Now, and the Hour of Death

by Karen Lykkebo

Five short tales of the eerie, tragic, and macabre.

Three friends venture into an abandoned church, unaware the foundation is haunted.
An expert in the occult is asked to remove a presence from the beach.
Two survivors of the zombie apocalypse watch a final sunset together.
Two lovers will do anything to keep their home and love safe.
A serial killer is on the loose, but his step is watched by more than his victims.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction

49 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2023

About the author

Author of The Palace of Winds trilogy (book 1 Winds of Destruction) and Heir to The Sun.

I write original fantasy with a twist of humor. I love broken families and found family, soft girls who kick ass, and tough guys who cry. I add love of all colors and shape, and touch on heavy subjects of depression, anxiety, and greif.

Reviews

[Rebecca Crunden]

The Damned will hunt you. Kill you. Feed on you, and spawn from your flesh, and they’ll laugh while they’re at it. You may cut them down, put a bullet through their skull, and burn them to ashes, but eventually, they’ll respawn and come back with a vengeance.

A very spooky, gritty, visceral collection of short little horror stories! I was very impressed by the prose and the originality of the twists of the tales. A really good blend of the gothic, the dark and the supernatural. Horror fans, check it out!

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[Lacrima Mundi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of five different horror short stories, varying from spooky to properly terrifying.

All stories are very well-written, easy and enjoyable to read, and make for proper entertainment for Halloween or your personal spooky season/weekend/day.

My individual ratings for the five stories:

And in the Darkness Lies the Grave ★★★★★
The Haunting of my Harrowing Heart ★★★★★
Now, and the Hour of Death ★★★★★
A Man of the Sea ★★★★☆
The Banshee ★★★★☆


I can absolutely recommend this collection for all fans of paranormal horror stories or spooky folktale horror.

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Transparency info: Read via Kindle Unlimited.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t quite make this one fit into October, but the beginning of November is just as good!

This is a collection of 5 short stories that the cover boasts will be eerie, tragic & macabre. The author certainly delivers, and what I liked the most is how each has at least some kind of small twist that is unexpected, even if the subject matter is something we’ve seen before.

A group of three grave robbers find more than they bargained for in the basement of an abandoned church. Two lovers, destined to be pulled apart, will do anything for their love of each other and their home to stay intact. Two survivors during a zombie apocalypse take in a final sunset together. An occult specialist is hired to remove an entity from the beach, and having never failed before, they figure it’ll be run of the mill. A serial killer that’s anything but a newbie is being followed, or haunted, by more than just his victim.

I enjoyed each story and I look forward to reading something in a longer form by the author. The story about the lovers brought to mind the spooky house vibes of like Crimson Peak or The Little Stranger, with that willingness to hold on that was almost Hocus Pocus-y. The zombie apocalypse story had unique zombies that definitely felt like the demons from the new movie Azrael that I quite enjoyed. A worthy one to pick up for a quick read!

[Louise Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written, chilling anthology containing 5 tales of terror and darkness. The Banshee (a powerful story of vengeful spirits) and The Haunting of My Harrowing Heart (gothic witchcraft) were my two favourites but all of the stories are brilliant; the author has done a really great job of creating eerie atmospheres and imaginative plots which pack a punch despite each tale's short length. A brief but unputdownable read

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good!

A really decent collection of spooky short stories. They were well told and interesting. I loved the front cover too!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed Karen Lykkebo's Drowned Hearts and I was excited about another creepy tale! Well, this one features several creepy tales. And I loved them all! I flew through this book! It was creepy and scary and exciting, a rollercoaster ride of HECK YES. From an abandoned church you should definitely NOT have visited (are you afraid of the dark?) to something on the beach (and can you hear the song he is hearing?) to a zombie-esque apocalypse with more of a game feeling given the respawn stuff (and seriously those teeth I can just not get out of my mind) to two women who love each other greatly and yes yes yes will do anything to stay together and keep their home theirs (which means they really will go very far, holy wow) to the last story about a serial killer getting his portion of karma (and I liked this one, it was sad but also fantastic).

I would HIGHLY recommend this one to everyone. And I need more!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book of short creepy stories. It took me a minute to get into it, because the first story wasn't my cup of tea, but then it picked up. There's enough variety that if you like dark and creepy, you're sure to find something you like. I think A Man of the Sea was my favourite.

I was given an ARC of Now, and the Hour of Death, and this is my honest review.

[Mandy Schimelpfenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of creepy stories perfect for October! Ghosts, murder, paranormal encounters... what more could you want?