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L is for Lamia
***Visit iainrobwright.com to get the Iain Rob Wright Starter Library (four best-selling books, hundreds of five star reviews) FOR FREE.***
Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me - J.A. Konrath
Nobody likes a knock at the door late at night, but that’s exactly what happens to one close-knit family on an otherwise ordinary night.
Who is at the door and what do they want?
For family man, Patrick, the answers will be horrifying.
A Short Story by Bestselling Author, Iain Rob Wright.
Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me - J.A. Konrath
Nobody likes a knock at the door late at night, but that’s exactly what happens to one close-knit family on an otherwise ordinary night.
Who is at the door and what do they want?
For family man, Patrick, the answers will be horrifying.
A Short Story by Bestselling Author, Iain Rob Wright.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
24 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2015
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Iain Rob Wright
181 books1,840 followersOne of Horror's most respected authors, Iain Rob Wright is the writer of more than forty books, many of them bestsellers. A previous Kindle All-Star and a mainstay in the horror charts, he is a prolific producer of unique and original stories. From his apocalyptic saga The Gates to his claustrophobic revenge thriller ASBO, Iain writes across a broad spectrum of sub genres, creating both beloved series and standalone titles.
With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wright is one of the fastest rising stars in horror, but when not writing he is a dedicated family man. Father to Jack and Molly, and husband to Sally, he is often seen sharing his family memories with his fans on Facebook.
To get 6 of his books for free (no strings), just visit: www.iainrobwright.com
With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wright is one of the fastest rising stars in horror, but when not writing he is a dedicated family man. Father to Jack and Molly, and husband to Sally, he is often seen sharing his family memories with his fans on Facebook.
To get 6 of his books for free (no strings), just visit: www.iainrobwright.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 11 reviews
June 27, 2025
3.5 Stars
Damn!
Just don't answer the door.
Damn!
Just don't answer the door.
June 21, 2015
That was brilliant. Each one of these are getting better as the collection goes on.
This one was fast paced and brutal! It felt like I was only reading it for about five minutes. It had me hooked straight away. Definitely recommend.
This one was fast paced and brutal! It felt like I was only reading it for about five minutes. It had me hooked straight away. Definitely recommend.
November 22, 2017
Few people other than real horror buffs know what a lamia is, but almost everyone can understand the basic horror she personifies. As a result, she's a perfect candidate for Ian Rob Wright's creepy anthology, A-Z of Horror. Wright has assembled 26 tales, one for each letter of the alphabet, and these tales differ widely in subject matter, style, and theme. But one thing they all have in common is that they all represent a fundamental human fear. In " L Is for Lamia," that fear is the loss of a parent's child, the fate that awaits the main characters in the story.
In Greek mythology, the lamia was a beautiful but deadly creature that ate children. The myth evolved so that the lamia was more preoccupied with the stealing of the children rather than the subsequent dining, and medieval parents used to use the threat of the lamia as an enticement for their children to behave. Wright changes the myth around a bit to even better effect. Now, his lamia is a woman who shows up one night, knocking on the door of a typical middle-class British family and makes them an offer they try to refuse. The lamia demands that the parents turn over one of their two children, whichever they choose, or the lamia will return for them both. After the father quite naturally refuses, the lamia gives a demonstration of her powers, most of which seem to involve the ability to summon and control extremely poisonous snakes.
“L Is for Lamia” is only about 25 pages long, so there’s not much time for character development. Instead, after the first encounter with the lamia, the story becomes a supernatural version of the Sam Peckinpah film Straw Dogs, with the family trying to hold out against a creature that’s got horrifying magical powers. Fortunately, Wright can rely on his readers’ own sense of family to let them experience the emotions the family is going through as what started out as a night of parlor trivia games turns frighteningly real.
And, as if the thought of losing a child wasn’t horrifying enough for most people, Wright gives readers something else to visualize and dread, a bevy of nasty snakes, one of which takes a chunk out of the father. Needless to say, readers can also project their fear of snakes into the story as well. The creep factor goes up even more when the family eventually discovers some snake-like creatures that are far more horrifying (and deadly) thatn your typical rattlesnake could ever be.
Unfortunately, the ending of “L Is for Lamia” is a bit of a disappointment as Wright inserts a poorly chosen twist ending that doesn’t have the impact that the author thinks it will, partly because it’s fairly easy to guess. It also serves as a distraction, blunting the impact of what should have been the natural resolution of the story. It’s a shame Wright felt he needed to top what was already a very good story with a poorly chosen gimmick.
Gimmick ending or not, “L Is for Lamia” is one of the better stories, at least for the first 20 or so pages, in Wright’s anthology. One of his strengths as an author is the ability to create, even in a handful of pages, very accessible characters with whom the audience can share the chilling dangers the author throws out. Most readers wouldn’t want to face the dilemma that the central family finds themselves in here, but horror fans will definitely enjoy “L Is for Lamia.”
In Greek mythology, the lamia was a beautiful but deadly creature that ate children. The myth evolved so that the lamia was more preoccupied with the stealing of the children rather than the subsequent dining, and medieval parents used to use the threat of the lamia as an enticement for their children to behave. Wright changes the myth around a bit to even better effect. Now, his lamia is a woman who shows up one night, knocking on the door of a typical middle-class British family and makes them an offer they try to refuse. The lamia demands that the parents turn over one of their two children, whichever they choose, or the lamia will return for them both. After the father quite naturally refuses, the lamia gives a demonstration of her powers, most of which seem to involve the ability to summon and control extremely poisonous snakes.
“L Is for Lamia” is only about 25 pages long, so there’s not much time for character development. Instead, after the first encounter with the lamia, the story becomes a supernatural version of the Sam Peckinpah film Straw Dogs, with the family trying to hold out against a creature that’s got horrifying magical powers. Fortunately, Wright can rely on his readers’ own sense of family to let them experience the emotions the family is going through as what started out as a night of parlor trivia games turns frighteningly real.
And, as if the thought of losing a child wasn’t horrifying enough for most people, Wright gives readers something else to visualize and dread, a bevy of nasty snakes, one of which takes a chunk out of the father. Needless to say, readers can also project their fear of snakes into the story as well. The creep factor goes up even more when the family eventually discovers some snake-like creatures that are far more horrifying (and deadly) thatn your typical rattlesnake could ever be.
Unfortunately, the ending of “L Is for Lamia” is a bit of a disappointment as Wright inserts a poorly chosen twist ending that doesn’t have the impact that the author thinks it will, partly because it’s fairly easy to guess. It also serves as a distraction, blunting the impact of what should have been the natural resolution of the story. It’s a shame Wright felt he needed to top what was already a very good story with a poorly chosen gimmick.
Gimmick ending or not, “L Is for Lamia” is one of the better stories, at least for the first 20 or so pages, in Wright’s anthology. One of his strengths as an author is the ability to create, even in a handful of pages, very accessible characters with whom the audience can share the chilling dangers the author throws out. Most readers wouldn’t want to face the dilemma that the central family finds themselves in here, but horror fans will definitely enjoy “L Is for Lamia.”
July 13, 2023
I really enjoyed L is for Lamia (A-Z of Horror book 12) by Iain Rob Wright.
Lamia is from Greek Mythology and means a mythical monster who has a woman's body and preys on human beings and sucks the blood of children.
A typical family evening where a family of four including two adults are playing board games when they hear a knock on their door and it is quite late in the evening. The head of the family opens the door to a woman and this will result in a tug of war.
There is an amazing twist at the end of this horror short story.
Lamia is from Greek Mythology and means a mythical monster who has a woman's body and preys on human beings and sucks the blood of children.
A typical family evening where a family of four including two adults are playing board games when they hear a knock on their door and it is quite late in the evening. The head of the family opens the door to a woman and this will result in a tug of war.
There is an amazing twist at the end of this horror short story.
November 22, 2022
Ok, sounds very similar (though I’ve not read it) to the premise of Stephen King’s The Storm of the century in terms of an evil being causing pain and distress on a family or community, and demanding something irreplaceable (such as a child) to make it stop.
November 8, 2023
A woman knocks into a family's game night one evening and demands one child. What will the father do to protect his family?
This isn't one of those stories that I'll remember in the long run, but it was a pretty good read, nonetheless. The story was able to establish the happy family member's characters within the first chapter and used that information to create the rifts that arose later in the story.
The pace of the story is still really good. It starts with a normal family game night with a moody teenager, the free spirit younger brother, and the fun parents. The tension builds up from the small friction with the family members to the increasing hostility of their unwelcome visitor until everything comes to a head.
Lastly, I am really loving the ending of these stories. It gives you something to think about but not so much that the story feels incomplete. It's just an extra kick of scare or sadness for the road.
This isn't one of those stories that I'll remember in the long run, but it was a pretty good read, nonetheless. The story was able to establish the happy family member's characters within the first chapter and used that information to create the rifts that arose later in the story.
The pace of the story is still really good. It starts with a normal family game night with a moody teenager, the free spirit younger brother, and the fun parents. The tension builds up from the small friction with the family members to the increasing hostility of their unwelcome visitor until everything comes to a head.
Lastly, I am really loving the ending of these stories. It gives you something to think about but not so much that the story feels incomplete. It's just an extra kick of scare or sadness for the road.
July 2, 2015
Review: L is for Lamia (A-Z of Horrors #12) by iain Rob Wright Publication Date: 7th May 2015
Publisher: SalGad Publishing Group
ASIN: B00XC2KW60
Rating: 4*
Synopsis:
Nobody likes a knock at the door late at night, but that’s exactly what happens to one close-knit family on an otherwise ordinary night. Who is at the door and what do they want? For family man, Patrick, the answers will be horrifying.
Review:
A lamia is a child-eating demon, in this case in the form of a woman who knocks on Patrick's door late one night. He dismisses her as a strange lady, fully expecting her to go away as he requests. What happens next is shocking...
This short story has an interesting twist at the end, but I didn't enjoy it as much as its predecessors.
Publisher: SalGad Publishing Group
ASIN: B00XC2KW60
Rating: 4*
Synopsis:
Nobody likes a knock at the door late at night, but that’s exactly what happens to one close-knit family on an otherwise ordinary night. Who is at the door and what do they want? For family man, Patrick, the answers will be horrifying.
Review:
A lamia is a child-eating demon, in this case in the form of a woman who knocks on Patrick's door late one night. He dismisses her as a strange lady, fully expecting her to go away as he requests. What happens next is shocking...
This short story has an interesting twist at the end, but I didn't enjoy it as much as its predecessors.
June 18, 2015
Another good one from Mr. Wright. I've noticed he tries to put a twist on the end of his stories, ala Tales from the Crypt or The Twilight Zone. In some cases it works great, it others not so much.
The Lamia is one of the more underrated monsters in literature, so this was a nice change in pace. Overall another good story, I haven't been disappointed in Wright's work yet.
The Lamia is one of the more underrated monsters in literature, so this was a nice change in pace. Overall another good story, I haven't been disappointed in Wright's work yet.
May 21, 2015
Snakes
Not knowing what to expect from this author, you are always surprised. This is a twisted tale of a twitchy lady forcing choices.
Not knowing what to expect from this author, you are always surprised. This is a twisted tale of a twitchy lady forcing choices.
January 1, 2016
Perfect
Perfect story telling very original not to be missed good twist definitely a 5* read IRW is a horror writing wizard buy this now
Perfect story telling very original not to be missed good twist definitely a 5* read IRW is a horror writing wizard buy this now
Displaying 1 - 10 of 11 reviews