Jessie’s disorder has become dangerous to his family, as it sends him on sleeping rampages throughout the house as he attempts physical battle with his dream monster.
His marriage and job in jeopardy, Jessie seeks medical help and finds himself in experimental trials for a new drug to combat his night terrors, and eliminate the Nightmare Man. But when his son begins his own night terrors, Jessie is forced to ask if the Nightmare Man is only in his head, or is something much worse.
I really like Alan Ryker’s writing style. He has a conversational tone that puts you at ease, which makes the escalating tension all the greater. In this case, I also felt a personal connection with Jessie, the protagonist. Jessie was an aspiring comic book artist until the birth of his son forced him to take a job that would pay the bills rather than pursue the art he loved. A little known fact is that I was an initially an art major in college and spent most of my childhood drawing comic books. While I have mentioned that in passing on various blogs, it’s not well known that I have issues with parasomnia, the family of sleep disorders that includes night terrors.
I don’t have the issue quite to the level of Jessie, and I wouldn’t consider myself dangerous, but people sleeping in the same bed have been punched, choked, kicked, or groped. In one particular incident, I apparently attempted to bite my ex-wife. I’ve always said that the best horror takes your fears and turns the volume up to eleven. As such, I found myself relating well to Jessie. But even without my personal attachment, it is easy to connect to Ryker’s protagonist. Notice, I didn’t say “like.” There are things not to like about Jessie, as he is a fully drawn character with some definite flaws. I won’t get into them here, because some of them are important to the story, as Ryker explores the relationship between our personal identities and our life choices.
The horror in this novella is not overdone or over-complicated; it is fairly simple and is done very well. At under 100 pages, it is a quick read with a lot going for it. If you like horror novellas, DarkFuse is a good place to start, and Ryker is one of their best.
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In Alan Ryker’s Nightmare Man, Jessie, a young collections agent and would-be artist deals with his night terrors, in which he is haunted by dreams of the shadowy Nightmare Man. Jessie’s disorder has become dangerous to his family, as it sends him on sleeping rampages throughout the house as he attempts physical battle with his dream monster.
His marriage and job in jeopardy, Jessie seeks medical help and finds himself in experimental trials for a new drug to combat his night terrors, and eliminate the Nightmare Man. But when his son begins his own night terrors, Jessie is forced to ask if the Nightmare Man is only in his head, or is something much worse.
I really like Alan Ryker’s writing style. He has a conversational tone that puts you at ease, which makes the escalating tension all the greater. In this case, I also felt a personal connection with Jessie, the protagonist. Jessie was an aspiring comic book artist until the birth of his son forced him to take a job that would pay the bills rather than pursue the art he loved. A little known fact is that I was an initially an art major in college and spent most of my childhood drawing comic books. While I have mentioned that in passing on various blogs, it’s not well known that I have issues with parasomnia, the family of sleep disorders that includes night terrors.
I don’t have the issue quite to the level of Jessie, and I wouldn’t consider myself dangerous, but people sleeping in the same bed have been punched, choked, kicked, or groped. In one particular incident, I apparently attempted to bite my ex-wife. I’ve always said that the best horror takes your fears and turns the volume up to eleven. As such, I found myself relating well to Jessie. But even without my personal attachment, it is easy to connect to Ryker’s protagonist. Notice, I didn’t say “like.” There are things not to like about Jessie, as he is a fully drawn character with some definite flaws. I won’t get into them here, because some of them are important to the story, as Ryker explores the relationship between our personal identities and our life choices.
The horror in this novella is not overdone or over-complicated; it is fairly simple and is done very well. At under 100 pages, it is a quick read with a lot going for it. If you like horror novellas, DarkFuse is a good place to start, and Ryker is one of their best.
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December 8, 2013
Jessie is a young man, married with two young children. He is successful at a job which most would find as a source of stress – a ruthless caller who work for a collection agency and targets people unable or not bothering to meet their financial obligations. He is also suffering from a lifelong sleep disorder, specifically “night terrors”, which he finds increasingly unnerving – and his family is finding increasingly unsettling. He must lock himself in his bedroom for the first few hours of sleep when the terrors occur, during which his wife and kids cannot enter the room. During these early hours of sleep, he is routinely harassed and threatened by the “Nightmare Man”, a showy figure which pulls itself out of the pitch blackness of closets and dark corners.
After a particularly frightening interaction with the nightmare man, Jessie agrees with his wife that he needs professional help. He makes an appointment with a psychologist and a sleep disorder specialist who is part of a clinical trial measuring the effectiveness of a new medication. Jessie enrolls, but the medication seems to make things worse. The intrusive actions of the nightmare man escalate and begin to threaten the life of Jessie’s eight year old son, who is prone to his own sleep disturbances.
I found Nightmare Man to be outstanding. I thought the night terror angle was well developed and the descriptions of the actual sleep disturbance from Jessie’s perspective seem incredibly believable. The character efforts and courses of action make logical sense and there is not a false note in the narrative. The strain of the marriage is very accurately described, and Jessie’s perusal of a solution made very clear sense. The story was gripping and unusual, and I was literally could not put it down. Once I got into the flow very early in the story, I was helplessly caught up in the imaginative prose of Alan Ryker, and I wasn’t able to free myself until after I reached the end. A truly gifted horror writer.
After a particularly frightening interaction with the nightmare man, Jessie agrees with his wife that he needs professional help. He makes an appointment with a psychologist and a sleep disorder specialist who is part of a clinical trial measuring the effectiveness of a new medication. Jessie enrolls, but the medication seems to make things worse. The intrusive actions of the nightmare man escalate and begin to threaten the life of Jessie’s eight year old son, who is prone to his own sleep disturbances.
I found Nightmare Man to be outstanding. I thought the night terror angle was well developed and the descriptions of the actual sleep disturbance from Jessie’s perspective seem incredibly believable. The character efforts and courses of action make logical sense and there is not a false note in the narrative. The strain of the marriage is very accurately described, and Jessie’s perusal of a solution made very clear sense. The story was gripping and unusual, and I was literally could not put it down. Once I got into the flow very early in the story, I was helplessly caught up in the imaginative prose of Alan Ryker, and I wasn’t able to free myself until after I reached the end. A truly gifted horror writer.
August 6, 2013
I am a big Alan Ryker fan. The dude can flat out write a good story. Nightmare Man was no exception. This story goes non-stop from the very beginning. I really liked Alan’s description of night terrors and was drawn into the story and the characters right away. I was a little confused toward the end (not hard to do) it did not detract from the rest of the story however. A solid novella from DarkFuse and Mr. Ryker. Highly recommended!
January 26, 2019
Well it's a short story about anxiety of a man who always having nightmare at night. I don't know exactly in which level I can put it. But of course I can say that I enjoyed it. Not entirely but enough to be entertained...
From the Goodreads review-
"Jessie is not living the life he imagined. He spends his days working a job he hates. He spends his nights tormented by night terrors.
He once had goals and dreams. Now he's just trying to get by.
Unfortunately for Jessie and his family, while he's given up on his dreams, his nightmares haven't given up on him. And right now one is crossing over into the waking world."
Jassie father of two children living with his wife he always experienced some night terrors in his dream whenever he went to sleep at night. He just could not help it, as the nightmare grew day by day he almost lose himself. He seems to have no control over it and indeed he could not help himself too. Well if it happened in my real life I don't know what I could do against it. Develop a character of a nightmare man all by himself even though he didn't know about it until in the end. The nightmare man came into the darkness and haunts him in his sleep. That was not all but when the nightmare man getting business into his family it was then the thing become dangerous. Logan his son good also feel the presence of this so called nightmare man. But when? It was exactly when Jessie agreed to consult a Doctor about these and took medicine. Indeed he took those pills that the doctor recommend him. And the journey begin but not the way that Jessie thought it will, because this time the nightmare man haunting his son. And eventually this let him totally out of his mind and made him do everything tp protect his family. What happened in the end was really good to read. Actually I do wanted to read that kind of ending of this is story. Pretty well written of course I have to say...
From me I would give it 4 out of 5. Thanks to the author and of course I'm looking for he is next work to read...
September 28, 2013
Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
The plot for Nightmare Man holds the middle between being familiar and being original. The concept of being haunted by lost dreams and opportunities, and having nightmares about it, is probably familiar to everyone. But Jessie, our main character, takes it a step further. Not only is he doing a job he loathes, he also spends his nights being tormented by a shadow man. Every night, the creature is born in his nightmares, time and time again, and haunted him till the night is over. As the nightmares get more serious, and he even begins to sleepwalk, Jessie realizes it can’t go further like that.
He enlists in an experimental program to help people with sleeping issues. But instead of getting better, the nightmares only seem to get worse. When his young son notices the nightmare man standing in his bedroom, Jessie knows he’ll have to confront this nightmare being before it’s too late.
Jessie is your average Joe. There’s nothing spectacular or even remotely interesting about him – which makes him the best main character for this kind of book. He works a stressful, dull job, and has long given up his dream of becoming a comic book artist. He’s a well-rounded character with (broken) dreams and aspirations, fears and things he’d wish he’d done differently. And at its core, that’s what this book is about. Not a supernatural creature ready to cause havoc, but about ordinary people, and about what happens when they look at themselves for too long and figure out where their lives went wrong.
This novella was an interesting read. It didn’t scare me, but it caused me to think about humanity in general, and about how often we blame others for choices we made ourselves, and how easy parents blame children for their own lost dreams. The writing was good, and the plot, although not entirely original, definitely held my interest.
The plot for Nightmare Man holds the middle between being familiar and being original. The concept of being haunted by lost dreams and opportunities, and having nightmares about it, is probably familiar to everyone. But Jessie, our main character, takes it a step further. Not only is he doing a job he loathes, he also spends his nights being tormented by a shadow man. Every night, the creature is born in his nightmares, time and time again, and haunted him till the night is over. As the nightmares get more serious, and he even begins to sleepwalk, Jessie realizes it can’t go further like that.
He enlists in an experimental program to help people with sleeping issues. But instead of getting better, the nightmares only seem to get worse. When his young son notices the nightmare man standing in his bedroom, Jessie knows he’ll have to confront this nightmare being before it’s too late.
Jessie is your average Joe. There’s nothing spectacular or even remotely interesting about him – which makes him the best main character for this kind of book. He works a stressful, dull job, and has long given up his dream of becoming a comic book artist. He’s a well-rounded character with (broken) dreams and aspirations, fears and things he’d wish he’d done differently. And at its core, that’s what this book is about. Not a supernatural creature ready to cause havoc, but about ordinary people, and about what happens when they look at themselves for too long and figure out where their lives went wrong.
This novella was an interesting read. It didn’t scare me, but it caused me to think about humanity in general, and about how often we blame others for choices we made ourselves, and how easy parents blame children for their own lost dreams. The writing was good, and the plot, although not entirely original, definitely held my interest.
October 25, 2013
Alan Ryker's Nightmare Man is a look at a man who's life is slowly falling apart from some serious night terrors. They're so bad, they affect his work, his family, his entire life. He's already on the only available medication for the problem, but it no longer seems to be helping.
His shrink suggests he take part in a study of a new medication. He signs up, but that's when things go from scary to downright frightening.
I really enjoyed Nightmare Man. In the short time allowed by the story's length, Ryker does an excellent job of defining his characters and building relationships. In a single paragraph he manages to clearly define how much he cares for his young children, Logan (named after Wolverine), and his sister, Madison. "While I've managed to pass on my love of comic books and comic book cartoons to Logan (and he managed to get me into Power Rangers~I had no idea how awesome that show is), Madison hasn't taken to them. She likes Hello Kitty. Everything she owns costs twice as much as it should because it has that cat's round head stuck on it. We used to call her honey bunny which is both cute and a reference to Pulp Fiction. She now insists on being called honey kitty. I've tried to explain to her that it makes no sense and doesn't rhyme. She doesn't care."
Nightmare Man is a well-conceptualized story and the author has a reader-friendly writing style which made for a quick read.
Nightmare Man is available as a signed, limited edition, hardcover from DarkFuse and for the Kindle from Amazon.com. If you are a member of Amazon Prime you can borrow this book for FREE from the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
Highly recommended.
His shrink suggests he take part in a study of a new medication. He signs up, but that's when things go from scary to downright frightening.
I really enjoyed Nightmare Man. In the short time allowed by the story's length, Ryker does an excellent job of defining his characters and building relationships. In a single paragraph he manages to clearly define how much he cares for his young children, Logan (named after Wolverine), and his sister, Madison. "While I've managed to pass on my love of comic books and comic book cartoons to Logan (and he managed to get me into Power Rangers~I had no idea how awesome that show is), Madison hasn't taken to them. She likes Hello Kitty. Everything she owns costs twice as much as it should because it has that cat's round head stuck on it. We used to call her honey bunny which is both cute and a reference to Pulp Fiction. She now insists on being called honey kitty. I've tried to explain to her that it makes no sense and doesn't rhyme. She doesn't care."
Nightmare Man is a well-conceptualized story and the author has a reader-friendly writing style which made for a quick read.
Nightmare Man is available as a signed, limited edition, hardcover from DarkFuse and for the Kindle from Amazon.com. If you are a member of Amazon Prime you can borrow this book for FREE from the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
Highly recommended.
October 2, 2013
Jessie has been plagued by night terrors for as long as he can remember, and they have always involved the Nightmare Man, a creature of pure shadow. Jessie's wife has accepted that, as much as she can, until the night terrors start getting worse, and begin threatening their children.
That's the premise for Alan Ryker's latest novella. To be honest, there were no real surprises to be found in this story. It follows a predictable path to a predictable ending. That said, the strength of this novella is in the superb manner in which Ryker tells the story. It is tightly paced, there are no extraneous scenes simply meant to pad out the word-count, and each scene flows logically into the next. Ryker shows a real gift for moving between internal monologue and dialogue within the same scene. This helps tremendously in giving Jessie his own unique voice, one separate from similar characters in similar stories.
I also love how realistic Jessie's reactions are. He doesn't believe doctors can help him, but still goes when his wife insists. When one of those doctors offers an experimental treatment, Jessie has his doubts but, because he honestly wants to at least be able to say he tried everything, signs up for the trial. And so on. Again, this gives Jessie a unique voice.
I don't have any real complaints about this novella as it is, though I do wish Ryker would have experimented a bit more. However, we ended up with a great story, so perhaps I should hush up and count my blessings.
That's the premise for Alan Ryker's latest novella. To be honest, there were no real surprises to be found in this story. It follows a predictable path to a predictable ending. That said, the strength of this novella is in the superb manner in which Ryker tells the story. It is tightly paced, there are no extraneous scenes simply meant to pad out the word-count, and each scene flows logically into the next. Ryker shows a real gift for moving between internal monologue and dialogue within the same scene. This helps tremendously in giving Jessie his own unique voice, one separate from similar characters in similar stories.
I also love how realistic Jessie's reactions are. He doesn't believe doctors can help him, but still goes when his wife insists. When one of those doctors offers an experimental treatment, Jessie has his doubts but, because he honestly wants to at least be able to say he tried everything, signs up for the trial. And so on. Again, this gives Jessie a unique voice.
I don't have any real complaints about this novella as it is, though I do wish Ryker would have experimented a bit more. However, we ended up with a great story, so perhaps I should hush up and count my blessings.
August 20, 2013
I’m reading this during a read a thon, and the funny thing about read a thons is that you (or at least I) really push myself to read beyond my normal capabilities. This can also lead to a little bit of burn out; reading so much that you just HAVE to take a break or you’ll combust!
Well, this little doozy right here really was a diamond in this epic load of books I’m trying to tackle. Short, a bit horrific, seriously good… The story starts out and I was wondering what was going to happen to this poor man who is seriously having some major issues. I mean, I have some nightmares but damn! This guy’s nightmares go way and beyond those of mine, which seem pretty tangible.
As the main character you learn more and more about Jessie and his life. He is a regular guy with not so regular issues. I really liked him. I was worried he was about to make some serious mistakes but the guy is a great guy just trying to trudge through life. But there is so much more to this story than just what is on the surface, and it takes the entire book to figure it out, and what is going on with his Nightmare Man.
AND as if the plot and the characters aren’t enough, the ending is absolutely wonderful. This is taken all the way through, no cliff hanger, total ending. Love it!
Short, definitely not sweet, but totally to the point. Perfect for a fast read during a read a thon! Thank you Alan Ryker and thank you Darkfuse for allowing me to review this!
Well, this little doozy right here really was a diamond in this epic load of books I’m trying to tackle. Short, a bit horrific, seriously good… The story starts out and I was wondering what was going to happen to this poor man who is seriously having some major issues. I mean, I have some nightmares but damn! This guy’s nightmares go way and beyond those of mine, which seem pretty tangible.
As the main character you learn more and more about Jessie and his life. He is a regular guy with not so regular issues. I really liked him. I was worried he was about to make some serious mistakes but the guy is a great guy just trying to trudge through life. But there is so much more to this story than just what is on the surface, and it takes the entire book to figure it out, and what is going on with his Nightmare Man.
AND as if the plot and the characters aren’t enough, the ending is absolutely wonderful. This is taken all the way through, no cliff hanger, total ending. Love it!
Short, definitely not sweet, but totally to the point. Perfect for a fast read during a read a thon! Thank you Alan Ryker and thank you Darkfuse for allowing me to review this!
October 5, 2013
What if your worst nightmare becomes a reality? What if that nightmare now is threatening your family? To what extent would you be willing to go to stop this living nightmare? These are some of the questions that author Alan Ryker addresses on his novella, Nightmare Man. Night Terrors are a terrible experience for anyone that suffers them. Our protagonist suffers from them in the form of a shadowy presence, the Nightmare Man. Whether this entity is real or not is part of the plot on the book and it keeps you guessing as to how our protagonist is going to beat it.
The book is a real page turner, it keeps you guessing at to the nature of the evil entity. It also has a psychological component to it. That instinctual fear of the dark and of things that can only exist in the main of the insane or the very ill. It reminded me of my own nightmares and how terrifying it would be if my nightmares were real.
In the end the book is a great read for anyone that enjoys fear and horror of a psychological kind.
The book is a real page turner, it keeps you guessing at to the nature of the evil entity. It also has a psychological component to it. That instinctual fear of the dark and of things that can only exist in the main of the insane or the very ill. It reminded me of my own nightmares and how terrifying it would be if my nightmares were real.
In the end the book is a great read for anyone that enjoys fear and horror of a psychological kind.
August 8, 2013
The story is well told and moves along at a pretty good pace. The Nightmare Man is a formidable figure who decides tormenting Jesse isn't as much fun as tormenting Jesse's wife and son.
While reading the story, Nietzsche's quote about staring too long into the abyss makes the abyss stare back kept coming to mind. I think it is the essence of the story. When we look at how terrible we think our lives are or how bleak our dreams have become, we stare into that abyss and what stares back is bitterness and anger.
I enjoyed the story and the conclusion is one that most of us would shake our heads at and say "well, of course". Great read - soon to be out on bookshelves everywhere. I give the story a B+. I would have liked it a little better if he had explored some of the stuff with the shrink but he still made it to the right conclusion.
I was given an advance copy for review by Netgalley.com.
While reading the story, Nietzsche's quote about staring too long into the abyss makes the abyss stare back kept coming to mind. I think it is the essence of the story. When we look at how terrible we think our lives are or how bleak our dreams have become, we stare into that abyss and what stares back is bitterness and anger.
I enjoyed the story and the conclusion is one that most of us would shake our heads at and say "well, of course". Great read - soon to be out on bookshelves everywhere. I give the story a B+. I would have liked it a little better if he had explored some of the stuff with the shrink but he still made it to the right conclusion.
I was given an advance copy for review by Netgalley.com.
November 20, 2013
I'm usually not a fan of books that pose the question of a character deciding if something is a dream or reality. So many stories have these elements, I have become utterly exhausted with this premise. However, much to my surprise, Alan Ryker has managed to bring something new to the table with this subject.
The medical aspect of the character's experimental testing is fascinating and hooked me every time he went in for another evaluation. The rich characters make the rather silly nightmares more believable and full of suspense. And while the opening chapter is a bit overwritten, the remainder of the story is well paced and fluid.
A few typos aside, this is a very enjoyable read, with the ending very well written. It was clear the author took a lot time on the difficult climax and it pays off . The result is extremely satisfying and puts author Alan Ryker officially on my must read list.
The medical aspect of the character's experimental testing is fascinating and hooked me every time he went in for another evaluation. The rich characters make the rather silly nightmares more believable and full of suspense. And while the opening chapter is a bit overwritten, the remainder of the story is well paced and fluid.
A few typos aside, this is a very enjoyable read, with the ending very well written. It was clear the author took a lot time on the difficult climax and it pays off . The result is extremely satisfying and puts author Alan Ryker officially on my must read list.
December 8, 2013
I punish the ones who kill dreams
3.5 stars
Jessie a married man with two children has suffered from night terrors most of his life. The Nightmare Man a shadow in the dark plagues him daily. Jessie has tried everything to make his nightly visitor stop...even enrolled himself into a drug study that exacerbates the problem. Now the Nightmare Man visits his son Logan too and Jessie sets out to fix this once and for all. A good read a little too involved for my tastes but a good read nonetheless.
3.5 stars
Jessie a married man with two children has suffered from night terrors most of his life. The Nightmare Man a shadow in the dark plagues him daily. Jessie has tried everything to make his nightly visitor stop...even enrolled himself into a drug study that exacerbates the problem. Now the Nightmare Man visits his son Logan too and Jessie sets out to fix this once and for all. A good read a little too involved for my tastes but a good read nonetheless.
October 10, 2016
3.5 stars. Fun, quick read. This is the first thing I've read that comes close to touching on sleep paralysis. The main character here is suffering from night terrors but... close enough. I have had 3 episodes of sleep paralysis (if you're not familiar with it - google it, it's crazy) in my life and they are insane. I guess it's not relevant to this review except that I'm a sucker for a good nightmare story. Only 150 pages or something like that.. 2.99 on amazon... worth it.
December 11, 2018
wanted to read and asked for a copy via NetGalley but was declined -oh well. Guess I won't be reading this title
August 10, 2013
Another very good book from Darkfuse that is definitely worth reading.
See a full review at http://www.examiner.com/review/nightm...
See a full review at http://www.examiner.com/review/nightm...
September 28, 2013
Intense creepy read. Highly recommended.
October 2, 2013
3.5 stars.
Short fast read. Entertaining but a bit flat.
Short fast read. Entertaining but a bit flat.
April 21, 2014
What a sappy ending! It could have been so much darker and left me wondering. Very disappointed. I was hooked in the beginning, right through to the middle. Then "poof". The whole story nosedives.
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